“I’m heading to my mom’s place.” They added. “Should be good.”
“Sounds fun,” she offered gently.
“It has too many scented candles,” they said. “So, sure.”
Sav bit back a grin. “Your mom is already sending centerpiece photos?”
“She sent a picture of something she called a ‘tablescape.’ There are layers involved.”
“You have to send me that,” Sav said.
“You want photographic evidence?”
“For public record.”
Tilly smiled — a real one, quick and soft. “I’ll keep you updated. There are napkin rings that light up.”
“Oh, I need those pictures.”
“You’ll get the full report.”
Her chest warmed in a slow, unfamiliar way.
They pulled up to Engine Three. Giant wreaths hung from the bay doors. Children in puffy coats clustered near boxes of wrapped toys. A firefighter in a Santa hat waved them in.
Sav inhaled the warm air spilling from inside — hot chocolate, sugar cookies, cinnamon.
“This is kind of cute,” she said.
“Low chaos,” Tilly agreed. “High adorableness.”
They got to work. Sav interviewed the captain, crouched down to talk to kids, handed over toys, and watched a toddler wobble in snow boots twice the right size. Tilly captured everything with practiced ease, ducking and weaving through the crowd, angling shots to catch the way Christmas lights glowed off helmets and shiny ornaments.
At one point, Sav caught them smiling behind the camera.
It hit her somewhere soft.
They wrapped just as the sky deepened into a winter blue. They packed up the truck without hurry, moving in a gentle rhythm.
“This was nicer than gas mains,” Sav said as she clipped the mic back into its case.
“Yeah,” Tilly said. “I’ll take toys over broken pipes any day.”
They climbed into the cab. The heater worked a little better this time.
“What time are you going over tomorrow?” Sav asked.
“Right after the show,” they said. “My mom has a whole schedule. I’ve been warned not to disrupt the cookie timeline.”
Sav laughed. “A sacred tradition.”
“Oh, she’s serious,” Tilly said. “There are spreadsheets.”
“Terrifying.”
“She’s unstoppable.”
Sav hesitated. “You gonna be there all day?”
