Page 3 of From Air

With a sigh, he scrubs his face. “Maren was right. I thought the ‘private room’ made it clear. Is this going to be a problem?”

“Not per se.” I offer Will an earnest smile. “I had a picture in mind, a room in a house. It will take a bit to adjust for the discrepancy between reality and my expectations.” My incessant nodding gains momentum as I adapt in real time. “As long as I drink nothing after eight p.m., I should be good. Fine. Yep. No problem.”

“Cool. Well, the floor’s heated, and the walls are well insulated. You shouldn’t need anything else, but feel free to buy an extra blanket. Things around here are laid back. Spend as much time in the house as you want. We cleared a shelf in the fridge for you, and you have a kitchen cabinet.”

“Thank you.” I turn in a slow circle while finger combing my staticky rat’s nest of hair.

“So you’re a nurse. Correct?” Will removes his beanie and scratches his head before pulling his hat back over his shaggy hair.

I stare at the tiny mole beneath his left eye for a second, the same eye that has a slight twitch when he smiles. “Yes. A travel nurse. I lucked out and found a six-month position here in a mental health clinic.”

“Oh.” He returns a sheepish grin. “I think you mentioned that in one of our messages. Sounds stressful.”

“I worked in the ER, which was way more stressful.”

“You’ll fit right in with this first responder crew.”

“Oh?”

He briefly glances out the window, blue eyes squinting at a bird feeder hanging from a steel shepherd’s hook. “I’m an engine chief for the Missoula Fire Department. Fitz is a smoke jumper, and Maren is an air tanker pilot.”

“Smoke jumper?”

“Yes. They’re wildland firefighters who parachute into remote areas to suppress fires. They can get there quickly. Some call them elite, but I don’t feed Fitz’s ego, and neither should you.”

I chuckle. “Sheesh. I feel boring in comparison.”

“Don’t.” He rubs his jaw. “You’ll be a breath of fresh air around here. Egos get out of control in a houseful of firefighters.”

“Good thing I’m not in the house.” I give him a toothy grin.

“Damn.” He shakes his head. “I messed up that listing. I’m sorry.”

I wave him off. “I’m kidding. Don’t be sorry. This is perfect.”

“I hope so.” He steps toward the door. “Well, I’ll let you get settled.”

“Thanks.”

“Oh, fair warning.” Will turns back to me. “Maren will hunt you down when she gets home. Be prepared. She’s”—he twists his lips—“a lot.”

“I left a roommate who isa lot, so we’ll be good.”

“And try to ignore Fitz if you do happen to run into him. He’s a loner and an asshole. I don’t want to use the wordsanctimonious, but I just did. However, he pays rent on time, and he’s gone more than he’s here, so we put up with his stellar personality. But I’m sure you’re used to dealing with mentally ill people.”

Biting my lower lip, I nod several times. “Got it. Leave Fitz alone.”

“Exactly.” Will winks and shuts the door.

Chapter Two

CALVIN

A white Jeep with Florida plates occupies my parking spot. I grumble and pull my truck onto the street. I like order and routine when I can have it, but I live with two people who are routinely out of order.

When I push open the squeaky door, Will’s perched in his usual spot on the sofa’s edge, remote in hand, zoned in on his PlayStation game. The brown leather is worn to a little bit of nothing on that side. He barely turns his head in acknowledgment; it’s more like a flinch that doesn’t require more than 1 percent of his attention.

“Why is there a Jeep in my spot? Is there a naked girl from Florida in your bed while you’re playing games?” I drop a K-Cup into my life support machine. It’s almost five o’clock—which happens to be my coffee cutoff time in the winter.

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