First

Nelson and another guy come over. Nelson greets me and the other guy holds out a paw that engulfs my hand when he shakes.

‘Jeff,’ he says by way of introduction. He’s tall and wide, older, with crow’s feet around his eyes and a hint of grey in his moustache.

‘Maya. Nice to meet you,’ I reply.

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‘She brought us our food,’ Jake says to Nelson.

Nelson looks at me. ‘Seriously?’

Again, appreciation. And my reactionary uncomfortableness. I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. ‘I just … you guys seemed busy. Catherine said I could drop it off.’

‘You’re Catherine’s roommate?’ Jeff asks. ‘The actress?’

‘I was her roommate.’ I tilt my head. ‘How do you know that?’

Jeff chuckles. ‘Catherine’s talked about you. Is your car unlocked?’ He opens the door and jumps back into the conversation like he didn’t interrupt himself. ‘She said you’re good.’

‘I’m okay, I guess,’ I say as Jeff starts handing bags out to Nelson and Jake. Once their arms are laden with the plastic bags, he loads up his own arms and gestures for me to close the hatch.

Nelson’s already heading back inside, but Jake and Jeff still stand there. I fiddle with my car keys and give an awkward wave. ‘Well, I guess I’ll see you guys later. Have a good night.’

‘You should stay,’ Jeff announces.

‘I don’t want to get in the way—’

‘You won’t. Least we can do to thank you.’ And like that, Jeff heads toward the station.

There’s really no polite way of extricating myself from this disaster. How many times have I heard Catherine complain that Jake’s life at the station is the second most important thing in the world behind her? We may not get along, but I refuse to embarrass him here or make him look bad in front of his co-workers. And with our annoyingly volatile relationship, there’s no chance of avoiding that. Could I lie and claim I’ve got an audition to go to? Maybe have some homework to do for a class?

‘Please.’

My heart catches in my throat and I snap my eyes up to Jake’s face. He’s still standing there with bags on his arms, looking all kinds of confident and happy and … friendly.

‘It’d be nice if you’d stay for dinner,’ he adds in case I didn’t understand his previous statement.

The word squeaks out when I realise he’s not joking. ‘Really?’

‘Come on,’ he says, turning toward the station. ‘I’ll give you the tour.’

Bringing food to hungry firefighters is clearly the way to find acceptance. Between the parking lot and the kitchen, I shake more hands and hear more names than I can possibly remember. Jake doesn’t seem to mind their less than subtle ribbing about his giving me a tour. Jake drops the bags in the kitchen, where I’m swept into a crushing hug by the chef of the night. Eventually Jake manages to extricate me from Travis’s grip and leads me around the station.

I’m surprised to find a full workout room. He leans against the wall and watches as I sit on the weights bench and pretend to pump iron. ‘I feel stronger already,’ I joke. ‘This is a great way to spend your downtime when you’re not on a call.’

‘You should see the TV,’ he quips and pushes off the wall. I scoot back on the bench as he nears and he straddles it, sitting on the end opposite me. We remain there quietly, the sound from the other rooms echoing dimly through the station.

He clears his throat. ‘What do you think?’

Tension I didn’t know I’d started carrying eases out of my spine. ‘They’re great guys,’ I assure him. ‘I can see why you like working here so much.’

‘It’s a good job.’

His fingertips are inches from mine, resting on the bench. I wonder what he’d do if I brushed my fingers against his.

‘Thanks for bringing the groceries by.’ His voice is low. ‘You didn’t have to do that.’

‘I know.’