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“Thank you.”
“I’m on a diet. Troy hasn’t let me go to McDonald’s,” Mr. Chapman piped in.
“No sausage biscuit?”
“No grape jelly either.”
“The hospital nutritionist sent over a list of foods, and we’re working to follow it.”
“I don’t think I had a heart attack. It’s fine now, other than a little arrhythmia. Been like that for years. Too much coffee.”
“Better safe than sorry,” Megan offered as she dug in again. If he was eating like this, then he was taking a step up from the golden arches.
“Megan let me go to McDonald’s, and she knows about this stuff.”
She looked at him to catch his smile, which deepened the lines in the older man’s face, making his brown eyes crinkle at the corners.
“Don’t bring me into this. I was just helping you run errands until Troy came home.”
“You did a great job.” Troy’s voice seemed lower from across the table, and maybe it was the steak, but he looked a lot nicer over there than before. “I really appreciate you being there for him after the fire. That was so kind of you to do after you met at the hospital.”
Megan froze with her fork in midair, then resumed the bite and chewed slowly, eyeing Mr. Chapman who was polishing off his potatoes, not seeming to notice what was just said.
She chewed and swallowed, picking her words carefully. “I was happy to do it, but we didn’t meet at the hospital.” Surely, Mr. Chapman would’ve mentioned it to his son.
Troy frowned and looked confused. “I thought the hospital sent over a nurse. Dad, that’s what your doctor said.”
Mr. Chapman waved a hand and took a sip of his wine. “Nah, I sent them away. Didn’t need all of those exercises. I feel fine.”
Mr. Chapman turned then and smiled at her, the same look of hope and gratitude that endeared him to her from the night he was sitting on the edge of the ambulance.
“Megan saved my life, and then went back into the fire to carry out Levi. I owe her everything.”
Megan felt the blood rush to her cheeks, and she smiled into her lap. As if on cue, Levi put his boxy head in her lap and looked at her with his big brown soulful eyes echoing his master’s emotion. She played with his ears in between her fingers, feeling the soft fur.
“Hold up.” She glanced up to see Troy’s face frozen in shock. “You mean to tell me you’re the firefighter?!”
CHAPTER12
Megan’s spine straightened on instinct. Familiar with the shock, disbelief, and the inevitable oncoming questions, she looked him in the eye.
“Yes,” she said. “I am.”
Troy had the good sense to shut his trap, but through his eyes she could see the gears turning and the math not adding up. He looked her over and then glanced at his dad.
“Shit, if I’d have known, I would’ve taken you out in town. Dad, you didn’t think to mention this?”
Mr. Chapman hadn’t moved a muscle and gave his son a plain look before he shrugged. “I figured you knew. I’m sorry I didn’t mention it.”
“It wasn’t just me,” Megan added quickly before this turned into hero worship and got even weirder. “The team was there too. Nick helped your dad out. I just got there first, but we always go in together while the engineer watches the fire engine with the highest ranking person, which that night was my Lieutenant Buzz.”
“She reached me first, then went back for Levi who took off.”
At the sound of his name, Levi looked up and grinned while panting in the way only goldens could.
“It’s a team effort all of the time.”
“We need to do something for all of you,” Troy said almost more to himself than to either of them.
