Page 8 of Echoes of You

“Come on, Nash. You two are perfect for each other. You basically speak a language only the two of you know. She’s the only one who can talk you out of your crazy antics. And you even like that same weird pizza.”

I frowned at my sister. “My pizza isn’t weird.”

“Every single topping?” She made a gagging noise.

“Noteverytopping. No anchovies.”

Grae sighed. “Same difference. You two are meant to be. This just proves it. Make a move already! If you don’t, someone else will scoop that girl up. Because she’s awesome.”

My gut twisted at the thought of Maddie moving awayagain. But I shoved it all down. “It’s not like that between us. Hell, I haven’t even seen her in two years.” Yet we’d instantly slipped back into that friendship that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

“Come on. Of course, it is. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other—”

“Quit it, G.” My voice came out more harshly than I’d intended, and Grae reared back.

“Okay, let’s all dial it back a notch,” Dad said with a lift of his hand. “Holt, you want to get this party started?”

My brother sent a worried look in my direction but nodded. “We’ve got twenty-four folks looking to qualify for this year’s SAR roster. They’ve all gone through orientation and outdoor school. Now, it’s time to see if they’ve learned what they should have. Nash, you want to run point on today’s exercises?”

My brows lifted in surprise. Leadership was not something my family looked to me for. Jokes? Sure. Snacks? Definitely. Running point on tryouts for SAR? No way in hell.

I cleared my throat. “Sure. Want to give us all a rundown on the prospectives?”

I’d been to the orientation meeting but not to outdoor school because I’d been on duty at the police station. That week of classes and training really started to reveal who would rise to the occasion and who wouldn’t.

Holt nodded. “A lot of folks will make it, no questions asked.” He inclined his head toward a childhood friend of ours standing across the parking lot with the other prospectives. “Chris is here to requalify after letting his membership lapse. I don’t think we’ll have any issues there, and it’ll be good for him to have something positive to focus on.”

What Holt didn’t say was that Chris needed that because his best friend had turned out to be a psychopath who had put Holt and his girlfriend in his sights last month.

Lawson nodded. “I agree. He’ll be an asset to the team.”

Holt marked something down on his sheet. “Some of the other locals all have the basic knowledge and endurance already. Kim surprised the hell out of me. I always thought she was more of the indoor type, but she knocked training out of the park.”

Grae rolled her eyes. “Just because someone wears makeup and likes to get their hair done doesn’t mean they can’t also kick booty on the mountain.”

Holt ruffled her hair. “Noted.”

Grae swatted at him and tried to smooth her blond locks.

“What about those we need to keep an eye on?” Roan asked.

Holt’s mouth pressed into a firm line. “Dan McConnell and Kevin Sellers for sure.”

Lawson and I groaned in unison.

Holt’s gaze snapped to us. “They weren’t my favorite growing up either. They’ve gotten worse?”

“We’ve tossed them in lockup more times than I can count,” Lawson explained.

Holt’s brow furrowed. “Nothing popped on their background checks.”

“It’s always petty stuff,” Lawson said. “Drunk and disorderly, mostly. The occasional bar brawl. Which only makes it more absurd that Dan applies for Cedar Ridge PD every couple of years.”

I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “Kevin’s just a blind follower, but Dan likes to create mayhem.” The problem was, they were adrenaline junkies on top of it and probably thought SAR was nothing but high-octane adventures when it was anything but.

Holt’s lips twitched. “Takes one to know one, right?”

“Hey, fun is different from mayhem,” I argued.

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