“Hello?” I say sleepily into my phone, the bright sun streaming through my blinds and nearly blinding me.
“Aww, listen to you, A2. You sound wrecked. A few weeks working in the big city already too much for my little sister?”
I smile as I roll over onto my back in bed and stretch out my limbs. Now that my vision has cleared, I hold my phone out to see it’s nine a.m. Yesterday was the first day of my two RDOs, so I took it easy and since my Iowa stuff had arrived, I spent the day going through it all. Today, I have plans though, and they involve hitting the shops to stamp my ‘feminine touch’ on the place, as Gio described it.
But I’d be able to do it better if I’d had a few more hours sleep.
“You know I like my lazy mornings. Especially the day before a shift.”
“Yeah, sis. Just ribbing ya. So, how was it, anyway? Fill me in on the adventures of Alex.”
I roll my eyes but snuggle down and settle in. “The guys are good; the two lieutenants on the shift are great. It’s a lot like back at home, except—”
“Bigger?”
“Yeah. And there’s a bit of the thrill of the unknown too. Like, each time the bell rings, I’m not sure if it’s going to be a standard, run-of-the-mill kitchen fire, or maybe a ten-floor-high apartment building blaze.”
Adam splutters. “You’ve had a big fire already? You’d think they might ease you into it.”
I put on my best Elle Woods voice. “What? Like it’s hard?”
My twin chuckles.
“Adam, you and I have the same amount of years on the truck. I’ve done nothing and seen nothing that either one of us wouldn’t be able to do with our eyes closed.”
“Talk about hitting the ground running.”
That brings a satisfied smile to my lips because as much as Dad and Adam didn’t like the idea of me leaving for the bright flashing lights of Chicago, my brother especially understood the burning desire I had to do it regardless. It was just something I had to do, and so far I have absolutely no regrets.
“I love it, Adam. So far, so good, as they say. So feel free to pass that along to Dad, too.”
My brother laughs. “Will do. Safe to say it’ll put his mind at ease that his princess is safe.”
Apart from freaking out with a rolling pin and meeting my new roomie at the door with a gun. But Dad and Adam don’t need to know about that.
“And the new place—you all settled in?”
“Yep. My stuff arrived a few days ago, so thanks for organizing that. And I’ve even managed to cook Mom’s pasta bake for Gio already too.”
“You’re cooking for him?” Adam asks, sounding surprised.
“He’s my roommate. It was a ‘welcome to living with me’ kind of dinner.”
“I hope you cleaned up after yourself then, ’cause Lord knows, you’re not the tidiest cook.”
I gasp in mock offense. “I’ll have you know he offered to clean up. Same rules apply for Rossis as they do with the Maxwells.”
“The chef doesn’t clean up,” we both say in unison, and we laugh.
“Well, good. And it’ll come as no surprise that both Dad and I are feeling a little bit better knowing you’re living with a cop.”
I roll my eyes. “I can take care of myself, you know.”
“Alex—”
“But I’m glad you can worry a little less. I’m honestly doing okay. I promise.”
“Would you even admit if you weren’t?” Probably not.
“Um . . .”
He chuckles. “Yeah, just as I thought,” he says, as bells fill the phone line. “Ah, hell. I gotta go.”
“Duty calls, brother. Fires wait for no one—not even overprotective, barely-older-than-me brothers.”
“Too true. Stay safe. Talk soon.”
“You too, Adam. I’ll call Dad on the weekend, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
“Bye. Tell the guys I said hey.”
“Will do. Bye, sis.”
Then he’s gone, and I’m left with a smile on my face. Time to get up and get ready to go shopping and start my mission for the day—liven up Casa del Rossi, Alex style.
I’ve just grabbed my phone and purse from the kitchen counter, and am ready to walk toward the L station, when there’s a knock at the door.
A few moments later, I peer through the peephole to see a beautiful blonde with a baby boy perched on her hip and bright green eyes looking straight at me, as if she somehow knows I’m watching her.
“I promise I’m not here to discuss your car’s extended warranty, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she says.
I can’t help the startled laugh that escapes me. Swinging the door open, I meet her grin with a welcoming smile. “Hi.”
“Hey. Alex, right? I’m Skye, Gio’s sister.” Explains the beauty and the smart mouth. Then I connect the dots.
“You’re Cohen’s wife, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. And you’re the new firefighter at 101 who’s hopefully keeping all the guys in line. If any of them have been an ass to you already, you better believe I’ll make each and every one of them pay for it. Even the lieutenants,” she says, her smile widening..
“I look down at the adorable baby she’s carrying “They’re all good guys, and it looks like you’re taking care of the next generation there too. Sorry to say though, Gio’s not here. He’s working days this week.”
“Damn. I could’ve sworn he said he’d be home today. Oh well.” She shrugs, not looking at all disappointed by this turn of events. “I guess that just means I can visit with you, right? You know, get to know the woman living with my brother. Unless you’ve got plans, of course . . .”
To her credit, she plays mock surprise very well. She almost convinced me she didn’t already know that her brother wouldn’t be here—which of course means she’s here to check out his new roommate.
“I was actually just heading out to do a bit of shopping,” I say.
“Grocery or other? Because if it’s for anything other than food, then that sounds like an awesome idea that I could totally get behind.”
I chuckle at her exuberance. She reminds me of a few of my friends back home who went down the white-picket-fence route straight out of school—married, kids, a minivan, the whole shebang. They’d always be keen to do something if it meant leaving the house and getting some adult time away from their kids and husbands.
Skye doesn’t strike me as a person who’d have an issue making friends, but she’s a woman with a connection to both my home and work life, and if she’s Gio’s sister, what’s the harm in spending some time with her? She might even be able to point me in the right direction when it comes to buying things he’ll like too.
“Do you want to come along? I was just gonna catch the train,” I say.
“Oh, pfft. I have a car. Austin and I can drive you to wherever you need to go. The bonus is, since it’s almost lunchtime, we can grab something to eat while we’re at it.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Awesome. Then you can grill me for dirt on the Firehouse 101 crew and my brothers, and I can get to know the woman who’s hopefully gonna help teach my brother to relax and enjoy life a bit—no offense.”
I like this girl already. “Okay. Let me lock up and we can go.”
Three hours later, Skye, her son, Austin, and I have done quite the damage to our credit cards after hitting up Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Bath and Bodyworks—because no house is a home without ten million different-smelling candles. Now, we’re sitting at an outdoor table outside a Mexican restaurant at the local mall, having worked up an appetite.
She picks up her cell and types out a message, giving me a chance to look over at a sleeping Austin in his stroller before her phone chimes and she giggles. She places it face-down and looks my way. There’s definitely mischief dancing in her eyes as another text comes through, which she ignores.
“What are you up to?” I ask.
She feigns innocence. “Who, me? Nothing . . .”
Snorting, I shake my head as I take a sip of my water. “Yeah, not buying that. You forget I work with your family, and from the little I know about them, you’re all a little nutty in your own way.”
“I’d totally be offended if you weren’t one hundred percent on the money with that. Anyway, all I did was send Gio a message to tell him that I shop-napped you and that he can thank me later.”
“Um . . . okay . . .”
“C’mon. I love my brother, but he takes life far too seriously sometimes.” She pauses for a moment. “Actually. Well, maybe it’s that he’s forgotten how to relax and take it easy. It’s my duty as his baby sister to tease him now and then.”
I laugh softly. “I hear you about that. My brother, Adam, takes his job as older brother a little too far sometimes as well. He was grilling me earlier about the fire crew and making sure I wasn’t having a hard time.”
“Yeah, that won’t happen. Although considering I’m married to one of the crew, and he threw down the big brother gauntlet to prove he loved me, I can say with absolute certainty that I get you.”
I hold my glass up and clink it with hers. “To overprotective family members. And to playing our part in driving them crazy for shits and giggles whenever and wherever possible.”
Skye’s smile widens “Amen to that. God, I wish I wasn’t still on maternity leave. I kind of miss the shenanigans at work. I’m sure you and I would run rings around the guys if we worked the same shift.”
“Especially Scotty.”
“Oh God,” she says, tapping her palm against her forehead. “That man has a heart of gold but he’s hard work. We had a party last year for Rhodes’s sixteen-year-old son, and he turned up with Tiki torches, of all things.”
I splutter, a startled laugh escaping me. “You’re joking?”
“Nope,” she says, accentuating the P. “It was both hilarious and kind of sweet at the same time. A lot of the crew have been together for years. We’ve all been there for each other through thick and thin—injuries, marriages, breakups, kids, all of it.”
“I know I’m only new and I’m still finding my feet, but I really like the vibe of the place. It’s definitely made the transition from small-town station to big-city firehouse a hell of a lot easier.”
“And living with Gio?” she asks, just as our server arrives with our food before leaving us to it.
“Well, we’ve had a couple of . . . interesting experiences already, but I kind of think I might be the yin to his yang.”
“And you’re not a vegan, since you ordered the chicken.”
“God, no. I love meat far too much. Growing up on a farm means I’ve been a carnivore since I was old enough to chew. Why’s that?”
She shakes her head, a smile playing on her lips. “Oh, it’s nothing. Luca and Val—our sister—were teasing G the other day at lunch about how you might be a vegan, or messy, or both.”
I take a mouthful of my grilled chicken salad, coincidentally dropping Caesar sauce on my top, which makes us both giggle. After grabbing a napkin, I wipe it off. “Well, I’m definitely not going to win housewife of the year, and I’m sure your brother almost had a coronary at the state of the kitchen after I cooked us dinner last week. But now that I know he’s a neat freak, I’m going to at least try to be a shadow of my messy self.”
“Don’t you dare!” Skye says. “Gio is black and white, and you’re neon technicolor. You’re exactly the kind of woman that man needs to loosen him up a bit.”
My body jolts at that but I swallow back my initial reaction to her insinuation. “You know we’re just roommates, right?” Then something hits me. “Or have I stumbled into some sort of ‘find a Rossi a wife’ campaign?”
“That is brilliant!” she says with a snort. “But no. Well, not from me, anyway. You might have something to worry about when it comes to Mama and Val, though. They’re always on the lookout for new meat.”
I choke and start coughing, quickly picking up my glass for a drink. “What?
Skye waves me off. “It’s nothing. I promise. Mama is just . . . you know that emoji with hearts instead of eyes?”
I nod.
“Well, that’s her when it comes to seeing us kids happy and loved up. Marco is engaged, so he’s off the hook. Val has spent years working hard on her career, so now she’s in her thirties and trying to play catch-up by dating as if her life depends on it. Luca is still very much in playing-the-field mode, which just leaves—”
“Gio.”
“Yep. But don’t worry. I swear, I just wanted to get to know you.” She holds her hand in the air. “Scout’s honor.”
“That’s good. I think you’re underestimating your brother though. I thought he was uptight to start with—I mean, after the whole gun incident—but we’re pretty much on the same wavelength with life. It’s quite nice, actually.”
She tilts her head, studying me as she does. “And what is that wavelength, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Well, I, for one, am not looking for a relationship. I was with the same guy for over a decade when I should’ve ended it years earlier, and Gio seems to be focused on work and establishing himself, and he said himself that he’s not interested in dating anyone right now. The same as I am. Sorry to disappoint your sister and mother, but I think Gio and I will be good friends and roommates—nothing more.” Even if his body is the stuff cop fantasies are made of.
“But what if you meet someone and catch feelings?”
I shrug. “What will be, will be, I guess. But I’m not looking.”
“Hmm,” she says, returning her attention to her lunch.
“Hmm?”
“It’s just. Well . . .” She shakes her head from side to side. “Actually, no. Forget I said anything.”
“Oh no. We’ve completed the sacred ritual of shopping together and now eating together. The circle of friendship is complete. So now you have to tell me.”
“Okay. What I was going to say is that it just seems like you’re exactly the kind of woman my brother needs. And yes, I get that you’re new in town, and you’re still finding your feet, and from what Cohen tells me, you’re here to spread your wings. But maybe don’t close yourself off to anything. Believe me, I was pining after my husband for months and months before he finally saw me as a woman and not just his EMT partner. Even then, it still took him months to realize that he could have his cake and eat it too. But there’s also nothing wrong with a bit of casual, no-strings fun. Dating or not dating, everyone has needs, right?”
I open my mouth to argue her point but she keeps going.
“But, since we have completed the circle of friendship, how about I play interference with Mama and Val when you come to family lunch next month?”
“What?”
“Oh, didn’t Gio tell you? Mama heard you were a single girl, new in town, and those heart eyes were a little crazy. You know, like in The Mask when his eyes popped out of his head and rolled across the room.”
My eyes widen.
“Yeah, pretty much like that,” she adds, and we both laugh. “Come along, eat Mama’s honest-to-goodness food, and just get to know the crazy Rossi clan a bit better. You’ll already know Marco, Luca, Gio, myself and Cohen. So you’ll be ahead of the curve when it comes to meeting the Rossis. And in return, I promise to have your back when Mama starts booking wedding venues.”
“What?” I ask, my chest seizing for a second.
She barks out a laugh. “I’m joking. Well, she’ll probably be distracted with Marco and Renee’s wedding plans for a while anyway. That’ll buy you some time.” She giggles again, and now I’m shaking my head at her.
“Gio and I hardly—”
“Know each other. Yeah, I get it. All I’m saying is that while you’re finding your feet, maybe keep your eyes open. You never know.
“You’re just as much of a matchmaker as your mom, aren’t you?”
She grins against her glass as she holds it to her lips. “I’ll neither confirm nor deny. I will say that I look forward to hearing about all the ways you go about helping my brother lighten up. If that happens to be doing the horizontal mambo?” She shrugs. “So be it.”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“And you’re exactly what Gio needs. But until he figures that out, anything you can do to get him to relax and remember that there’s this thing called ‘having a life outside of work’ would be much appreciated.”
“Well, I’m hoping to go skydiving next weekend since I have both days off. Do you think he’d want to tag along? Luca has already said he’d be keen to go for a jump.”
“Now that is definitely a Luca kind of thing. Gio? He’s not so much into the ‘adrenalin rush’ side of things. But just ’cause he won’t jump out of a plane doesn’t mean he might not want to go along and watch.”
“Okay. I’ll ask.”
“Good. Now I think I know the perfect thing for that empty corner in Gio’s living room. You know, the space by the bay window?”
“Yeah. That void has been bugging me but I couldn’t think of anything that isn’t too big or too garish for the space. Your brother seems very set in his ways. I’m a bit worried I’ve overstepped with what I’ve got already,” I add, looking down at the many and varied bags of all my shopped wares for the day. “But I’m open to ideas. I was thinking a houseplant or potted tree or something. What about you?”
“I’m thinking we have one more stop to make before I drop you home and leave you to do some long overdue home decorating. And I’ll tell you what—I’ll even buy it for you. Call it a housewarming gift.”
I frown. “Should I be worried?”
“Probably. But since I’ve already got your roommate shaking in his boots that I’m leading you astray, I figure it’s ‘go big or go home’ time.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Just trust me,” she says with a snicker.
Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about.