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I’d only been around the station in Willow Brook for about a week before I realized that Beck was the hotshot firefighter equivalent of the office gossip. That said, he was a nice guy and solid and reliable in the field. He was married to Maisie from the station.
“I don’t have anything against love. I’ve already been in love. Been there, done that. My fiancée fucked one of my friends after my father died. Said I wasn’t emotionally available. I don’t need to go through that bullshit again.”
Beck looked sincerely pained on my behalf. “I’m sorry. That fucking sucks. Whoever the guy was, he wasn’t your friend.”
“Clearly not.” I ignored the bitter sting of pain in my heart.
“I get where you’re coming from, but you just never know what might happen. I never thought I’d fall in love, and look at me now,” Beck offered with a shrug.
My brows hitched up as I studied him. “Dude, you’re a total family man. I’ve seen you with Maisie and your kids.”
“He wasn’t always,” Graham piped up. “Beck was a total flirt in high school.”
“Probably the worst flirt in school,” Chase added.
“I can promise you this,” Beck began. “Not one of these guys here would ever fuck someone you were with.”
“Good to know, but there’s no chance of that even being something for me to worry about.”
The conversation moved on, and I was relieved. I didn’t like to dwell on what had happened. There was cheating, and then there was nuclear cheating. What happened was a next-level betrayal. Even worse, it was all tangled up in my grief over my father dying. I mentally scoffed when I remembered my ex’s words.
“You’ve been depressed. You’ve hardly been available for me,”Cindy had said.
She’d said that with a straight face a mere two months after my father died unexpectedly. What the fuck?
My mind spun to Farrah. I still couldn’t believe my reaction to her. Maybe I wouldn’t fall in love, but I sure as hell wouldn’t mind a distraction.
ChapterSix
COOPER
A few days later, we filtered into the station after three helicopters delivered us home to Willow Brook. We were all tired and filthy, and it was good to be home. We’d left with the fire fully contained. Even though the work was hard, dangerous, and grueling at times, I loved it. There was a satisfaction to it.
After a long, hot shower, I dressed and walked out to the front of the station. Beck stood at the counter, and Maisie laughed at something he had said. For just a moment, I felt like I had walked in on a private moment. A counter separated them, and they weren’t even doing anything to question. At a glance, they could’ve been two strangers. But I could feel the intimacy shimmering between them and the look of familiarity and love they shared.
Once upon a time, not even all that long ago, I’d believed I’d had something like that. I thought I’d wanted it. A familiar sting scored across my heart. The wounds of that double betrayal still hadn’t scarred over completely. I didn’t miss my ex, but the betrayal stung.
Beck glanced over his shoulder, his smile encompassing me. “Hey there. Want to go out to Wildlands with us?”
“I need to get my cat. Maisie took care of him for me.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Beck replied.
“How’s Humpty doing?” I looked over at her.
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Farrah has him, the vet tech. She said you knew her. Our cat was really cranky about Humpty. When we had card night, she offered to take him. Trust me, it was best for Humpty,” Maisie said earnestly.
“Oh, no problem. I’m just glad he’s safe with someone.”
Maisie let out a sigh of relief. “I was worried you would think I didn’t want to care for him.”
“Maisie,” I said as I stopped beside Beck at the counter that encircled her desk, “You took Humpty on really short notice. I’m just grateful.”
Just then, Wes, the guy whose mom ran the rescue program where I had gotten Humpty, appeared from the back hallway, hearing the tail end of our conversation. “How is Humpty?” he asked.
“I guess I’ll find out. Farrah, the vet tech, took him.”
“Ah, well, he’s in good hands. I know Farrah. They do all the vet care for the rescue program,” he explained.
