But how well had I really known him? It was clear now that I hadn’t known him at all.

And here I was, daydreaming about kissing Gavin Bailey, a man I’d practically just met.

Stranger still, I wasn’t just daydreaming about kissing him. I’d spent my morning daydreaming about doing a lot of things with Gavin, and kissing was merely the beginning.

That wasn’t normal Skylar behavior either.

The desk Dad had set up for me in my bedroom looked out over the front yard. His house was on a quiet side street, not far from downtown Tilikum—and the firehouse, of course. This was a nice spot for writing. Peaceful. Not too many distractions, although the neighbor’s little dog chasing the squirrels that ran across the fence was amusing.

Chasing. Running up the stairs with Gavin at my heels, his hands playfully grabbing for me. He slams the bedroom door behind us and immediately rips off my clothes—and his. Our mouths tangle as we fall onto the bed. His muscles flex as he crawls on top of me and—

A knock at the front door jolted me back to reality. I blew out a breath and picked up a notebook to quickly fan my face.

I went down the stairs with a little thrill of anticipation making my tummy flutter. I wasn’t expecting Gavin, but what if he’d decided to drop by? That thought made me both excited and nervous.

Before I could get myself too worked up, I answered the door. It wasn’t Gavin, but the little flare of disappointment was immediately tamped down by the smiling face on Dad’s doorstep. Ginny.

She threw her arms around me and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Oh my god, I missed you so much.”

I hugged her back. “I missed you too.”

After a squeeze, she let go. Her brown hair was in a cute bun and she wore a light blue trench coat. “Are you okay? You seem surprised to see me.”

“I was just… doing a little writing and I guess I lost track of where I was. I forgot you were getting into town today.” I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in.

“You were writing?” She came in and I shut the door behind her. “Is that good news, or are you just going to delete it later?”

“I guess writing might be an exaggeration. I was staring out the window a lot.” And fantasizing about getting naked with a firefighter. I led her back to the kitchen. “Do you want some tea?”

“Tea sounds great.” She took her coat off and hung it on the back of a chair, then sat.

I eyed the plastic container of cookies Gavin had left. “Cookie?”

“Yum. Yes, please.”

I put the tea kettle on and got us each a cookie on a little plate.

“Did you make these?”

“No. Um, remember Gavin Bailey, the guy I hit with my car?”

“The hot firefighter?”

I glanced away. “Yes, well, he made them.”

“He brought you cookies?”

“Yes.”

“Let me get this straight. You run over a hot firefighter and then he bakes you cookies?” She broke off a piece of cookie and popped it in her mouth. “Oh my god, that’s good.”

“I didn’t run him over.”

“I know. I’m being mildly dramatic like you were when you told me about your little accident. How is he, by the way?”

Distractingly sexy. “His leg is broken, so obviously that’s impacting his life. He’s on leave until he’s out of his cast. The crutches are uncomfortable, but his leg itself isn’t bothering him too much.”

She raised her eyebrows. “That was a very detailed answer.”

“Was it?”

“I thought you’d just say he’s fine or something.” She broke off another bite of cookie. “So he brought you cookies, and…”

“And, nothing. Well, we hung out a little bit yesterday. He was just showing me around town.”

“Skylar Stanley, you went on a date with him and you didn’t tell me?”

“No, no, no. It wasn’t a date. I’m not dating.”

“Why not?”

I blinked at her. “Is that a serious question? I’m fresh off a very shitty breakup and let’s not talk about my career. I’m not exactly in a good place right now.”

“Did he know it wasn’t a date?”

“Of course he knew. He specifically said he wants to be friends.”

“Hmm.”

“Trust me. There’s nothing going on with me and Gavin. How was the drive out here?”

“I hear you changing the subject, but I’ll allow it. The drive was fine. Beautiful, actually.”

“How long do you think you’ll be in town?”

“A few weeks at least, but my schedule is pretty open, so I’m flexible. How’s your mom?”

“She’s fine, although she’s been weirdly busy lately. Seems distracted when we talk on the phone.” The tea kettle whistled and just as I got up, someone knocked on the front door.

“I’ll do that, you go get the door,” Ginny said.

“Thanks.”

I left her to make the tea and answered the door. As soon as I opened it, my stomach did a belly flop. It was Gavin.

“Hey, Sky.”

The sight of him hit me like a lightning strike. “Hey. Come in.”

He grinned at me, dimples and all. “Thanks.”

His gait was a rhythmic click, thud, click, thud. Crutches, shoe, crutches, shoe. Every step made my heart flutter in my chest.

Ginny put the mugs of tea on the table, her eyebrows raised.

“Oh sorry,” Gavin said. “I didn’t realize you had someone over. I’m Gavin Bailey.”

“Ginny Vandervelden.”

“I can come back later if you—”

“No,” Ginny said brightly, cutting him off. “You’re fine. Come on in.”

He grinned at her and a strange sense of panic flared in my chest. Not only was Ginny beautiful, she was outgoing and friendly in ways I was not. She was also available in ways I wasn’t—single, and more importantly, open to dating. What if Gavin liked her? Not just liked her, but liked her.

Why was that thought so awful? Gavin and I were just friends. And barely that, we’d practically just met.

He leaned his crutches against the wall, then hopped to the table on his good leg and pulled out a chair. His arms flexed as he lowered himself into it. “Did you just get into town?”

Ginny took her seat. “I did. It’s cute. I can’t wait to explore.”

I braced myself for Gavin to offer to show her the town, like he’d done for me. Which was fine. Wasn’t it? Why wouldn’t it be?

Because then you weren’t special.

“It’s not too big, so it’s pretty easy to find your way around,” Gavin said. “But if you need any recommendations, let me know.”

My eyes flicked from Gavin to Ginny. No tour? No offer to be her friend and steal a mobility scooter from the grocery store so he could show her around?

“Thanks,” Ginny said. “I just might take you up on that.”

I realized I was still standing next to the table like a weirdo, not offering him any refreshments even though Ginny and I had ours. “I made tea. Do you want some? Or a cookie? I have a few left.”

“I’ll always say yes to a cookie.”