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Baylee fanned herself. “Ooohhh. Girlfriend. I would say that things ended way more than fine.”
“Okay, as much as the romantic in me loves to hear about steamy kisses, it is a bit weird for me since we are talking about my brother.” Eva’s grin told Meg she approved of the situation.
“I’m glad things were okay between you when he left,” Rachel said. “I’ve been hoping and praying for good things for both of you.”
“Thank you, Rachel.” Meg looked up at her from the picnic bench.
Rachel tilted her head. “What for?”
“You were so kind that night at the church. You just listened and sat with me while I talked. I don’t know the last time I’ve been that peaceful.”
“You are most welcome. I am always here if you need me.”
“And thank you for pairing me with Chet for the fundraiser. I can see Chet has some great friends in his life.”
“You both have friends in your life.” Rachel leaned forward and patted Meg’s knee.
Meg looked past Rachel at people now moving from group to group talking. During their conversation, the women hadn’t noticed the vibe of the crowd shifting. The frivolity now had a serious undertone. A few of them had their phones out, readingand tapping back messages, their brows furrowed as their fingers flew.
Rachel’s phone dinged in her pocket. “Excuse me a second.” She pulled it out and looked at it. The look on her face was similar to the ones in the crowd.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Eva asked.
Rachel looked at them. “I’m afraid the fire is a big one.”
“What does your message say?” Eva’s concern was written all over her face.
“Because of my work with the fire department, I’m in a message loop that lets me know when things are more…intense and first responders might need me.”
“Intense? What does that mean?”
“It means the fire isn’t just bigger than they thought.” Meg’s breath came too fast. Her heart pounded. “Something’s wrong.” She’d been on the other end of that message loop and knew Rachel wasn’t telling them everything.
To protect Baylee and especially Eva, Meg didn’t say anything. Speculation wouldn’t help. She grabbed her friends’ hands.
Rachel put her phone back in her pocket and knelt down before them. She placed her hand on top of theirs. “I need to go, but I will update you if I get more information. Okay?” She looked them all in the eyes until they responded.
Rachel stopped briefly at a group of people on the edge of the park. They all joined hands and bowed their heads to pray. After a few minutes, Rachel hugged them and moved on.
Meg’s pulse raced. She could still think like a firefighter, but that didn’t tamp down the terror that pulsed through her. Her training prepared her for these situations; she also knew too much about what could go wrong.
“It’s all going to be fine.” Baylee’s voice shook.
“I’ve always accepted the dangers of my brother’s job,” Eva said, “but he’s never gone on a call like this before. I’m kinda freaked out.”
Eva laid her head against Meg’s shoulder. Dottie moved closer to them and placed her head in Eva’s lap.
“We need to stick with what we know over what we don’t know, okay?” Meg knew she wouldn’t be able to take her own advice.
“I say you check in with Drew,” Meg told Baylee. “I’ll head to the diner booth and talk to Franklin. There might be more information from others that could be helpful.”
The women made their way back to the booths. The party had wound down near the dance floor and was downright somber near the booths. Word spread fast in a small town.
Meg went to her booth, the ache in her chest for Chet so heavy she feared it would cause her to fall over.
“Hey, kiddo.” Franklin was polishing the grill, now cleaned and ready to be transported back to the diner. He wrapped Meg up in a hug. “You okay?”
“No.” She buried her head in his massive embrace, grateful for the comfort.
