Hearts on Fire 2: Michaela(5)
Hal was getting ready for work at the firehouse when his brother Jake walked into their home.
“Where have you been?” Hal asked, and Jake raised his eyebrow at him.
Jake placed a bag onto the counter with a sandwich he brought at the deli after leaving Michaela’s house. He was tempted to pick her up something, too, and go back as a peace offering. But then thought better of it. She might think he was stalking her. Truth was he couldn’t stop thinking about her. She wasn’t just another good-looking woman. She seemed tough, authentic, and also resistant. Her words about not needing to make friends sat heavy on his heart. He couldn’t help but to wonder if someone hurt her.
“I was out, had to run a few errands, and then grabbed lunch.”
“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You’re not still upset about the situation at the police station and how that woman took action?”
Jake placed his hands on the counter, palms down, and stared at his brother. Hal was just as tall as him but not as bulky. He was trim, all muscle, and had blonder hair. Where Jake’s was light brown with blond highlights.
“No, I’m not still upset about that.”
“Okay. Just making sure. Because I did notice you bench pressing a little lighter yesterday and maybe thought that you were losing your confidence.”
Jake grabbed the dishtowel and threw it at Hal’s head as Hal laughed.
“Where’s Billy? He’s on today, too, right?”
“Yeah, he’s getting ready. He was out with Lance and Tyler last night. They were talking to some women when one of them brought up Lisa. Apparently she knew her from a yoga class or something.”
Jake squinted his eyes and felt his temper rising already. Whenever Lisa’s name came up it brought trouble and anger in each of them.
Just then Billy walked in.
“It was no big deal. I told you not to even mention it to Jake,” Billy stated, ducking as he entered the kitchen. He was just as tall as Jake but with dark brown hair that reached his shoulders. He was a big man with lots of muscles, and appeared sort of untamed. Some of their friends called him Tarzan, but most called him by his call sign. His size and demeanor gave him the call sign Bear at work. As opposed to Hal, who they called Hollywood because he was always wearing sunglasses and sporting the latest styles for men. He took pride in his appearance and the women loved it.
“What happened?” Jake asked, now crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Hal chuckled, knowing that Jake would get the info out of him. Jake was always a good interrogator. It had come in handy many times during their stints in the service. Jake had abilities.
“It was the same stupid shit. Lisa spreading lies about us dumping her after promising marriage and a commitment.”
“That bitch should just move on. What about those two ass wipes from Jersey City? I thought after she shacked up with them and we caught her, the first freaking time, that she was committed to them?” Jake asked.
“Haven’t you realized that Lisa doesn’t know the first thing about commitment? She’s a stuck-up, rich snob who just goes with whatever the latest craze is. Over a year ago it was a ménage with us,” Hal said.
“We need to move on and just put her behind us,” Jake stated and then walked near the kitchen nook that looked out toward the channel. Their boat sat there and it had been weeks since they took it out. He wondered if Michaela would want to go for a ride.
“Hey, what’s with you over there daydreaming?” Hal asked, giving Jake a light nudge in his shoulder.
He took a deep breath and released it.
“I think we need to move on. I think the time for finding someone we all might like, and taking another chance is now. It’s been more than a year.”
“Why would you want go through that bullshit again? We thought that Lisa was into the relationship we wanted. Hell, what she did to us was just totally fucked up. I put a lot into the relationship and I just don’t think I have the energy or the desire to do it again,” Hal stated.
“You mean you’re giving up on what we decided we wanted years ago?” Jake asked.
“I don’t know. It just seems rare that these types of relationships work out. I haven’t even met anyone who I think is right, or that I’m willing to give it a try with,” Bear added.
“Listen, I’m not saying let’s go out and start hunting down a woman. I’m saying, let’s be open to the possibility of moving on now. We’re older, more mature, and know what we want. We can bypass the women looking for a new experience and to have a good time, and focus on the ones who understand this type of relationship or who purely, physically feel an attraction. I’m saying it’s time to move on.”
“I don’t know if I could trust another woman again. Not after what Lisa did behind our backs and after she cheated on us like that,” Bear said as he took the truck keys from his pocket and grabbed his duffel bag.
“I’m with Billy. I don’t know if I’m ready to take that chance. Hell, I haven’t even met anyone I could think was a possibility for me, never mind for the two of you. I think we should just stop thinking about it,” Hal said. Then he grabbed his bag and the two of them said good-bye before walking from the house and leaving Jake there to think about what they said.
But as Hal walked out with Bear and headed toward Bear’s truck, he couldn’t help but feel that inkling of hope that maybe one day they would meet the right woman. She would have to be a trustworthy woman who didn’t lie, who didn’t pretend to care, and who truly loved the three of them so they could all have a future people only dreamt about.
Chapter 3
“Hey, Smiley, you sure do know how to handle a busy bar. That must have been a hell of a joint ya worked at in Chicago,” Burt stated as he stood next to her behind the bar. The new nickname he gave her had started off as a wise guy remark about her serious expression. But because of it, she was smiling constantly and actually enjoying the bar, her bosses and the new nickname. Burt had been watching her, keeping a close eye on her moves, on how much alcohol she put in the drinks. It was all typical of an owner watching over his bar.
She chuckled at him. She really did get a lot of joy out of his Irish brogue. Even his partner, her other boss Jerome, had a nice accent going on.
Both men were charming, very flirty and fun, but also tough as nails. Earlier in the evening before the Friday night crowd began to pour in, Burt showed her around the place and talked to her about the memorabilia. She had a chance to see a great picture of Burt with his three sons. Three very good-looking and extra large men.
She was surprised by her reaction to the picture. The four men appeared happy, and as if they had a great relationship. She wondered about their mother, Burt’s wife, but didn’t want to ask. If she asked questions, then Burt would ask questions.
But her plan backfired as he told her all about Mary and how wonderful of a mother and wife she was before she died of heart disease. It was sad, but he was definitely in love with her.
Michaela had a hard childhood. She lived in a shitty neighborhood, went to even crappier schools, and had to practically live on work sites for her father’s construction company. She didn’t own a toy—not a doll, a bear, or even a matchbox car. Her parents were always struggling and always fighting. Her father’s relationship with her mom, an alcoholic, was crappy and rocky. They fought all the time and eventually her father turned to drinking, too.
Then came his accident and his depression. Down went the business as she took care of her father while Annette took off, unable to handle a thing. Mom died, Dad followed, and Michaela learned fast about responsibility, debt, and hardship.
It took years of working in some of the craziest but highest paying clubs in Chicago to pay her parents’ debt, sell the house, and begin college. But she did it. She had a knack for numbers, finished top in her class, and landed an awesome job at a big firm in the city. She tried contacting Annette, visited her a few times, and even helped support her so she could get her life on track, but then she met Solomon.
Why did I ever go to New York to see her when she basically told me to forget about her?
“Hey, Smiley, meet my son Hal,” Burt stated, giving her elbow a nudge and bringing her back to the present. The night crew was beginning to arrive. The ladies were all dolled up and ready to land a first responder, and the guys were all rowdy.
She looked up and up, until her eyes locked gazes with the stunning man with incredibly blue eyes. His hair was not quite blond, more dirty blonde and nearly reached his shoulders but curled at the ends. It looked so smooth and shiny. She imagined women probably loved to run their fingers through it. He was absolutely gorgeous.
“Hal, meet my new bartender, Smiley.”
“Darling, you can’t be the little number that showed up my brother in his own sheriff’s department. Wow, I’m impressed.” He eyed her over from breasts to face. She felt a bit guilty for gaining such a reputation, but it seemed the incident at the sheriff’s department was still fresh on people’s minds and the story had been exaggerated, with the sheriff at the brunt of the jokes.
“This is her. Ain’t she a gorgeous little young lassie?” Burt asked, squeezing her shoulders from behind her. She chuckled as he walked away to help another patron.