Chapter Three

Shane popped open a beer and positioned his laptop on a storage box. He had until the weekend to move out of the apartment. He was mostly done packing, and he’d put his limited selection of furniture into a storage unit. He opened the laptop and fired up the video-call function. He had so much to tell Dana.

“Hey,” he said when her face came into view. She looked good, bright-eyed, happy. His mouth curved into an easy grin.

“Hey to you, too.” Her voice was light. He loved it when she was upbeat. The lightness wasn’t often apparent anymore, and he wished she’d just let herself be fun and easy. The job had done something to her, particularly this stint in Milan. She had taken to saying ciao instead of goodbye, and she waved with her fingers facing herself, which made no sense.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Good. Great, actually. Molto bene.”

He took a sip of his beer and lifted the bottle in a salute. “I’m celebrating with me, myself, and I tonight. I met with the captain in Sycamore River today now that it’s a lock.”

She smirked. “Don’t you want to know why I’m great?”

“Sure, sure, sorry, yes. Tell me.”

“Bellisima Beauty loves our line. Especially the body sprays that were totally my idea, my baby, if you will.” Her voice rose in excitement. She wiggled in her seat. “And guess what?” She didn’t wait for him to guess. “They want me to consider coming on board. Can you believe that? Me in Milan? I mean, what kind of dream would that be?”

Shane took another sip and swallowed hard. “What?” A laugh popped out of his mouth. “Wait. Who’s Bellisima Beauty again?”

“The cosmetics manufacturer. Like the company in Europe. And they’d like nothing more than to steal me away from Sundry Labs. Me!”

“You’re not considering it, though, are you?”

Dana’s face fell. Her smile disappeared. “I didn’t say I was taking the job, Shane.”

“Then what are you saying?”

She blew out a breath. “Never mind.”

“No, I want to understand. Obviously, it’s flattering for them to offer. I get that. But what about your job here, your life here?”

She closed her eyes, then opened them. “I don’t know. There’s a lot to think about. But finish telling me about you. You said you were celebrating.”

“Well, like I said, I met with the fire captain today to go over things. Remember I told you he was a friend of my father’s? His name is Joe, but they call him Hop because he limps, remember?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe. But go on.”

“He’s a great guy.” He couldn’t help the grin that broke out on his face. “He calls me Irish.”

“Irish the Fireman.” Her voice was deadpan.

“That’s me.” He smiled, ignoring her obvious lack of enthusiasm. “I start the academy on Monday, and then the real work begins. I told you I signed the lease for the apartment in the new building on the green, right?”

“Yes. Do you have a view or anything?”

“Nah,” he said. “The place is so expensive as it is. I think my place overlooks the parking lot.”

“Charming,” she said.

“My dilemma now is to find a temporary place for the three months until I get into the new apartment. Scrambling right now with the way this town is growing and apparently the whole world wants in. Everything depends on me having a Sycamore River address.”

Dana sighed. “What happens if you don’t find a temporary residence?”

He shrugged. “I lose.”

She tilted her head at a contemplative angle. “Leave it in fate’s hands, I guess. If you can’t find a place, maybe it’s not meant to be.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. His first instinct was to defend his quest. But he didn’t want to get into a debate with her tonight. He didn’t need a reminder that she was less than thrilled he was becoming a paid fireman.

He spoke his words carefully. “So far fate’s been kind.”

A wry smile claimed her mouth. “Ever the optimist. Okay, Irish the Fireman, I’m beat. I’ve got a full roster tomorrow. Meeting with packaging geniuses and the promo team.”

“Okay, yeah, sure. I’m going to check out housing possibilities online.”

“Good luck.” Dana stifled a yawn. “Happy apartment shopping.”

The screen went blank, and Shane stared at it for a long moment. The nearly empty apartment that would no longer be his as of Friday sat silent around him, and he was acutely aware of being alone. The sound of his cell phone startled him, the ring echoing off the walls.

When he saw who it was, he connected the call with a quick swipe of his finger. “Hey, Hop.”

“Irish, you find an answer to your housing problem yet?”

“No, but I was just about to peruse the internet.”

“Come to my house for dinner tonight. I’m ordering in. You like Italian?”

“Sure, but what’s this about?”

“I just might have a good idea that could solve your problem. Seven o’clock. You good?”

“I’ll be there. Can I bring anything?”

“An open mind.”