Page 133 of Rising Heat

She freezes.

“...Maybe.”

I grin.

“That’s adorable.”

“Don’t ruin it.”

I laugh and keep walking until we get to the lockers, pulling the door to mine open.

My turnout gear hangs inside exactly where it always does. A few photos from the academy and a handful of outings are tucked into the frame, along with an old picture of Mack and me standing in front of our first engine after graduation.

Her smile softens.

“You kept these?”

I glance at the photo.

“Guess I did.”

Her fingers hover near the picture without quite touching it.

“You and Mack haven’t changed much.”

She studies it for another second.

“You still look at him the same way.”

My eyes flick to hers.

“How’s that?”

“Like you’ve always got each other’s backs.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.

“Yeah, we do.”

She nods like she’d already decided that was the answer.

“Where is he, anyway?”

I close the locker.

“Paperwork with our captain.”

“Guess I’ve got you all to myself for a little while.”

She says it so casually, already looking farther down the hall, completely unaware she’s just knocked something loose in my chest.

All to myself.

I grin before I can start wondering why that matters.

We head back downstairs, her asking more questions about the academy. I tell her about Coop almost getting himself smoked during drills because he couldn’t stop cracking jokes.

By the time we step back into the bay, the house is quieter and Engine 37 is gleaming under the fluorescent lights.