“And you don’t have to be brave all day—just brave enough to walk in. Your teacher will be looking out for you and I’ll be right here when you get home.”
She smiles a soft smile. “Beezus, please.”
“Okay. Let’s read and then you can have sweet dreams offriends you’ll make and home runs you’ll hit on your new team. We’re both about to have an adventure.”
She smiles wider. “I love adventures.”
“I know you do. You’re my brave, adventurous girl. And you even take adventures when they scare you a little. That’s the best kind of brave.”
I talk a big talk. It’s what moms do. My stomach swirls with thoughts of my first day.
I crack the book open and start reading at the spot where we left off last night.You just have to be brave enough to walk in. I echo the wisdom I just fed my daughter, trying to convince myself it’s that simple.
Chapter 2
Greyson
The ghosts of things that never happened
are worse than the ghosts of things that did.
~ L.M. Montgomery
“My crew, stick around for a minute, please,” Cody says from the head of the dining table.
Shift change is wrapping up. The scrape of chairs and shuffle of boots on the concrete floor almost overshadows our captain’s request. Our station’s not large, so fitting nine men around this table every morning feels a little like squeezing into a clown car. We gather here for meals and meetings, and sometimes just hanging out when we’re not on a call.
I remain seated, my eyes roving over the empty recliners along the wall and then back toward the kitchen that takes up the back third of our main room.
The guys from the alternating shift clock out and Cody waits for the sound of their voices to diminish before saying, “I have a few more things to go over with all of you.”
Nine months ago, Cody took over as our captain. Before that, he was one of the guys, riding in the officer's seat, running into fires alongside the rest of us. Now he’s settled into leadership and about to be married. I glance around the table. We used to be a group of single men. I’m the only guy left who’s still unattached.
My mind has been haunted ever since I picked up pizza last night for the guys. We were doing some community volunteer work on our afternoon off and Cody nominated me to pick up dinner.
What if he had sent someone else?
That man would have been the one at the Pizza Den instead of me.
They would have seen her—maybe not even noticed her.
I might not have discovered she was here, in Waterford.
Visiting? Moving? Passing through? How long is she here? Did she already leave?
It was her.Hallie.
That is, unless I dreamed her up. But I’d know her anywhere. Even before our eyes met, I sensed something so familiar that when I glanced her way, seeing her was more of a confirmation than a surprise. And then I felt her—in my gut, a clench of recognition so strong it felt like a physical punch. She looks the same, only with far more life etched in her eyes. Has she weathered storms or fulfilled dreams since that night we met?
She didn’t know me. That much is obvious. I’ve changed, and not just on the inside. Back then my hair was cropped short, my face half boy, half man, my body not nearly as strong. I was naive. Up until that point, life hadn’t asked much of me. I knew I was heading into the unknown. But I couldn’t have foreseen the trajectory or the cost.
“Greyson?”
“Yeah?”
“I asked if you’d mind checking to make sure the medic got restocked after they went out on the last call,” Cody says.
Across the table, Dustin grunts, and grunts again—like a caveman. “Ungh. Ooo ooo ungh.” He starts laughing at himself. “What’s the matter, Grey? Dinosaur got your tongue?”
