Page 27 of Once Upon a Summer Night

“Got a call from the chief while you were washing those golden locks,” Joey said. “Said he agreed to let the big dogs send in some part-time help. They’re due to arrive around eight.”

“He did?” Chase checked his cell. Sure enough, there was a missed call showing. And damn, he thought he’d been handling everything well while Chief Brooks was out. Clearly, the big dogs didn’t feel that way. Would have been nice for someone to get his input before setting their plan in motion. “Well, this should be interesting.”

“Ain’t you scared, Redding?” Dylan teased. “Big dogs sending in someone to help bail you out?”

“Nah,” he lied. “I’ll probably get more sleep if they do. Besides, if the commissioner wants us to have help, then that’s the way it’s going to be. He makes the rules, not us.”

“Pfft, tell him we don’t need no help,” Austin said. “Besides, if you have questions, you just call the chief.”

Cody smacked Austin upside the head. “Don’t be an idiot, Rookie. Telling the commissioner ‘No’ is like asking for a one-way ticket out the door.”

Austin rubbed the back of his head with a frown. “But what if they send us some asshole from the big city who doesn’t get us? Or some crusty old guy who’s even grouchier than the chief?”

“Then we all take turns going to Brooks Farm and help the chief hurry up with his physical therapy,” Chase said.

A round of laughter and high fives broke out, the moment of levity dissipating the tension in the room. But as Chase headed down the hall toward the engine room, his earlier annoyance resurfaced. Was this what it was going to be like when he was the chief? His opinion ignored by the people above him?

No sooner had he opened his gear locker than his cell buzzed. Finally, a response from Hannah.

You still at work?

Yep, he texted back.Just finished breakfast. I can call if you’re free to talk, just me in the engine room right now.

After a few seconds of radio silence, the street-facing entry door to the fire station’s garage swung open. “No need, I’m already here.”

Chase spun to find Hannah looking like she’d just stepped off a page from their yearbook in a concert T-shirt, distressed capris, and sneakers. Her hair was curled and tucked neatly behind one ear, and she’d applied a subtle amount of makeup to accentuate her green-blue eyes. It was a view he could never tire of. Ever.

“Sorry I didn’t text back last night,” she said. “I fell asleep in Noah’s bed. Woke to findHorton Hears a Who!stuck to my forehead.”

He chuckled at the mental image. “No worries. Besides, I was the tardy one. So, what did you need to talk to me about?”

“That Dad was sending me to find a uniform.”

“A uniform?” Chase frowned. Surely, the chief wasn’t trying to sneak back early. “What on earth does he need one of those for?”

“Oh, it’s not for him.” She offered Chase a sheepish grin. “It’s for me.”

Chapter Seven

As confident asHannah had been that Chase would be okay with this new arrangement, standing there watching him digest it had her thinking otherwise. At first, he’d looked surprised, then uncertain. Now, he just looked flat-out irritated. Definitely not how she thought this would go.

“Listen, this is all just temporary, okay? Dad and Aunt Faye know I can’t afford this fancy attorney they know who can help me keep Noah, so they struck a deal with me. In exchange for their financial support, I agreed to help here in the mornings for a few weeks and at the bookstore in the afternoons so Aunt Faye can help Dad with his therapy.”

He studied her, still silent.

“And I won’t be going on runs or anything, just helping in the office with administrative stuff. That way, I’m not a liability to the station. Plus, Dad said paperwork was your least favorite part of the job.”

“That is true.” Chase offered a reluctant nod. “I just wish… It doesn’t matter. If it’s going to help you keep Noah, then we’ll make this work.”

“Thank you, Chase.”

“Don’t thank me just yet. You haven’t seen your father’s office.”

Hannah laughed. “I’m more worried about finding a spare uniform that actually fits. I’d prefer not to have to wear some men’s extra tall T-shirt dress for the next three weeks.”

Turns out, Bourbon Falls Fire Station One had exactly three standard issue logo’d T-shirts and one pair of black slacks in the storage closet that fit Hannah. She slipped into the nearest restroom and tugged on one of the shirts, but found the slacks were far too long, so those were a no-go. There would be some hemming in her future. She’d also have to go without work boots, her own back in Kankakee, but she wasn’t too worried since she’d be in the office most of the time, anyway—something Chase didn’t seem nearly as excited about as she hoped he would be.

Was it because she was an unexpected guest tossed into his sandbox, or was he still worried about that ridiculous accidental kiss?

---