Page 6 of The Blaze Between Us

"Ellie never mentioned these. She's been holding out on me."

Brock laughs. "She probably wanted to keep them all for herself. She used to make me drive across town to get them every Saturday morning when she was in high school."

I try to imagine teenage Ellie and a slightly younger Brock sharing breakfast burritos on weekend mornings. The image makes me ache for something I've never had.

"You two are close," I say. It's not a question.

"She's everything to me," he replies.

I nod, taking another bite to buy myself time. "She talks about you all the time. Always has. 'My dad says this' and 'My dad would know how to fix that.'" I smile at the memories. "Freshman year, when our dorm had an electrical issue? She called you for advice instead of the maintenance staff."

He grins, "I remember that call. Two in the morning, and she's describing wiring configurations to me over the phone."

"You talked her through the whole repair," I add. "She was so proud of herself afterward."

"That's my girl. Never wanted to just be told the answer—always wanted to learn how to do it herself."

The pride in his voice is unmistakable, and I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have someone speak aboutme that way. My own father has barely acknowledged my accounting degree, let alone shown any real interest in my life.

"Ready to head out?" Brock asks, gathering our empty wrappers. "The trail gets busier later in the morning."

"Absolutely," I say, standing to grab my backpack. "Just let me brush my teeth real quick."

In the bathroom, I take a deep breath and study my reflection.

"This is just a hike," I whisper to myself. "With a nice man who happens to be incredibly attractive and also your best friend's dad. No big deal."

But as I rejoin Brock in the main room, watching as he checks the weather on his phone with the attention of someone used to preparing for all contingencies, I know I'm lying to myself. This feels like a very big deal indeed.

"All set?" he asks, looking up at me with those piercing blue eyes.

I nod, slinging my backpack over my shoulders. "Lead the way, Chief."

The corner of his mouth quirks up. "I thought we established that you'd call me Brock."

"Brock," I repeat, enjoying the way his name feels on my tongue. "Lead the way."

As we step outside into the cold morning air, he places his hand very lightly on the lower part of my back, guiding me toward his truck. It's a brief touch, completely proper, but I feel it like a brand through my clothes.

His truck is spotless—not a surprise for someone with his military background. He opens the passenger door for me, and I climb in, inhaling the scent of leather seats and a faint hint of pine air freshener. The dashboard is free of clutter except for asmall photo tucked into the edge of the instrument panel—Ellie in her graduation cap and gown, beaming at the camera.

Brock slides into the driver's seat and starts the engine. "Should be about a fifteen-minute drive to the trailhead," he says, backing out of the driveway. "How are you with heights?"

"Generally good," I answer. "Why? Is this one of those terrifying cliff-edge trails?"

He chuckles. "Nothing that dramatic. There's one section with a pretty steep drop-off, but the path is wide enough. I just like to warn people."

"Considerate of you," I say, settling back into the comfortable seat. "I appreciate advance notice before potential death scenarios."

That earns me a full laugh. "Part of the job. Risk assessment and mitigation."

"Is that how you approach everything in life? Assessing risks?"

His eyes remain on the road, but I notice his hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel. "Occupational hazard, I guess. You see enough worst-case scenarios, you start to plan for them everywhere."

"That sounds exhausting," I say softly.

He glances over at me. "Sometimes. But it becomes second nature after a while." He pauses, then adds, "What about you? Does the accountant in you calculate risks and rewards in everyday life?"

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