Page 2 of Bumping into You

I wipe away the tears that begin falling down my cheeks. I’m a strong, independent woman, and I don’t need a man who isn’t going to communicate with me, who isn’t going to put in the effort to make us work.

Forget him. I’m just going to put all my energy into my business and reap the rewards of it—that’ll show him. I’ll make sure nothing ever gets overlooked again. Whimsy and Wonder Events by Gwen will be more successful than ever, and then Bradley will understand why I’ve had to work so much.

EIGHT MONTHS

Later . . .

Chapter 2

Niall

I open my locker at the firehouse and take off my gear.

Mitchell, a fellow recruit I started at the firehouse with, takes his coat off next to me. “Did I hear that you’re going to be off for the next week and a half?” he asks.

“You heard right,” I say.

Johnny sits next to us and pulls a homemade cookie out of a Tupperware. “Want one?” he asks us.

I nod, and Mitchell doesn’t hesitate to grab one.

Johnny hands me a cookie. “What has you takin’ off for so long?” he asks.

I put the whole cookie in my mouth then dig out the wedding invitation I’d received a few months ago, which had been stuffed in my locker. “This is one of the reasons I’m heading to Miami tomorrow.”

Mitchell takes the invitation from me and reads it aloud.

“Who are Gregory and Holly?” asks Johnny, eating another cookie.

“Greg is an old college mate of mine, and Holly is his grade-school sweetheart that he’s finally marrying,” I reply.

“That’s nice,” says Johnny. “I’d dated my gal since high school before finally marrying her after we graduated.”

I laugh. “Greg wishes he was so lucky. He’d been pining after this lass for years. Thirteen to be exact. About a year and a half ago, they finally got together.”

“Damn, that’s a long time,” says Brianna, who had just walked into the locker room.

“So, are you hoping to find your girl on this cruise then?” Mitchell teases.

“God knows it’s about time you find one,” Johnny adds.

“Nothing like that,” I say. “Greg asked me to be one of his groomsmen. I couldn’t deny my mate’s request. Plus, another college mate of ours, Trent, will be there too. I’m looking forward to seeing them again. It’s been too long.”

“College?” asks Mitchell. “Do you mean the fire academy in New York?”

“I actually went to Boston University and met Trent and Greg there,” I say. “I graduated with a degree in business, but found out quickly after graduation that the nine-to-five desk job wasn’t for me.”

“I get it,” says Johnny. “I’d be too restless sitting around all day.”

“Exactly,” I say. “I was just staring at a bunch of spreadsheets. I needed action, adventure, a job that gave me purpose.”

“So you joined the academy,” Brianna says.

“I did. Not even six months after graduating, I’d quit my job and signed up for the FDNY Fire Academy. Eighteen weeks later, I was a fireman.”

“And now you’re getting all the adventure you wanted, right?” asks Johnny, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I say, “I know being a firefighter isn’t all bells and whistles. It’s stressful, not only the toll it takes on the body but also the mind. But it makes me happy.”

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