Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71814 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I lifted my eyebrows a little, feeling a bit impressed by her driven demeanor. She was determined to prove herself and keep up with the craziness, but did she truly know what she had gotten herself into?
Whether she was ready or not, she would find out real soon.
Chapter 5
Zoe
I was in! Well, sort of.
Getting invited to have drinks with the guys was a step in the right direction, but I still had a lot of groundwork to do to get these guys to truly trust me. Plus, I would’ve been lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous either. For multiple reasons.
This case could be a turning point for my career, and their help could make or break whether or not I could pull off this story. If I didn’t get on their good sides, they wouldn’t let me properly do my job, which would be a huge problem. The stakes were so very high, and at the end of the day, I was but another single woman who was susceptible to the charms of handsome men. Four handsome men.
Please, please. Do not embarrass yourself.
“Finally,” Angus groaned as he sank down in one of the five chairs surrounding a circular table in the back corner of Finnegan’s Brewhouse, the town’s most popular bar. He leaned back in his seat, sporting a fresh, white t-shirt and dark jeans. I didn’t miss the way his shirt tightened around his broad chest and arms when he stretched back, highlighting just how fit he was.
It caught me off-guard meeting Jae, Tobin, and Angus when they were all shirtless and sweaty from working out. I certainly wasn’t complaining, but it did make my brain malfunction a little. What was up with these ridiculously hot firefighters?
However, I still didn’t know them all that well. They had an air of mystery around them, but that drew me in even more. Not only was it good for me to learn about them for work, but I was also genuinely interested in finding out more about them. What kind of guys were the ones who ran into fires and not away from them?
“What do you want, Zoe?” Matty asked me once the waitress came by to take everyone’s orders. The golden hue of the bar’s lights made his light brown hair gleam, and his hazel eyes were that much more defined. With his stubble and athletic build, he came a long way from the clean-shaven, lean muscle guy in high school.
It looked like everyone was ordering the same craft beer, so I got one too. Once glasses of freshly poured beer were placed around the table, I picked up mine and lifted it up a few inches.
“I know we don’t know each other yet, besides Matty. But I’d like to thank you guys again for letting me work alongside you. We’re going to make Rockview safe again. We’re going to expose the person behind all of this,” I said as my eyes swept over the four of them.
Admittedly, it was a bit nerve wracking being surrounded by four handsome men, whom I had to woo and sway in my favor. Their gazes were intense, and a sense of expectation hung in the air. Would they accept me and trust me enough to let me do my job? Or did they expect me to fail and give up?
“I’m all for that,” Jae said, his dark eyes meeting mine for only a second. It was still enough to sap the air out of my lungs.
“Hell yeah,” Matty quipped with a grin as he grabbed his drink.
Tobin and Angus smiled and clinked their glasses against mine and the others’ before we all sipped on our drinks, releasing some of the tension that had been building up over the day.
“So, you used to live here?” Angus asked me, still sitting upright as the others relaxed in their chairs. He seemed quite alert for us just being in a bar.
I nodded, feeling a sharp ache when I thought about my past here. I left soon after my mom passed because seeing memories of her everywhere hurt so badly. Plus, I had a job offer to accept, and it seemed like the perfect escape from the pain.
At least physically. I carried the grief with me to this day, and I didn’t see myself shaking it any time soon, especially now since I was back home. I couldn’t even go by my childhood home and see my dad just yet. The thought created an uncomfortable, painful pulling sensation in my stomach, nauseating me.
It was true when people said that grief came in waves. There were times when I could get through multiple days at a time without feeling that ache. Then, there were days when it knocked the breath out of my lungs. When I felt my mom’s loss all over again like a fresh wound.