“Excellent. Well, when you meet, I don’t know, the man or woman of your dreams, let me know. I’ll give you all the advice you need,” Beck said.
Parker rolled his eyes, hard. “You know, Beck, you’re not the only guy here who’s a family man and happy about it.”
“Beck’s the office gossip, always in everybody’s business,” Hudson interjected dryly.
Luna approached, and Parker immediately curled his arm around her shoulders, snugging her close against his side. He leaned down to give her a lingering kiss.
The love between them practically shimmered in the air around them. I wasn’t prone to being a sappy, romantic guy, but in this moment, there was no doubt these two were happy together.
Conversation floated around us with congratulations to Parker and Luna punctuating many comments. The event in question had been thrown by the fire station, the crews all pitching in together to organize it with a big assist from Fireweed Winery because they were having their grand opening and thought it would be perfect to celebrate the couple’s engagement along with it.
I loved Willow Brook and Alaska so far. I was even more pleased to be on the crew here. When you’re a hotshot firefighter, you learn there’s a certain mindset required. It takes a lot of nerve and a lot of confidence, and sometimes those qualities could translate into arrogance, which wasn’t healthy for the work. The tone set here didn’t brook that kind of attitude. Everyone had each other’s backs, and I liked it.
I still wondered if my mother’s hopes for our move to Alaska would ever come to fruition. But that was also a topic for another day, or rather, a question. One that had feathered in the back of my thoughts for most of my life.
“Hi guys,” a voice said, and I glanced over, my gaze locking with a stunning pair of hazel eyes set off by glossy dark bangs framing the waitress’s pretty face.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen a beautiful woman before, but this one elicited a startling jolt. My thoughts swirled with curiosity, but all she was doing was checking to see if we needed any drinks.
Chapter Two
Tori Shackleford
The pace that evening at work was busy on steroids. For the most part, the eddy of customers flowed around me, creating a low hum. Until one moment. I was stunned into silence when I locked eyes with a man, one I’d never seen before. Shaggy, honey-brown hair, rich cognac eyes.
Of course he was a firefighter. There was a surplus of them here in Willow Brook.
I wanted to know his name, but I was working. When I hurried by him later, he caught my eye again, and his lips quirked at the corners. My belly responded with a shimmy and twist.
A few days later
I sat down on a large boulder, letting out a happy sigh. It was just me, myself, and my old dog, Bella. She promptly began sniffing everything she could, every grain of sand, every rock, pieces of seaweed, the ocean water lapping at the sand, the air, all of it. My dog knew how to be fully present in a moment.
“Home,” I said aloud.
Willow Brook was home, along with Alaska and this little spot on the beach here. When I was a little girl, my mom used to take me here for walks, for frolicking, for rock hunting, and more.
Looking for a distraction, I leaned down, scooping up a piece of lava rock, my favorite kind of rock. They were lightweight and always seemed as if they’d been dropped here from another galaxy. This one was a deep burgundy color on one side that transitioned into black on the other. I lightly tossed it back and forth in my hands before setting it down on the boulder, planning to take it home with me.
I sat on that boulder for a little while, savoring the salty air and the birds chattering above the shoreline before I called Bella back. She was mostly deaf, but if I managed to make eye contact when I said her name, she came right over. She was a medium-sized brown dog with a half-tail. It wasn’t purposefully docked like some, but literally about half length with kind of an angle on the end. The vet’s best guess was she got it trapped in something.
Bella was my shadow, my soul dog. She went everywhere with me and was as loyal as a dog could be. Just as I got in the car, I heard a buzzing sound and glanced over to see some kind of bee flying straight for me. I yelled and swatted at it, but it zoomed right back and stung me just above my collarbone.
“Asshole!” I pointlessly hollered.
A few minutes later, I was driving back toward Willow Brook, toward home. The last thing I recalled was Bella letting out a sharp, unexpected bark. I woke up to the sound of the tail-end of my own yelp.
“There she is,” a rumbling voice said.
I fought through layers of confusion and tried to drag in a deep breath, but my throat felt unbelievably tight. “Take it easy,” the voice said. “You’re in the middle of an anaphylactic reaction. The antihistamine shot should be taking effect. Give it a few minutes, and you’ll be able to breathe a little better.”
I dragged my eyes open and looked around wildly. I felt funny all over, and my throat was itchy and scratchy.
“Your dog is a good girl,” the man said when I finally managed to focus on his face.
Holy wow. Even though I was half out of it, I knew a handsome man when I saw one. This guy was all handsome. His concerned brown eyes held mine. “How are you doing?”
My mind distantly clocked that I’d seen him at work the other night. He seemed professional. He was kneeling in the open driver’s side door of my car with what appeared to be a bag with medical supplies on the ground.
