High Heat (Hotshots 2)

“You’ve had a lot of call-outs recently?”

“Oh. Sorry. Maybe shouldn’t have mentioned...” Linc rubbed at his super-short hair.

“It’s okay.” God, Garrick hated this. “You can talk about work. I promise I’m not about to flip out again.”

“Okay.” Linc exhaled hard and looked away.

Maybe this part would get easier with time. He had to hope so because, man, he’d rather get his back waxed than endure too many more of these awkward conversations.

Still meandering toward the food, Jacob and Rain next stopped at a booth featuring temporary tattoos, bumper stickers, and other small souvenirs. The two of them bonded over their lack of permanent ink but admiration for tattooed individuals. It was nice, watching Rain from a distance like this, not keeping him all to himself like usual.

Seeing how easily he made friends with Jacob reminded Garrick how damn special he was and how lucky he was that Rain chose to hang out so much with him. Of course, some of that was undoubtedly Cookie and her appeal, not to mention Rain’s desire to make a hotshot crew driving their morning workouts, but he stuck around enough other times, even without sex, that Garrick figured he was doing something right to earn more time with someone this fun and appealing.

“What are you going to do?” Linc asked, interrupting his quiet appreciation of Rain’s charms.

“Do?”

“Yeah, now that you can’t... Is there disability? Or do you think you can keep doing the dispatch job? Maybe work for your dad? Jacob and I were talking earlier. You know you can ask if you need...anything, right?”

“Ah.” Garrick could tell by Linc’s pinched expression that he was getting at the question of whether Garrick was okay for money. Which was nice, but this was the sort of future looking he was trying not to do. “I’m okay. Medical copays are finally calming down. Adams says he can use me all season at least. Guess I’ll see about after. No way in hell am I cut out for either the ranching or the retail life with Dad. Love the man, but we’d go crazy working together.”

Not that his dad hadn’t offered. He’d finally told his dad about the physical therapy news, and while he’d been sympathetic, the relief had been clear in his eyes. Not that he wanted Garrick injured, but he also hadn’t made any secret about not wanting him smoke jumping anymore. Which made Garrick less inclined to hear his offer to come work in his store with him. Maybe someday he’d come around to that, but for right now, forestry and wildfire fighting were still in his blood. At least working for Adams, he got to stay connected to the community in some meaningful way. It might not be the thrill of frontline danger, but it was still good, honest work and a whole lot more appealing than folding shirts and polishing buckles for his dad.

“Feed me now.” Laughing as he exited the booth, Jacob flopped against Linc, and the glance that passed between them was so intimate that Garrick needed to look away. He refused to be jealous that they got each other, the sort of happy ending other people aspired to. They’d worked damn hard to get to this place, and if Garrick’s neck went a little tight, well, that had more to do with those questions rattling around in his head about how long he might have with Rain.

Because damn if he didn’t want it all. Sometimes, like now, he looked at Rain and his chest ached with the force of wanting him so much, wanting him and his jokes and the way he made Garrick feel so alive, even during one of the most challenging times of his life. I might be in over my head.

“The noodle truck has huge plates of veggie pad thai. You want to split that and I’ll get you a couple of chicken skewers to supplement?” Rain asked as they surveyed the food offerings.

“Sure. I’m easy.”

“Yeah you are.” And just like that, Garrick earned his own look, one that made sweat gather in the small of his back, warmth pooling low in his gut, all from Rain’s heated gaze, which was full of all sorts of promises Garrick was going to hold him to later.

They found an accessible picnic table after Rain collected a few other dishes for them to share, and Rain took a seat on the bench closest to Garrick so they could share the food while they watched the stage. Their fingers and shoulders kept brushing in a cozy, familiar way that made his skin tingle with awareness. On the stage, a different singer was covering a seventies ballad, one about coming home that Garrick’s dad was always humming, and when Rain smiled at him, for the first time in a long time he was so happy he almost couldn’t hold it in. He had to laugh simply because being here, in this moment felt so damn good. Being here like this, it was easy to pretend that everything might work out after all. In that instant, with Rain’s smile filling him up, it was impossible to wallow in what was lost when he had so much right here.