Chapter 3: Mark

So this was the new neighbor. I'd seen the boxes and some big bruiser going in and out of the apartment across from mine when I got home this morning, but I'd been too tired to introduce myself. My thoughts were more on lying down and dying for a few hours.

It was hell being on 3rd shift again - even if it was a temporary affair. With Terry gone for her honeymoon, and me being the only single lead paramedic the EMS department currently had, you can guess who was volunteered to take over Terry's shifts. Sometimes seniority just didn't help a man out. Seniority sure didn't help with the 3 car crash at midnight or the heart attack call around dawn.

Had I known that my new neighbor looked like this, I would have caught my second wind and come over earlier. Much, much earlier. I wasn't just calling her honey as an endearment. She looked like honey with her short gold hair and warm bronze skin. She looked lickable.

Of course there was still the big bruiser. Husband? Lover? Brother, dare I hope?

A quick check of the hands she was still examining showed no rings and no light stripe of skin showing where a ring would reside. That ruled out a husband. Of course, bruiser could be a lover. Only one way to find out.

"Would you like me to call your husband or boyfriend to help you back to your apartment?" I held my breath. It had been a damn long time since I had waited so anxiously for a woman's response.

Sheila glanced up at me with a quizzical expression. "I think I can make it if you don't mind helping me up."

Well, that didn't answer anything.

"So much for being subtle. Sheila, I was gently trying to find out if you were married or otherwise engaged. You're not cooperating with me here." I winked at her while helping her to her feet.

Thank God she laughed instead of slapping me.

Sheila's eyes were twinkling mischievously when she replied, "You're the second person today to call me difficult. I'm not sure if I should be insulted or complimented."

Help me Lord, she was a tease. I really liked her. Any woman who could land flat on her face and still maintain a sense of humor was all right in my book.

I threw my head back and laughed at her spunk while still keeping an arm around her. I didn't know how steady she would be on her feet after her fall and, I admit it, she felt good under my arm. Also, I wasn't about to let her go until I got an answer to my question.

"Soooo..."

Sheila shrugged. "No, no husband and no 'otherwise engaged'." She glanced at me quickly before continuing, "And you?"

I grinned at her. "Uh-uh." I hadn't had as much sleep as I normally needed, but I was feeling pretty awake all the same.

That's when I noticed that Sheila was standing on one leg like a flamingo. Instantly I reverted to the professional.