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‘Are you here with just your mom?’ She nods again.
‘Do you know her name?’
‘Thea Williams.’
‘Do you know where you last saw her?’ She points to the store behind me.
“Toy store.” I throw a glance over at Carson. He and the other firefighters are watching us in awe, waiting patiently for me to speak. “Her name is Sarah. She is not hurt. She was scared because she can’t find her mother.”
“Can you ask her if she knows her mother’s name?”
“Already did. Thea Williams. She saw her last at the toy store.” The words are barely out of my mouth when a young woman sprints toward us. Sarah jumps, signing to me.
‘Mom, that’s my mom!’
The woman breaks through the crowd, signing rapidly. ‘Sarah, are you okay? Where did you go, sweetie? I couldn’t find you and—‘
I tap her shoulder, replying in sign language.
‘She’s fine. She was scared. She couldn’t find you.’ Her jaw drops, eyes softening.
‘Thank you, thank you so much.’ I nod as she tugs her daughter under her arm, thanking Carson and the other firefighters as well. “That was amazing,” Carson praises.
“It was nothing. I’m glad I could help.” I brush off the sand from my knees, standing upright. Carson smiles down at me.
The blond man he was talking to earlier steps forward. “You two know each other?”
“Yeah, Alexis, meet Killian. Killian, this is Alexis, my neighbor.”
“Your neighbor? You didn’t tell me you got a new neighbor.”
“I moved in yesterday,” I say. “He picked me up after my car broke down.”
Killian’s eyes widen. “Really?”
“Yes, and he offered to mow my lawn, since he woke me up at eight o’clock in the morning. Oh, and he tried to break into my house.”
“You tried to break into her house?” Killian’s voice rises an octave, causing bystanders to glance at us curiously. “I didn’t try to break into your house. I had a key.” Carson defends.
“Sorry. He tried to enter my house. In the middle of the night.”
“Why did you do that?” he asks Carson, shock evident in his voice.
“Because he wanted to bring my suitcases.” Killian’s mouth drops even further.
“Hey, I was trying to be nice,” Carson defends again.
“You were. You were very nice, so nice you almost gave me a heart attack.” I pat Carson’s arm lightly. “But you made up for it by mowing my lawn, so we’re all good now.” Carson’s gaze slides to my hand that’s touching his arm, then to my face. He opens his mouth to talk, but Killian interrupts him before he can. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to cut this conversation short, but we really need to go.” Carson’s coworkers are all sitting in the truck waiting for him and Killian to come.
“I’ll let you two work. I take a step back, grabbing my bag with my puzzle from the ground where I dropped it. Carson’s eyes are still on me when Killian slaps him on the shoulder. “Come on, man.” They head to the truck when Carson stops.
“Hey, Sunshine!” I glance over my shoulder. “Thanks!”
I nod. “No more lawn mowing at eight in the morning, okay?”
He chuckles. “I won’t, I promise.” He gives me a quick wave before entering the truck. I shake my head. Waving as they pass by. I’m not surprised Carson is a firefighter. He is certainly fit enough for that. What does surprise me is how much energy he has. I’m dead on my feet, while he slept even less.
Chapter Three
