The Single Dad - A Standalone Romance (A Single Dad Firefighter Romance) Read online

  “Sounds tempting, but I still got a stack of papers left to grade,” I said, thinking about the 30 essays on early 20th century immigration sitting on the coffee table waiting for me to evaluate.

  “You can’t keep hiding, Em,” Kendra said, as she petted Howard, who suddenly turned and swatted her with his big fat paw. She pulled her hand back as she said, “Hey, buster! Don’t swat me! You know this cat is anti-social don’t you? You’re not helping matters by emulating him, Em.”

  “I’m not anti-social,” I protested weakly.

  “Well, you’re certainly not social,” she replied. “You need to get out and live a little, Em. You can’t stay locked up forever.”

  “I know, I know,” I said, waving my hand at her as I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. I chewed slowly as Howard bumped his head against my arm. I ignored him and said, “Maybe once I get this stack done, I can come out and play?”

  “Now that’s more like it!” Kendra smiled. She tipped the soda can up and drank the last of what was in it and then belched loudly. I laughed and shook my head as she stood up and grabbed her keys. “I gotta go. It’s my night to set up the happy hour bar and pick out the music!”

  “What are you spinning?” I asked.

  “Probably some Dropkick Murphys and a buttload of Tommy Clancy drinking songs,” she said. “The guys like the authentic flair, you know?”

  “Sounds like a loud night,” I laughed. “I’m sure you’ll have the night of your life and earn a fortune in tips.”

  “Eh, it’s post-flag football night, so it’ll be mainly FD and PD guys,” she shrugged. “They’re a bunch of cheap bastards.”

  “I’m sorry I’ll miss the fun,” I said, wondering if I should push the grading aside and go down to the bar.

  “You can always change your mind!” Kendra shouted, as she pulled open the front door and headed out to her Mustang. I could hear her revving the engine in the driveway as I reconsidered my choice to stay home and grade.

  “I could go for an hour or two,” I said, looking over at Howard, who was still perched on the bar stool. He blinked once and looked away. I sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. That’s not very responsible of me, is it?”

  I finished my lunch and returned to grading. Curled up on the couch, I read paper after paper, marking them up and wondering where I’d gone wrong in the lesson to end up with such poorly supported thesis statements and lack of primary source evidence. I sighed as I wrote a C- on the paper I’d just read.

  Howard hopped up onto the edge of the couch and gently patted my arm until I moved the stack of papers out of his way. He curled up in my lap and promptly fell asleep purring contentedly with his nose buried between his paws.

  “A nap sounds good right about now,” I said, as I slowly stroked his soft fur. He stretched a little in response and rested his head on my stomach. I pulled the quilt draped over the back of the couch over my legs and slid down so that I could rest my head on the pillow I’d been leaning on. With an arm over Howard, I drifted off to sleep.

  BRRRRING! BRRRING! BRRRING!

  “Huh? What?” I mumbled, as I was jolted out of my sleep by the sound of my phone. By the sound of the ring, I knew who it was, but I reached over and grabbed the phone from the coffee table to check the screen. It was my mother. I stared at the phone as the ringing continued and then reached up and hit “Send to voicemail” before setting the phone back down again.

  Howard stretched lazily on my lap and flipped over so that his soft, furry belly was fully exposed. I pulled myself up into a sitting position as I continued petting him. He mewed softly and put a fat paw on my hand before rolling over and going right back to sleep.

  “Must be really nice to be you, eh?” I chuckled softly, as I reached up and turned on the lamp next to the sofa and grabbed the remaining papers.

  I had work to finish.

  Chapter Three

  Blake

  Sunday morning I was up bright and early, despite the fact that Nina and I had stayed up late watching all three Saw movies. I peeked into her room and found her buried beneath the purple comforter still sound asleep, so I closed the door and went into the kitchen to make some coffee. I turned on the local news and heard the meteorologist predicting that a major snowstorm was headed our way in the next few days.

  Snow meant that we’d most likely be busy dealing with small fires caused by space heaters and fireplaces that hadn’t been properly cleaned since last winter. I poured myself a cup of coffee and stood looking out the kitchen window into the front yard. The last storm had knocked loose some branches, and I could see that I needed to get out there and cut them down before the weight of the coming snow caused them to break. I finished up my coffee and tossed on some sweats and a jacket before heading out to grab a ladder and the saw.

  “Hey Blake! How’s it going, man?” a voice called from the sidewalk. I lowered the saw and turned to see Jake and Kathy Baker staring up at me. I hadn’t made up my mind about whether or not I wanted to go down the swingers road, and as a result, they made it clear how they felt every time they saw me.

  “Good, good. How are you two doing?” I asked, as I decided not to come down off the ladder.

  “I see Nina’s here for the weekend,” Kathy said, as they crossed the lawn and stood staring up at me from below.

  “Yeah, it’s my weekend to deal with all the teenage angst and then crack down on the homework,” I smiled. Kathy was a gorgeous woman with long brown hair, big brown eyes, and a body that was built to do some amazing things, or at least that’s what I imagined. The thought of her naked caused me to have to reach down and readjust myself. Her eyes followed and she gave me a seductive smile.

  “Too bad,” she said, laying a hand on my lower leg. “I was in the mood for some action this weekend. I’ve been thinking about it for days.”

  “Yeah, she really has been,” Jake echoed. He was an odd man whose kink was voyeurism, and it was the main reason I was hesitant to have sex with Kathy. He’d explained how the two of them would often have a marathon sex session as a result of how turned on he got by her having sex with another man. Despite the fact that I wasn’t judgmental about other peoples’ kinks, I couldn’t quite get past my own discomfort.

  “Sorry to disappoint,” I said, only partly sorry. Sometimes the pressure was more than I cared for, so I was glad that I had Nina’s presence as an excuse. “Maybe next time.”

  “Oh, of course,” Kathy said. She grabbed Jake’s hand and walked back across the lawn, stopping to look over her shoulder and wink at me. As I watched her walk, I felt the familiar ache of desire but resisted the urge to adjust myself again. Instead, I waved at Kathy and flashed her a half grin before turning back to the task at hand.

  It took me an hour to trim the branches and clean up the mess I’d made, and by that time, Nina was up and moving around.

  “Hey, sleepyhead, you wanna get some breakfast in town?” I asked, as she sat at the counter drinking a cup of hot tea. She nodded but said nothing. Unlike me, she wasn’t a morning person, so I was used to her silence as she moved from sleep to wakefulness. I patted her shoulder and said, “I’m going to go grab a shower and get dressed. Can you be ready in a half hour?”

  She nodded again and stared into the her mug. I smiled and went to get ready. A half an hour later, I stood in the kitchen as my 16-year-old daughter came strolling out of her room with a serious look on her face as she stared at her phone.

  “Well, good morning, sunshine!” I said, as she entered the kitchen. “It’s good to see you back in the land of the living!”

  “Dad, please,” she said, rolling her eyes and tucking the phone into her back pocket.

  “What? Are you nixing all of the pet names I have for you?” I asked, as she walked across the room and stood on tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

  “In a word, yes,” she said, as she put out a hand to keep me at a distance. “No offense, Dad, but those names are so 7th grade. I’m 16 now.”

  �
�Oh, I see,” I said, hanging my head in mock shame. “Your old man is no longer good enough to call you by your beloved childhood pet names. I guess I’ll just go sit out back and eat worms.”

  “Don’t be so dramatic, Dad,” Nina said, rolling her eyes. “That’s not what I mean; I’m just saying. Can’t you treat me like a grown-up?”

  “Because you are one?” I asked.

  “Well, I’m not a baby anymore,” she said, as she tugged on her coat and looked at me expectantly. “Well? Are we going to go eat or what? I’m starving!”

  “Yes, madam,” I said, bowing as I pointed to the back door. “Your carriage and your servant await.”

  “You’re crazy; you know that, right?” she said in a testy tone as she breezed out the back door and headed for the truck.

  I drove us into town to the local diner we’d been having brunch at every Sunday since Remy and I divorced. The Sunny Side Up was a bright, cheerful place full of a mix of Waltham residents who were intent on filling up on the pancakes and waffles that the place was well-known for. Judy waved us toward our usual booth as I grabbed two rolls of silverware and a couple of menus. Nina shed her jacket and slid into the far side of the booth before taking a menu from me and quickly deciding on eggs, bacon, and waffles.

  “You sure you’re ordering enough food?” I asked. Remy had told me that Nina hadn’t been eating much at home during the week and that I should keep an eye out for any behaviors that might indicate she had an eating disorder. I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant or what I should be looking out for, but I did know that I needed to encourage her to eat.

  “Dad, why are you picking on me?” she asked, as she slid the menu to the end of the table and took a sip of water.

  “No, I’m dead serious,” I said. “Your mother said you’re not eating very well at home, so I’m supposed to fill you up while you’re here, I guess.”

  “I eat fine at home,” she said, rolling her eyes. “It’s just that Mom buys that gross organic stuff and I hate it, so I wait until I’m at school to eat real food. I’ve told her a hundred times I don’t want to eat quinoa or tofu or whatever crazy micro greens she’s bought this week, but she never listens.”

  “Ah, I see,” I nodded, hesitant to add any more to the pile of kindling that Nina was building under her mother. Remy and I might not have gotten along very well, but I wasn’t keen on waging war against her using our daughter as the ammunition. However, Remy had no reservations about it, and that often worried me.

  “Okay, well, if we need to go to the grocery store and stock up on regular supplies for you to take back to your mom’s, then we can do that this afternoon.”

  “Nah, it’s no biggie,” she shrugged.

  “Speaking of communication,” I said, just as Judy came to the table ready to take our order. We both ordered, and then I returned to my question, “Anything new on the boy front these days?”

  “Dad, you know I can’t talk to you about that stuff,” she said, shutting down the discussion.

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s weird, that’s why,” she retorted. “Besides, do you want to talk to me about your love life and when you might consider dating again?”

  “Now see here, young lady,” I began.

  “See? You don’t want to talk about it either,” she said, in a tone that clearly drew the line. “You really need to get out and see someone, Dad. I mean, you’re a good-looking guy with a lot to offer, but you’re not getting any younger.”

  “Are you telling me I’ve got a shelf life at 38?” I laughed.

  “If the shelf life fits,” she shrugged. “Look, you and Mom have been divorced for more than two years, and she’s started dating again. Why can’t you?”

  “I don’t have time for it,” I said. “Plus, you know my schedule; most women aren’t willing to put up with my weird hours and lack of availability.”

  “Excuses, excuses,” she said. “If you found someone really interesting who shared your interests, you’d find a way to make it work. But to do that, you’ve got to get out in circulation!”

  “Message received, can we move on to another topic now?” I asked, as Judy brought out steaming plates of bacon and eggs with waffles on the side. She put down the butter and syrup, refilled my coffee cup, and asked if we needed anything else before moving away to attend to the next table.

  “How’d the game go yesterday?” Nina asked, with her mouth full of waffle.

  “We kicked the PD’s ass to the curb, as usual,” I said, cutting up my waffle and smothering it in syrup.

  “How’s Uncle Tony doing?”

  “He’s a major pain in the ass, as usual,” I laughed. “Maybe I’ll call and see if he wants to join us for pizza and beer tonight. He’s having a rough time at home right now.”

  “Maybe if he didn’t act like a 15-year-old boy he wouldn’t be,” Nina offered, as she dug into her eggs.

  “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” I said, stuffing a forkful of waffles into my mouth and chewing.

  We finished breakfast, then headed over to the hardware store on Lexington so I could get a new saw blade, and then hit the grocery store where we picked up frozen pizzas, beer, and, despite her protests, a bag full of granola bars and snacks that she could take back to Remy’s with her. We spent the afternoon popping popcorn and watching the Patriots kick the Redskins’ asses before I called Tony and invited him to dinner. He and his wife were busy entertaining her parents, and he told me he’d see me at the station for our shift.

  Nina and I cooked the pizzas and then settled in to watch a couple of goofy Christmas movies that she loved. It was well past 9 when I realized she had school in the morning.

  “Time for bed, young lady!” I called from the kitchen.

  “Awww, Dad! One more movie, please!” she protested. I was tempted to let her stay up and watch one more, but I knew that if she was late to school in the morning, there would be hell to pay when Remy found out.

  “Nope, sorry, Punkin; it’s time to shut down Chez Gaston and call lights out,” I said, feeling like an ogre.

  “But Dad,” she began.

  “Don’t ‘but Dad’ me, young lady,” I said, a little more sternly than I’d intended. “You’ve got to get your grades up before Christmas break, and getting a good night’s sleep is an important part of that process.”

  “Oh my God, you sound just like Mom,” she said, as she rolled her eyes dramatically. I winced as the words hit my ears, but I knew that Nina was searching for the words that would give her an advantage. She’d become an excellent manipulator since the divorce and knew exactly how to play Remy and I off of each other. Tonight, I wasn’t having any of it.

  “That’s probably because we both want you to do well in school, kiddo,” I said, moving back into the living room and shutting off the television. “Bedtime.”

  “Fine,” Nina pouted. “You’re so mean.”

  “I know I am, but I love you enough to let you think that,” I said, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m doing it for your own good. Now, get up and get moving, young lady!”

  She reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, and I stood up, pulling her up off the couch so that she was hanging around my neck like an albatross. I loved this ritual. We’d been doing it since she was a tiny girl, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before I no longer had the opportunity to do these things. It made me smile to know that while she might be mad at me for enforcing bedtime, she wasn’t mad enough to skip our ritual. I wrapped one arm around her waist and did an exaggerated Frankenstein walk down the hall to her bedroom. Nina giggled the whole way as I growled and grumbled like a monster. In her room, I reached up and untangled her fingers so that she fell backward onto her bed, bouncing once or twice until she was still.

  “I love you, Nina,” I said, as I bent down and kissed her forehead.

  “I love you, too, Dad,” she replied. “I just don’t love this bedtime thing. I’m not a kid anymore!”


  “You’re my kid and, believe me, you’ll thank me for it later,” I assured her. “Now, you get some sleep and work on those grades.”

  “Only if you get some sleep and find a date,” she shot back.

  “I don’t know where you got this smart-ass streak from,” I said, shaking my head sadly.

  “Better to be a smart-ass than a dumb-ass,” she retorted, as I exited the room, shutting the door behind me.

  As I cleaned up the kitchen, I thought about what Nina had said about dating. I knew that it was probably time to get back on the horse, but after two years of being on my own, I’d grown accustomed to my routine and I wasn’t sure that there was room in it for someone else. I tucked the sponge behind the faucet and shut off the kitchen lights as I told myself that I could let it go for now and worry about dating tomorrow.

  Chapter Four

  Emily

  When the alarm went off early the next morning, I groaned as I hit the snooze button and then rolled back over and closed my eyes. The air in the bedroom felt colder than usual, and I knew that the furnace had most likely gone out during the night — again. I’d told my landlady about the problem, and she’d assured me, numerous times, that she had someone coming to take a look at it, but the problem persisted. This made getting up on a Monday morning even more unpleasant than usual.

  “Oh Christ,” I groaned, as I slammed my hand down on the alarm button as it began beeping again. Howard purred softly as he shifted his position under the covers. I reached out and petted him as I grumbled, “You’re living the life of Riley, and you know that, don’t you?”

  I slid out from under the covers, and as my feet hit the hardwood floor, I knew that my assessment of the furnace situation had been correct. I could see my breath hanging in the air as I made a break for the bathroom and cranked the hot water on. Then, I quickly padded into the kitchen where I flipped on the small space heater I’d bought just for mornings like these. Back in the bathroom, the small room had warmed up as it quickly filled with steam. I shed my pajamas and stepped under the stream of scalding water.