“I’ve only been on the team three years, but I know she has the strength, determination, and grit to do the job. I’ve seen her carry grown men bigger than she is from buildings.”
There was no doubt in Liam’s mind that Samantha was capable of doing her job. She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t. What he didn’t know was what Greer was going for here.
“What I haven’t seen is her showing any personal emotional connections outside of the station. There’s always some man trying to catch her eye when we’re out on calls and community events. She ignores the attention and moves on. There’s something different with you.” Greer studied him.
He had no idea how right he was—just not in the sense he was implying.
“You should know she’s been through some stuff.”
Liam narrowed his eyes. She’d said she hadn’t told anyone about her past.
“She’s got something locked up inside her that she hasn’t shared with the rest of us. You can tell by how closed off she is. She tries to cover it but doesn’t always do a good job. It’s not very often you see a twenty-nine-year-old woman with custody of their younger sister and a past she doesn’t talk about.”
“Okay, so you’re telling me to be careful?” What was Greer’s angle? Did he harbor some romantic feelings for his coworker?
“Yes. Be careful with her. Who she dates and why is her business. I want nothing more than to see her happy, and if you’re the man to do it, then so be it, even if you’re part of the donut patrol.” He smirked.
Liam huffed at the nickname.
Greer’s face softened. “I’m just saying, tread carefully. When she finally opens her heart up, she’s going to love with all of it.”
“Understood.” Liam crossed his arms. Even though this relationship was fake to the two of them, to those who cared about Sam, this was real. He would do everything in his power to maintain that professionalism and not lead her to any other conclusion.
“If you ever mention we had this conversation, I will deny it and tell her you’ve secretly wanted to be a firefighter your whole life but couldn’t grow the mustache.”
Sam pushed through the door. “There you are.” She eyed Greer suspiciously. “What are you two doing?”
Greer held up his hands in fake surrender. “Deputy Marshal Roberts was just asking me if I’d noticed anything unusual around the station.” He turned to Liam. “And I was telling him I hadn’t.”
“Just trying to investigate a little, that’s all.” Liam shrugged his shoulders and let his arms drop to his side.
She studied the two of them like she wasn’t sure she believed the story. “Well, lunch is served. We better eat before another call comes in.”
She turned around and walked back to the dayroom.
“Guests first.” Greer gestured for Liam to follow Sam.
Everyone was gathered around the kitchen island, making plates. The aroma of tangy barbecue filled the air.
Liam watched as Sophia and Isabella made themselves plates and slumped onto the loveseat in the dayroom.
“Here.” Sam handed him a paper plate. “If you don’t get in there and get some food, it will disappear.” She turned and got in line.
When he’d pulled into the station, he hadn’t been all that hungry, but his mouth had started watering once he’d stepped into the dayroom.
Liam stepped into line behind Sam.
“Murphy.” She pointed to the firefighter with red hair. “Smoked the meat himself and made the barbecue sauce. He never tells us his secret, but it’s amazing.”
It sure smelled that way.
“You’ve already met Greer and Dean.” She looked around the room.
“And Captain Bennett and Lieutenant Fischer.”
“Right.”
She pointed to the man with tattoos crawling up his neck. “That’s Zachary Holt.” Then she pointed to another man, who probably had a locker full of protein powder and pre-workout supplements. “And that’s Logan Tate. They’re both firefighters on the ladder truck with Captain Bennett and Dean.”
