Page 62 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

I felt a knot form in my stomach. The thought of Nate finding out made my heart race with anxiety. He’d never understand the situation—hell, I didn’t even understand it.

“Thanks for the advice,” I said, trying to laugh it off. “But like I said, there’s nothing.”

But before I could respond, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out without thinking. My stomach churned when I saw the message.

>> You’re not done yet, Lila. Don’t think you can hide from me. I’m watching.

My breath caught in my throat as I read the words.

Samantha noticed the change in my expression immediately.

“Everything okay?” she asked, her tone no longer teasing.

I swallowed hard and tried to brush it off. “Yeah, just… work stuff.”

But Samantha’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she didn’t buy my act. “You sure? You look pale.”

I shoved my phone back into my pocket and gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just some stress. I’ll be okay.”

She studied me for a moment, but to her credit, she didn’t press. Instead, she handed me my coffee. “Well, if you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

“Thanks, Samantha,” I said, my voice shaky. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

But as I turned and walked to a quiet corner of the café, the texts kept coming one after another, each one more ominous than the last.

>> You can’t hide forever. I’ll be waiting.

The words sent a cold shiver down my spine, and my hands trembled as I set my coffee down. I couldn’t keep this up much longer. I needed to find out who was behind these messages before they pushed me over the edge.

The threat of everything being found out loomed large in my mind. Towns like Medford weren’t forgiving.

Gossip could destroy me.

CHAPTERNINETEEN

Colt

The barn had been transformedinto a makeshift photo studio, complete with hay bales, rustic props, and a camera set up on a tripod.

The guys were mostly in good spirits, considering the ridiculousness of posing for a firefighter fundraiser calendar.

The whole town was counting on us to pull this off, so we were giving it our all… even if that meant enduring Nate’s overly serious directing.

“You’re doing great, Ryan,” he said, not looking up from the camera. “Just try to look less like you want to kill me and more like you’re here to save kittens from trees.”

Ryan tugged at the sleeves of his flannel shirt, his expression dark. “I swear, I’m gonna murder you after this.”

I smirked. “Aw, come on, Grumpy. It’s for a good cause. And let’s be real, youlovethe attention.”

Ryan shot me a withering glare but didn’t bother denying it. Jaxon, meanwhile, lounged on a hay bale like he was born for this, the corners of his mouth tugging into a cocky grin.

“Relax,” Jaxon said, leaning back and flexing slightly. “It’s called charm. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Charm, my ass,” I muttered, but I couldn’t help laughing. “You’ve been practicing that smirk for years, haven’t you?”

Before Jaxon could retort, the barn door creaked open and in walked Lila, carrying a clipboard and looking entirely too put together for a day surrounded by sweaty firefighters.

Nate waved her over. “Lila, thank God. We need your creative eye. These guys are hopeless without some direction.”

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