“No update on Clara, but the babies are doing well.”
Gus tipped his head. “What’s brought you here?”
She took a deep breath. “I’m going to take the EMT exam.”
“That’s fantastic! I know you’ll pass it with flying colors.”
She looked at him, her heart melting. He was such a champion for her. She was going to miss his encouragement. She was going to misshim. She blew out a puff of air. This part was hard. “But I’ve decided to try to be a dispatcher instead of applying to work at the fire station.”
His smile faded, his disappointment immediate and visible. “Annie, you’ve worked so hard. There are other treatments for your motion sickness. Don’t give up. We can try more things.”
Try more things? How could she tryanyharder?
She shook her head, her resolve firm. “No, Gus. I’ve tried everything that I feel comfortable trying. I won’t take medication. This is what I’m going to do.”
His jaw muscle flexed as he swallowed. “I know how much you’ve wanted to be an EMT. You’ve tried so hard. I’m just ... disappointed. I was looking forward to all the experiences we would share. We’d make such a good team.”
Annie felt a pang of guilt but stood her ground. “Maybe someday it’ll happen,” she said, though she doubted it. “But for now, this is what I’m going to do. I’m going to be a dispatcher. That is, if I get the job. It’s still important work, Gus.”
“I know it’s important, but ... I just imagined us out there, together. I had all these plans for us.”
They sat there in silence for a long time, the weight of his disappointment hanging in the air. She could feel it, the way you could feel lightning about to strike. She hadn’t realized how much of her anxiety about not being able to become an EMT had to do with disappointing him. This was it, then. Their relationship, which had never really gotten started in the way they had hoped, was ending.
Finally, he lifted his head and gave her a gentle smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “At least,” he said, “I’ll get to hear your voice over the radio.”
She braced herself, willing herself not to cry.Do not cry,Annie Fisher.Do not cry.
He reached out and took her hand. He looked down at their enjoined hands, like he was visibly gathering his next words. “There’s one good thing out of this. You told me that I couldn’t court you until you finished the EMT course. Well, you’re done with it.”
She looked at him, confused. “You still want to court me?”
“Hold on.” He shifted on the bench to face her. “Were you becoming an EMT ... for me?”
“No. Yes. Both. I wanted to be an EMT for me. But when it became pretty clear it wasn’t going to work out, then I wanted to do it for you.”
“Annie Fisher ... my feelings for you wouldn’t change no matter what you did.” He cleared his throat. “I love you.”
He loved her?
Annie didn’t know what to say. She stared at him. He loved her?
“This is the part where the fellow hopes the girl might say she loves him too. If she does, that is.”
She nodded, her throat too full for words.
“Is that so?” A slow smile crept over Gus’s face. “Then,maybe our courting could start ... now?” He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to pull away if she wanted to, but she didn’t. His kiss was gentle and sweet, filled with the promise of new beginnings. It was their first kiss, and it was everything she had hoped it would be. Maybe even more.
Dok stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter as she watched Matt chop vegetables for their dinner. The sizzle of onions in the pan filled the room with a comforting aroma. She took a deep breath, exhausted but antsy. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours—Wren’s first departure, Clara’s collapse, the search for the babies, Wren’s second departure, followed by a very good talk with David, and then another one with Annie. Her mind was spinning.
Matt scooped up the carrots and dropped them into the cast-iron fry pan with the onions, then started chopping celery. “Are you worried about Wren?”
Dok coughed a laugh. “No. Not worried. She will do just fine in life. But I am sorry she left, mostly for her sake but also for my sake. Especially now that Annie’s applying for a position as a dispatcher. And I’m sure she’ll get the job.”
Matt glanced up, his hands still busy with the chopping. “What makes you so sure?”
Dok gave him a smug smile. “Because I’ve recommended her for it.”
Matt put down the knife. He had a frown on his face, as if he sensed where this was headed. “So, you’ll lose Annie. Wren’s exited stage left. Evie’s leaving soon. And you don’t think much of Charlie.”
