The Firefighter's Appeal (Harlequin Superromance)

The Firefighter's Appeal (Harlequin Superromance) by Elizabeth Otto Page B

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Authors: Elizabeth Otto
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contractor for tonight, intending to conduct the meeting himself, but Garrett didn’t know any details. He hoped like hell that whoever the contractor was, they offered what he needed. Otherwise, starting tomorrow he wouldn’t rest until he found someone who did. He didn’t want this opportunity to slip by, just like he couldn’t play around with time. Both were too precious to waste.

CHAPTER FOUR
    L ILY SAT IN her SUV in the Throwing Aces parking lot for a good twenty minutes, tapping the steering wheel with a fingernail. It was a balmy Saturday evening and more people wandered in the front door than out, making her groan at how packed the place was likely to be. Her nerves refused to settle; the hardness at the corners of her mouth refused to soften. This was a job, a job their company desperately needed. If she blew it with a bad attitude and prickly demeanor, people would be laid off because of her.
    No pressure, right? Lily finally managed to step out of the vehicle and smooth her skirt. She stared at the building for another minute before heading inside.
    The bar was filled end to end. A basketball game played across several screens above the bar, prompting a cacophony of cheers, hollers and groans from the crowd. It took Lily a lifetime to squeeze through to get to the bar. The constant looking over her shoulder didn’t speed the process up at all. With any luck, Garrett would be off playing with fire.
    “Cute top. Even better ink.” A female bartender she recognized from her previous visit gave her a nod while grabbing a glass from a rack above her head. Lily glanced down. She’d chosen the navy blue shirt with little white polka dots and a feminine ruffled hem, gray pencil skirt and neutral pumps carefully. It was about the most professional outfit she owned, and if Garrett happened to show up, she would need all the professional she could get.
    “Thanks. Say, I have an appointment with Brad Mateo. Lily Ashden.”
    The bartender motioned to a door behind the end of the bar. “Hmm, Brad wasn’t able to make it in today. But come on back to the office and I’ll get someone for you.” Lily followed the blonde through the back, past the kitchen and down a dim, narrow hall to a door on the left. She couldn’t help but notice how dated the back of the bar was—shabby even—with chipped and peeling faux-wood paneling, missing ceiling tiles and patchy carpet. They’d clearly overhauled the public areas of the establishment, but the rest of it was in terrible need of some TLC.
    The woman opened the door and gestured Lily inside. The office looked more like a prison interrogation room than an inviting place to conduct business. The cracked yellow linoleum floor set the groundwork for boring beige wallpaper and a harsh metal desk that looked as though it belonged in a football locker room office. The rickety mismatched chairs were questionable, save for the plush leather office chair behind the desk. Lily gave the bartender a tight smile and sat carefully in the sturdiest-looking chair when the other woman left the room.
    Lily’s spine felt like a rod, and her shoulder muscles were tight. To distract herself, she pulled out her laptop and set it on the desk. Despite the gloom, a full-bodied scent permeated the room. Musky, with heavy notes of spice and outside air. This was definitely a man’s office. She couldn’t imagine a woman working here, or the office wouldn’t be in this devil-may-care condition.
    Time ticked away as sounds from the bar leeched into the small space. Lily was just about to get up to make her way back to the bartender to see if she’d been forgotten when steps in the hallway made her swivel in her chair to the door. A grunt followed the sound of paused footsteps, then a short sound of something being dragged.
    “Seriously, Roan, I’m really tired of you passing out on the sidewalk. Next time, I’m just going to leave you there.”
    Another grunt and something banged against the

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