Page 19 of Fire and Rain
“I’m sure I was, but not you, man, not with that degree of yours.”
The day’s menu was fish and chips with a side salad and brownies. Sean couldn’t help but think of the salad he’d had yesterday and how much tastier it was than iceberg lettuce and shredded carrots. “Have you and your wife ever foraged here?”
“Foraged?”
“I ran into Eden Koseki last week. She was out with their son foraging for wild greens and shoots. She invited me over to have dinner and try it out.”
“No, we’ve never foraged. It sounds gross.” Leavitt poured dressing onto his salad. “Is the stuff she eats really food, or is it just weeds, like dandelions?”
“I’m not sure there’s a hard line between weeds and edible greens.” Sean tried to remember the names of the greens. “Claytonia. Watermelon berry sprouts. I can’t remember everything she picked. Best salad ever. She made nettle pesto to put on the salmon.”
“Nettlewhat?”
“That’s what I said. She really knows the plants here on the island. She learned from her mother and grandmother, and now she’s teaching Maverick.”
“How is she doing, really?”
“Things are hard. She’s doing as well as can be expected.”
“It really makes you think, doesn’t it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Our job. It’s not without danger. It’s not often that something goes wrong, but when it does, the people we love most suffer.”
An image of Eden’s tear-stained face came to mind, and Sean found himself grateful that he was still single. “That’s true no matter what you do for a living. You could drive a school bus or work in a grocery store and still die on the job.”
That didn’t seem to reassure Dalton. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to have a baby now.”
Sean chuckled. “It’s too late to change your mind.”
“Tell me about it. They’re inducing Angela tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? I hope it goes well.”
“Thanks.” Dalton talked about the preparations they’d made and the things he still wanted to do before the baby came. “One thing we don’t need is baby clothes. The other Coastie wives gave us so much baby stuff that we won’t have to buy anything until this boy is five.”
“It’s a boy then?”
Dalton grinned. “Yeah.”
“Congratulations, man. That’s great. I’ll be thinking of you both.”
The conversation shifted to the shop, with Sean bringing Dalton up to date on what they’d done this morning.
Dalton seemed satisfied. “You’re a natural at this.”
Sean wasn’t so sure. “Do you ever regret advancing?”
Dalton looked up from his plate. “Not at all. I like the pay increase. I could probably fly more than I do if I wanted to, but I spent years as part of a flight crew. I’m okay with keeping my feet on the ground these days.”
They finished eating and walked back to the shop, where Dalton checked the work they’d done this morning. Sean went over each person’s performance, offering tips and suggesting study assignments. He was just ending his shift when the SAR alarm went off.
“Now put the ready helo online. Now put the ready helo online.”
Sean shifted gears. “Come on, folks! Let’s move!”
ChapterFour
