“Let me get that for you,” Oliver says, rushing up to meet me. He lifts the suitcase with ease, which causes me to wonder how easily he could liftme.
“Careful with that,” I say. “Wouldn’t want the bodies to fall out.”
He fumbles, nearly missing the last step.
“Are you trying to become an accessory there, Rookie?” I tease, and he flashes a grin over his shoulder. “So, that nickname means you’re a new firefighter, right? How long have you been doing this?”
“Almost fifteen years,” he answers. “I’m not new to the job, just new to this unit. And in the firefighter world, that makes me a probie.”
“Come again?” I stop to grab my purse from the bar that separates the kitchen from the den, making sure my phone is inside before stepping into the dining room to get my laptop from the kitchen table.
“A probie is someone who’s new to the department. Basically, it means I do all the grunt work until someone even more new than me comes along. So not only am I a firefighter, but I’m alsoa chef, a janitor, and I’m a hell of a dishwasher. Comes with the territory.”
“Yikes.”
“What?” he asks.
“I mean, it’s Loving. People aren’t exactly moving here in droves. You could be the new guy for…well, a really long time.”
“Yeah,” he says somewhere between a laugh and a sigh as we step outside and I lock the door. “I know.”
“Got everything?” Lucy asks.
“I hope so,” I say with a shrug.
“I’ll pop the trunk,” Willow says, and we follow her out to the car.
Oliver hoists my suitcase inside, and I drop my duffel and purse beside it, next to the supplies he’d gathered before he snaps the trunk closed.
“Crap. Wait. I need to get my purse.” I grip my hair at the roots. “My keys are in there. I’ve got to drive my car.”
“We’ll come back and get the car after work tomorrow,” Lucy says. “You’ve had a rough night.”
“But—” I begin to protest.
“No buts,” Lucy insists.
I hold up my hands in surrender. I’m too tired and too cold to argue. “Thank you.”
“Now, I’m gonna get this little nugget in the car where it’s warm.” Lucy holds June Bug’s paw up as though she’s waving to Oliver, while Willow climbs in the driver’s seat.
I pull the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my hands. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. You’re getting the reputation of being quite the hero around here.”
“To be fair, you did most of the work before we got here,” he says with a chuckle. “We just finished it.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me any less grateful.”
“And I meant what I said. If you need anything, I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks,” I say with a smile.
His brown eyes spark something inside me, and I know I need to get out of here before I start any fires I can’t put out.
He opens his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.
“I guess we should get going,” I say. “But seriously, thank you.”
His face falls a little, but then he nods and opens the back door of Willow’s SUV for me.
