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Her blush deepened, and she rolled her eyes.
We moved on to lighter topics. Among other things, she offered to send me a link to her website so I could see her photography. She shared she'd gotten a few lucky breaks.
“You have to be good enough to take advantage of a lucky break, though,” I commented.
The moment I said that, my heart twisted a little. That was something my dad said all the time. He would always be my dad in every way that mattered, but it still stung that I hadn’t known until recently that he wasn't, biologically speaking, my father. Now was not the time to dwell on that.
“True, but you know what I mean?” she insisted.
“I get it. I do.”
“So how'd you become a firefighter?”
“I love doing stuff outdoors, simple as that. I did some volunteer work at the fire station in high school. I loved it, so I got a job there cleaning the place when I was younger. I kept doing that during summers while I was in college. After that, I got trained and took a job as a hotshot firefighter. I freaking love it.”
“I bet it's thrilling,” she offered.
I smiled over at her. “Thrilling is the way to put it. Some might say risky.”
“It's hard for something to be thrilling if it's not risky,” she said matter-of-factly.
“True.”
“How often do you travel during the winter?”
“Not as much, unless we're called out of state, which we are on occasion. Three hotshot crews, plus the town crew, are based in Willow Brook, and we rotate the calls in Alaska. Unfortunately, Alaska is a hot spot, no pun intended, for fires in the wilderness.”
She nodded. “So you stay busy then?”
“Yeah, usually we travel for three-week stints. You can only stay out for so long without needing a break physically.” I paused, considering something. “Are you worried I won't be around much for the baby?”
She quickly shook her head. “This is Alaska, Chase. Lots of people travel for work here. It’s not that unusual.”
A tension I hadn't even noticed spun inside. I’d only had a short time to adjust to the fact that I was going to be a father. Since learning the news, I hadn't dwelled much on my job, so I was profoundly relieved to discover Hallie was practical.
She carried a sweetness, a softness undergirded by simple practicality.
“I'm glad you found me that night.”
She stared at me for a long moment before cocking her head to the side. “Are you really?”
I nodded slowly but definitively. “Yes, I told you I wanted to find you after that night. But we had an agreement, and it didn't involve me looking for you.”
“Yeah, but I'm pregnant. I don't think that was part of our plans.”
I shrugged, adding quickly, “I'm not making light of it, but lots of things happen in life that aren't planned. It was a really good night. Unforgettable.”
We stared at each other, and I could feel the electricity humming in the air, snapping and crackling.
Hallie took a quick breath and nodded.
“What if you didn't find me?” I had wondered about that a few times.
“I don't know. I would’ve asked my brother to track you down.”
“The police chief?”
She nodded. “Lots of children don't know both of their parents, but I felt like it was my responsibility to try to find you.”
