He grinned. It wasn’t a no. “Why don’t we go to dinner before the club on Friday night? I’d like to know more about you.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“I work four twelve-hour shifts with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as my days off.”
“Fridays are usually light for me, and I leave school at four.”
“I’ll pick you up at six; that will give us time to eat, talk, and get to the club before it gets too busy.”
“I can meet you.” There was a small hesitation in her voice. He wouldn’t have caught it if he hadn’t been listening so closely.
“You can, but then what would we do with your car? I can’t see leaving it at the restaurant or the club.”
“You don’t think I’ll be fit to drive?”
“Not if I have my way.” While he probably shouldn’t be so honest, he wanted to gauge her reaction.
“You can pick me up for dinner, and then we’ll see about driving me home.”
A compromise he could live with. “Deal. Have a good Sunday and rest of your week.”
“Wait,” she said. “What restaurant on Friday?”
“Anything you don’t like to eat?” He’d been thinking lots of protein as they would both need it.
“I’m pretty flexible.”
“You don’t have to dress up.”
“You’re not going to tell me where?”
“Nope.” A little surprise wouldn’t hurt her. “Until Friday, my lady.” Rafe disconnected the call. It was going to be a long week.
* * * *
His words were true.
By Thursday evening, Rafe was ready for a day off. “What a week,” he said to Tim, a fellow firefighter.
“No kidding. I’m glad it’s over.”
“Don’t jinx us,” Frank, their captain, said.
“Not trying to.” Rafe was happy to work with Frank and Tim. They’d been together several years. It was imperative to trust the men and women you worked with in this job.
“I need a shower,” Tim said.
“Don’t we all.” Rafe put his equipment away in his locker, grabbed a clean set of clothes, and headed for the showers.
“Any big plans for the weekend?” Tim asked in the large communal shower.
“Nothing major.” Rafe wasn’t ready to talk about Brianna with his co-workers yet. He wanted to see where the relationship went. He almost laughed. They didn’t have a relationship yet. Heck, they hadn’t even had a date, but that would be resolved tomorrow.
Finishing up his shower, he dressed and grabbed his bag. “Rafe,” Frank called his name as he was walking toward the back door.
“What’s up?”
“Come into my office for a second.”
