“Oh. So if Alex didn’t stay then I could have had more time with my niece?”

  “Looks like it’s even the babies that find your boyfriend good looking,” Penelope said winking.

  “Not funny,” Jennie said, flopping on the couch and letting out a big sigh.

  “It was a little funny,” Alex said. Even Griffin laughed at that.

  30

  See Soon Enough

  “There is the man of the hour,” Alex said a few weeks later. “Congrats on your retirement, Lyle.”

  “You’re only congratulating me because you got my position.”

  “That too,” Alex said, slapping Lyle on the back.

  It’d been a few weeks since Lyle retired and Alex stepped up, but they hadn’t been able to plan for this party prior. They had to wait until they had a Friday night off and were starting it at four so that the shifts going into work at six could stop over for some snacks and see Lyle and those getting out could join in the fun as the night went on.

  Last weekend being Fourth of July was out too. Way too much going on and even tonight made it hard, but they’d decided on a small bar that Lyle loved to come to and reserved the backroom for it.

  Nothing fancy. Fireman weren’t that way.

  Lots of snack foods, drinks and a cake. The firehouse put some money in toward it and the rest of the men threw money on the table to give one of their brothers a going away party.

  “What do you have planned now?” Rob asked. He was a young guy, only been in the department for a few years. He most likely wouldn’t stay. They allowed a handful of firemen to live off the island and work two twenty-four-hour shifts spread out by four days. Those positions took the ferry over and back. They didn’t have to pay for the cost to live here or try to find housing on top of it and it attracted some to fill the positions.

  But it only lasted a few years before they slid into positions on the mainland when they opened up.

  Over the years the island had to get creative with hiring and scheduling. He’d personally like to have the twenty-four-hour shift too and was aiming at doing that for everyone, but captains would continue to do what he was. In his mind that let him get exposed to all men on all shifts.

  That was how you ran a good department.

  He wasn’t just a pretty face that took nothing seriously, as many said. This island was in his blood and he was going to continue to see it thrive.

  “My wife says I’m too young to not work so I’ve got to find something else with my time. She’s not ready to retire, but we are talking about maybe moving down south,” Lyle said. “She can find a job there. It’s cheaper to live and nicer weather.”

  “Dude, are you going to live in one of those over fifty developments?” Alex asked. “I can’t see you there at all.”

  “It’s never going to happen,” Lyle said.

  Alex moved over to talk to a few more guys that walked in. Many were congratulating him along with Lyle. “It’s not my night,” he’d said to John.

  “It’s always your night,” John said. He was another young one like Rob but worked in the south department. These parties brought both the departments together and were always a good night. “I’m sure you’ll go home with a woman on your arm tonight. Rob and I should have planned to crash at your place tonight rather than getting a hotel room.”

  “I will be leaving with a woman on my arm tonight,” he said, laughing. Jennie was coming over a little later, just like a lot of the other wives and girlfriends did. He wanted her to meet them. This time of year there were a lot of firemen parties and he figured she’d feel comfortable with those women.

  They were more down to earth like her. She’d said before the other branches of his family made her uncomfortable, but the fire department was his family too and he’d like her to feel comfortable there.

  “Lucky dog,” Sean said, walking over. “You don’t have to do anything but walk into a room and women are all over you. I’ll be your wingman tonight.”

  Looked like not many were aware he had a girlfriend. He was going to say something when the waitress brought over some food where they were standing. “Boys,” she said. “I might need to have some of my friends come out tonight for a few drinks.” She was young and winked at them in general.

  “We’re all for that,” Sean said. “Not everyone here has a significant other.”

  “Well then,” she said. “I’m Monica. I’ve got a few friends on the island visiting for the week. They might enjoy some company.”

  “See,” Rob said. “It’s you, Alex. She was looking at you as she said that.”

  He let out a sigh. “No,” he said. “It was the whole group. There are a lot of guys here.”

  “And you’ll get the hottest chick and you know it.”

  He laughed and shook his head, then walked away. No reason to get into it with them. They’d all see soon enough.

  By seven the beers were going down smooth and Monica’s friends had shown up along with a lot of the wives and girlfriends. He’d yet to see Jennie, but she’d texted she’d be there soon.

  He was walking over to the table where Sean, Rob and John were standing with their beers resting, three women talking with them.

  “You guys haven’t left this spot in an hour,” he said.

  “No reason to,” John said. “We’ve got all the company we need, right, ladies?”

  “This is the best place to be,” one of them said. She was a redhead with a skirt on that should be illegal in most states. He was positive if she moved slightly an ass cheek would pop out. John was glued to her side so he figured that was a good pairing.

  “It sure is, Sondra. Alex here, he’s the new captain.”

  “Oh,” Sondra and her friends all said at once. “So you get to wear the white shirts now? My friend’s husband is a fireman. Talk about sexy in those uniforms.”

  There was giggling going on and Monica slipped over and put her arm on his shoulder. “This one has been in a calendar before. Can’t forget a face...or a chest.”

  He felt his face turn a bit red and more so when he heard from behind him, “Am I interrupting anything?”

  Shit. But he could turn this around and make a statement at the same time. “Good timing, Jennie. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Jennie Zale. Jennie, this is Rob, Sean, John, Sondra, Monica and sorry, didn’t get the name of you two.”

  “Ellen and Jami,” Monica said. “They all live in Boston and like to come out and visit with me on the island and crash at my place.”

  “It’s a nice place to visit and live,” Jennie said. Her eyes were staring at Monica, whose hand dropped down and moved off to the side. He pulled Jennie closer and put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “It’s even nicer when you find the right person,” he said.

  “Seriously?” Sean said. “You’ve got a girlfriend? How come no one said anything or are you all yanking our leg?”

  “No joke,” Jennie said with a smile on her face. “Though he might wish that was the case.”

  There was some laughter over that statement and he knew he’d have to defuse this situation. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, but it was more he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t helping that all night he’d been fielding comments on bringing a woman home either.

  Now the shock over the fact that he’d have a girlfriend. He was never going to outrun the name he made for himself.

  “Why don’t I take you over to another table,” he said. “One where there are wives and girlfriends.”

  “Oh, not everyone is here to pick up a chick?” she asked.

  He looked at her face and saw the smirk and wondered if she was just yanking his chain. “No. I’m as close to these guys, if not closer than some of my family. I’ll admit I’ve spent more time with the single guys since I was single too.”

  “You were,” she said. “You’re not now. Just wanted to make that clear to those women.”

  “Now I get it. You were placing your mark.”

  He was grinning and she shut one eye at him. “Maybe. I could have done it another way, I’m sure.”

  “Your way was just fine. Some of those guys are at the other fire station. I don’t see them often. Men don’t talk like women so me having a girlfriend doesn’t spread as much as it might in my family or when other women talk.”

  “I understand. There aren’t many I work with that know we are dating either. Not many outside of family.”

  “Why?” he asked.

  “There has been no reason for it to come up,” she said. “It’s not like I’m getting hit on. Many know who I am.”

  “You mean know who your brother is?” he asked.

  She sighed. “Yes.”

  He moved her to the other side of the room. “Boys, and ladies, this is my girlfriend, Jennie Zale. Jennie, this is Mike, Brian, Tom. Their significant others, Melissa, Cara, and I’m sorry. I’m not sure we’ve officially met,” he said of the woman next to Tom.

  She stuck her hand out. “I’m Franny. New to the island but Tom’s ex.”

  “Ex?” he asked, laughing. This was a new one.

  “High school sweethearts,” Tom said, putting his arm around Franny. “She went off to college and broke my heart. Imagine my surprise when I got a message from her one day asking how I was doing. One thing led to another. She just moved in with me and is now looking for a job.”

  “Wow, good for you. I’m sure you won’t have a problem finding a job on this island,” he said.

  Franny looked to be close to Jennie’s age. “I’m new here too,” Jennie said. “Well, a year at this point.”

  “What brought you here?” Franny said.

  “Not Alex,” Mike said. “He’s been single longer than in a relationship.”

  There was laughter at the table over that comment, but he couldn’t dispute it.

  “My brother lives on the island. I moved to be closer to him and my niece.”

  “Zale you say?” Brian said. He was an assistant chief in the department. He was a little older than the rest of them, closer to forty and had a few kids. “I don’t suppose it’s any relation to Griffin at Bond Casino?”

  “That would be my brother,” she said.

  There was some laughter over that. “I knew you had some big balls, Alex, but wow,” Mike said.

  Mike’s wife, Melissa, slapped his arm. “Stop it. That’s mean to say.”

  “It’s fine,” Jennie said. “My brother can be a little intimidating to those that don’t know him.”

  “I don’t know your brother,” Melissa said, “but I’d be pissed if someone said that to me.”

  Mike put his head down and blushed a little and Alex found that hilarious. “Guess you got put in your spot.”

  “Sometimes a woman needs to do that when these guys get together,” Cara said.

  Jennie laughed and he knew he made the right decision bringing her here.

  “What do you do?” she asked Franny. “For work?”

  “Accounting,” Franny said. “I moved here a few weeks ago and am just learning where everything is and sending my resume out. I’ve seen a bunch of postings and was hoping to get a call soon.”

  “I’m not one to put a good word in for anyone that I don’t know. Not trying to be mean or anything,” she said.

  “No, I understand completely. I’d be the same way. I could be a slacker and you don’t want that attached to your name,” Franny said.

  “I work for Bond Realty. Actually for the retirement community. I’m a financial adviser there, but I know they are looking for a few more positions and one is in accounting. Within the next few months half the apartment complex will be filled with residents. They are going to almost be full swing into things. I’ve been filling in gaps, but accounting isn’t what I really do.”

  “Really?” Franny said. “Have they posted the position yet?”

  “Not that I’m aware of and I’m not sure when they’d hire for it. But if you want to give me your information I can ask and see if they are ready to collect resumes and where to send it.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Franny said, pulling her phone out. “Thank you so much.”

  He watched Jennie and the women put their heads down and start talking and told himself he’d done a good thing tonight without even trying. He might have given her some friends that she could use.

  And the fact their spouses were his friends too was a double bonus on top of it.

  31

  Got You Now

  “That was fun,” Jennie said hours later. Alex had more to drink than he normally did so he left his truck at the bar and she’d driven his butt to her house.

  He wasn’t drunk, but he was funnier than normal.

  “It was,” he said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out with the guys.”

  “Because you’ve got a girlfriend now?” she asked. “I saw the group of guys you might be with. I like the second group better.”

  “I’m sure you do. The married guys don’t go out much. At least without their wives. The single ones do more what I do,” he said.

  “I don’t want to know what that is,” she said.

  She’d seen a few of those from the first group didn’t leave alone. If she weren’t in the picture, she was betting Alex wouldn’t have gone home alone either.

  “I’m sure you can guess,” he said. “But those days are behind me. I’ve got you now.”

  “As many saw,” she said. “Sorry if I came off strong when I got there.”

  She’d seen red when that waitress had her hand on Alex, but she had to tell herself to not jump. To not let her temper get the best of her. He wasn’t doing anything wrong and she was working so hard to stay in control.

  She felt she got her point across the way she had and Alex even smiled and laughed over it.

  “You didn’t. You know what my reputation has been like. You heard it a lot and I have to say I’m actually embarrassed over it now.”

  “I don’t want you to feel that way,” she said.

  He flopped down on her couch and she sat next to him after giving him a bottle of water.

  “It has nothing to do with you,” he said. “I made my bed. I’ve said it before. I have to work at getting that opinion changed of me.”

  “Do you care what other people think of you?” she asked. “I always assumed you didn’t, which is why I’ve said that I think you give off the illusion of someone you aren’t.”

  She’d noticed that more and more lately. That what you saw with Alex Bond wasn’t always what was there.

  He was surface at times for many, but different with her.

  She’d seen the funny side. The flirty side. The fun one. That was what everyone saw on the outside.

  But she also saw the serious one. The protector. The soft one. The one that rocked her niece to sleep two weeks ago and put her in her place that a man could be more nurturing than a woman.

  With the childhood she’d had, she never experienced that before. Watching Griffin with his daughter was an eye opener for her. She figured it was one in a hundred.

  But then she’d watched the men in Alex’s family with their kids. Their wives. Even Alex talking about his nephew Jace that was born last week. His nephew was a month early, but baby and mom were both doing well.

  There was love in his eyes when he talked about the first in the next line of his family tree. His branch that wasn’t the wealthiest with money but maybe with strength. At least in her eyes.

  Emotional and physical strength.

  And the emotions she’d felt for him for the past few months were getting harder and harder to fight off too.

  “I don’t care what many think of me,” he said. “I do care what you do though.”

  He’d laid his head on her shoulder, his hand moving up and down her thigh.

  “You know what I think of you,” she said.

  “Actually I don’t,” he said, grinning. “It’s one of those things we don’t talk about. I know you find me sexy and we have fun in bed.”

  She turned her head to see that he was joking, but something in his eyes told her there was more.

  “I do think both those things, but there is more to you than that surface.”

  “Do I get to hear what they are?” he asked.

  She started this and would have to decide how much of it she was going to continue with. She wouldn’t always push it off because it wasn’t comfortable.

  She’d lived a lot of her life not being comfortable and got through. This shouldn’t be so hard to do either.

  “You’re a great guy, Alex. You’re a family man even when you want people to think otherwise. I’m shocked that you’re still single and there is part of me that is wondering why and what I’m missing.”

  “Maybe I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “You know all about this island, don’t you?”

  “That Malcolm Bond won the hand in marriage to Elizabeth Rummer when he found this island by chance after a storm on the last day of the challenge. They went on to have five kids. James, Edward, Catherine and Patricia and lastly William...your line.”

  “My line,” he said. “The troublemaker womanizing playboy line. You know he lost all his money right? He lost it on women, booze and cards.”

  “Then it’s funny that Eli is the one that started the casino and not you,” she said, patting his leg.

  “That is funny, but again, my line has no money. We are all building it again. Not just the wealth but the reputation.”

  “Come on now,” she said. “Your father didn’t have that reputation, did he? Mac and Jarrett don’t. Your other cousins either.”

  He sighed. “You’re right. I’m not blowing my money on anything, booze or cards. At least not often.”

  “Just women,” she said, laughing. “But it’s not the same thing.”

  “No,” he said. “That isn’t what I meant though when I asked if you knew about the island.”

  “What did you mean?” she asked.

  “That it’s got the legacy and lure of love at first sight. People come here hoping to find that. Or they get here and don’t realize it.”