Page 10 of Calling a Cease-Fire

Adam coughed, almost spitting out his beer.

I rolled my eyes. “Or I could have Logan text you the dates.” Sometimes his occasional flirting threw me off. I was sure he did it just to get a reaction out of me. He wasn’t getting one this time.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Logan spoke quickly, almost nervously.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Zack teased.

I sighed and finished the rest of my cocktail before hopping off my stool. “I need another drink.” And frankly, space from that annoying, frustrating man.

Walking over to the bar, I slipped in beside a man sitting on one of the stools. I attempted to flag the bartender down with no luck. What was I, invisible?

The guy next to me raised his hand, successfully doing what I couldn’t. He looked at me with obvious interest in his gaze. “What are you drinking?”

He was cute. Quite possibly the perfect distraction to help me forget about my day.

“A Long Island iced tea.”

He smiled. “Good choice.” After giving the bartender our order, he turned back to me. “Are you from here?”

I nodded. “Grew up a few towns away, but I currently live here. You?”

“I’m originally from here. Back visiting family this weekend.”

The bartender delivered our drinks and I brought the straw to my mouth, taking a sip and pursing my lips a little more than what was needed. Hopefully more sexy siren and less Daisy Duck. “What’s your name?”

“Miles.” He leaned forward, the gesture telling me he was definitely interested. “And yours?”

“Mia.”

“Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Okay, that line was a bit cheesy, but I still grinned at him before taking another sip of my drink. Between the cute guy smiling at me and the alcohol warming my system, I was finally starting to relax.

“Zack,” Adam called.

I glanced over, watching as Zack headed our way. I swear to God if he said something stupid and ruined my fun, I actually might commit murder. I needed this.

Miles turned and a smile lit up his face. “Hey, man. I didn’t even see you guys.” He stood, exchanging a typical guy hug with Zack. “We all heard about your ice save today. Looks like our training came in handy.”

My body tensed at the reminder of the call from this morning. The one where I failed. And what did Miles mean by our training?

“Yeah, hopefully the boy pulls through.”

My stomach dropped and I whipped my gaze up to Zack. My head felt like it was swimming. “Wait… I thought he didn’t make it.”

Zack turned to me and his usually bright expression instantly faded as he stared at me. No doubt the hurt and confusion on my face had him spinning. I pulled my gaze away quickly and brought my drink to my lips, taking a long sip. The last I had heard, Tara’s brother was still unresponsive. Although I didn’t think to follow up again.

“Adam and Lyla got an update toward the end of shift. It took more than an hour, but they were able to bring him back.” Zack’s tone was more serious than I was used to hearing.

“That happens more than you realize with cold water drownings,” Miles added with a nod. “The thought is rapid cooling slows the need for oxygen, protecting the heart and brain.”

Zach was nodding, like this was all common knowledge to him. But his tone was still grim when he added, “They don’t know the extent of any brain damage yet, though.”

My legs suddenly weak, I felt myself sway. Was it the alcohol? Or had the sudden new information I was given hit me that hard? Before I even realized what was happening, both Miles and Zack were reaching for me.

“Whoa there,” Miles whispered.

I leaned closer to him, but I didn’t miss the fact that Zack still had a hand on my back. I was literally sandwiched between two hot, muscular men. I giggled. “Hmm. This could be fun.”