Branded: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

the booth for half an hour.
“S’mores, actually.” I sidestep quickly as a pair of little kids bolt past us, running toward the bouncy house that resides at the far end of the street.
“Yum. Those are my favorite.”
“I’m going to find the guys and take over for a bit, but I’ll text you when I’m finished and find out where you are, okay?”
“Okay. I’m just going to check out some booths and shops. I’ll be around.” She rises up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to my lips, and I let her, even though my every urge is to turn away from her affection, especially in front of everyone all around us. I don’t want her thinking this could grow into more than it is, even if that makes me an asshole.
The hurt in her eyes isn’t lost on me as she pulls away, and stuffs her hands into the back pocket of her jeans before turning to head off toward the other side of the street.
With a heavy sigh that extends my cheeks out into a bubble, I remove my baseball cap, slide my hand through my hair then plop the cap right back on.
Fucking women. They will be the death of me.
***
“It’s about damn time,” Grady says, as he tends to the small fire used to roast the marshmallows.
“Language. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?” I joke. “I just got here, came straight to you.”
“You just couldn’t stay away, could you?” He blows me a kiss like the asshole he is.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. Your charming personality and boyish good looks are irresistible. I had to leave my smoking hot date all by herself to come see you.” I pull some gloves on to my hands and start breaking apart pieces of chocolate.
The line for our booth stretches back into the middle of the street with excited children and their parents eager for this campfire classic, but mixed in are young girls with fluttering eyes, looking to flirt with firemen, and their boyfriends with puffed out chests beside them.
“Keep up the good work, fellas.”
I look up toward the voice and smile.
“Thanks, Dylan. I really needed your encouragement. I’m not sure how I could keep on without it,” I tease her.
She gives the baseball cap on her head a tug down until the bill touches the sunglasses covering her eyes. She doesn’t always try the whole incognito thing, but when there is a crowd, it’s a bit safer.
Being a very well-known singer-songwriter and having a normal life is a delicate balance for her from what I’ve gathered from Grady. They try to keep life as simple as possible.
“Are you flirting with my girl, Black?” Grady asks over my shoulder then rounds the counter to place a kiss to the top of Dylan’s head.
“I was trying to convince her that I’m the best-looking man in the firehouse, but she seems to be blinded by whatever it is that she likes about you. I told her I’d wait for her,” I say with a laugh. We’ve always had this type of easy friendship. It’s something I appreciate, and it’s needed in our line of work.
“Shh. Don’t tell him our secrets, Isaac.” She gives me a wink then slides her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.
After setting Dylan up with the things she needs for a s’more, she heads over to the small firepit with Grady to roast her marshmallows.
Thirty minutes passes in a breeze of easy conversation with the citizens of Sunnyville as they make their way through our booth and the many others that are open to their business. This is the highlight of the season for our city, and everyone goes all out. Perk of living in a small town, I suppose.
As the clock strikes 8 p.m., our city mayor comes over the PA system and her voice seeps out of the many speakers lining the street.
“Ladies and gentleman, I hope you are enjoying your time here at our Annual Harvest Festival. As tradition, the Sunnyville High School band and dance team have put together a performance and will be showing off their skills at the stage in the center of the square. Take it away, boys and girls!”
I stand just on the outside of the booth with my arms crossed over my chest, watching as the performance begins along with everyone else.
That’s not what catches my attention though, because movement just to the side of the stage pummels me like a punch to the gut.
At first, it’s a flash of dark, brown hair pulled into a loose braid that hangs over her shoulder. Then it’s a blip of her tanned arms in the air as she dances to the music without a care in the world. A black bracelet decorates her wrist, red fingernails dot the ends of her fingers, and the most beautiful smile I’ve seen in recent memory shines perfectly on her face.
I can’t see much of her body from here, but I can see she’s wearing a black T-shirt with some kind of large logo on the front, like a concert shirt, and I can make out the tops of denim shorts or jeans hugging her hips.
My eyes are drawn to her even when I try to force my attention away over the next few minutes, but no matter how hard I try, my gaze finds her again.
She is watching the performance with closed eyes now while also sinking her teeth into a caramel apple, chewing slowly and licking the sticky treat from her lips.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Stop staring like a lunatic, Black.
“Hey!” Isabelle says, wrapping her arms around my middle and scaring the shit out of me in the process.
“Jesus Christ!” I spin around quickly and grip her shoulders. “Holy hell, you scared me.”
“Sorry,” she giggles. “I didn’t mean to. I said your name a couple times, but you didn’t hear me. I guess high school band really had your attention.”
Not quite.
“What