Ebony and I share a laugh and follow him into the living room where he pulls out his doctor set that I bought him for his birthday. Chris, my brother-in-law, is a doctor, and Matthew has already made it clear that that’s what he’s going to be when he grows up. It’s so sweet; he makes me so excited to have my own little one someday.
Chris walks into the living room with a suitcase and duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. As soon as he sees me, he walks over and pulls me in for a tight hug. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes.
“I’m so sorry about Evan,” he says quietly. “How are you doing?”
I pull away from him and run a hand tiredly over my face. “I’m still trying to process it.”
He nods, his dark brown eyes full of compassion. “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you need to. I’m sure going back to that house won’t be easy.”
I chuckle harshly. “Yeah, no kidding.”
He gently takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger and places a soft kiss on my forehead, then he walks over to his wife and son. “The conference shouldn’t be long. I’ll be back on Saturday.”
I watch the three of them embracing each other, feeling sad all of a sudden. My mind drifts back to Evan and the life we could have had together if only he’d decided to get his shit together. Then his face slowly turns into Dante’s face, and my cheeks warm. I can’t really describe what we are, I just know that being with him feels right.
So now I’m imagining the two of us with Lunchbox and a little baby crawling around us. Our happy, perfect life.
After Chris leaves, I sit on the couch and watch Matthew play with his toys while Ebony goes to the kitchen to make some soup. Thankfully, Chris has already ordered me another phoneand it should be delivered in the next few days, which I’m so grateful for. In the meantime, Ebony lets me use her phone to call Officer Santino.
Unsurprisingly, my house is now a crime scene. They’re going to let me come back and get some things since I won’t be able to stay there for a while, but now I don’t even know if I want to go back there.
“Is there anything else you’d like to talk about before we hang up?” she asks me.
“Yes, actually…” I trail off, feeling awkward for what I’m about to ask her. “I know this is probably a long shot, but do you know of a firefighter named Dante Romano?”
“I do, actually,” she says.
I perk up at that. “He’s watching my dog for me, and I wanted to call him and let him know that I'm okay, but since my phone is destroyed, I don’t have his number. Do you have his number by chance?
“I don’t,” she says, to my disappointment. “But I can give you the number to his station if you would like.”
“I’d appreciate it,” I say gratefully.
“Of course.”'
I breathe a sigh of relief and quickly find a pen and piece of paper to jot down the station’s phone number.
“So it’s one phone that all of the firehouses share, but when you call, they’ll be able to direct you to the correct station,” Officer Santino says.
“Thank you so much,” I tell her before hanging up and calling the number.
I was so excited that I didn’t even think to ask her which station he works at, so I spend the next few minutes asking if he works at the station I’m speaking with and being redirected when it’s not the right one.
Finally, Dante’s Fire Captain answers.
“Hi,” I say, but then I pause awkwardly because I can’t seem to figure out what else I want to say.
“Hi…” he says slowly. “Can I help you?”
I clear my throat. “Um, yes actually. I’m looking for my friend Dante Romano. Does he work at this station?”
“Yes, he does. Would you like to speak with him?”
I smile. “Yes, please. Thank you.”
There’s rustling on the other end, and then a few seconds later, Dante answers, sounding breathless.
“Hello?”
