Page 121 of The Lineman

He wasn’t planning on going anywhere at all.

I turned my head, watching him for another long moment, his face still softened with sleep.

Then, finally, I exhaled, let my body relax, and closed my eyes.

I wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring.

But tonight, at least, I could let myself have this—even if it was only one night.

Chapter thirty-three

Elliot

Ihadjustfinishedlacing up my boots when my phone rang.

The sharp buzz against the kitchen counter made my stomach clench, even before I saw the number. Bad news always came this way—sudden, uninvited, tearing through whatever plans I’d made like it had a right to.

I picked up without thinking.

“Hart,” my supervisor’s familiar, gruff voice barked.

“Morning,” I said, not really feeling a chipper greeting.

“Tornadoes touched down all across the city last night. City’s a mess. Reports coming in of structural damage, downed lines everywhere.”

I exhaled through my nose, already feeling the weight of the job settling onto my shoulders.

“How bad?”

There was a pause. “Bad enough. We need all hands.”

I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.

“Got it,” I said, my voice steady. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

I hung up and stared at my phone for a second.

Then I sighed, dragging a hand over my face.

Mike.

I’d planned to see him tonight, on finally spending some time together after two days of settling back in, after two nights of sharing a bed but being too exhausted to do much more than sleep. We’d both been looking forward to it. I was fairly certain Mike had arranged a trivia date with the gang.

And now—

I grabbed my jacket, already dreading the day. Storm season sucked.

Mike picked up after two rings. “Hey, you. Didn’t expect to hear your voice this morning.”

His easy warmth made my chest tighten.

I inhaled slowly, leaning against the counter. “I—the storms did a number on the city.”

Mike went quiet. I heard the shift in his breath, the slight pause before he spoke again.

“What’s going on?”

“Tornadoes,” I said, keeping my voice even. “Hit hard. They need us out there for emergency work.”

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