“What are you doing?” I side-step away from Cailin, still wondering why the hell she surprised me here. “Why are you acting like some jealous girlfriend?”

I keep my voice even, but anger boils inside of me. Anger I haven’t seen surface since I cleaned out Hunter’s locker at the firehouse.

“What are you talking about?” She plays off my question with a laugh and picks up the candles, placing them on the dining room table, familiar with fire safety.

The candles had made me uneasy, but Madison liked them, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her in the candlelight. I already installed two fire extinguishers, so I knew I’d get to it quickly should the unthinkable happen.

“Where’s Devin?”

She stops and turns to me. Her lips dipping. “I was out for dinner with my girlfriends. My mom has Devin. It was my first night out.”

Thank God, I was just misreading things. For a second there I thought Patel was right—that Cailin wanted to replace Hunter with me.

“I’m sorry.” My hand runs along the back of my neck. “I’m just—”

“You like her?” she interrupts.

I shrug. My ability to lie is shit. Cailin wouldn’t catch me like Cristian might, but she caught me about to kiss Madison so I think she knows the answer without me answering.

“We’re partners. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

We head through the dining room to the kitchen.

“Don’t lie to me, Mauro. I saw you a millisecond before you were about to kiss her.”

“And yet you decided to interrupt?” I turn and cock an eyebrow at her.

Her cheeks flush. “I thought maybe she was taking advantage of you. You know you’re so gorgeous women can’t resist.”

She pinches my bicep and I’ve never wanted to be away from Cailin more than right now. Even when she was knee-deep in snot and soaking my t-shirt after Hunter’s death, I was good with it. She needed someone and I was willing to be that person she could lean on. Now…I don’t know if that was such a good idea.

“She wasn’t taking advantage of me.” I stop at the stairs to the basement. It’s dark and still looks haunted even with the new lighting we’ve put in.

“I’m not going down there. Show me the upstairs. Is there a bed?” she asks.

I squint my eyes, annoyed with her. “No.”

“So you were just going to lay her down on the plywood and give her splinters in her ass? How romantic, Mauro.” She laughs and the sound grates on me.

“I wasn’t going to sleep with her,” I bite out my words.

“Come on, you must find her attractive if you were going to kiss her.” She’s smiling at me trying to play it off like she’s teasing, but behind her smile there’s insincerity.

“Who wouldn’t?” I ask.

“Some wouldn’t. I mean she has that cute, smart girl vibe, but her sense of style is a little lacking.”

I’ve heard Cailin make fun of girl’s I’ve gone out with. Hell, she tore Jenna apart after we broke up, but I figured she was in the grieving stage of anger at that point.

“I wasn’t aware jeans and t-shirts were somehow out of style.” I remind myself that she’s been through hell these last few months and that I need to cut her some slack, so I walk up the stairs first, Cailin’s heeled boots sounding on the stairs behind me.

“I think it was a guy’s shirt.”

My patience snaps. “Enough Cailin. She’s my partner and yes, I find her attractive. Yes, I want to kiss her. Yes, I want to screw her. Am I screwing her? No. So put the claws away.”

She draws back at the top of the stairs. “I was only suggesting…”

I raise my hand. “No. You were judging. She’s a great person. Enough of the prom queen judging.”

Her eyes fall to the floorboard. “I just want to protect you. After Jenna...”

“I can protect myself but thank you.” I place my hand on her upper arm and squeeze. “I’m sorry, it’s just…” I shake my head not wanting Cailin to know more than Madison because that’s not fair. My conflicted feelings about Madison shouldn’t be discussed with anyone but her. “Anyway, there are three bedrooms up here.”

I flick the flashlight on since the sun has started to descend already with autumn upon us. “This will be one bedroom that shares a bathroom with this one.” We head to the next bedroom before turning down a small hallway. “This is the master.”

She steps into the space, eyeing the skylight. You can see right through the structure to what will be the bathroom.

“It’s a nice space.” She twirls around. “Hunter would have loved this.” A tear slips down her cheek.

“Cailin.” I sigh. “Don’t.”

It’s the whole reason I was never really up on her coming here. This was my dream with Hunter and now I’m living it out with Madison. That has to be tough for her.

“He always told me that he’d give me the modern luxuries we’d see on the DIY channels. A house we’d be proud to host cookouts and parties at. A pool for Devin and his younger brother or sister.”

Another tear spills down her cheek and I do what I’ve done the other hundred times I’ve been in this position with her. I wrap her in my arms, her head falling to my shirt, her arms tight around my middle.

“It’s okay. I know it hurts, but eventually the pain will fade a bit and you’ll find someone else to share your life with. I promise. And you’ll be happy again. Hell, he might even be better than Hunter for you.”

She pulls back, her eyes launching daggers into me. “How could you say that? He was your best friend.”

Shit. Sometimes it’s hard, knowing what I know, not to let my true feelings slip out around her.

I step back. “I’m just saying you’ll find happiness again.”

Shaking her head, she brushes the tears from her face. “Hunter was my everything.”

She says it like I don’t already know that little fact. She lived and breathed Hunter, practically suffocated him. Nothing was ever good enough for her. I was with him the nights he’d be exhausted on shift after being up the night before because they were fighting and Cailin wouldn’t allow him to go to bed until it was settled.

“I know. I know,” I say.

“If I’d had him for longer. Our time together was so short.”

She cries into my chest again and I lightly rub her back.

“HA!” a voice yells into the room.

Cailin steps back, startled, but I have no chance to move before there’s a body strapped to my back.

“You son of a bitch. I knew you were a loser like your brother.” Little hands pull at the strands of my hair and the more I twist to remove whoever it is, the higher she climbs up me.

“Who the hell are you?” Cailin asks.

“His worst nightmare,” she says, jabbing her knee in my armpit.

My t-shirt is choking me and though I could easily toss this girl off me I have no idea what the fuck is going on and it’s not in my nature to launch a woman across the room, doing who knows how much damage to her.

Cailin backs up closer to the corner of the room, afraid.

“Jesus, Lauren, get off of him!” Madison runs into the room, unpeeling her arms from my throat.

The person on my back falls down to her feet, and I straighten my shirt, turning to look at the culprit of my attack.

“We are so sorry.” Madison grabs Lauren’s hand and tries to drag her out of the room.

“I can’t stand to look at you. If you want to have some fling with some tart then go to your own apartment, don’t do it here!”

Madison’s cheeks flush the deepest red I’ve seen yet.

“Excuse me?” Cailin steps up, towering over Lauren. Not that it seems to intimidate Lauren.

“You heard me. This is theirs.” She points to Madison and me. “He should have the decency not to fuck someone in their shared space.”

“This is all really unnecessary.” Madison pulls at Lauren, but she yanks her arm back.

“Is that what you think is happening?” I ask Madison.

“No. I mean…I didn’t think she was here to you know…it’s not exactly very romantic.”

I want to remind her that it was a half hour ago when the two of us were surrounded with candles and Thai food declaring how much we’ve come to enjoy each other’s company in the past week.

“Lauren drove by and decided to stop in. She saw what was going on and called me. I sped back over here as quick as I could so this wouldn’t happen.”

Lauren jabs me in the chest. “Do you know how great she is?”

My gaze flickers to Madison. “I’m well aware, yes.”

“Well let me tell you…wait, what?” She stops talking, her eyes searching for Madison.

“Cailin isn’t some girl I brought here to show off this place to. Not that it’s really any of your business.” I take a step in her direction, squaring off with her.

The sheepish look I expected doesn’t appear on Lauren’s face. Instead, she crosses her arms waiting for a better explanation.

“She’s the wife of a fellow firefighter who died.”

Lauren’s arms fall. “Oh.” She bites the inside of her cheek. “But you were pretty cozy in here.” Lauren juts out her chin.

If Luca ever does go on his date with her, he’s going to have his hands full. I can’t fucking wait.

“Are you going to apologize now?” Cailin snarls.

“Lauren,” Madison pushes and Lauren rolls her eyes.

“I’m sorry okay, but you know she’s my girl and…”

“So she likes Mauro?” Cailin interjects.

“NO!” Madison screeches. “Lauren’s just protective.”

My eyes lock with Madison’s.

“Yeah, I’m just protective of her. You know she’s a hard worker and I don’t want some guy taking advantage of her. This has nothing to do with personal feelings.” Lauren walks backward toward the door. “Please carry on.” She steps out of the room.

“I’m really super sorry for the misunderstanding.” Madison follows and the sound of their footsteps trampling down the stairs echoes throughout the house.

I want to go after Madison, but I know mixing business and pleasure is a bad idea. The war inside of me rages on and I’m not sure which side will end up the victor.

“What a head case.” Cailin slides her arm through mine. “I mean sending her friend here to attack you? Make sure she doesn’t go all Fatal Attraction on you.”

I blow out a breath and step away, letting Cailin’s arm fall. “I have to go. I have work in the morning.”

“Oh, okay. I should get back to Devin anyway.”

We walk down the steps and I lock up, noticing that Madison’s car is gone from the curb. I say goodbye to Cailin, see her drive off and climb into my truck.

My life was much simpler a week ago.