Page 2 of The Firefighter’s Forever

My cheeks start to warm. Shit. “I do?”

“I would’ve recognized you anywhere.”

The confidence in his voice hits the middle of my chest. Heat floods my cheeks, and I thrust the plastic container toward him. “I brought you these.”

He looks down at the cookies, then back at me. “No way. Really?”

“I remembered chocolate chip with walnuts were your favorite.”

“You baked these?” he asks in awe, taking the container from me.

“Yep. Fresh out of the oven.”

A chuckle escapes him as he peeks under the lid. “Hell.”

“What?”

“I figured if I ever saw you again it’d be at the grocery store or running into you downtown.” He looks back up at me. “Didn’t picture you walking into my station carrying warm homemade cookies.”

“I almost turned around.”

“You should be glad you didn’t. I would’ve been pissed if I missed this.”

I laugh, a little thrown by how earnest he sounds. “You would’ve?”

He nods. “It’s been ten years, Harmony.”

Warmth settles low in my stomach.

Another firefighter wanders into the lobby carrying a file folder. His eyes bounce from me to the cookie container in Lucas’s hands, and a grin immediately spreads across his face.

“I knew today was gonna get interesting.”

Lucas doesn’t even look at him. “Keep walking, Mercer.”

The other firefighter ignores him. “You gonna introduce us, or are you planning on hiding the pretty girl with the homemade cookies?”

Lucas finally turns his head. The humor disappears from his face. “I said keep walking.”

The other firefighter holds up both hands with a nervous laugh. “All right, Cap. I’m gone.” Then he disappears back down the hallway without another word.

I watch him leave, then look back at Lucas. “I think you scared him.”

“He’ll survive.”

“You were kind of...”

“What?”

I search for the right word. “Growly.”

A laugh rumbles out of him. “Anyway, what are you doing back in town?”

I let out a small breath. “I quit my job.”

“What happened?”

“I spent years chasing a career I thought I wanted.” I shrug. “Turns out I was just miserable. I finally admitted it to myself, packed everything up, and came home.”