Page 26 of Make It Last

“One of the nurses called out sick,” Holly said, not missing a beat. “I can’t leave, so when you showed up, I figured you could help.”

“Oh, I thought you were just happy to see me,” Nate teased.

“You don’t have to give me a ride,” I said quickly.

“I’d offer, but—” He checked his watch. “I have a flight in half an hour. I just came to say goodbye, but I’ll be back this evening, just a little later than usual.”

Holly looked over at Tanner. “Can you?—”

“I’ll give Ava a ride.” Tanner nodded. “No problem.”

“You’re a good man,” Nate said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Holly bustled around the room, collecting my few belongings. “I’ll get your stuff out to Tanner’s truck,” she said. “I promise you’ll see me a few times a week.”

“Thank you for everything, Holly. Honestly.” I felt a lump rise in my throat.

“No need to thank me,” she said quickly.

“You’ve been more than a nurse to me. I consider you a friend.” She squeezed my shoulders. I smiled through a swirl of emotion. I didn’t know many people here, just a few nurses, Holly, Chris, Tanner, and the guide from the glacier hike. But it was a start.

Holly glanced at Tanner. “She’s in the middle house of the ones Tate rents out.”

Tanner nodded. “I know right where that is.” He glanced down at me, tipping his head toward the door. “Let’s get you going.”

In short order, I was settled in Tanner’s truck. It felt surreal to be outside. The fresh air was incredible.

Tanner looked over as he started the engine. “You ready?”

I held his gaze. “Absolutely.”

As he started driving, I looked around town. Main Street was so cute, and it still blew me away to see the mountains in the distance, towering tall and sharp against the crisp blue sky. The sun shone brightly today. It felt like the whole town was welcoming me back to the land of the living.

“So you know where I’m going?” I asked.

“I do,” Tanner said, his low, rumbly voice making my nerves spark again.

“Willow Brook’s pretty small, and Tate is a friend. He’s also a firefighter.”

“Oh, there seem to be a lot of those here.”

Tanner chuckled, and those butterflies in my belly twirled. “We house three hotshot crews here, plus the town crew.”

“How many does that make?”

“Over a hundred firefighters.”

“What?” I yelped.

“A hotshot crew has twenty-five. So three of those, plus the town team. That’s a hundred.”

“Wow,” I breathed. “That’s a lot of firefighters.”

We left downtown and turned onto a side road just a mile or so out. Another turn brought us down a gravel driveway through the trees, which suddenly opened into a sunlit clearing. Three little matching houses stood, each topped with bright red steel roofs that peeked cheerfully above the trees.

“Here we are,” Tanner said.

“Wow, these are nice,” I said as we pulled in. “I hope I’m not putting this guy out by staying here.”