sure what to do. Or if she needs me for anything at all.”
She failed to keep the slight edge of resentment out of her tone, and Hank noticed.
“I imagine this is difficult for both of you. Riley, um, Erin hasn’t been quite the same since she woke up. We notice it, too. She’s...I don’t know. Like she’s looking for something, I guess. There, and then not there.”
“At least I get to see her more these days. I think you guys knew her better than I did before. She certainly spent more time with you all, and I know being around you now is a comfort to her. But I worry she’s too caught in the past to move forward. She doesn’t like hearing that, as you can imagine.”
Hank drew himself up, all six feet who-only-knew-how-many-inches of him, and looked down at her with calm understanding. How did this big bear of a man come off so Zenlike? As he started to speak, she expected him to make excuses and find some means to escape her dumping all her problems on him. She never did that, not as a habit, and wouldn’t blame him for wanting to get clear of her.
“Have you had anyone to talk to since this happened?” he asked instead.
A beer came, magically appearing in her hand. Hank said something to the woman that she couldn’t hear over the noise.
“I ordered some dinner and got something for you, too.”
Kit was taken aback at his presumptuousness, but then she acquiesced as she knew he meant no offense. And he would know what was good to eat here anyway.
“Thank you.”
“C’mon, the back is quieter. It can get nuts around here on the weekend.”
He led her to a table near the back, pulled out a chair for her and then sat himself. He looked sort of ridiculous at the small tavern table, being lumberjack-sized.
“So you didn’t answer my question.”
“What question was that?”
Kit started to relax a bit. It had been a long time since she’d been out for an evening, even longer since it had been in a bar with any member of the opposite sex. She’d needed a break more than she thought.
“Have you had a chance to talk to anyone about what’s gone on with Erin? The department has counselors for us, and they work with family, too, when it’s needed.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. I was just ticked off that she stood me up.”
“Yeah, she gets caught up in her head these days. Can’t blame her, but it’s not easy to live with, either. None of this is. Our schedules, lifestyles...it’s hard on loved ones.”
“Yours, too?”
“I’m not married, if that’s your way of asking. Or involved.”
Kit’s felt her cheek warm. “I wasn’t asking, really, that’s none of my—”
“Then it was my way of letting you know.”
Kit stopped, flustered. “Oh. Okay.”
Luckily, the server arrived with their food. Kit was immediately in love—with the chicken.
“Dig in. Don’t be shy.” Hank smiled, triggering another warm curl low in her belly that wasn’t caused by the spicy aroma of the food.
Kit didn’t hesitate, starting in on the chicken and handmade fries without reserve, licking her fingers when she was done. Hank was working his way through his, too, and eyed the remnants left on her plate.
“You and your sister both know how to eat, that’s for sure.” He said it appreciatively, and Kit couldn’t help but grin.
“Yeah, my parents believed in healthy eaters. Good thing they also passed on their active metabolisms.”
“You are in nice shape,” he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes.
She couldn’t explain her response except that it had been a very long time since she’d been with a man. She was thirty-three, and had always imagined she’d be married with kids by now, but life hadn’t made time for romance. It did, however, make time for lust and the occasional fling.
Things were definitely stirring here at the table between her and Hank. She wasn’t sure when she stopped thinking about having a long-term relationship—her work, her parents, her sister...it all had consumed the years. Still, she enjoyed a night of hot sex now and then, when it was with the right guy.
But Hank wasn’t the right guy. He was a firefighter, for one—definitely not her type—and he had worked with her sister. It was best, when scratching an itch, to have things as anonymous as possible. There was a good chance her path and Hank’s could cross again, and that meant it would be a mistake to fan this little ember.
They used the wet wipes at the table to clean their hands, and Kit figured it was time to leave. She didn’t want to send false signals by staying too long. She’d catch up with Erin tomorrow. She couldn’t imagine where her sister was, but Kit’s mood had mellowed on a full stomach.
Some live music started in the main room, though, drowning out her voice. Hank said something, too, but she couldn’t hear him, either.
“What?” she said loudly, her hand to her ear.
He smiled as he stood and reached his hand out to her in the universal invitation to dance.
Kit was momentarily stunned. What she wanted and what she should do were in opposition to each other.
What she wanted won. Just for tonight, she wanted to forget that she had to be at the shop at five in the morning and that she had responsibilities. That she had worries and troubles.
That there was no one to go home to.
She wanted to dance with Hank and enjoy her evening.
So she took his hand and let him lead her out to the floor, where he pulled her up close and proceeded to show her how well a big man could move.
ERIN WAS A knot of nerves and anxiety as she got ready for Bo to come over. He’d said they’d talk—and she knew they had to do that, but she wanted to do more.
Maybe.
She wanted to do whatever she needed to do to get this going between them.
“You’re such a romantic,” she said to herself, smirking in the mirror as she changed her shirt again, unable to decide if she should go with a bra or not.
She’d been with the man for a year. But for her, it was like a first date. A first time.
What had changed his mind?
Was she crazy? Throwing herself at him because it might prompt a few memories? When she was with him, next to him, she felt certain.
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