A gentle hand came to rest on his lower back, and he immediately felt the heat.
“An old-fashioned picnic,” Harper said, her fingers subtly moving on his back in a way that was meant to soothe. And damn if it didn’t work. The tightness disappeared, only to reappear when he looked over at her and found that from his angle, he could see right down her dress. And cream-colored strapless lace was the answer of the hour. “The town would love it, and it would go perfectly with the menu Adam and Emerson hand selected. Cold lemonade and a selection of different sweet teas, red-and-white checkered tablecloths—”
“Ah, these are solid red,” McGuire said, and Adam shot him an Are you fucking kidding me? look.
To which McGuire lifted a What did I do? brow.
You were born. That is enough to screw with my day.
Are you PMSing or what?
Harper ignored all of this and said, “I can just see the mason jars hanging from the trees, filled with candles.” She reached out with her free hand and tapped the chief’s shoulder lightly, as if physically bringing him to her vision. “Battery operated, of course. This is in honor of fire safety after all.”
And just like that Lowen was there, in the picture she was painting, buying into red Solo cups and Adam’s ability to make this event memorable. She’d also managed to distract from the fact that Adam thought hotdogs and Solo cups were a brilliant idea, and make him look like a guy who had his shit together.
It’s her gift, Adam thought with a smile, the ability to draw out the best in people, make them feel as if they belonged in her magical world. Everything about her was magical.
A scary thought because when she was no longer there, he was pretty sure the magic would fade to a strange emptiness.
Lowen looked at Adam and showed some teeth beneath his mustache. Adam wasn’t sure it was a smile, but he didn’t growl so Adam counted it as a win. “I like the direction, Baudouin. And I’m pleased you have come so far with the event.” He looked back at Harper. “The young lady was telling me earlier how inspiring you were in her art class this week.”
Adam looked at Harper and lifted a brow. “Inspiring?” Because the only inspiring thing he could remember was that kiss to show up Dr. Dildo, then their talk, then how he wanted to kiss her again.
Her ears turned pink and he smiled.
She did too, sweet with a little undertone of sass to let him know he was on the money.
“It was all the kids could talk about, seeing a real-life hero up close and personal,” Harper said. “They were so excited that I decided during the week of Beat the Heat, I would do a lesson on heroic portraits and hang them in the Budding Artists Gallery.”
“You should bring them by,” Lowen said. “Give them a tour of the station.”
Harper looked at Adam, her eyes filled with excitement and uncertainty. It was obvious she wanted to say yes, but didn’t want to put him in a weird position. Adam smiled. “I can have Daugherty set something up for you.”
“That would be amazing.” Amazing didn’t even begin to describe what happened next. Harper smiled, and man what a smile. It was bright, joyful, and contagious as hell, because every damn guy in the room smiled back—including him. “Maybe we can even have you visit the shop on the Saturday of the event and judge them, Chief Lowen.”
And wouldn’t you know it, Chief Lowen, the tightest ass in the entire department, actually blushed. “I can’t tell good art from a ketchup-smeared napkin, but I can wear my uniform and award a trophy.”
“The kids’ work is more about telling a story and sharing it with others,” Harper said, placing a hand on Lowen’s arm so that her comment came off as genuine sharing of information, a connection rather than a correction. “If you could say something nice about each artist’s work, it would make their little days. Especially when they see how smart you look in uniform.”
Adam was quickly learning that Harper wasn’t concerned with conforming to society’s standards of beauty, like most people he knew. Her mission was to make sure every one of her kids felt special and that their uniqueness was celebrated.
“I don’t see why not.”
“Wonderful. I was hoping to set up a display at the event this year, maybe by the stage, since the focus of the piece is real-life heroes. So maybe you and Adam”—those soulful blue eyes were aimed his way—“could judge it together. Our very own fire chief and the man who inspired the project would be the talk of the kids for months to come.”
“Inspired the project?” Adam asked, unsure who was blushing more, him or the chief, but it was obvious why this town was so protective of Harper. She wasn’t just a resident, she was their bright light.
“When you dropped by the other day with cookies and talked to the kids, they couldn’t stop talking about how exciting meeting a real hero was.”