Miles cleared his throat.“This is really phenomenal, Annie.I’m so thankful to you and Margie.Let’s be honest—I’m especially thankful to you, for thinking of this and putting it together.”
Her chest rose and fell with a deep breath.“Well, thank you for saving us from fires.”
He rolled his eyes.“Lately we’ve been responding to low blood sugars, drunk drivers, and cats stuck in trees that end up being raccoons.”
She flashed a smile but said nothing.
Normally he could read her face, find the slightest hint of stress or worry or joy.
Now, though, it was as if she was blocked in some way.Was she overwhelmed?Excited?Was her friend not really a friend?
Something wasn’t right.He needed to find out what it was.He needed to create an excuse to spend the rest of the evening with her.Staring at her now, it became clear to him that it was imperative to keep her on his arm, not just tonight, but every night.
Someone grabbed his arm from behind.Miles turned to see Gemma, of all people.
“Oh, hey, Dr.Birch,” he said, keeping his tone light.The surprise of seeing her blew over him like a wind.
He turned to introduce Gemma to Annie, but Annie was already slipping into the crowd.
He wanted to go after her, but he couldn’t be so rude to Gemma.He turned to her.“I must admit, I did not expect to see you here.Is this another one of Bella’s setups?”
Gemma laughed, throwing her head back.“I swear it isn’t, and I’m not stalking you.A friend of mine asked me to come to this.He was a doctor in our practice, but he retired to the island a few years ago.”
“Aha, so you’re trying to follow in his footsteps,” Miles said.
She let out a breath.“Yeah, I’ve only got about twenty years left to retirement.”
He leaned back on his heels.“I’m sure they could use a pediatrician on the island if you’d like to move sooner.”
She stared at him for a long moment.Long enough for Miles to realize what he’d just said.
“I wonder that myself,” Gemma said graciously.
Though they’d had a pleasant breakfast together, Miles had no interest in dating this woman.Bella hadn’t been bringing it up as frequently, likely because she was involved with Noah, who was also wandering around somewhere.
It was best to clear the air.“Listen, I’m sorry about Bella pulling you into all this, but – ”
Gemma put up a hand.“Please.We don’t have to do that.I really was just curious about the man on the billboard.”
He smiled, shaking his head.“Aren’t we all?He seems great.”
“It was such a wild romantic comedy sort of idea.Sometimes those things work out, you know?You have to take risks.”
Risks.The idea of it sent goosebumps over his arms.That was one thing he didn’t like, even as a firefighter.Especially so.
“Of course,” he said with a nod.
Margie appeared at his side, pulling him in for a hug.Naturally, she already knew Gemma.It made it easy for him to slip away in search of Annie.
Except Clarissa cornered him.
“I debated telling you this,” she said.
His eyes strained over the crowd.Where could Annie have gone?
He cleared his throat.“Debated telling me what?”
Clarissa lowered her voice.“It’s embarrassing.It’s about Alex.”
