Chapter 48: Matt
“You said you’d come for dinner tonight.” I rested my head in my hands, wishing I was talking to Renee face-to-face instead of over the phone, sounding like a whimpering mess.
“I know I did, baby, but I need to spend some time with Aaron,” she insisted. I could hear the aggravation rising in her voice, but feeling petty, I continued to push her.
“You can’t even stop by for a few minutes?”
“Talking to you right now is pushing my luck,” she said. “He already feels like I neglect him and favor you and Jake.”
“That’s because you do,” I teased, but Renee didn’t laugh.
“He deserves to have my attention for the night. You need to just accept that.”
I stared down at my desk at the pile of paperwork I’d been working on, feeling a pang of jealousy well up in the middle of my chest. I was hoping I’d see her tonight and maybe even finish what we’d started this morning, but apparently, she was spending the night with Aaron. While my best friends and I didn’t often get jealous of each other, it was bound to happen in a relationship like ours on occasion. According to her, Aaron had gotten some good news from his work that was cause for a celebratory dinner and quality time with Renee.
As if art was something to be celebrated. Whoopee.
“Fine,” I said, realizing how much like a petulant child I sounded. “I guess I’ll talk to you tomorrow then.”
“I love you, Matt.”
“Yeah. Love you, too.”
With an annoyed sigh, I hung up the phone and then shoved my cell phone back into my pocket to focus on the paperwork in front of me, wishing it was I who had stayed home today and not Aaron. I knew Jake was at work, too, probably as busy as I was, and probably hoping that she’d had plans to visit him tonight, too. So much for that.
“Hey, boss,” Tameka Morce, my subordinate firefighter, stuck her head into my office, smiling sweetly. “I heard your voice rise a moment ago. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything is good.” I tried not to consciously notice the soft curve of the woman’s body as she stood in my open doorway, nor the way her sleek black hair rippled down to the middle of her back with every move she made. She was a beautiful woman, Tameka; any human being would be an idiot not to notice.
But she wasn’t Renee.
“If you ever need to talk, just know I’m here,” Tameka said, flashing a row of pearly whites. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my hands over my stomach as I watched her, nodding. She might not be Renee, but it didn’t hurt to look, right?
“I appreciate that,” I said. “But it’s a little inappropriate, don’t you think?”
“Would it be inappropriate still if I was male?” Tameka said smoothly. I had to hand it to her; she had me.
“No, I guess not.”
“Not everything said between a man and a woman is a come-on,” she said, but I couldn’t help but detect a hint of teasing in her voice. She was like that, this woman, always walking a thin line between kindness and flirting.
“You’re right, of course,” I told her, consciously noticing the void area on her ring finger yet again. I glanced down at my own hand, where traditionally a ring would be, but there was nothing there. The guys and I had never bothered, given our unique situation. I looked back up at Tameka and smiled. “Thank you for the offer. But I’m okay.”
“Sure thing, boss.” She flashed another million-dollar grin and turned to leave, hips swaying as she walked away, probably to join the rest of my crew for an after-dinner workout in the basement. With a sigh, I watched her go, then bent back over my paperwork, trying to push the image of Tameka’s ass swaying as she walked. I wasn’t a cheater, and I wasn’t a douche. I was just a man, sharing a woman with two of my best friends.
And sometimes, just sometimes, that was easier said than done.
As I finished up a pile of mutinous paperwork, my phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to check it, hoping it was Renee. It wasn’t; it was Jake.
Is Ren ditching out on you too?
I snorted, my fingers hovering over the keyboard on my phone. I guess I wasn’t the only one who was resentful about being blown off for Aaron.
Yep. I typed back. He needs the attention more, I guess. I heard about the raid. You okay?
Yes. Kicked ass and took names.
I snorted a chuckle and pushed my phone aside, glad that Jake had survived another day on the SWAT team. It wasn’t an easy job, that was for sure, but Jake did it well. His work ethic now was a far cry from how he had once been in high school and college; kind of a dumb jock. Now he was a respected officer and a good man. We were all proud of him.
As I signed the last of the paperwork, ready to possibly head up to the bunker for some shut-eye, the alarm rang, alerting us of an accident.
“Station One, Ladder One, report to 346 Griffin Road for reports of a four-car pileup.”
“Shit,” I muttered, jumping to my feet as the rest of my crew came rushing up from downstairs, heading straight into the bay for their equipment.
“Sounds bad,” Porter said, pulling on his pants and boots as I did the same. “Four cars? How is that even possible? It’s not even winter.”
“Porter,” I said with a shake of my head. “Some people will never fail to amaze us.”
“He means that most of society are idiots,” Boyd added, grabbing his helmet from the pile before jumping into the back of the truck. I chuckled, following suit.
“Not what I said.”
“But it’s what you meant,” Vickie said with a snort, hopping in behind me as Porter, Tameka, and Corey spread to their own rigs. “And we all know it’s true.” She winked at me as I pulled the rig out onto the main road and flipped on the lights and sirens, wishing that Renee was working tonight instead of hanging out with Aaron. If she was at the hospital, at least I’d probably get to see her.
“Hey,” Vickie said as I drove, weaving in and out of traffic. She nudged me in the arm, demanding my attention. “Why so glum? You look like someone kicked your dog.”
I laughed, but Vickie didn’t return the smile. Damn her. Being one of Renee’s best friends, she knew me too well. There was no hiding my emotions from some people, and Vickie happened to be one of them.
“Ren can’t make it to the station tonight,” I said, blaring the horn at a white Prius that wouldn’t move out of the fucking way. “I was just hoping to see her.”
“Is she with Jake or Aaron?” Vickie asked knowingly, and I shot her a look from the corner of my eye.
“Aaron,” I said with a sigh. Vickie shook her head.
“Jealousy does not look good on you, Mattie.”
“I know. Renee says that too.”
“You all deserve equal attention,” she continued. “I know you and Jake have a hard-on for making Aaron feel like shit, but he’s a good guy, and he’s one of your best friends. Just keep that in mind, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I said, unconvinced, as I caught sight of Tameka’s face through the windshield of the ambulance behind us. I looked away before Vickie noticed and focused on the road. “Keep it in mind. Yeah.”
“I just mean, don’t fuck up a good thing.”