He seems satisfied with that.
The room settles into our pre-shift-change shuffle. Containers get closed, and chairs scrape. Someone rinses a mug in the sink, and the night shift crew starts to file in. Chief will do their handover, and we’ll be free to go.
“Alright.” Beck looks over at the large station clock sitting on the mantle. “Let’s wrap.”
Fletch steals a second muffin while Remi pretends not to see it, and Ghost stands to stretch like he’s been carrying the weight of the world instead of scrolling.
In the locker room, I sit on the bench and unlace my boots, letting the quiet settle properly this time. My turnout gear stays clipped in the bay, but I swap my navy station shirt out for the spare I keep folded in my bag, the worn one shoved in to take home and wash.
Same routine every shift, same rhythm.
Fletch leans in the doorway with his arms folded, watching me.
“You’ll cave.”
“No, I won’t.”
“She had good eye contact,” he says, waggling his eyebrows.
“Get out.”
“Oh, I am.” He grins. “Gonna get out to the train station right now to pick up Frankie.”
“Guess we won’t be hearing from you for four days, then,” mutters Ghost.
“I’m sure you could hear us if you popped over later,” Fletch says and then shrieks with laughter as Ghost aims a shoe at him. “I’ll text you guys about indoor golf!”
And then he’s gone.
I step back into the rec room just long enough to catch Colt bending to press a kiss to Remi’s temple while Max chatters about firetrucks and Zela smears muffin crumbs down the front of his shirt.
“See you in a few days,” I say, grabbing my jacket.
“Text to let us know you’re surviving,” Colt replies automatically.
“You know where I live,” I reply.
“Unfortunately.”
Remi points at me. “If you change your mind about the girl, let me know.”
“Penny.”
“What?”
“Penny,” I repeat, without meaning to. “Her name is Penny.”
“See? You know her name. That’s one tick already for identification.”
I shake my head and grab my keys from the hook by the door. “Not happening.”
She hums like she doesn’t believe me, but I ignore her and head out into the cooling air, the station door swinging shut behind me with a familiar heavy click.
The second I turn the ignition, I’m already shifting gears in my head.
Time to go get my girl.
***
