“I’ll be back,” he said to the guys, then went to the hall with his phone and hit the button to call her. He couldn’t let this linger while he was working.
“Hi,” she said. “You never call me. Ever. Especially when you’re at the firehouse. Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure it was with you too. I think we both are feeling out of sorts today and not sure why.”
She sighed. “We have to push it behind us. We all have bad days. We had a heavy conversation and could be it opened some flesh wounds without meaning to. I’m fine. I really am. I hope you are.”
“You sound it.”
Much more than when he said he was leaving last night. She’d looked more confused than hurt.
In the past, he wouldn’t have cared if he left a woman feeling that way.
Now, he wasn’t sure if he was coming or going.
“Because I am,” she said. “I hope you get some sleep tonight since you didn’t last night. Sorry about that.”
“It’s not your fault. Just like it won’t be if I don’t get any tonight either.”
“And you’re working tomorrow night,” she said.
“Just a few hours,” he said. “Covering a mid-shift. Maybe you can come in and keep me company at the bar?”
“You know,” she said, some lightness returning to her voice, “I think I’d like that a lot.”
“Not as much as I’d like you being there.”
Which took a monstrous effort to voice.
“Aww. Now I’ll be there with bells on.”
“No bells,” he said. “That would attract too much attention.”
“Really, Chance. Do you think everyone there doesn’t know by now?”
His shoulders dropped. “They do. I know.”
“Not just your grandmother.”
“She won’t be there tomorrow watching things.”
“Does it matter if she does?” she asked.
“Not really, other than she’ll bust my balls and ride my ass to be nice to you.”
Jocelyn laughed. “You’re already nice to me,” she said. “No worries there.”
“I’ve got to run.”
“I’m glad you called. If I don’t talk to you again, then I’ll see you tomorrow night at the bar.”
“See you then,” he said, then hung up and saw Daniel coming down the hall.
“Talking to this mysterious lady everyone is flapping their lips about?”
“Everyone needs to mind their own business,” he said.
Daniel slapped him on the back. “It doesn’t work that way here. You know that.”
