Washed Up: Bayside Heroes by Steiner Kandi

Author:Steiner, Kandi
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kandi Steiner
Published: 2021-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

AMANDA

“And that’s when I see her,” Samuel says, splaying his hands out in front of him with wide eyes like he’s painting the picture. “Second floor, bathroom window, her little hands against the windowpane.”

“Oh, wow,” I comment, taking a long sip of wine. And really, the story of him saving a little girl from a house fire is incredible.

It’s just that it’s maybe the twentieth story of his heroism he’s told tonight, and I’m running low on enthusiasm.

“I immediately raced up the ladder, and no one saw her but me. So, they were all, where are you going?! What are you doing?! But I was on a mission.”

I nod, following along.

“When I get to the top, I have to break the window, so I scream for the little girl to get away from it. As soon as the window’s broken, smoke plumes billow out. I’ve just given more oxygen to the fire, you know? I have no time. So, I just reach in, grab her, throw her over my shoulder, and haul ass back down the ladder.”

He pauses, leaning over the table for emphasis.

“As soon as I got her to the truck… boom!”

He makes a noise so loud the other tables stop their conversations to look at us, and I flush and smile, waving them off with apologies while he carries on.

“The girl’s mom was sobbing, of course. Thanking me and praying for me as I handed her little girl over. But she was safe. They all were. Not a single casualty.”

Samuel’s grin is wide and bright as he finishes his story.

“That’s amazing, Sam. You’re a hero.”

He lights up at that, sitting a little straighter. “I guess I am, huh?” He shakes his head. “Anyway, just a few reasons why they chose me for Mr. January.”

I force a smile. “Sounds like they made the right choice.”

“Thanks, beautiful.”

He leans in again, and I wonder if he’s actually going to ask me something about me. But then, he checks the time on his watch, his eyes heated when they meet mine again.

“What do you say I grab the check and we get out of here? Skip dessert… or have our own elsewhere.”

My stomach sours.

I hate that it does. I want it to flip and fill with butterflies. I want my thighs to clench together in anticipation of what this fine-as-hell man will do to me.

But it just doesn’t.

Still, even without that first impulse, I know I should lean into the situation. Samuel is what I need to dust the cobwebs off, to get my feet wet, to jump back into all this after years of being in a relationship.

I’ve actually never dated — not really.

This is normal.

This is dating.

This is how things work.

I finish my wine on a smile. “Okay.”

Twenty minutes later, we’re on Bayshore, slowly cruising through Tampa with the windows down in Samuel’s sports car. His hand is on my thigh, tucked around it possessively.

Flashes of Greg’s hand doing the same hit me in waves.

Samuel is quiet, smiling and content, and he pulls us off the main road into a small parking lot by the water.

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