“I’m sure you have lots of inside stories with him.”
“Oh, I have plenty more if you want them. Plenty of inside knowledge on the other guys too.” She lowered to a seat at the desk and pulled open a drawer full of granola bars. “The first thing I did when I got here was fill this because Squid gets so busy he forgets to eat. He’s the opposite of Joel, who takes every opportunity he has to stuff his face.”
“I’m glad he has someone looking after him.” Or she should be. No, shewas. Ethan wasn’t giving her any reason to feel insecure, so she shouldn’t feel that now. “How’s the back room looking after the fire?”
“Come see for yourself.” Jay rose and started down the hall, not waiting to see if Maggie followed.
She did, and when she stepped into the room, she was shocked. “You wouldn’t even know there was a fire.”
Beds sat pushed against opposite walls, and floor-to-ceiling curtains bordered the window, likely blackout curtains in case someone needed to sleep during the day. There was also the thick smell of paint in the air.
Jay scanned the room. “The guys did most of the work themselves. Although a contractor managed to get the new window in fast. I think he’s on team you-guys-will-save-our-town.”
“What’s the other team?”
Jay rolled her eyes. “Those shitheads who are spreading rumors about them not being good guys. It’s bullshit. They’re the best people I know. Do you know how many times those men have almost died saving other people? Too many to count.”
Maggie never liked to think about the dangerous things Ethan must have done during his time as a SEAL and the close calls he would have had.
“I have a hundred stories on each guy being a hero,” Jay finished. “So it pisses me off that dumbasses who’ve never done a meaningful thing in their lives say that stuff. These guys don’t wait for things to get safe before they go in.They arethe safety.”
“You are, too. I mean, you were the intelligence behind everything, right?”
“Oh yeah, I’m the brains. But they’ll never admit that.” She winked before heading back out to the main area.
The weight in Maggie’s chest began to feel lighter. Jay wasn’t so bad. Ofcourseshe knew inside information about the guys. It wasn’t just Ethan. It was all of them, because she’d worked with them for so long.
She followed Jay back to the common room.
“Want a coffee?” Jay asked.
“I just had one at Bloom.”
“Uh, yes, hence Ethan’s coffee.” She eyed his to-go cup.
Maggie laughed. “I’ll bring you one next time.”
“Black, no sugar.”
Why did that order not surprise her?
“Ethan said there was someone leaving comments on your work socials,” Jay said, as she worked the coffee machine. “Want me to try to trace down the person behind it?”
“Ethan’s already offered, and I told him I don’t want him doing anything illegal. Plus, the person keeps deleting their accounts. Thankfully, they haven’t done anything to hurt me.”
“Doesn’t mean they won’t. Once these people get their minds stuck on something, they don’t usually stop.”
The fine hairs on Maggie’s neck rose. Because sometimes she felt like she was waiting. Waiting for another comment on her socials. Another break-in. Another thing of hers to go missing.
Ten minutes later, Ethan stepped back into the building, Joel behind him.
“How’d it go?” Jay asked, mug in hand.
“Ryan’s driving them to the hospital now,” Joel said.
Ethan leaned down and hovered his lips over Maggie’s. “I’m glad you stayed.” He kissed her before lifting his to-go cup. As he crossed over to speak to Jay, Joel approached.
“So…how’s our friend Polly doing?”
