For a moment I feel bad, because she reallyissweet, the kind of person who can’t bear the thought that someone might be angry with her.
“Not at all,” I reassure her, then open the door back into the office.
Jennifer gives us a weird look but doesn’t say anything.
Late that afternoon,I’m staring at my computer monitor between my fingers, resting my chin on the palms of my hands.All the map symbols have stopped making sense, and my to-do list is two haphazard sheets of printer paper, but most of the things on it are crossed off.
Emergency phone calls: made.Emergency shelter in case the fire turns: available, with volunteers on notice.I’ve made sure the hospital in Ashlake is alerted to the situation.I’ve arranged for all broadcast media on the east side of the Spires to warn people, I’ve sent hundreds of emails with the evacuation checklist, and I’ve made dozens of phone calls.
At this point, I almosthopethe wind changes, because I worked hard, dammit.If the fire keeps going the way it is right now — and it probably will — then I spent a day doing useless preparation.
Well, not useless.Completely vital, even if the fire doesn’t turn.And I don’treallywant it to, obviously.Towns could burn down.
Plus, Hunter’s crew is still here.They haven’t been sent to help contain the fire to the south, and no one can say what theywillbe doing.I have a bad feeling they’re being held in reserve in case things get really hairy.
“Okay,” I say out loud, and stand.I’ve been sitting for hours, and my butt is starting to feel like it mightactuallybe part of the chair.
I stretch a few times, still standing in my cubicle, reaching way over my head and then touching my toes.I jump up and down a few times, do some arm circles, then run in place a little, all with my eyes closed because I’ve been staring at a screen all day.
“Okay, okay,” I mutter again, stretching my hands against each other.“Time to tackle some fuckin’ road closures.”
I open my eyes, and then I jump a mile in the air because Hunter is leaning against one wall of my cube, grinning at me like an asshole.
“Jesus!”I hiss.
“Hey there,” he says.
“Shit, how long were you standing there?”
I put my hand over my chest, my heart still pounding with the surprise.He just shrugs.
“Not that long,” he says.
“I’ve been sitting all day,” I explain, glancing around the room full of cubicles.No one else can see us from where we’re standing, so I lean in and give him a quick, chaste, quiet kiss.
Hunter puts one hand on my hip, drums his fingers for a moment, then removes it.I laugh a little.
“Yeah, I haven’t really mentioned this to anyone besides Mandy yet,” I say, keeping my voice low even though most people are out of the office right now.“I don’t tend to keep my coworkers updated on my romance situation, and I also haven’t gotten the chance because there’s this fire...”
“And here I thought it was because you were ashamed of me,” he teases.
“Soashamed,” I say.“Can you imagine my reputation if they found out I was involved with one of the hotshot crew?”
“You may as well shave your head and move into a cave in the mountains,” he agrees, somberly.
“I’ll get on that as soon as I send out these road closure bulletins,” I say.“What’s going on with you guys?”
“Nothing yet,” he says, his deep blue eyes looking at me steadily.“If the fire keeps burning south, we’ll head out sometime tomorrow.”
I nod, because I can read between the lines of his half-answer.
“And if it turns east you’re the ones they’ll call?”
“Clem, I’ll be fine.”
“I know.”
“Lorenzo’s is bringing over a truck full of free Italian food in an hour,” he says.“You and Mandy and Lucy want to come by?”
