“Look, I give you all most of myself but this is mine. I’m going to go and eat dinner. Alone. Please.”

“We’re going to stay at William and Cindy’s tonight. We still on for breakfast tomorrow before Jacob and I go back?” Jill asked.

Tate nodded. “Of course.” She needed to be alone, damn it. Quickly, she got into her car and headed back into town.

At The Sands, Ronnie was there with a smile and a cup of coffee, ushering her to a corner booth. It was already half past eight on a Sunday night so the place was pretty uncrowded.

“Evening, Tate.”

“Hey, Ronnie.” Tate opened her menu.

“Hey, fancy seeing you here.”

She looked up into Matt Chase’s face and only barely resisted taking a long glance down the rest of him. His face was enough of a treat. Made her feel tingly when all she’d felt just moments before was numb.

“Can I join you? I’ve been on a call. Warren and Pearl Jervis’s place. I wish they’d leave each other, but they won’t. He set fire to their couch tonight. Made me miss dinner at my folks’.”

“Sometimes it’s because they don’t know any other way. Other times, it’s because they don’t give a shit about anyone else and can’t be satisfied until they bleed their misery on you.”

“Wow, sounds like there’s a story there. I’m sorry for bringing you down. You can tell me. Or, I promise to entertain you with happy stories if you let me sit with you.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Sure, have a seat.”

Instead of sitting across from her, he slid into the booth beside her, stretching out his long legs next to hers.

“I’m absolutely convinced that Polly Chase will have a plate set aside for you in the oven as we speak,” she said dryly to hide the tremor working through her at his nearness.

He grinned. “Probably. But I’d rather be here with you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but Ronnie came to take their order. “I’ll have the roasted chicken with the rice and a salad. Vinegar and oil please, Ronnie.”

“Give me the pork chops and mashed potatoes and a salad with ranch, and a beer.”

“Oh yeah, that sounds excellent. Beer for me, too, please.”

Ronnie smiled at them both and sauntered back to put their order in.

“Rough night?” Tate looked at him, liking the way his nose looked from the side.

“Why do you say that?” Matt asked warily.

“Because you had to go on what amounted to a domestic call, which can’t be much fun. But you’re here and avoiding your mother’s cooking, which I hear is legendary. Is something up?”

He chuckled and took a long pull off the beer Ronnie dropped off along with the salads. “Polly is a mighty fine cook, yes. And I don’t know how Shane does it. These domestic calls are awful. I don’t have to deal with them often but when I do, it’s hard to take, you know?”

“Yes, I do know.”

He turned and their faces were just inches apart. She could see the beginnings of a beard on his cheeks and chin.

“Too close to home?”

“I really don’t want to talk about that right now. Until about five minutes ago, I was having a very crappy night. It’s looking up so don’t screw with that.”

“Tell me about your night and why it’s been so bad.”

“Dinner with my parents.”

Matt nodded, wanting to know more. He’d only heard bits and pieces around town and from his mother. He knew the old man drank and the mother kept running off.

“I won’t pretend that I don’t know a little bit about your history. That’s not who I am and it doesn’t seem like who you are either. He been drinking?”

“Is that a rhetorical question? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be disrespectful of him. And it’s not just him.” She shook her head and waited while Ronnie put the food onto the table.

“Once a year I have to endure dinner with them. It’s for my youngest brother and sister. Because they’re still young, they need my parents’ signature on their federal financial aid forms. We pay for most everything, my siblings and I. But it’s expensive and they can get loans at reduced interest and grants. Anyway, it’s just once a year. I go over there to check on him, my dad, every month or so but dinner there is just the worst. I sit and don’t eat, for an hour, and we all dash out the back door and run for it.”

“You don’t eat?”

“So, how did you end up as a firefighter anyway?” she asked with a grin as she changed the subject.

He allowed it, for the time being. “I considered being a cop like Shane but the police academy was not my cup of tea. One of the instructors there suggested I try firefighting instead. I did.” He shrugged. “I like it and the people of Petal. Well, most of them anyway. It’s nice to find something that makes you feel fulfilled you know?”

“Yeah, I do know. When I first got out of high school, I did all sorts of odd jobs to pay the bills. Tim and I got an apartment in town, big enough for everyone. After a time, I got into beauty school and I realized I’d found what I was good at. It isn’t police work or anything, but I like making people feel better about themselves. So many women have crappy lives or bad days or never get a chance to feel pretty or special. It’s amazing what a bit of hair color and a nice cut can do. Make you walk out of the salon like you’re on air.” She smiled as she said it and Matt felt it like a blow to his gut.