21

 

Jason whistled as he polished the mirrors on the fire engine at the Kingsville station the next morning. Nothing could dampen his mood today. Not even that phone call summoning Maxi back to New York.

For the first time in his life, he was truly in love.

In love with Maxi North.

Even if she did return to New York, Jason was determined to make this relationship work. He’d make it work because he wasn’t giving up now. Call him selfish, but he wasn’t ready to relinquish these feelings that acted like a drug, running rampant through his system.

He bent with the rag and began to shine the chrome trim. With this energy, he could probably finish his chores in record time. And then he could plan his speech for Maxi. He was driving her to the airport later that afternoon. Even though she only intended to stay for a few days to put out some fires so to speak, Jason wanted to make sure Maxi knew how he felt about her. In absolute terms, with no doubt involved. He intended to tell her he loved her and make sure she had a very good reason to hurry back.

As for the future, he’d worry about that later. They’d take it one day at a time and make decisions as they went. That is, if Maxi felt the same way. His hand stopped mid-stroke over the hubcap. What if he’d misread her reactions? What if...?

No, he was pretty good at reading female reactions, and he knew Maxi felt something for him. The question remained—was it strong enough for her to want a future with him?

He stood up, stretched his back, and inhaled deeply. He’d find out when he kissed her good-bye. He’d see then whether it was a “see you again soon” type of kiss or an “it’s been nice knowing you” kiss. Every instinct told him she was as invested in this new relationship as he.

“Hey, Hanley.” The voice of one of the other firefighters broke through the haze of his thoughts. “There’s someone here to see you.”

A huge grin spread across his face. Maxi couldn’t wait to see him. She’d come all the way into Kingsville. Maybe she’d changed her mind about going to New York after all.

Adrenaline surged through his limbs as he tossed the rag into the dirty laundry pile, took a quick glance at his reflection in the side-view mirror, and then bounded through the station to the inner office. His smile of anticipation slid away the moment he saw the woman in the blue dress standing at the reception desk. What was she doing here?

“Gloria?”

She turned. “Hello, Jason.”

Something about her seemed different. She wasn’t her usual flirtatious self. In fact, she appeared subdued, almost guilty. Alarm bells rang in his ears—alarms that had nothing to do with the fire station. “Is something wrong?”

His first thoughts turned to Maxi. His hand clenched into a fist at his side. If Gloria had done something to Maxi, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions.

Gloria twisted a crumpled tissue between her fingers. “Is there somewhere we could talk? In private?”

A cold ball of fear lodged in his chest, but he refused to let her see his discomfort. He kept his voice low and smooth. “There’s a room down the hall. It should be empty right now.”

He led the way to the small utility room that served as a storage/meeting room. A rectangular table and four mismatched chairs took up most of the dingy space. He pulled a chair out for her and then took a seat on the other side of the table. Wariness told him to keep a safe distance between them.

“What can I do for you, Gloria?” He couldn’t help the coldness in his voice.

She lowered her fake lashes, still twisting the tissue. “I have some news I need to tell you.”

He frowned, paying more attention to her trembling chin and shaking fingers. This news couldn’t be good. “What is it?”

She bit down on her bottom lip, which had started to quiver. If he didn’t know the kind of hateful person she could be, he might almost feel sorry for her.

“I don’t know how to tell you this…”

Wisps of fear curled through his veins as he waited.

At last she raised misery-filled eyes to his. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered.

Initial relief spread through his tense muscles. It had nothing to do with him or Maxi. “Wow. I’m sorry.” He felt the stirrings of sympathy for her. “Does Marco know?”

Stunned surprise spread over her features. “Marco?”

“Yeah, you know, my former best friend you cheated on me with. I assume he’s the father, unless you’ve moved on to someone else.”

The hurt expression on her face pricked at his conscience. Even though she deserved it, he probably didn’t need to rub her nose in it at this particular moment.

She shook her head. “I never slept with Marco.”

His brain refused to comprehend what his ears had just heard. “Don’t lie to me, Gloria. There’s no point at this late date.”

“I’m not lying.”

The quiet dignity of her words rang with truth. Icy fingers of panic began a slow climb up his spine. His breathing slowed to almost nothing. “Then who’s the father of this baby?”

Seconds passed like hours as Jason watched a lone tear slide down her heavily made-up cheek, leaving a trail in its wake. The tear reached the edge of her jaw, hung suspended there for a moment, then plopped onto the table below.

“You are.”