Page 46 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

An older couple approached, and she didn’t recognize them, but then she only knew a few people in Logan’s life. The heavily made-up woman had bleach blonde hair in a perfect bob and looked as if she should appear on real estate billboards. The man with her may have been the same age but made less of an effort in aging gracefully. His expression gave the vibe of an older white man who was all too happy to educate women on the real world but also had never done a load of laundry once in his life. Like Logan, he looked as though he was dragged here against his will and was already over it.

“Oh, Logan. There you are, honey!” the woman said, before noticing River. Her eyes reflected surprise at first before tracking a gaze down to the hand on Logan’s forearm. To her credit, the woman recovered quickly, breaking out another smile. “Oh, hello! I’m Carmela, Logan’s mother. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“River,” she answered, while taking the woman’s hand. She could readily believe this woman pressured her son into things like taking pictures for a firefighter calendar. She seemed like the type who made things happen. In this way, Carmela reminded River of her own mother, who was also a force within the family.

“Logan hasn’t said a word about you, which I find absolutely surprising. You’re a beautiful girl. Logan, why are you always so secretive even with your own family?”

River could feel the eyeroll from Logan. Damon hopped over with some extra bottles of beer, handing one to Logan, who accepted it. When Damon non-verbally asked if she wanted one, holding the bottle up with a slight head tilt, she shook her head. River had never been much of a drinker. If she was going to stay standing on these stilettos, it was better not to take any chances. Logan accepted the extra beer as if knowing he needed both.

“This is Logan’s father, Anthony,” Carmela said with a wave of her hand like an afterthought. The man’s expression remained the same, but he didn’t look as if he took much pleasure in anything these days. One more thing he and Logan had in common. “So tell us about yourself, River. How long have you two been seeing each other?”

Before River could open her mouth, Logan jumped in. “She’s just my neighbor.”

She glanced at him and thought she saw something flash in his expression. It looked an awful lot like regret, but it was soon smoothed away when Logan took a long drink from one of the bottles of beer.

He was trying to make the boundary clear, but she wasn’t sure if this was for his mother’s sake or for hers. Regardless, she likely wouldn’t have answered the question any better. No matter how much the butterflies in her stomach fluttered whenever she thought about him, or saw him, or talked to him—they weren’t a couple. She wasn’t even sure if friend covered things, as nothing about this felt like any of her other friendships. This felt a hundred times deeper, and she’d only kissed the guy once.

“Yes,” she said, sliding a knowing look in Logan’s direction. “We’re just neighbors.” If he could easily put her in a box, she could do the same. If his brows pushing together was any indication, her words irritated him. Good.

Carmela scoffed. “I don’t believe a word of that.” Before she could continue, a hush fell over the crowd as a broad-shouldered bald man came to the podium at one end of the hall. He moved his hands as though orchestrating the crowd to quiet, pointing to the few guys shouting, “Ricky!” within the crowd.

“Come on, you goofballs. Settle down so we can get started here.” The man had the air of a chief, somewhat gruff but also jovial. She wondered if this was Logan’s boss. Either way, she liked the guy, as he had a good, level-headed vibe about him.

This man seemed quite different from Logan’s father. She could believe there was something going on between the two Sonelli men. They hadn’t hugged or shook hands upon greeting, the air between them chilly. Glancing at one and then the other—the men being on either side of her—if River hadn’t known better, she would have assumed they were strangers. Either way, as just a neighbor, she should mind her own business.

Logan drank his beer like it was cold water on a hot day. She subtly leaned into him, her body pressing into his arm. “You doing okay?” she asked in a low voice so as not to interrupt Ricky’s speech.

He gave her a funny look. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t everything be okay?” But he clearly was fighting against something as he looked both annoyed and as if he couldn’t drag his gaze away from her lips.

She turned her attention back to the front of the room, trying to focus on Ricky, who finished telling some work anecdote and started to meander toward why they were here in the first place.

“So, I don’t have to tell anyone that our job is hard, but the Sierra Hotshots know the worst of the worst when it comes to fire. They’re out there, fighting in the roughest conditions, in the hottest heat. Year after year they continue to show that they’re some of the toughest mothereffers that never stop and don’t give up.” Ricky’s tone increased in volume at the end as though giving his team a pep talk.

Many in the crowd whistled and clapped in agreement, happy to show their support for Ricky and the firefighters. River wasn’t surprised Logan didn’t have much of a reaction. His mom at least politely applauded, even if Anthony stood there with his arms crossed as though not moved at all. It was because of that River decided she was going to be Logan’s biggest cheerleader from here on out.

“And one of those guys who doesn’t stop, and sacrifices time and again to do whatever he can for his squad is here tonight. I’ve never seen a man who has given more, and been willing to do everything and anything that has been asked of him. This is what makes a good . . . no, a great leader and someone we should all be very proud of. I’m happy that he’s been chosen to be honored by the city for this year’s Excellence in Public Service award. He deserves it. Get up here, Logan.”

Nearly everyone cheered loudly, some of them yelling “Sonny!” as Logan left her side for the podium. She was able to snatch one of the bottles from him, because he didn’t need to go up there double fisting alcohol, setting it on a small table nearby. River smiled widely, putting two fingers between her lips, and letting out a shrill whistle to show her dedication to the guy. Based on the reception alone, Logan was clearly respected and liked. A feeling of pride swelled in her chest at getting to be the person he brought with him.

His mother leaned in closer. “You can tell me the truth. Are you two dating?”

“No,” River replied. Logan made it clear he didn’t consider this to be a date, and she didn’t think it was a big deal. She could see the disappointment on Carmela’s face as she frowned. As cold as his father was, it was obvious his mother did care about him, and she wasn’t keeping it a secret that she was hoping her son was with someone. River continued clapping while adding, “I’m new to town, and Logan’s one of the first people I’ve met. He’s been very nice, so I’m happy to have a new friend.”

She wasn’t sure if his mother heard her or not with the noise, because Carmela said, “Logan could use a little softness in his life. I think all of our emergency and first responders can. It would be nice if he could find that.”

River wasn’t sure how to respond to this. She could only assume what Carmela said was true. She would know since she was married to an ex-firefighter and had one for a son. At the same time, it wasn’t River’s responsibility to be anything other than herself for anyone, especially when it came to men. She wasn’t about to sacrifice herself to fit inside someone’s box, and she didn’t want someone to like her just for the potential softness she could offer. They’d only be disappointed—

River needed to stop because, again, they weren’t even on a date, so why was she thinking about it at all? Logan was a grump, would probably always be a grump, and if he didn’t like her this way, well, that wasn’t her problem. She wasn’t changing.

Ricky gave Logan a bro-hug, his arm stretching around him with a few manly pats once he arrived at the podium. Logan allowed it but it appeared stiff and uncomfortable. The guy really did need to practice hugs more, because River considered them to be one of the best things in the world. At least he was getting better with her.

Ricky stepped aside, and another woman in a smart business suit stepped forward, handing Logan a plaque, shaking his hand while getting their picture taken. Maybe this was the mayor. River knew the mayor was a woman, but she didn’t know what she looked like. She gave off a bureaucratic air at least.

While he participated in the obvious pageantry of the whole event, Logan didn’t act as if he was winning the Oscars of firefighting. Instead, it was as if he were performing any other duty and took it seriously. It wasn’t like when Logan had taken his calendar photo with her. People probably didn’t know he knew how to smile. She did—one of her best-kept secrets.

Logan stood there after the politician stepped away, leaving him alone at the podium. He stared at the inscription on the plaque while taking another drink from the beer bottle he still possessed. Besides his skin being flushed, probably due to the alcohol, he appeared steady, competent, and cool. Frankly, she was finding the whole thing sexy. He could put up whatever hard front he wanted, but all she wanted was to snuggle into the man.

They all waited for him to say something amazing and inspirational. He put the plaque on the surface of the podium, took another casual sip of beer, as if everyone wasn’t waiting to hear what he had to say and he had all the time in the world. Then he opened with, “This kind of feels like receiving a participation trophy. Like thanks for putting your lives on the line. Here’s a trophy. Please keep doing that. Because what I do, what we all do—and I mean every fire crew, whether you’re type 1 or type 2, it doesn’t matter—is just doing a job. We don’t do it for awards. We don’t do it for all of this.” He used his bottle to draw a circle in the air, indicating this party room specifically.