Fireman Dad. Betsy Amant St.

waiting for Orchid Hill Elementary to open its doors and release a horde of children from its red-bricked depths. She kept one eye out for Owen, grateful the crossing guard was on duty in his bright yellow vest and hat. Owen was usually a pretty cautious child, but sometimes his excitement ran away with him and made him less than careful.

      He was like his father that way.

      Her cell rang and Marissa dug it out of her purse. “Hello?” She craned her head to see around the car in front of her. Owen must still be waiting with his teacher in the school yard.

      “Marissa, hi. This is Jacob Greene.”

      She was glad her foot was already on the brake, or she’d have jerked her SUV to a dead halt. “Oh! Hi. Hello.” The words filtered out more like a croak than a greeting, and she mentally chided herself for the lack of professionalism.

      He hesitated. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

      “No, I’m just picking up Owen from school.” She cleared her throat, hoping to eliminate the frog that seemed to have taken up residence. When she gave Jacob her business card yesterday at the office, she never imagined he’d have called so soon—or at all, for that matter.

      “Gotcha.” He laughed. “I’ve picked up Olivia before—I know that can be a rough crowd.”

      “No kidding.”

      Jacob continued. “Were you able to get that tire fixed?”

      “Yes, after work yesterday. There was a nail, so they patched it. I’m good to go, thanks to you.”

      “Nah, I didn’t do much. Nothing anyone else wouldn’t have done.” Jacob brushed off the compliment, and Marissa couldn’t help but admire the humility. Kevin had always soaked in—even sought out—praise, always trying to be the hero. But why was she comparing them?

      She licked her dry lips. “So, what’s up? Did you have another idea for your niece’s party?” Surely he hadn’t called only to check on her tire.

      “Actually, I was calling to ask you a question.” Now it was Jacob’s turn to clear his throat, and Marissa could have sworn she detected a hint of apprehension beneath the cough. “Do you have plans for Friday evening?”

      She never had plans on a Friday night, unless you counted the occasional pizza-and-a-movie outing with Owen, or the weekends she spent with her laptop catching up on work. “Not at the moment.” She wanted to ask why, but held her tongue, afraid to hope. He wasn’t asking her out. They’d just met yesterday and he was hiring her as a professional event planner. Come back to real life, Marissa. This isn’t one of Owen’s Disney DVDs.

      “I was wondering if you’d like to meet me at the Boardwalk downtown.”

      Her cell phone slipped from her fingers into her lap. Marissa scrambled to grab it as the woman in the van behind her honked the horn. “The Boardwalk?” She accelerated into the vacated spot ahead in line, her thoughts racing even faster. The Orchid Hill Boardwalk was a huge shopping district on the river outside of downtown, with a movie theater, restaurants and a giant two-story carousal. It was considered to be a popular dating scene among couples of all ages, though family-oriented as well. She’d taken Owen a few Saturdays ago for an ice cream cone and new shoes. But going with Jacob on a Friday night—that was different. She’d need to find a babysitter, and something to wear, and—

      “They have several party goods stores and a garden nursery, so I thought we could get a head start on the birthday party plans and what you might need for the fundraiser.”

      Marissa jerked back to the present as reality crashed around her. Her heart thumped an unsteady rhythm and she gripped the steering wheel tighter with her free hand. Not a date. She ignored the rock of disappointment in her stomach. Probably for the best—business, she was used to. Dating, not so much.

      Jacob’s voice rose slightly in volume. “Hello? Are you still there?”

      She realized with a start she hadn’t answered. “Yes, sorry. Just … driving.” More like driving herself crazy. She briefly closed her eyes to straighten her shaky world back on its axis.

      “Is that a yes to my invitation, or a yes that you’re still there?” Jacob’s teasing tone warmed her more than the sun reflecting off the dashboard and onto her bare forearms, and the disappointment faded slightly.

      Marissa smiled. “Both.” Why not? Might as well discuss business outside on the Boardwalk instead of at her desk, where she stayed cooped up most days. She hadn’t been out with anyone other than Owen or her mother in a long time.

      Too long.

      “Great.” Jacob let out an exhale. “If you give me your address, I’d be happy to pick you up.”

      “Thanks, but I’ll just meet you there.” Of course Jacob would be a gentleman and want to pick her up, even for a business meeting, but she had one hard-and-fast rule—Owen didn’t meet any men in her life until it had the potential to be serious. If this wasn’t even a date, then there was no need to confuse—or egg on—her son. Owen had been trying to convince Marissa to go on dates for months.

      “No problem. I’ll see you at the Boardwalk at six-thirty, then.”

      “See you then.” Marissa said goodbye and hung up, relieved Jacob hadn’t pushed the issue of meeting him. She would hate to make things awkward by explaining her reasons, but when it came to Owen, his welfare came first—even if that decision often had her keeping people at arm’s length.

      Marissa peered around the car in front of her and finally spotted Owen jogging toward the SUV. She unlocked the back passenger door and he climbed inside, shrugging off his backpack and tossing it on the seat beside him. “Hey, buddy, how was your day?” Could he tell how flushed she felt? She aimed the AC vent toward her neck and turned to her son with a smile, trying to push aside the remaining disappointment lingering in her stomach. If Jacob had asked her on a real date, would she have even said yes? But it didn’t matter. There was no use analyzing what hadn’t happened.

      Owen reached for his seat belt with a grin. “School was super cool!”

      His hair was rumpled and he smelled like he’d had a little too much fun at recess, but that didn’t stop Marissa from stretching toward him. “Where’s my kiss?”

      Owen rolled his eyes, but leaned forward and allowed a quick kiss on his forehead before he buckled in. Marissa fastened her own belt and merged into traffic. “What was the super cool part?” With Owen, that could be anything from finding a frog at recess to getting a decent grade on a math quiz. Either would be equally shocking. At least he made up for his lack of math ability with excellent reading and writing skills.

      “Firemen came to our school today!”

      Marissa’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror. Her own shock stared back in the reflection. Owen bounced in his seat, his eyes lit with excitement. “They talked about safety and stuff. We should check the batteries in our smoke detectors. Have you checked them?” He bounced again. “Have you?”

      Marissa’s hands clenched around the steering wheel and she worked to keep her voice even. “Yes, buddy, I did a few weeks ago.” How could his class have done a fire safety demonstration without a notice? The teacher should have sent something out to the parents—though most parents wouldn’t have the same issues with it that she did. Her knuckles whitened. If her father had arranged for this and didn’t even bother to tell her—

      “One of the firemen pulled a quarter from my ear and he let me keep it!” Owen held up a shiny coin and flipped it from one palm to the other. “See? He was so cool! He told me all about firefighting and how I could do it one day, too, if I wanted. Like Grandpa and Daddy.”

      Marissa forced a smile in the mirror at Owen as she flipped on the blinker. “That is pretty exciting.” Only halfway listening as he rattled on about fire trucks and all the equipment the firefighters had shown him, Marissa made a sharp left and veered off course toward Oak