Story Title: Where There is Smoke
Summary: Their jobs brought them together and the attraction between them is undeniable. Will she let her hang ups keep her from being happy? Will he be able to prove to her that he won't hurt her? AU
Pairing: Emmett/Bella
Rating: T for now, possibly will be moved up to M later. They are adults and there are going to act like it.
AN: Okay, I have to say thank you to Jessa76 for giving me this idea. The idea of Emmett as a fireman burrowed itself in my brain and just would not go away. Thanks, girl for the very yummy plot bunny.
Bella Swan wanted what everyone who owned their own business wanted. She wanted to see her diner thrive and she wanted longevity. She didn't want to be one of those business owners who tanked within the first year because they weren't capable of keeping their business afloat, she hired people who took their jobs seriously and were just as driven as she was. She didn't ask a lot of her employees, only that they did what was asked of them and that they remembered that the customer was always right, and if they weren't they were to be nice to them anyway.
Her family had thought that she was crazy for moving six hundred miles away and putting an entire state between them just so that she could make a life for herself. After living in Washington her whole life she wanted a change after college so she had opened up a map and decided to move to the first place her eyes fell on which had been North Dakota. The town she lived in now wasn't that different from the one that she grew up in. She was used to small town life so it hadn't been an adjustment and there was just enough distance between her and her parents that they couldn't show up without calling first.
She'd had as normal a childhood as any child who came from a broken home. Her parents had married young and like some young couples they hadn't been able to handle the pressure of juggling work, a baby and real life all at once. They had divorced after three years of marriage when Bella was only two but had stayed friends so that Bella wouldn't be subjected to the horrors that some children of divorce went through.
She had a few friends that she still kept in contact with that she'd gone to school with but she hadn't talked to her ex-boyfriend since she left. The last she'd heard Jacob was seeing some girl from the reservation. She didn't blame him, they're break up had been ammicable. They had been together for six years and neither were ready to take things to the next level. They had grown a part while she was in college before deciding that it would be best to end things. She wished him all the best.
Starting her business hadn't been easy since she had known exactly no one when she opened. The diner was heavily mortgaged by North Dakota Bank and Loan and her loan officer, Edward Mason had been the first friend that she'd made when she moved to town. He had made his feelings known not long after meeting her but so far she had refused his advances. He was a nice guy, but she wasn't looking for a relationship at the moment.
The diner was her first priority and keeping it running was a full-time job. She had started with only five employees but now that the diner had been open for a year she felt comfortable adding a few more people since they were starting to draw in more business. Alice Brandon was her neighbor and closest confidant and it didn't help that she was a great multi-tasker who could balance a heavily ladened tray with ease. She had a easy deminer and was easy to talk to so she got along with everyone. Bella couldn't find a single flaw in her and she given up trying.
Running the diner didn't leave much time for a life outside the diner so Bella had seen very little of the town that she'd called home for nearly a year. Bismark reminded her of home with it's small town appeal and scenery. She hadn't been farther than twenty miles away from her apartment in the whole time she'd been there. She didn't have time for a social life.
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Emmett McCarty had grown up in Bismark and was happy to call it home. He had stayed close to home for college before joining the fire department. He saw his mom every weekend and taught his kid brothers football team in the fall and played baseball for the fire department in the spring and summer. He was what most people would consider an all american kind of guy. He was a happy go lucky guy who always seemed to have good luck on his side.
He was proud to be a fourth generation fireman, carrying on the traditions handed down to him from his dad, granddad and great granddad before him. Everyone in town knew who the McCarty men were, hell the firehouse was named after his great granddad and every one of his dad's men had helped raise him after his dad died. His childhood hadn't been easy but he had never complained.
He had become the man of the house when he was twelve. His younger brothers looked up to him and he had to grow up fast so that he could help his mom raise them into men that their dad would be proud of. His mom had never remarried and would probably never get married McCarty had been the love of her life and there was no one that could ever replace him.
Emmett saw his dads picture everytime he walked into the firehouse. Expressive blue eyes similar to his own stared back at him from underneath a fireman's helmet that covered sandy blond hair, the same exact shade as Emmett's. Emmett was the mirror image of his dad down to his deep set dimples. His mom said that it was like being taken back in time every time she saw him.
He had never known any other kind of life than that of a fireman. It was all he had dreamed of since he was little and now that he was living his dream he couldn't imagine doing aything else.
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It started out like any other day. Bella came in early to meet with her bread supplier and to make good use of the quietness. She had some new recipies that she wanted to try out and she wanted to have them ready for testing by the time everyone came in. Her diner had been open less than a year but it still wasn't where she wanted, not quiet yet. She'd like to enventually like to start making her own bread but she didn't have the equipment for it yet but she did make the best pie in the county. She had a blue ribbon hanging in her office that said so. An outsider winning anything at the county fair was unheard of before she came to town. It had brought in a huge surge in customers which meant more money coming in, which made her very happy.
She opened the safe underneath the cash register only to realize that she hadn't taken the money from the previous week to the bank. She was surprised that Edward hadn't called to ask about it. She left Alice in charge before leaving just before the lunch rush hit. She planned on being gone less than twenty minutes but when she got to the bank there was a line winding almost to the door. She settled in to wait her turn, putting all of her confidence in Alice.
At the diner the lunch rush was in full swing and everyone was doing more than their share to keep everything under control. Alice had sent one of their new busboys to the back to work on the dishes that were piling up in the back because they would need them sooner rather than later.
Ronnie had a system: rinse, load the washer, grab more dishes from the pile and put them in the sink to soak while the washer ran then unload the dishes, put them away and then start the process again; it ran like clock work. He was working on auto pilot when he reached over the stove to put one of the copper pots back on it's hook. He didn't realize that it was dangling precariously from it's hook until it swung free and he had to react fast to keep it from clammoring to the floor. In his haste he didn't realize that he had knocked over the bottle of canola oil and it was seeping onto the stove; where every burner was being used.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by George the cook. George tried in vain to get the fire under control while cursing Ronnie over his shoulder. The whole kitchen was in a panic when Alice came back to see what the commotion was. The fire wasn't that bad, but it was enough to blacken the wall behind the stove. Alice was quick to react, she got the customers outside before having a waitress run to the firestation to see if there was someone who could help them. Within minutes a handful of fireman arrived and were able to get the fire under control. They came out the front door and Alice pounced on them.
"Is the damage bad?" she asked, worried.
"No ma'am. It's nothing that a fresh coat of paint won't fix. You were lucky."
"Thank God, my boss would have my ass if I let the place burn down on my watch," she said with a deep sigh.
"Where is your boss?"
"She's at the bank dropping off the money from our safe. Ronnie, your painting that wall," Alice said pointedly.
"Yes ma'am," Ronnie said feebily.
Ronnie was only sixteen and had only been working there a month. He was a good kid; a little high strung and he tended to let his mind wander a little too often but he was a hard worker. Bella wouldn't have the heart to fire him, she would probably only dock his pay and she would back Alice up and make him paint the wall.
Three of the fireman left once everything was back under control and Alice invited the two that stayed inside for a free lunch. Bella was met at the door by Alice when she came back twenty minutes later and was led back to the kitchen to surmise the damage. The wall wasn't that bad, only slightly gray but would definately need to be repainted and luckily the stove would come clean with some soap and water.
"Thank you for acting so fast," Bella said to Alice.
"That kid is a hazard," she said cutting her eyes to Ronnie who was back at the dishwasher, his eyes cast down, focusing on his work.
"He's no more of a hazard than I was at that age. He just needs to reign in his energy, give him time," Bella said patiently.
"Luckily we're close to the fire house. If we'd had to wait the place would have gone up in flames," George interjected.
"But it didn't. Can you work on it or do I need to close for the day?"
"It's fine. I've almost got it clean. We'll just be a little behind," he promised.
"I need to go back out front. You stay back here and make sure he doesn't do any more damage," Alice said with a sigh.
Bella got to work at the griddle and worked on getting them caught up in silence. She heard Alice's laughter filter back and that let her know that things were back to semi-normal.
An hour later everything was back under control and the lunch rush was dying down. Bella was behind the counter when Alice sat across from her with a grunt. Bella looked at her from underneath her eye lashes with a smile. She didn't give the flighty girl enough credit. There was a pay raise in her future, Bella could see it now.
"I tell you, those fireman are all together yummy."
"They're pretty cute?"
"Cute is for puppies Bells. These are men, real men; with dirt under their finger nails and scruff on their chins."
"Let me guess, one of them asked you out," Bella asked with a teasing smile.
"He hasn't yet, but he will. He'd better," she said with a firm nod.
"Does he have a name?"
"Jasper and his friend who stayed isn't bad looking either. If you like the tall, muscular, corn fed type."
"There's nothing wrong with that," Bella said with a shake of her head.
"What took you so long at the bank? Did Edward finally give you a tour of the safe?" she asked, shrugging her eyebrows suggestively.
"No, he did not take me to the back and ravish me," she said, knowing what Alice was implying.
"Then what was the hold up?"
"There was a line Alice. It was a mad house."
Alice gave her an aggrivated sigh before pushing away from the counter. Alice had been giving Bella the hard sell on Edward ever since she found out that Edward had his eye on her. Bella wasn't ready for a relationship, right now she wanted to put all of her time and energy into the diner.
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Bella juggled three boxes and a paper bag as she walked down the street. At least the firehouse wasn't far, only two blocks west of the diner. If had been any farther she would have needed to take her car. The firehouse loomed in front of her and she could see a few of the men and a couple women out front washing one of the firetrucks. One of the women noticed her and made her way over to her.
"Can I help you?"
"I'm from the diner a couple of blocks over. A few of you came and helped put out a fire while I was out yesterday. I just wanted to say thank you," she said holding up her packages.
"Come on in," The woman said before walking into the station.
She gestured to a table and said that she could sit everything down there.
"What's your name?"
"Bella, and what's yours?"
"Rosalie. I'll tell the chief that you're here," she said before walking up the stairs at the back of the room.
Bella emptied the contents of the bag on the table as the group from outside made their way in. A couple of them stopped at the table and she smiled as she briefly glanced at them. Her attention was on the man coming down the stairs behind Rosalie.
"I'm Chief Cullen, how can I help you?"
"A few of your men came and put out a fire in my diner yesterday, so I brought over some food as a way to say thank you. Are any of them here?"
"Let me go and see," The chief said before walking away.
"Is all of this just for them?" Rosalie asked.
"No, it's for everyone," Bella said with a quick shake of her head.
"Thank you. These savages have no manners, Emmett and his crew should have first dibs," Rosalie said smacking a wayward hand that reached into one of the boxes for a cookie.
A group of men came from the back of the garage flanked by chief Cullen. Her eyes drifted over the men and she was able to single out Jasper from the way Alice had described him, right down to his short mop of blond hair. The chief introduced each of them and Bella thanked each of them individually.
"This wasn't neccessary Miss Swan, Alice sent more than enough back with us yesterday," Jasper explained.
"I know, but I wanted to come and thank you personally and I didn't want to show up empty handed."
"Dig in everybody," Chief Cullen announced.
Bella stood back while everyone got their fill and answered whatever questions they had. She felt someone's eyes on her and she searched the room until she saw Emmett. He had been the one to stay behind to make sure everything was okay along with Jasper. He wasn't bad looking, even if he wasn't her type.
Emmett made his way to her and her eyes met his in gratitude. He smiled graciously before saying what he needed to say.
"It's nice to finally meet you. Alice went on and on about you for a good twenty minutes yesterday," he said with a jovial laugh.
"She has a tendancy to do that. She could recite the phone book and she'd be able to hold someone's attention."
"She sure had Jazz's, he's planning on going back this afternoon and he wasn't planning on leaving until she agreed to go out on a date with him."
"Well he won't have to wait long, but you didn't hear that from me," Bella said with a light laugh.
They talked for a few more minutes before Alice texted her wondering when she was coming back. She extended an open invitation to them that they could come in whenever they wanted and eat for half price before leaving. Not before getting Jasper's number for Alice since he had been too awestruck to remember to give it to her yesterday. Emmett offered to drive her back in one of the firehouse SUV's and she graciously accepted.
Alice was at the window when they pulled up and Emmett waved with welcoming smile. She waved back excitedly as Bella got out of the truck. Alice smacked her arm with a guffaw and Bella gave her an even look.
"I didn't even think that he was your type," she said in astonishment.
"He's not, but he'd make for a great friend. I got something for you," she said reaching into her purse.
She held the piece of paper with Jasper's number on it just out of Alice's reach when Alice tried to snatch it from her.
"I didn't think that southern gentleman were your type," she teased.
"I'll make an exception for him because he is fine as hell," Alice retorted, singing the last three words.
"Here," Bella said with an eye roll.
Alice snatched the paper from her before taking her place behind the counter. Bella went back to the kitchen to find Ronnie at work on the wall. The vegetable shipment had come in along with the soda shipment so she went through the vegetables while George loaded the soda into the soda fountain. Things were as normal as they could be. Little did Bella know that a certain fireman was planning a way for her to notice him. She had made an impact on Emmett, even if she hadn't realize it.