Nick:

Sean’s a fucking genius.

He wasn’t lying—my buddy is clueless in the kitchen—but he conveniently forgot to mention to Hailey that he eats at my bar at least twice a week. He’s such a regular at the Goat Morning that Betty Beaumont runs a tab for him.

He’s done the impossible. He’s got Hailey to let us help her.

Hailey’s wonderful, she really is, but she’s rented her entire life. She doesn’t know how to replace a countertop or polish her badly scratched hardwood floors. She loves this cottage, but every time I look at it, all I can see is how rundown it is.

I want to fix it up for her.

We get out of bed and head to the kitchen. “My toolbox is in the truck. Why don’t we start with the floor, since I already ripped half of it out?”

“I still feel like I’m taking advantage of you.” She bites her full lower lip, and my cock hardens. Hailey’s so sexy, and she doesn’t have a clue.

“You’re not,” Sean replies. “You’re cooking dinner for us, remember?”

She looks uncertain. “Go on,” I say, shooing her into the living room. “This won’t take long. Don’t you have an article to write?”

“Yes,” she admits. “But I can do that later this evening.”

I wink at her. “Baby, I have plans for you tonight, and they don’t involve writing.”

Sean gives me a questioning glance, and I feel the sudden need to look away.

Today’s Tuesday. So far, the boundaries of our relationship have been clearly defined. We meet Monday nights to have sex.

I thought I was content with the arrangement. Until I fell asleep next to her. Until I woke up with her body curled into mine.

The O’Sullivans don’t do monogamy, I remind myself, but the warning falls on deaf ears. I’m suddenly greedy for more. I want it all.

I hold my breath as I wait for her to respond.

Her lips curl into a smile. “I like the sound of that.”

It’s not a large kitchen. In a little over an hour, the job’s done. “That looks much better,” I say, surveying the tiled floor with satisfaction.

“It looks amazing.” Hailey’s eyes shine with excitement, and she hugs both of us. “Thank you.”

I’ve done more than my fair share of sleeping around, but a woman’s never looked at me the way Hailey’s looking at me now. My heart flutters in my chest, and I have to swallow to clear the lump in my throat. “The next step is to paint the cabinets,” I tell her. “And you should change your counter-top too. This laminate is hideous. Do you like the look of butcher block? I have a length of it sitting in my garage.”

Sean’s eyes narrow. I avoid his gaze again and gesture to the oak cabinets. “A nice soft white paint would bring the kitchen to life.”

“You’ve done enough,” she protests. “Would tonight work for dinner?”

“Yes,” Sean says before I can answer. “But first, Nick and I need to head to the firehouse to do some paperwork. It’ll just take a couple of hours. Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

I frown at Sean once we’re outside. “What’s going on?”

His lips tighten, and he waves me toward his car. “I thought you don’t get involved, but now you’re renovating her kitchen? I don’t want you leading Hailey on.”

“I’m not leading her on.” I stare out of the window as we pull out of her driveway.

“Are you sure?” he persists. “Six months from now, when you get bored with her, when another hot piece of ass catches your attention…”

I almost take a swing at my best friend. My hands clench into fists. “I can’t believe you’d call Hailey a hot piece of ass,” I snarl. “She’s so much more than that, you fucking asshole.”

Sean’s expression is faintly mocking. “So what are you saying, you’re ready to settle down now? Just like that?”

I know exactly what he’s doing. He’s pushing at my buttons, testing me, testing my commitment. I take a deep breath and force myself to calm down. I have a lifetime of one-night stands to my name. Sean’s right to be skeptical of my change of heart. If the situations were flipped, I’d be giving him the third degree.

“I’m terrified.” My voice is low. “I know I should walk away from her, okay?”

“Why’s that?”

“You know why. The one thing I learned from my parents is that I’m not cut out for monogamy. Their marriage was a clusterfuck from start to finish.”

He gives me a sidelong look. “You aren’t your parents.”

The rain’s still coming down, and Sean’s wipers dance back and forth, their movement hypnotic. “You’ve never cheated on anyone in your life,” he continues. “If you care about Hailey, stop using them as an excuse and start giving yourself a little more credit.”

When I think about causing her pain, I want to curl up into a ball and huddle in a corner. “I do care about her.”

A small smile plays about his face. “Good.”

“And the sharing thing?” I ask, wanting to make sure we’re on the same page. Sean might bust my balls, but I can always count on him to call me on my bullshit. He’s my best friend. “I always thought you were looking for something more traditional.”

“Yet I’ve never found anyone I wanted to be with for the long haul. Until now. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.” He takes a deep breath. “This is what I want.”

I admire Sean his certainty. “And when people find out that Sean Keefer, their fire station chief, is in a poly relationship? You have a morality clause in your contract, don’t you?”

“I don’t give a shit.” He stops at a red light. “We’re three consenting adults. My personal life is none of the town’s business. I don’t want to see Hardy shut down the fire station. But if the choice is between keeping my job or being with Hailey, there’s no contest. Hailey’s always going to win.”

* * *

Sean:

There’s another town council meeting on Wednesday. Eric Hardy shows up late, and he’s in a pissy mood.

All anyone can talk about is the fire. “Poor Tammy,” Kim says sympathetically. “She’s such a nice young woman. Shows up every week to volunteer at the pet shelter, you know.”

“And she takes such good care of her father too,” Elvira Grantham adds. “Thank heavens you were on call, Sean. I went to see them yesterday. Elijah couldn’t say enough nice things about your crew. According to him, the entire place would have gone up in flames had you not shown up.”

David Barlow nods solemnly. “I have to admit,” he says, glancing at Eric Hardy, “that a few weeks ago, I might have agreed with Eric. The fire station is in the heart of downtown. Was that really the best use of that space? But now…” He shakes his head. “Extra revenue from the lease of the station would be nice, but not at the cost of people’s lives.”

Hardy’s jaw tightens. This has got to be a huge blow to him. Even if he’s elected, he can’t unilaterally decide to shut down the fire station. He still needs the rest of council to vote in favor of his proposal.

If there’s a bright spot in the whole sorry mess, it’s this. Thanks to our mystery arsonist, the fire station’s future feels safe.