Page 19 of Ember

“I could eat. Matter of fact, I’ll call in a lunch order for the station and just have you pick it up.”

“Okay.”

They ended the call, and Danica took a moment to send a text to the group chat she had with Miesha and Casimir to tell them the news while waiting for Tucker to let her know where to pick up the food. After she picked it up, she made her way to the station, where he was outside waiting for her.

He unloaded her car and took the food inside while she parked.

“What has you in such a good mood?” She questioned, walking up to him after securing her car.

“What’s not to be happy about getting the opportunity to see you again?” He enclosed her into his arms, squeezing once before letting go. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

He gave her a quick tour that ended in the common area where they’d started.

“And who do we have here?” Someone called, capturing their attention.

“Wade, go head about your business,” Tucker laughed as Danica blushed.

“Hey, beautiful,” Wade said, extending his hand to her and ignoring Tucker. “I’m Brian Wade.”

“Danica,” she smiled, shaking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You might want to hide her.” Wade let go of her hand, turning his eyes to Tucker. “The rest of the crew is outside, and you know when they come in…”

“Ahhh, shit,” Will called, capturing Danica’s attention. “We got a fresh one in the house.”

“And on that note, we’re going to my office before I end up slapping somebody.”

A whistle from Charlie came next. “Whew, Tuck, who you got there?”

“None of your damn business, and the food is on the stove.”

Danica laughed as Tucker grabbed hold of her hand and dragged her to his office, closing the door behind them.

“Excuse their ignorant asses,” He apologized.

“Listen, compared to my brother, they’re a walk in the park.” Danica propped herself up on his desk while he leaned back in his seat.

“Alright, talk to me.” He urged. “What’s going on in your brain? I thought you were looking forward to teaching again?”

“I am,” she tilted her head to the side. “And I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to open up for what feels like forever, but taking a job here means that I’ll finally be putting down roots, and I don’t know,” a short sigh fell from her lips. “I guess I still haven’t wrapped my brain around the way everything has shifted in my life.”

“I get it, Dani bae,” he nodded, scooting his chair closer to her. “I think maybe you need to find a way to give yourself closure to the situation. You have to find a balance between your old life and your new one.”

“And how, oh wise one, do you suggest I do that?” She smiled, reaching behind her and resting her palm against the desk so her body was at an angle.

“We cool and all, but I can’t give you all the answers. You gotta work some things out for yourself.”

“So, basically, you don’t know.”

“Exactly.”

The two of them shared a laugh and Danica changed the subject. She spent as much time with him as she could before his shift began and she had to leave.

“You already know I’m gonna be tied up tonight, but when I have a day off, we’re going out to celebrate, okay?” Tucker announced when they reached her car.

“I’d like that,” she admitted, pushing herself up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Be safe getting home.”