Happily, this one was just a smoke bomb. It could have just been a prank, but I wondered about the timing with Burris going to the library that day.
Then our radios went off again, and we finished our first aid before heading to the next call. Who set the smoke bomb wasn’t our problem.
***
“You’re sure I can rent this?” I’d followed Summer, one of the dispatchers, to her AirBNB, after our shift.
“Yes. I’m tired of dealing with constant renters.”
She named a price I knew I could handle. “Thank you!”
“Are you sure you won’t be staying at a mansion soon?”
I smiled but said nothing. At the moment, I was ignoring texts from the guys. We haven’t had much free time in this shift, just as it had been the night before.
“When can I start staying here?”
“I had a cancellation this weekend, and no one else was lined up. Two months ok until you find something else?”
“That sounds perfect. I’m sure I can find a place by then.”
She grinned.
I held up my hand. “My own place.”
“If you say so.” She smiled, and handed me keys.
The small cabin was in a remote street about five miles out of town, past my sister’s place. It was near a lake, and seemed peaceful. I imagined getting a good night’s sleep.
The hot scene in the guys’ kitchen flashed through my mind. Sleep would be better for me right now, I thought. I tried to believe that.
***
“This place is adorable!” Carolina said, bringing in a bag of food for me. She came to see if after her shift, and brought dinner.
I looked in the bag. Salad, chicken tenders, fries, a chocolate pie, and a strawberry rhubarb pie. I went to give her a hug. “You staying for dinner?”“Yes,” she said, moving to sit on the small couch. “But I could have had a date.”
“Really?” I opened cabinets, looking for plates. I pulled two pretty turquoise Fiesta style plates.
“Jared texted me. He has work nearby and asked if I could meet him for dinner.”I nearly dropped the plates.
“You said no, I take it?”
“I did say no. What’s sad is I was curious for a minute. But then I remembered how intense he got at the end, showing up at culinary school and calling me so much I started looking at businesses out of town.”
I turned to face her. “You never said it was that bad.”
“How could I not realize it in two years? I was close with his sister Evie, and took her to her chemo appointments. I think her illness affected him. I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it. I mean, it seems like he’s changed now, with a better job selling sports equipment to Hansen’s.”
“Wait.” Hansen’s was the chain Bryan worked for. “Do you think that’s true?”
She looked up. “Let me see if I can find proof online. Do you know something about Jared?”
***
Thirty minutes later, Rhonda arrived.
To our surprise, Bryan was with her. Both were dressed nicely, in linen shorts and a sleeveless blouse for her that showed off her dark skin and toned arms. He was wearing nice pants and a polo.
