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felt like betrayal on his part if he were to answer her questions.
    But he saw the sadness on her in her eyes. It wasn’t easy for him to stand there and pretend he had no idea what was going on with Anthony. He knew Melanie was back in town. She had come to the firehouse looking for Anthony on several occasions.
    Lincoln may be young; however, she was not naïve. If she sensed Anthony was fooling around with Melanie, her intuition was most likely correct.
    Lincoln skipped over his question. “I should get going before the rain falls. I hate running in and out of stores in the rain.”
    He backed off realizing she wasn’t going to talk after what he’d said. “Okay. Drive safe.”
    “I will.”
    He stepped on the curb next to the shrubbery giving her room to back from the parking space. As she drove off, he walked to his truck that was parked on the other side of the restaurant. He hit the button to unlock the fire engine red, Dodge Ram pickup truck that mirrored his immense personality. It was big with an extended cab, loud from the dual exhaust system that he supped up, and sported bumper stickers that boasted his status as a brave firefighter.
    The rain started to fall in big drops as he picked up the pace. He got inside the truck wondering what mess Anthony had gotten himself into with Lincoln. He checked his mirror and saw Lincoln’s Honda Civic stopped at a traffic light. He envied Anthony for having a woman like her.
    On occasions that called for the whole crew to be together, he’d catch himself watching Lincoln. He admired the way she doted on Anthony. She truly cared about him and supported him however she could. He inhaled and the scent of her perfume lingered in his nose.
    He smirked as he recalled a dream he had about her doting on him but in another manner. The dream was so intense that it jolted him from his sleep with his heart racing and his body drenched in sweat. That dream was one he remembered vividly and fondly.
    Nick started the truck and backed out the space thinking that fantasizing about her was okay. He could do that and not worry about breaking any idiotic code.

Chapter Three
    Later that day, Nick arrived at work. The firehouse was experiencing a slow day. Station 30 was an active house with the alarm going off every hour it seemed. They barely had time to return from one emergency before responding to another.
    “Hey, what’s up,” he said sitting at the kitchen table with Jon, who was texting on his phone.
    “Let me finish this text to Amira. She and Gabby are having a disagreement about a dress.”
    Nick chuckled. “Damn, is this what having a family is like?  You get to make the final decision about a dress?”
    Jon put down the phone. “I try to keep the peace. Amira is growing up and Gabby is having a hard time accepting that. When she came to live with us, she was this sweet little ten year-old. Now she is twelve with an opinion on what she wants and doesn’t want.”
    Nick shrugged. “That’s gotta be rough on Gabby with a toddler and a pre-teen underfoot. Has she started to drink heavily yet?”
    Jon took a bite of the sandwich in front of him. “Gabby is an excellent mother. She manages to hold down a career, run the house, and keep track of the kids while I’m away. I’m lucky to have her.”
    “What about the spice?  Is the spice still there between you two?”
    Jon raised an eyebrow. “What’s with the questions, Nick?  Are you planning on settling down?”
    “Not a chance. One failed marriage was enough for me,” Nick said leaning back in the chair. “I’m just wondering with all she has to do when you’re here, is there still any, ya know—any heat left in the marriage.”
    “We have plenty of heat in our marriage. Even with the kids underfoot, we make time for us. Anyhow, this issue with Amira will blow over. Gabby has to realize Amira isn’t a little kid anymore and give her some space. But, it does bother me sometimes that I’m not home to help