Angie exchanged a look with her husband.
“What?” Dhillon asked.
She smiled and shook her head. “Nothing. Bill tells me your girlfriend is a firefighter here.”
Dhillon narrowed his eyes at Bill. “She’s not my girlfriend, no matter what Bill said.”
“And why is that?” Angie folded her arms across her chest.
“Uh-oh,” Bill said. “Now you’ve piqued her curiosity. It’s over. She has no boundaries.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “It’s a simple question.” She put an arm around Bill’s waist. “Firefighters are hot. Why wouldn’t he want to date one?”
“No idea. I think we’re pretty damn awesome,” her husband answered.
Angie studied Dhillon for a moment. “She got a hero thing?”
“Don’t we all?” Bill joked.
She laughed. “That’s just a prerequisite for the job. She was probably punching bullies and saving animals as a kid.”
Dhillon nodded agreement. Angie was right: that was pretty much Riya in a nutshell. Before he could say anything, a sound like a klaxon blared, resulting in a flurry of controlled chaos.
Angie gave Bill a quick kiss on the lips before he grabbed his gear and boarded the engine. She stood beside Dhillon as the firefighters left to answer the call. They were gone in a few minutes, the two of them left standing there with Scout, watching.
Once the last engine was off, its siren wailing in the distance, Angie turned to him. “Well, that’s that. Off they go.” She held up the tote bag. “I’ll just leave this in the kitchen for when they get back. Cute puppy,” she added, ruffling Scout’s fur. “Nice meeting you.” She turned and started for the kitchen.
Dhillon reached out a hand. “I can take that.”
Angie grinned and pushed up her glasses. “So it’s not just firefighters who are chivalrous.”
In the kitchen, Angie set about emptying the tote, pulling out what looked like a couple of trays of lasagna.
“How do you do that?” Dhillon blurted out.
“Do what?” She pulled out bread and a salad.
“See him off like that. Aren’t you worried?”
Angie shrugged. “Yes, I worry. But it’s not a constant thing. Do I worry that he might not return? Or that even if he does, he might be injured and not be the man I know?”
“Yes.” These were his worst fears.
“I met Bill in college. There was not a time that he did not reach out to help someone who needed it. Not ever. It’s part of why I love him. This job is part of him.” She shrugged. “There’s no separating the two. If I want him, and I do, then I have to be up for being the spouse of a firefighter.” She stopped unloading her bag and looked Dhillon in the eye. “So I send him off to be a hero and hope and pray that he comes home safely each time.”
Dhillon stared at her a moment as she organized the food. She moved with purpose. “This is how you cope,” he said. “You cook and organize while he’s gone.”
She did not look up from her task. “Yup.” She stopped and looked at him. “And I have a full-time job, and I volunteer at the hospital. I didn’t say it was easy. I said it could be done.”
Her strength was admirable.
She grinned, her blue eyes dancing with amusement. “Listen, if you love them, you love them, no matter what. If the job gets in the way, maybe she’s not the right person for you.” She folded up the bag, and they started to walk out together. “You can’t take the firefighter out of her.”
“Scout.” Dhillon called the puppy to him.
“I heard she pulled you out of a fire?” Angie asked him softly.
“Yes.” Risked her life for his.
