Christmas Nights(4)

“Nah. Go ahead and put it in your backpack.”

Stella quickly stuffed the folder in her backpack and returned to her stool, spinning in a slow circle on it. “Parker wants to take me to the Christmas Dance. I told him I didn’t know because it’s not like he’s my boyfriend or anything. We’re just friends.”

Stella was referring to Parker Schmidt, a friend who was in the high school band with her. Stella played piano and Parker played drums. He’d befriended Stella at school before she found her place in the small circle of friends she had. Janie had met Parker and his parents many times and trusted him. Her guess was Parker liked Stella as more than a friend, but Stella took skittish to great lengths, hardly able to believe someone could like her that way. So, they were technically friends.

Janie looked over at Stella who was still spinning her stool slowly. “Dances like that are more fun with friends anyway. If you’re asking me if you should go with him, I say yes. You’ll have fun.”

Stella stopped spinning and twirled a purple lock of hair around her finger. Janie had helped her dye it with streaks of purple last night. Stella chewed on bottom lip and stared at Janie. “I’ve never been to a dance like that. What if it’s all weird?”

Janie angled her head to the side and shrugged. “Hard to know what it’ll be like unless you go. If you go with Parker, you’ll probably have fun. Are any of your other friends going?”

Stella nodded, still twirling her hair. “Uh huh. I’ll think about it.”

Janie bit back a grin. If Stella was willing to think about it, that meant she wanted to go. “Okay. If you decide to go, don’t forget to tell me when it is.”

Stella grinned and nodded. “Got it.”

Janie took a breath and shifted gears. “Speaking of things like this, I, uh, might be going on a dinner date.” She managed to get the words out without sounding as foolish as she felt.

Stella dropped her hand from her hair, her eyes widening. “Really? Mom, you should totally go. You never date. Who is it?”

Stella’s excited response startled Janie. “You think I should go? I’m not even sure if…”

“Of course you should go! My friends always ask how come you’re not with anyone. You’re pretty and nice and all that. So who is it?”

Janie fought the flush spreading up her cheeks. “Okay, I wasn’t sure how you might feel about it. You come first, so thinking about dating means thinking about how it fits into our lives.”

Stella waved her hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. It’s just a date. Who is it?” she asked, leaning over the counter.

“It’s Travis Wilkes,” Janie finally said.

Stella’s eyes widened and a slow grin spread across her face. “I knew it! When he came to see you in the hospital, it was so obvious he thought your were cute.”

Janie rolled her eyes, although her mind was spinning with Stella’s casual comment. “Whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. I’m still not sure about it.”

Stella returned the eye roll with emphasis. “Whatever. Maybe you need to go talk to a therapist. You made me go forever. It shouldn’t be such a thing to decide if you’re going out to dinner with someone. Travis is nice, he’s totally hot and he saved your life,” Stella declared with another spin on her stool.

Janie laughed, but she turned away, swallowing against the tightness in her chest. Stella’s casual observation that it shouldn’t be a thing was right on point. Except Stella didn’t know Janie’s past. The little buzz of excitement she felt fizzled slightly at the thought. Janie busied herself getting plates out and pouring water for each of them, filling the time until the oven buzzer went off.



Travis took a gulp of coffee and sighed. He leaned his hips against the counter in the break room at the fire station and glanced at the clock. It was barely past eight in the morning, and the crew had just finished dealing with a residential fire on the outskirts of town. Unsurprisingly, the fire had started in the kitchen after a busy mother forgot to turn a burner off. Aside from a badly damaged kitchen, no one was hurt, which was a win as far as Travis was concerned.

“Hey there.”

Travis glanced up at the sound of Sylvia Cunningham’s voice. “Hey Sylvia! Thanks for getting a fresh pot of coffee ready,” he said with a lift of his paper coffee cup.

Sylvia stepped into the break room, her eyes scanning over Travis. “You don’t look any worse for wear. How’d it go?”

“Fire’s out and no one’s injured.”

Sylvia grinned. “Well, we can be glad the daily emergency is already out of the way.”

Sylvia was the administrative assistant at the police and fire station. Her husband had been the police chief for years, but he’d retired after a back injury. Sylvia stayed on and essentially ran the station for all intents and purposes. She was the official mother hen for the entire police force and fire crew. She was steady as a rock, warm and kind. She declared she had no intention of retiring until she couldn’t work anymore. Her looks matched her personality with her round figure, twinkling blue eyes and graying hair.

Travis chuckled at her comment. “You’re right. Guess we’ve had our daily emergency already.” He took another long swallow of coffee. “Damn good coffee. Just what I needed. I meant to snag some earlier, but the call came in while I was driving here, so I’m low on caffeine at the moment.”

Sylvia winked. “Drink up. I’m headed back up front. Tell the guys I’m ordering pizza for everyone for lunch.”

“Thanks Sylvia!” Travis called as she walked briskly out of the room and down the hall.

After he downed his cup of coffee and refilled it, he strode to the windows and looked out. It was hard to find a place without a view in Diamond Creek, and the fire station had one as well. Its back wall looked out over Kachemak Bay. The water glittered under the bright sun, its surface choppy from the wind scudding across it. There were a few boats out, rocking in the water. With winter approaching, there were far fewer boats out than at the height of summer. Travis recalled last week when he’d pulled Janie out of the water. A fluke had quickly sunk the boat she’d been riding in. He was relieved a few other boats had been around to help because otherwise the day might have turned out quite differently.

Late that afternoon, he jogged down the steps of the fire station and over to his truck. The air was scented with impending snow. Travis climbed in his truck and zoomed home. He lived in one half of a duplex in downtown Diamond Creek. He didn’t spend much time at home with work often taking him out of town. Aside from his regular job as a firefighter for Diamond Creek, he took pick up jobs on hot shot crews that flew into fires in remote areas, and he was also a fisherman. Juggling multiple jobs was part of life in Alaska with the weather and seasons leading to fluctuating needs. He raced into his apartment to shower and change. He was on his way to pick up Janie for dinner. When he called to confirm today, he sensed hesitation from her, but he barreled through it. He couldn’t stop thinking about her hazel eyes and lush curves. He wasn’t sure what it was about her, but she made him want all kinds of things. His life didn’t leave much room for dating, so he kept things casual. Nothing about Janie felt casual. Aside from the pounding lust she elicited, she made him want to wrap her in his arms and hold her close.

Once she gave him her address, he knew right where her place was. She lived on the hillside above town on a winding road. He slowed when he saw the mailbox with her house number on it and turned into the driveway to find a charming cape home sitting at the end. The view of the bay spread out behind the home. It was early evening, but the sun was already setting, streaking the sky with lavender and pink.

Before he reached the door, it swung open. Janie stood in the doorway. A gust of wind blew past her, sending her dark hair in a swirl. She ran a hand through the disordered locks and glanced up at him. “Hi,” she said simply.

She wore jeans and a fitted tank top with a silky blouse over it. It was simple enough, yet insanely tempting because her breasts stretched the fabric of her tank top. Travis’s fingers itched to reach over and trace along the curves. He forced his eyes up to find her cheeks pinkening. That sent another lash of lust through him. He cleared his throat. “Hey. You ready to go?”

At her nod, he took a step back, making room for her to step onto the small porch. When she turned to lock the door behind her, her scent drifted to him—a subtle blend of vanilla and honey. Somehow, he kept a leash on his body and managed to walk down the stairs and to his truck. Once he was seated beside her, he glanced her way and was startled at the look on her face. Fear glimmered in the depths of her layered hazel eyes. He had been about to start his truck, but he froze and lowered his hand.





Chapter 4





“Are you okay?” Travis asked, his eyes coasting over her face.

Janie swallowed against the tightness in her throat and nodded, swatting back the feelings she hadn’t expected to rise up right now. “Oh yeah, I’m fine.” She tried to inject a breeziness in her tone, but it came out flat. On the heels of the old fear she thought she’d chased away long ago rose embarrassment. All she’d done was climb in his truck, and he seemed to notice she felt a little off. She took a breath and let it out slowly. “Where are we going?” she asked, hoping to move the conversation along normal topics.