Burned by Unknown Page B

was taking over. Through bites of food, he repeatedly yawned. She wondered if Anthony had worked and if Melanie was caring for his tired ass.
    Nick looked up causing her to shift her gaze down to her plate. “This is really good, Lincoln. Is this what you consider soul food?”
    She drank a sip of Pepsi. “I consider it food good for the soul.”
    “You know your way around a stove because it’s really good.”
    “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”  She sliced off a piece of the pork chop and placed it in her mouth. “Did any firefighters get hurt last night?”
    Nick took another piece of garlic bread from the basket and mopped up the gravy left on his plate. “No, thank God. We emerged unscathed. Anthony is ok too, in case you’re wondering.”
    She shrugged her shoulders. “He’s not my problem anymore. But I’m glad no one was hurt.”
    “Lincoln, it will take a while to get him out your system, so asking about him is not a crime. We have a hard job and it’s nice to know people care about us.”
    “Melanie has reclaimed that job. I don’t care what he does or how he is doing. I’m back to dating regular Joe’s again.”
    “Are you dating already?”
    She shook her head. “No.” She sat back in the chair pouting. “I cannot believe Anthony moved in with her already! He is such an ass. I gave that man everything he asked for and this is how he does me. I don’t understand him, Nick.”
    “Uh…”
    “He does this right before Regan’s wedding too! I was so excited to be a part of that function. We had planned to do the toast together and some other fun activities at the wedding. He has ruined everything.”
    Nick nodded as he listened to her spew about Anthony. “That’s rough. I understand why you hate him.”
    “Oh gosh, I didn’t mean to dump on you. You’ve had a hard shift and my whining about my love life is not your concern.”  She got up from the table to clear the dishes.
    He got from the table stacking utensils on his plate. “Let me help you with the dishes.”
    “I got this. Why don’t you find something to watch on television unless you’re ready to go home?”
    His crooked grin showed the softer side of him. “I can’t go anywhere dressed like this.”
    “Oh, right. Your clothes should be finished; I’ll get them for you.”
    “I’m capable of getting my clothes from the dryer, Lincoln. You don’t have to wait on me.”
    “I know that but I don’t mind. What kind of shows do you like to watch on TV?”
    “Besides football and basketball, a lot of the shows on TV are crap. But I do like to go the movies. I was thinking about checking out the new Stallone movie.”
    “Oh, I want to see that too. I love any movies that involve SEALs or tough servicemen kicking some hostile ass.”
    He laughed. “You’re my type of girl. Maybe we can check it together.”
    She smiled. “Maybe,” she said disappearing into the kitchen.

Chapter Eleven
    The clock on the wall read 7:00pm and he was dead on his feet. Nick couldn’t stop himself from yawning. He was embarrassed by his actions, but his body was shutting down. It was closing in on twenty-four hours since he had last slept. He trained himself to endure extreme conditions however; he had to get some sleep to replenish his energy levels.
    “Here are your clothes,” Lincoln said handing over his freshly ironed jeans. The smell from the clean denim drifted up his nose. His nostrils and throat were clear of the smoke finally. “Thank you. You didn’t have to iron them though,” he said covering his mouth as he yawned again.
    “No problem.” She threw him a grin, her brown eyes dancing over the hidden pain she was suffering internally. Damn, she is beautiful . The thought of her blindsided him again. He licked his suddenly dry lips. He wanted to kick Anthony’s ass for the hurt he caused this beautiful creature.
    “You’re exhausted, Nick.”  She snatched the pants from his hands.
    He snapped from the cloud