She had to admit, getting breakfast together was a whole lot easier with Alex on the schedule, and even though he’d probably put in the bare minimum because she’d lost their bet, it was still more help than she had on most days. Better company, too. Zoe’s normally confident stride faltered into a stutter-step as she crossed the back threshold to the kitchen. Okay, so she’d let loose with way more personal information than she’d meant to two nights ago at Bellyflop, and Alex had shocked the hell out of her not just by being a good listener, but by actually seeming to get how she felt even though he’d offered up a different viewpoint. But he was still a firefighter, one of her father’s to boot, and that meant Alex took risks for a living in addition to taking them for fun. She simply couldn’t put herself on the line by getting involved with a guy like him. No matter how good she’d felt when he’d put his hand over hers and listened like he knew exactly how she felt. No matter how badly she wanted his hands in other places, too.
