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I half expected Dean to invite me back to his place after we looked at the properties, but instead, he and Sam dropped me back at the café and waved me goodbye. It was the right thing to do, and I gave myself a strict talk about expectations and boundaries. We could be friends.
I reminded myself about this in the morning, when I had a text from Dean while I was getting ready for the café to open.
Hey. Wanna go see the new Star Trek movie tonight? It’s a fundraiser for the fire station’s nominated charity, at Shoreline Cinema. I can pick you up 7:15.
I was tempted. I much preferred going to the movies with someone, rather than alone. Part of the fun was picking a film apart afterwards, and this was one I’d like to see. I could afford it without dipping into my exhibition budget. I replied before I could think about it too much.
Sounds fun. Count me in!
He texted back a smiley face, and I couldn’t help smiling in return.
The day flew by, and everything was good until one of Lou’s friends came in after lunch and I overheard her grumbling about the traffic. The highway was at a standstill, with police directing traffic away from the centre of the nearest town. The primary school was on fire, and smoke made driving in the area hazardous, to say nothing of the fire engines called in from surrounding stations.
Everyone in the café stopped work and clustered around the woman, wanting to hear the news. It was still the summer holidays, so the school should be empty, but rumours flew around. A homeless guy was reputed to sleep in a sheltered part of the grounds. Two kids had been seen running from the playing fields, and arson was suspected. Someone else heard a face had been seen at one of the classroom windows. Another person claimed one of the ceilings had collapsed.
Dean would be attending, battling the blaze with his crew. Dread bubbled in my stomach at the thought of him being there. Would he be okay? Though I knew that was his job, the idea of him walking into an inferno and risking his life didn’t seem real up to now.
I had to sit down. I daren’t text him, in case it distracted his attention. I needed to wait until he contacted me. What if he was hurt? I wasn’t his next of kin, so nobody would contact me. My lungs grew tight. I was Dean’s friend, not a girlfriend, and fuck-buddies didn’t count as official relationships.
The afternoon dragged. I served drinks and replied to customers, but my mind was on Dean, and one ear was constantly listening for my phone. Lou had no news from her contacts. If I didn’t hear anything by the time Dean’s shift ended, I’d go see Leanne. She’d know.
By five, I was going out of my mind. I sent Dean a text, asking if everything was okay. I didn’t expect him to reply, but I needed to try some way of getting news.
He replied a few minutes later.
Yeah. Still good for the movies?
I stared at the screen, a relieved smile escaping. He was fine. I worried about nothing.
Definitely. Were you at the school fire today?
Again, his reply flew back.
Yep. Gotta go. Talk later.
I leaned down to stroke King, and then buried my face in his fur. My heart raced. I needed longer to calm down, after being in a state of edge-of-panic all afternoon. I felt silly now for stressing about Dean. It showed how little I knew about his job.
I was ready early, and waited outside for him. The wind had changed direction today, and was cool as it teased at my bare legs, that peeped out from beneath my denim skirt. The forecast was for changeable weather for the rest of the week. It’d be a shame if it rained at Homegrown, but that was always the risk with outdoor events.
Dean was a few minutes late. He got out of his SUV to greet me and open the passenger door. His short hair was damp, as though he just got out of the shower, and he smelled delicious as usual.
His eyes were hidden by shades, but he smiled at me. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. The post-callout debriefing took longer than usual.”
Without thinking about it, I gave him a hug. Friends could hug, right? “You’ll think I’m silly, but I was worried about you today, when I heard about the fire. Was it bad?”
He squeezed me back, then released me with a soft sigh. “Thanks. I needed that.”
I stood close enough to kiss him but resisted the urge. “You don’t have to talk about it. I’m pleased you’re here.”
“I promised to take you to the movies.” He nodded toward his car. “We’d better go. Do you know where this place is?”
I’d not been to this cinema before, but Lou had talked about it. I directed Dean to the small market square, and we grabbed a parking space right outside.
The lobby reminded me more of a classic theatre. Groups of easy chairs sat in clusters, some people drinking wine, others sipping fresh-made coffee. There was no popcorn or hot dogs, and the soft drinks were bottled, rather than on tap.
Had we come to the right place?
Judging by the other firefighters in attendance, we had. I recognised some faces from the barbecue, but apart from Tim and Leanne, nobody else spoke to Dean. There was no time to wonder about this. We collected our pre-paid tickets from the reception desk and followed the group into the screening room.
This was another surprise. There were only six rows of seats. Instead of the usual chairs, there were two-seater sofas, separated by coffee tables for putting drinks on. The screen was smaller than any I’d seen, but the vibe was cosy. More like a private screening than a paid cinema.
I spun on my toes to face Dean. “It’s lovely. Have you ever seen a cinema like this?”
He looked as surprised as I felt. “Hell no.” He nodded. “This is a pretty cool setup.”
Our seats were in the front row, and I found them easily.
Dean sat next to me, and I leaned into him, to speak against his ear. “You going to take the shades off?”
He slid the Oakleys from his face.
I couldn’t hold back my gasp—his left eye was swollen and bruised.