TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) by Kallypso Masters (the false prince TXT) 📕

Carm beamed. “I knew you’d agree to help. I’d like to try and keep this as a surprise for…Marc”—she’d almost said Tony. “I’ll call in a few favors from local businesses here rather than tip anyone in Aspen Corners off.”

“You’ll need the department’s permission to hold a fundraiser for them.”

True. Tony had mentioned a deputy chief would be involved. She’d see if she could obtain his permission for the fundraiser without giving anything away to Tony and his brothers. She wasn’t sure why she wanted this to be a surprise, but she did.

“I’ll check with the fire chief.”

Sandro shook his head with a smile. “I don’t know why you thought you needed my permission to do a charity event at the resort. You do them several times a year.”

“Well, as you said, there isn’t much time. We’ll need all hands on deck if we’re going to raise enough money to fund the dive team’s training and initial equipment purchases within a single event. I also plan to invite Nick to make a second trip out here this year. Even if he doesn’t attend, I’m sure he’ll make a healthy donation.”

“If I know you, Sis, you’re going to have enough to fund more than a dive team when all is said and done.”

“I hope so! Tony mentioned training for swift-water rescue and something called a water-rescue squad, which seems to be a team that oversees all types of water rescue.”

Crap. She’s said Tony, not Marc. She didn’t want Sandro to know she was seeing Tony yet.

His eyes narrowed. “Have you been seeing Tony Giardano?”

“Seeing? Not sure what you consider seeing. We did spend a lot of time together over the summer planning Angelina’s party.” Of course, they hadn’t talked about a dive team until they’d spent time in the Caribbean together. Still, she hadn’t lied to her brother.

Before he could ask any more questions, she stood, wadded up her buttery wrapper, and crammed it into her paper cup. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do!”

“Do you have a date set?”

“I’m thinking the second Saturday of November would work with our schedules. It’s a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, so we can play up the ‘give thanks by giving back’ theme.”

“Cutting it a little close to the ski season, aren’t you?”

She shrugged. “It’ll be a great way to pump everyone up at the resort and bring seasonal hires up to speed. But I don’t think I could pull it off any sooner. That’s barely over two months away.”

He grinned at her, shaking his head. “You’ll get it done.”

She beamed back. “You know I will. I’ll get Mama and Papa involved too. I know they’ll want to donate something, given that it will benefit Marc’s station. We’re one famiglia now that he married a Giardano.” Perhaps that would further steer Sandro’s mind away from any notion that she and Tony were an item.

“I’m sure they’d love doing something to help, because they don’t have any trips planned for a few months. Let me know what you need me to do.”

She had no doubt he’d want to help. “Since you asked, how’d you like to play emcee for the evening? I don’t know what type of event I’m going to do yet, but am certain we’ll need someone to keep the fundraiser moving forward.”

“I’m your man.” Sandro stood and picked up his trash then closed the gap between them and gave her a hug. “Be careful, Carm.”

She furrowed her brows as she broke the hug and met his gaze. “Careful?”

“If you’re interested in Tony, just be sure you know what you’re getting into. He doesn’t exactly have commitment written on his forehead.”

Carm should have known he wouldn’t have missed her slip a few moments ago. Rather than continue to deny it, she took another tack. She wouldn’t lie to her brother.

“I’m a big girl, Sandro. We just enjoy hiking together.” Among other things. “But even if I did get interested in him, I’d know what I’m doing. Besides, just look at Marc. We didn’t think he’d ever settle down, and look at him now.”

The way Tony had left without a word this morning gave her no reason to think they were even remotely close to deepening their relationship to anything more than friends with benefits. She just needed to convince herself that was all Tony meant to her.

But before Sandro could say anything else she didn’t want to hear, she crossed the room to the door. “Have a great day, Sandro!” She was on a mission and had a very short time to pull off the gala of all galas.

However, she wasn’t able to totally push aside Sandro’s warning. Could that be why they didn’t want family to know they were dating? Were they both expecting the relationship to end any day?

Chapter Thirty-Five

Tony couldn’t believe the response he’d gotten from his call for volunteers in the first month. Enthusiasm ran high not only in the department but in the SAR community. Everyone seemed committed to making this dream a reality, whether because of the bad call in June or they simply wanted to expand the capabilities of the department.

Three members of the two ACFD stations had already begun certification for open water diving, mirroring the speed with which Tony had taken to the activity. They didn’t discuss whether they experienced the same psychological benefits Tony had, but he couldn’t imagine they hadn’t.

Today, three SAR workers planned to join him and the dive instructor here at the reservoir to have their first dive in a lake. The expert from the dive shop had brought a truckload of equipment, and they’d laid it out on picnic tables near the beach, waiting for everyone to arrive.

Thankfully, Carm would be joining him today to help out too. Having two additional certified divers on hand would also help the divemaster cover more with the three novices.

Tony now made dives with his recruits or dive instructors almost every