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Musicians were entirely different animals to me. I knew first responders, having been one for nearly twenty years, and I assumed the two professions were as opposite as could be.

First responders were physically fit, courageous, teamwork-dependent, able to assess and adapt to any situation quickly, and needed strong problem-solving and communication skills to perform effectively under the pressure of possible life-or-death situations.

I didn’t see members of a rock band having the same strengths, though I was sure I couldn’t do their job any better than they could do mine. If everyone was the same, life would be very boring.

Kit chuckled. “You call it transporting. I call it babysitting. Yeah, I haul their shit and deal with their stupidity while they’re on tour. It makes me glad I’m not a musician or in my twenties. I also own a charter boat service. I’ve got a friend who runs the charters while I’m with the band, but that’s my passion.”

Wow! What a surprise. “That’s incredible. You do fishing charters? Some guys from the job like to go deep-sea fishing every once in a while.”

“Let me get you a card, man. That sounds like fun, actually. You want something to drink?”

“I’m good. We’re going to go get food. You guys wanna come along?”

Kit held up his finger and disappeared down a hall before returning a minute later. He extended a business card to me. “They’re almost done packing up JD’s stuff. We haven’t eaten yet, so if you don’t mind us tagging along, that’d be great. I’ll go tell Riv. Sit down, man. Make yourself at home.”

He took off down the hallway, and I walked into the kitchen to see the couple had the same view as me. The Pacific Ocean was a beautiful, wild thing. One moment, the waves rolled in calmly. The next, they came in like rolling thunder. Untamable and bold, a rush I’d only experienced in a live fire or rescue situation. I loved the ocean as much as I loved my job.

“Thatcher, why do your coworkers call you Ember? I heard them say it on the scene of the bus accident.” I turned to see River carrying a large wooden guitar and a duffel bag.

“Oh, uh, my last name is Emberly, and we usually call each other by last names or nicknames. Kind of a jock mentality, but not toxic. Ember is short for Emberly. Does JD need help?”

“He’ll never ask, but I’ll say yes and suffer his wrath if I piss him off. He refuses to understand he might injure himself further if he doesn’t let someone help him. Will you work on that with him?”

I shrugged. “I’ll help him with anything he’ll allow.”

River pointed down the hallway, so I headed that way and stopped at the open door. JD was struggling to fold some T-shirts, so I knocked on the doorframe.

JD turned around and grinned. “Am I taking too long?”

I stepped into the room and took the shirt from his hand. “Not at all. I invited Kit and River to go with us to get some food. Is that okay?”

JD smiled, which was beautiful to see. “That’s nice of you to invite them, Thatcher. They’re nice people, and we’re a family. I mean, they’re not your family, but they’re mine.”

I understood completely. “Yeah, the firehouse is full of my family, so I understand how you feel.”

I folded the shirt, picked up the next one from the pile, and then folded the rest, one by one. I loaded his clothes into the suitcase on the bed, letting him pack his underwear.

Once he was finished, I closed and latched the case, hauling it off the bed and pulling up the handle. “Anything else?”

JD exhaled and went to the desk in the room, picking up a framed picture of a young boy between a woman and a man. The man had long hair and a guitar around his neck. He was kissing a woman as the boy stood between them.

“That’s me and my parents after one of my dad’s shows.” He showed me the picture, then shoved it into a guitar case and latched it. He picked it up and left the room before I had a chance to say a word.

I got the feeling something wasn’t exactly right when it came to his relationship with his parents, but it wasn’t my place to ask. We were only roommates, right?

Chapter Three

JD

Veggie Heaven was a great vegetarian restaurant River had talked about a lot. He and Kit loved the place and had brought takeout to the beach house a few times, which I happily sampled. I wasn’t a vegetarian, but the food was delicious.

“I’ve never been here. Interesting.” Thatcher parked next to Kit’s truck.

It was nice of Thatcher to suggest dinner with River and Kit. He wasn’t acquainted with anyone in our world, but he was kind enough to invite them to dinner and let them choose the place. Hell, he was nice enough to ask me too.

We stepped out of the Jeep and met my friends in front of the restaurant. “Smells good,” Thatcher said as we walked through the entrance.

The four of us were shown to a table near the back, facing the ocean. The server handed us menus and gave us a bored smile. “I’ll be back with water.” We all nodded.