Read Online Fire at Dawn: The Firefighters of Darling Bay 2 by Lila Ashe - Free Book Online

many good T-shirts since she had so many department issued ones.
    With seconds to spare to get out of her house and to Coin’s on time, she’d thrown on her favorite outfit. A simple wrap dress—black and red—with her everyday black cowboy boots. She hadn’t wanted to wear it because Coin had seen her in this getup a zillion times. It was her go-to, what she threw on when she didn’t want to think.
    But then again, the date wasn’t with Coin, was it?
    It was, however, at his house. “You’re asking too much of me,” he’d said, “To not only go on a double date, but to do it in public. You love my backyard.”
    It was true, she did. With a sprawling lawn, a covered patio with surround-sound speakers, and a hot tub that sat ten, she’d spent many a night drinking beers with the other members of A shift behind Coin’s house.
    He’d continued, “And I love my backyard. We don’t know these people. We need the home team advantage.”
    “Because we’re going to play touch football with them?” she’d asked.
    He’d brightened. “Yeah! I could take a podiatrist.”
    Lexie had told him in no uncertain terms that there would be no touch football on a double first date.
    Now, Serena turned her head, and said, “Come on . He won’t mind.”
    Coin wouldn’t mind if Lexie barged in on him getting ready? She wasn’t sure about that.
    “I’ll wait in the kitchen.” She raised the bags. “I have things to put away and get ready, anyway. Want to help?”
    Serena nodded and yelled, “Dad! Lexie’s here! Hurry up !”
    In the kitchen, Lexie got out the ingredients for her mini caprese salad. “Look, I’m going to skewer all this stuff with toothpicks.”
    Serena’s eyes lit up. “I wanna stick things, too.”
    Lexie showed Serena how to spear a cherry tomato, then a ball of mozzarella, then a piece of basil. They piled them on a plate. “Later,” Lexie said, “I’ll drizzle them with olive oil and salt.”
    Lifting one eyebrow just like her father did, “And you’re calling this a salad?”
    “Maybe more like an hors d'oeuvre.”
    “A what ?” Serena looked at her like she’d said a bad word.
    “It just means an appetizer.”
    Serena thought about this and then seemed to decide it wasn’t important enough to pursue. “So you’re not on the date with my dad tonight, is that right?”
    Lexie poked her finger with the toothpick. “Ow. No. Not really.”
    “What does that mean?”
    “It means we’re sharing a date. I’ll be on a date with a guy, and he’ll be on a date with someone else, and we’ll all hang out together.”
    “Me and my friends hang out all day at school. Why isn’t that dating?”
    Lexie knew Serena understood what a date was. “What’s eating you, kiddo?”
    Serena frowned. “I just don’t want …” She trailed off and sighed heavily.
    “You don’t want him to date? Is this about your mom?”
    “No.” Serena looked at Lexie as if she were stupid, which Lexie had to admit, she felt at that moment. “It’s not about my mom . It’s about my dad. He’s isn’t ready.”
    Oh, that was cute. Lexie smiled. “You want to take care of him.”
    Another long sigh. “It’s not that. I just don’t want …”
    Lexie took a guess. “You don’t want him to get hurt.”
    Serena stared at the cherry tomato she’d just poked multiple times. “When Mom and him broke up, he was sad for like fifty years.”
    “Well. Maybe not that long, considering you’re eleven, but—”
    “You know what I mean. He’s not that tough.”
    The words were surprising, coming from Serena. Didn’t all little girls think their fathers were gods? Tough as nails?
    “I mean,” continued Serena, “He saves lives all the time. Remember the time he pulled that guy who weighed, like, a ton, out of that fire?”
    Lexie did remember that. Hearing Coin’s voice on the radio as he labored to breathe in his SCBA, as he announced he and Tox were trying to make their way out of the house, was