The Problem with Fire - M.E. Clayton Page 0,12

just a joke. I didn’t know your neighbor was so sensitive.”

“Really?” I barked. “And what exactly did you mean when you said us being neighbors made more sense, Daria?”

A sneer appeared on her pretty face, but it was gone in an instant. “Well, since she looks to be a bit older, it makes sense that you’re neighbors and…nothing more.”

Daria was an attractive woman. She had fiery red hair that was more dark auburn than that awful orange. She had bright green eyes, a delicate doll-like face, and a body she paid good money for. She was smart, organized, and did a hell of a job for us. Other than letting her petty jealousy get the best of her today, she’s always done a good job here.

But she did nothing for me.

And if she just cost me any chance with Monroe, I might seriously have to consider transferring out to another firehouse, lest I strangle her.

I leaned in close, so that she couldn’t misunderstand what I was about to tell her. “Listen carefully, Daria,” I seethed. “Monroe is not only my neighbor, but a good person. She did not deserve to have her integrity and character questioned, even if it was in a jokingly manner.” Daria bristled, and it was all I could do not to call her a petty bitch to her face. I didn’t care how attractive the outside package was; if you were ugly on the inside, you were ugly on the outside.

“It was just a joke, Sayer,” she repeated. “And I didn’t mean to embarrass her, but we all know you’d never fuck her, so of course, you’d just be neighbors.”

She deliberately used the word ‘fuck’ to dirty up whatever she suspected there might be between me and Monroe, and that’s when I threw the gloves off. “Let me make one thing very clear, Daria,” I snarled. “Whether being just neighbors, or whether I was fucking Monroe every goddamn night of the week, it’s none of your business.” Her eyes narrowed, and this was all pure jealousy. “Now, do your goddamn job, and stay out of my personal life.” With that I took off after Monroe.

When I exited the station’s man door, I saw Monroe on her phone, pacing by her car. I walked up to her, and when she saw me, she put her finger up to put me on pause. It was killing me, but I waited patiently like a good boy.

She hung up a couple of seconds later and faced me. “I’m going to trade some accounts with Kevin, so he can do the inspection later today or tomorrow,” she said.

“Monroe, that’s not necess-”

“Sayer, I need my job,” she said. “It supports me and Leta. I can’t risk that for…even if it was a joke, I can’t…”

Christ, I was pissed.

“Monroe-”

“Uh…tell Kellen it was nice to meet him,” she mumbled. “I…I’m sorry about your girlfr-”

“Daria is not my girlfriend,” I snapped, and her wounded brown eyes widened. “Shit. Monroe-”

She shook her head. “I…I gotta go.” And with that she got in her car and drove off.

Well, fuck.

Chapter 7

Monroe~

I knew I couldn’t hide from him forever.

I knew this.

However, I’ve been exercising some serious ninja skills lately, and I have been successfully avoiding Sayer Hayes for days now. It’s been almost a week since that embarrassing debacle at the firehouse, but I knew I couldn’t keep this up forever.

More’s the pity.

I kept telling myself it was all because I had been blindsided by Sayer working there, but it had been the woman, Daria, who had really flustered me. First with her insinuation that, of course, I could be nothing but Sayer’s neighbor, embarrassing the hell out of me. And then, that I’d actually pass them based on my relationship with Sayer. When Kevin had agreed to trade me accounts, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

And now, it was Wednesday, and I was so happy Karma had gotten her weekends mixed up and Leta was, indeed, going camping with them this weekend, because then I could drink my shame away for two straight days.

Because I really needed a drink.

It was Wednesday, and just changing out of my work clothes and getting ready to relax, if I hadn’t truly believed it before that I needed a drink, I did now as I opened my front door to my ex-husband, who appeared to be angry as hell.

Flippin’ great.

“What are you doing here, Thomas?” I said, blurting the first thing that popped in my head. “And where’s Leta?”

He jerked