"Uh huh," Liz said as she looked at Cam and then back at me. "You'll have to tell me all about it on the way home."
"Nothing to tell." I shrugged. "Gauze and tape really aren't that interesting."
But Cam Connor was, and I knew it was going to be hard to get him out of my mind.
Chapter Five
Cam
After the doctor treated Danny and lectured him about proper cooking techniques, we loaded him back into the truck and returned to the fire station. Danny would be out of commission for a few days, but he'd be all right.
"Newsome is kind of an idiot," Victor said as he stood at the counter watching me finish preparing dinner. I'd volunteered to do it alone since we'd already fixed everything but the noodles.
"Shut up, Vangel," I said as I put two pots of water on to boil. "Everyone makes mistakes."
"Yeah, but frying meat without a shirt?" He laughed. "That ranks up there with ironing while naked and mowing the lawn without shoes."
"Like I said, shut the hell up, Vangel," I repeated as I felt my blood pressure start to rise. This guy pissed me off like no one else, but I knew that I had to keep my anger under control or I was going to get suspended.
"But you're not an idiot, are you, Connor?" he said with a sleazy grin. "You are totally on the up and up. A wise guy, maybe."
"I'm not sure what you're trying to get at, but whatever it is, you're not going to bait me," I said as I added salt to both pots and put the lids on. I
went to the cupboard and pulled out two boxes of spaghetti noodles, and as I did, I made myself breathe deeply to slow down my racing pulse. I wanted nothing more than to punch Vangel, and he wanted nothing more than to goad me into doing it.
"What I'm getting at is that you're the man," he said, still grinning that idiot grin of his. "You've got it all going on."
"Either say what you're going to say, or once again, I will invite you to shut the fuck up," I said through gritted teeth.
"Never mind," Vangel said as he slid off the stool and walked toward the common room. "It doesn't matter right now."
I shook my head at his attempt at intimidation and went back to prepping dinner. As I did, my thoughts wandered back to the woman in the ER who'd treated my minor burns. She had reminded me of a young fawn; her blue eyes had been wary and watchful, but she'd definitely wanted to get closer. Or at least she had until I screwed it up by feeding her a stupid line. I shook my head as I recalled the way she'd abruptly pulled back and closed down when I'd acted like a smooth-talking idiot.
Alex Pierce. I wanted to find out more about her, to get to know her better. But as soon as the desire became real, the guilt kicked in and I did what I had done for the past ten years every time I'd found myself interested in a woman: I shut it down and reminded myself that I had a full life and that it was disloyal and unfair to want more.
I ran a hand through my hair as I bent over the sink. I was sick of feeling guilty about something I couldn't change. And I was sick of living so entirely alone because of it. I decided to talk to Leo about it in the morning when I went to visit him. Maybe he'd have a work around that would give me a chance to shed the guilt and start to live again.
I could only hope.
Chapter Six
Alex
I didn't get a chance to talk with Liz after my shift, so it wasn't until the next morning that we talked over breakfast.
"So, what's up with the firefighter?" Liz asked as she dug into a plate of pancakes. I watched her as she cut them into a plateful of bite-sized pieces and then, one by one, shoved them in her mouth. Liz could, and would, eat just about anything, and I was envious.
"I don't know." I shrugged as I stuck a spoon into my healthy bowl of oatmeal and fruit. "He said I was pretty, but I think it was just a come on line."
"Did you ask?" Liz said with her mouth full of pancakes. "I mean, he could have been telling the truth. You are pretty, you know."
"Give me a break," I said, rolling my eyes as I stirred my oatmeal. "I'm not ugly, but I'm certainly a long way from pretty."
"We really need to work on your confidence, Pierce," Liz said as she stuffed half a slice of bacon in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Let's go shopping after classes today."
"We have big exams coming up, Liz," I reminded her. "I can't afford to fail. I need to study."
"One afternoon of shopping for some cute things to brighten your look is not going to cost you your entire education," Liz said, rolling her eyes. "We'll head down to State Street and hit three stores, then we'll go back to the library and study. How's that for a compromise?"