Page 28 of Falling For You

"We're on the delta side, Sergeant. Captain positioned us here."

"And I need that lane for emergency vehicle access. Move it."

I looked at the lane. It was clear. There was no access issue. He just didn't like a fire engine taking up space he considered his.

"I'll let my captain know you have a concern."

He stared at me for a second then walked off.

Every firefighter in this department knew Elliot Handler. We called him Sergeant Hollywood on account of the sunglasses he wore to every scene like he was waiting for a camera crew. He showed up and acted like the fire crew was furniture. Like we were in his way, taking up his space, doing a job he didn't consider as important as his. He talked past fire captains, gave orders he didn't have the authority to give, and treated every inch of scene tape like it belonged to him personally. The cops who worked under him seemed to tolerate it. The rest of us just stayed clear.

I watched him walk toward the command post. He stopped to say something to a patrol officer near the perimeter, didn't wait for a response, just talked and kept moving. The officer stared at his back for a second before turning around.

Some men make themselves big by making everyone around them small. Handler did it without even trying to hide it.

I turned back to the line and got to work.

The fire took two hours to knock down. By the time the last hose was drained, the sun was lower and the smoke had thinned to a gray haze drifting across the lot. The warehouse was a shell. Investigators would be out tomorrow.

I pulled my helmet off and wiped my face with my sleeve. Knox was coiling hose. Greene was talking to the captain. Travis was somewhere behind the engine, drinking water like he'd just crossed a desert.

I scanned the perimeter and found her.

Andy Walsh. Standing near the east barricade with her notepad, talking to a civilian. She finished the conversation, wrote something down, and looked up.

I walked over because annoying Andy Walsh was the best part of any shared scene.

"Officer Walsh. Always a pleasure."

She looked at me. Soot on my face, sweat through my shirt. Her expression didn't change. "Brooks."

"How's your day going?"

"Better before you walked over."

"See, that's what I like about you. The warmth."

She almost cracked. I saw it. The corner of her mouth twitched before she caught it and pulled it back. Then her jaw tightened and the smile disappeared before it started.

"So firefighters really are cheaters?" Her voice was different. Sharper. "What are you doing here flirting with me when you have a wife and a daughter?"

The word hit me in the chest.

Wife.

I kept my voice steady. "My wife died in childbirth."

The color left Andy's face.

"Oh." She was quiet for a second. "I'm sorry."

Her eyes dropped and the edge she'd come at me with was gone.

"It's fine." I didn't want her to feel bad about it. "For the record, we're not all cheaters. At least not my crew."

She nodded. The tension in her shoulders loosened by a fraction.

"So you're just dorks with muscles?"