I picture her and Mia in their kitchen. Did they make this together? Or did Hallie wait until Mia was in bed to do some late-night baking? The warmth of it all stirs something dormant in me. Whether it’s picturing Hallie with Mia, or heralone in her kitchen, it’s Hallie. I’m still not over the fact that she’s here—and she’s a mom.
I casually asked Will about their situation after practice two days ago. Hallie’s a single mother, her sister and mom live in town and help out with Mia. That’s all he knew.
Hallie’s eyes finally land on mine. Was she ignoring me on purpose?
“Take some,” she says so quietly it’s not even loud enough to be a whisper.
I reach out, grabbing a napkin from the stack she set next to the serving platter and then selecting one of the three remaining slices of bread.
She watches me take the first bite. It’s warm and moist. I nod almost imperceptibly, letting her know it’s as good as she hoped, without drawing attention to myself.
She smiles at me and then looks away when Dustin shouts, “Man, you better not let Emberleigh know you can bake like this. She’ll be trying to get you to switch teams.”
“Switch teams?” Patrick asks.
“From fire to baking.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Hallie assures Dustin.
Cody calls us to order and we all settle in. The alternating crew fills us in on the events of the past four days we’ve been off. Once we’ve been briefed, they take off and we move into our routine.
Hallie passes me on her way into the bays.
“Morning, Coach,” she whispers with a private smile.
Her tone’s not seductive or flirty. Still, my chest tightens and a soft buzzing sensation spreads through me. I’m transported—no longer here in Waterford. I’m Ace, on the streets of Munich, hunting down a cup of hot chocolate for this spontaneous, captivating young woman who stole my heart in less than eight hours.
I push away from the spot where I was leaning on thecounter, avoiding eye contact with anyone and walking toward the bays to give myself something else to focus on.
Hallie pauses, looking back at me.
I have to say something.
I step up beside her. “Mia’s doing great. She’s got real talent, but it’s her determination and focus that really set her apart—especially at this age.”
Hallie rewards me with an extra-wide smile. It’s one of those smiles I’ll probably remember for years to come. She’s so forthcoming with her joy and warmth.
“I never expected her passion to reach the level it has,” she confides. “I just enrolled her in T-ball because I thought she needed to burn off energy after school, and the practice schedule in Maryville fit our lifestyle.” She shakes her head. Then she glances around to see if we’re being watched.
Cody’s in the office. Patrick and Dustin are already starting checks on the engine across the bay. She doesn’t want to talk about Mia here. I get it now. She’s the rookie—the first woman on crew. She needs equal footing. Being a mom feels like something we’d coddle. Hallie doesn’t want to be given anything. She wants to earn every bit of respect we give her. That morning in the weight room told me everything I needed to know about her goals here.
“Well, your instinct paid off,” I say, thinning my lips and giving her one quick nod.
Her smile falls just the slightest and I feel like a jerk. I attempted to protect her privacy. Now she thinks I’m being cold.
But instead of walking off, Hallie reaches out and puts a hand on my forearm. The contact sends an unexpected jolt of electricity through me. She looks up into my eyes.
“Thank you,” she says softly. “For the way you’re pouring into Mia. Your coaching means a lot.”
I nod. This time I give her a smile. It’s not forced. Itcomes without effort. I hope I don’t look deranged. I must appear normal because Hallie smiles back at me. She lifts her hand, staring at it as if she didn’t realize it was still attached to my forearm. She walks away as if she didn’t just touch me for the first time in nine years. I clasp my hand over the spot she touched.
Dustin shouts from across the bay. “Quit your slackin’, Grey! Get to work!”
I nod at him and head to the medic to make sure all the supplies have been restocked.
Later that afternoon, we’re called out to the home of what we affectionately refer to as one of the “regulars.”
“Cletus Bater’s down,” Cody says. “Greyson, Hallie and Dustin, take the call. Patrick and I will man the station.”
