Vic Russo is just one of the guys. Except she’s not a guy. A paramedic, affectionately known as Vic within her firehouse, Victoria is a permanent fixture in the friend zone. But when her childhood crush, firefighter Graham McAndrew, becomes single once again, she decides enough is enough. It’s time for Graham to see her as the woman she’s become. There’s only one problem. A photo of her in the arms of another man has captured the nation’s attention.
Jason Meadows is not thrilled to have his police work interrupted by a small media craze. In fact, he’d be content never to see Victoria or that photo-gone-viral again. But a series of fires in town, paired with a growing attraction to the quirky paramedic, make staying away impossible.
Determined to ferret out a potential killer, Jason enlists Victoria’s help as his eyes and ears inside the firehouse. And while threats rise from within, Victoria is forced to choose between the love of her past and the man who’s ignited her fire within.
She had this. She was in control. Just like she’d practiced with her therapist all those months ago, she focused on calming herself physically by breathing slowly. Then she could focus on calming herself mentally.
She needed a distraction. The human brain couldn’t think about two things at once, and Dr. Haryana had made her practice bringing a serene memory to the forefront of her mind. She’d literally taught Victoria to find her happy place.
Happy place. Happy place. What the fuck was her happy place again?
“Hey.” Jason squeezed her shoulder gently and she pounced on the distraction, concentrating on the warmth of his hand, the solid pressure of his grip. “I’m sure you did enough. I’m sure you did all you could.”
She closed her eyes and kept her focus on his hand and the way he moved his thumb back and forth in a gentle massaging motion.
“Hey, look at me, Victoria.”
She lifted her head, noticing for the first time that his eyes were blue. And not just one shade of blue. The middles were light, like a cloudless summer sky, but the further away from the pupil, the darker they got. Until they were as dark blue as Lake Michigan. His eyes reminded her of running on the beach, her feet sinking into the sand while she devoured the scenery—a horizon of dark blue water, meeting light blue skies.
Well, what do you know? Hello, happy place.
“You did everything you could,” he said.
She inhaled deeply and nodded. “I know.”
He moved closer, closing the distance between them then paused to clear his throat. It was awkward, the way he drew her to him with stiff arms, and she held herself rigid. Mainly because she didn’t want to press any buttons on the radio clipped to his chest. Funny, that she was suddenly capable of noticing details like that.
He shifted slightly, tucking her into his side so the radio wasn’t in the way, and patted her back. She almost laughed—that’s how silly and uncomfortable it felt. But after a moment, she relaxed against him. And the second the tension left her, it left him as well. He held her a little tighter and she brought her arms around him, her hands gripping the fabric of his shirt between his shoulder blades.
“Thank you,” she whispered over his shoulder, suddenly overcome with gratitude for this man who’d helped her regain balance when the world had been spinning away from her. She closed her eyes and a single tear fell from each one. One tear for the men she’d lost in a country far away and another for the firefighter she’d come close to losing today.
Stephanie Reid writes contemporary romances with heart, humor, and a happily ever after. She holds a master's degree in Human Development Counseling and enjoys using counseling theories on her fictional characters (and from time to time her husband).
She draws inspiration for her stories from life experience, and when writing, she frequently asks her police officer husband for his input on all things law enforcement. They've agreed not to discuss the bits of advice she doesn't take when it doesn't serve her plots well, and this makes for a very harmonious marriage.
Born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, Stephanie now resides with her husband and three children in central Illinois.
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