She noticed he didn’t stand up. But when she reached to pull out a chair, he was up in flash. “Let me. My mamma taught me better than that.”
The waitress made her way over with a menu. Carly shook her head. “I’m sorry but I have less time than I thought.”
“One drink?” Cody looked hurt. Not a good way to get information from him.
“Okay.” She glanced down. “I’ll have a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Cody scrunched up his face. “What the heck is that?”
“Vodka and ginger beer and a few other things.” The waitress smiled at Cody before turning away.
“I made a short list.” Carly pulled a notepad from the depths of her purse. “Basically, I need new insulation and the wall boards replaced. Wiring checked for safety, and new fixtures hung. The painted concrete floor seems to have survived. Other things, like the painting and wall-papering, I did myself the first time. I plan to do that part again, with the help of some friends, once the basics are done. How much of the basics list do you think is something you can do?”
“Let’s see.” Cody leaned forward, managing to touch her hands with his fingertips. She casually pulled her hand away reaching up to adjust an earring. “It seems like a lot of work for one man. Especially since I have a very short timetable. I’m getting a bid from the company that did the original interior work.”
Cody looked over the list then leaned back and gave her a grin that didn’t quite reach his pale gray eyes. “You don’t think I’m capable.”
“I think, Cody, that one man, however talented, has only so much time to give to a side job like this. You do have a day job.”
He sipped his beer from the can, ignoring the frosty lager glass sitting before him. “I work the hours I want. Besides, I can get help if I need it.”
“Other CowTown people?” Carly looked over as the next jukebox choice began. Mile Davis’s “So What” from Kind of Blue. The waitress set her drink down.
“No. I’ll get help from my other job. Some folk like to call my second job more of a hobby.” His eyes narrowed. “What would you think, I wonder?”
Carly picked up the martini glass. “What sort of job is it Cody?”
Cody leaned forward suddenly, eyes bright. “Were you scared, being caught up in that fire?”
Her cocktail splashed over the rim onto her hand.
“Oh, did I upset you?” Cody pushed a couple of cocktail napkins at her.
“Yes, you did.” Carly put her glass down and dabbed at the wet spot on the table, her drink untasted. “Why would you bring that up?”
“Because I know something about being in fires. In fact, I know a lot about firefighting in general. That guy you saved, the one trying to kill himself? He used to be a firefighter. But I guess he lost his nerve, went into investigation. Decided instead to chase people who start them because he couldn’t take the heat.”
Carly reached for her glass and took a tiny sip. She didn’t want to discuss Noah with anyone. “So you’re a Fort Worth firefighter, too?”
Something flashed in those gray eyes, a shrewdness that Cody had totally seemed to lack in their previous encounters. “I work for the Edgecliff Village Volunteer Firefighters.” His gaze dared her to tease him about not being a “real” firefighter.
Humor was the last thing on Carly’s mind as this new knowledge of Cody sank in. “I know Edgecliff Village is still a separate town within the Fort Worth city limits. Even so, I’m amazed there are still volunteer services within the DFW Metroplex.”
“We’re a dying breed. White Settlement just went with the Fort Worth department.”
Carly chose her words carefully. “Firefighting is a dangerous job.”
He watched her for a moment, before leaning forward again. “Yes, Carly, it is. Let me show you how dangerous.”
He laid his left arm on the table and shucked his sleeve up to his armpit so that she could see the tattoo there. NO FEAR in rich stenciling. A stylized cross floated above the words. All of it lay in a field of bright red and gold flames. It took her a second to realize that the compelling colorful design had been inked over roughed, damaged skin.
He must have seen the realization dawn in her face, for he nodded and pulled down his sleeve. “Struck by burning debris while I was serving in the navy as a Damage Controlman. We’re responsible for emergency, fire, and rescue. Ventilation system caught fire on board. First in, it almost cost me my sorry ass. Second-degree burns. “He patted his arm. “After that, nothing scares me.”
Nothing scares me. The words formed a mental picture in Carly’s head. Cody knew all about fires, how to fight them, and also how they started. Was it possible?
“You must know Noah Glover, since you’re a firefighter too?”
“We’ve met.” The reserve in his voice put Carly on edge. “You know him well?”
She shook her head and reached for her drink to have something to do besides stare at the man across from her. “Never saw him before the fire.”