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Stacey needed to hydrate, cool down and rest ASAP. Sweating in this cold weather was a risk, too.
“I’ve had way too many coffees. A bit wired actually.” I reversed Lorraine out of the fire brigade’s yard. “Reminds me of my first year out of uni, slamming the instant coffee during night shift.”
Stacey chuckled and we drove for several minutes without talking as she drank her water.
I cleared my throat. “You were spectacular out there tonight. I happened to see you briefly on the front of the fire for a bit. Had to give a crew member first aid.”
“Really?” She faced me. “Harry, that's dangerous without training.”
“Bruce took me, it was all good. Bloke got injured when a tree branch collapsed and got his shoulder. Minor burns and scrapes but he’ll be fine. He promised to visit the clinic tomorrow or the next day. Saw a tree explode and the fire flared up with a wind gust. Fuck, Stacey I don’t know how you do it. It was incredible.”
“I just do what I’m trained to do.” She shrugged, drinking more water.
“No, itwasincredible. You’re incredible.” I reached out and squeezed her knee through her bulky firefighter pants. “All I did was make sandwiches. Which reminds me. Saw Brayden tonight. He took my sandwiches and pikelets and disappeared. Not a word from him about his mum or that night at the Thai place. He’s an odd bloke.”
Stacey hummed in agreement, and then added, “I bet the ladies loved watching you make sandwiches in your dinner suit.”
I chuckled. “I may have some new admirers. Was asked why I was missing buttons from my shirt.”
Stacey’s eyes widened.
“Told them I had an accident.” I winked. “Got three offers to mend my buttons.”
“I'm sorry tonight turned into sandwiches and first aid.”
“Don't be. Truly. I made some new friends and the ladies were fun.” I took my hand away to change gears, my fingers tapping out a beat on the steering wheel. “Heard chatter with the comms team. Fire has been classed as suspicious.”
“Yeah, I heard the same thing in the field.” Stacey tilted her head. “We were lucky it was a cold night.”
She pulled her woollen shirt back and forth rapidly to create airflow, and scrunched her nose.
“Oh, Harry. I stink. Bad.”
“Thought sheep farmers were used to the smell of sweaty wool.”
She grimaced.
“A shower will help with feeling overheated, so …” I slowed to a stop at the intersection with the highway, looked left, then right, and left again. I flicked the blinker and made the left turn into town.
“Hey, home is the other way.”
“Your place is fifteen minutes behind us. My room is two minutes away and it has a shower and a change of clean clothes.”
“But …”
“You need a shower, clean clothes and to hydrate immediately. Plus I really don't think I should be driving this wired and need to shower myself and I should drink some water too.” I rubbed my eyes. “I’m talking way too fast. But I’ll take you home when you’re clean and cooled down. Or you can stay. Whatever you like.”
Stacey smiled softly, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.
“Doctor’s orders, Firebird.”
She flashed a quick grin. I couldn’t stop tapping the steering wheel in the time it took to reach the pub. Stacey reached for her door handle and missed. I helped her out and up the stairs to my room. As I opened the door, Stacey put her hand on mine.
“Harry …”
I searched her grey-blue eyes, swallowing hard. “Yeah, Stace?”
“Thank you for everything, tonight.”
