by Amie Denman
“Maybe it does go both ways?”
“His proposal didn’t come with any words about love. And I’d think that’s where those words would come from if they were in his heart.”
Nicole’s heart ached for Jane as she swung into a spot in the city lot near the park. The lot was almost full, with locals and tourists thronging the sidewalks and lining up at the food trucks.
“Let’s eat and figure this out later,” Nicole said. She smiled at her friend. “It’s not like you’re on a tight time frame or anything.”
“Tell that to my stretch pants,” Jane said.
“Smell the joy,” Nicole said as she stepped out of the car. “I hope the truck that has the little donuts is here. They’re the perfect size for dessert. Or maybe ice cream. You should have more calcium in your life.”
“I’ll eat something healthy, and then maybe I’ll have ice cream. And we could go shopping for new clothes tomorrow,” Jane suggested.
They walked down the line of trucks offering burritos, stir-fry, steak and cheese, vegan meals, fried everything, and custom sandwiches. Jane waved to locals and said hello to tourists they passed. Nicole recognized quite a few people, and every time she nodded and called someone by name, she felt a little more at home. Back in her hometown, there was a festival once a year that brought in food trucks, too, and she almost never recognized anyone out and about. In Cape Pursuit, it was every weekend for more than half the year.
She should get serious about finding a place of her own. She could ask Charlie if anyone had snapped up that yellow house with the blue shutters. Kevin had touched every inch of it with his painting magic, and when she saw the place she’d felt an instant connection.
As she and Jane finished their first pass of all the trucks, a scouting mission to decide which ones would get their business, they turned around and saw Kevin and Charlie crossing the lawn from the overflow parking area. Both men wore shorts and T-shirts, Charlie’s a faded red Virginia Beach souvenir, Kevin’s a navy blue fire department one.
“I hope you haven’t eaten yet,” Charlie said as they met. He stood close to Jane, and Nicole noticed his tense body language. He seemed torn between reaching out and hugging her or running away.
“Not yet,” Nicole said. She smiled at Kevin. “We just did a reconnaissance run. I can give you the full report of trucks if you like.”
“I’m having a burger no matter what you say,” Kevin said. “But I’d be happy to hear about your mission.”
“What would you like, Jane?” Charlie asked.
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having if you’ll let me buy,” Charlie said. He touched her arm lightly.
Jane didn’t brush his hand away. “Are you willing to try the vegan truck?”
“Anything,” he said.
“Sorry,” Kevin said. “I’m out. Want to get in line at the burger truck with me?” he asked Nicole.
Nicole glanced at Jane, trying to judge whether she would welcome some time alone with Charlie.
“You two go ahead,” Jane said, her smile genuine. “I’m going to educate Charlie on the wonders of tofu.”
Charlie kept his hand on Jane’s arm as they turned and headed for the far end of the line of trucks.
“Is that a good thing?” Kevin asked, nodding after the departing couple.
“I think so. They have a lot to talk about.”
“I know,” Kevin said. “I wonder if maybe they’re both making this harder than it needs to be.”
Nicole had wondered the same thing, but she also believed people had to figure things out for themselves. “What would you do if you were in Charlie’s situation?” It was obvious Kevin knew about the pregnancy, so Nicole didn’t see the harm in asking.
Kevin swallowed and looked at the ground before raising his eyes to hers. “I’d say what was in my heart even if it wasn’t what someone wanted to hear. Even if I didn’t think I’d be believed.”
The temptation to step into his arms was one of the hardest things Nicole had ever fought.
She tried to smile even though her heart was racing. “You must be the bravest man I’ve ever met.”
Kevin took her hand. “No, I’m not. There are things I’m afraid of, just like everyone else.”
Crowds of people jostled past them and a stroller clipped Nicole’s ankle. Kevin tugged her hand and pulled her next to him. “Let’s get our burgers and find an empty table.”
As they waited in line, Nicole’s bare arm brushed Kevin’s. There was so much noise around them, Nicole felt as if they were alone in their conversation.
“How’s your sister doing?”
Nicole sighed. “Okay. I’ve talked to my parents about her...unhappiness. They’ve encouraged her to see a counselor, and I’m trying to check in with her at least every other day.”
“You’re a good sister.”
“Trying.”
“Tell me more about your life back home,” Kevin said. “You worked in a furniture factory?”
“Yes,” she said, “but don’t ask me to build furniture. If I do move into a house in Cape Pursuit, I’m buying everything preassembled and delivered.”
“I’d come over and put it together for you,” Kevin offered. “Are you thinking about staying here? That yellow one with blue shutters is pretty and cheerful. Like you.”
He was going to kill her if he kept up being so nice. What am I doing?
“I was just thinking about that house. It has a spare bedroom for my sister in case she wants to visit or even move here.”
“Do you think she’s considering that?”
“I don’t know.” Nicole shrugged. “I know she’s unhappy where she is, but it would be a major change for her to drop her job and move.”
“You did it.”
“Yes, but I had a friend and a job waiting here for me.”
“She’d have a friend—even better, a sister.”
“It would leave our parents all alone,” she said quietly. “I’d feel guilty every day about that.”
Kevin nodded. He didn’t issue the usual platitudes she might have expected from someone else. You have to live your own life, etc. Perhaps because he saw people at their worst, he seemed to accept people wherever they were.
“So your furniture job where you didn’t make furniture,” he said. “I think you have time to tell me about it before we get to the front of the line. If we ever do.”
“Hungry?”
“Starving. I missed lunch because we were out on a call, and then it seemed too late to eat. I didn’t want to kill my appetite for tonight, but now I’m thinking I made a mistake.”
“I’ll distract you with tales from the furniture factory in Indianapolis. Fascinating stuff,” Nicole said. “I have a business degree with a concentration in human resources, so I worked in the HR department. I helped with hiring, firing, contracts, training, insurance.”
“Things that matter to people.”
“Yes. I liked it, for the most part. I was also an informal assistant to the president. He had a secretary, but he kept asking me to help him manage events, plan meetings and things like that.”
“He liked you.”
Nicole grimaced. “Apparently. I was flattered that he thought I was so capable.”
“What happened?” Kevin asked.
“I was young and foolish.”
“How long ago was this?”
“Last year,” she said, a grin replacing the grimace she felt whenever she thought of her former boss, Bryan.
“Did he mistreat you?”
“Not technically. He led me on, but I went willingly. We had a brief relationship which ended with a mutual understanding that it wouldn’t work.”
“But he kept his job and you didn’t.”
Nicole shrugged. �
��It was good for me to leave anyway.”
They reached the front of the line where they both ordered the same thing, and then they moved to the side window with their drinks to wait for their food.
“You landed on your feet,” Kevin observed.
“With help,” Nicole said, laughing. “And I’m not sure living with my college roommate and helping her run an art gallery that she doesn’t really need help running is landing on my feet.”
“But you’re enjoying it.”
Nicole sipped her wine and nodded. “I’m happier than I’ve been in quite a while.”
Kevin dipped his chin and smiled. The evening light framed his head and shoulders and made him seem even more handsome. “I’m glad.”
“Tell me about your fire science degree,” Nicole said, struggling to resist his charm.
“Not much to tell yet. I’m starting in the fall. It’ll take me almost two years going nights and doing some online, but I’m in no hurry. I love the job I have right now, but I’m looking at the future.”
Could he consider giving up firefighting? Was that what the degree was about?
“What will you do with the degree?” Nicole asked.
“Same thing I do now, but I can advance and be an officer, maybe even chief someday. I can also do fire inspections, approve building plans and fire suppression systems, stuff like that.”
“Oh,” Nicole said. “It sounds like a wise career move.”
But still a dangerous job. One more reminder that she should keep things light between them.
Their food order came out the side window and they picked up their baskets of food. “Let’s sit over here,” Kevin said. “I think they’re still in line down at the vegan truck, and we’ll leave it up to them if they want to join us.”
Nicole swung her legs over the picnic table bench and Kevin sat across from her. He picked up his burger and stopped, head cocked, apparently listening. A woman was speaking in a hysterical tone bordering on a scream. Nicole couldn’t make out what she was saying, but she saw the speaker at a picnic table three rows behind Kevin and pointed.
The crowd noise stilled and everyone seemed to be listening. The high-pitched words can’t breathe carried on the silence and Kevin was on his feet before Nicole had any idea what was going on. Does the man live in emergency-readiness mode?
Kevin already had his legs disentangled from the table. “Come with me, and bring your phone,” he said.
Kevin strode toward the distraught woman, and Nicole followed, purse in hand. Kevin muscled past bystanders and leaned in close to a man whose face was blotched with red as he gasped for breath and clutched his throat.
Nicole watched in horror, glad Kevin was there to handle whatever happened. No one else was doing anything.
“Food allergy?” Kevin asked the man.
Despite his struggle for breath, his hands desperately fluttering from his chest to his neck, the man nodded.
“EpiPen?” Kevin asked.
The man shook his head.
“Nicole,” Kevin said, turning to her. “Run to my truck.” He pointed to the overflow lot. “It’s unlocked. Bring the red bag you’ll find under the seat. You—” he pointed to someone in the crowd “—call 911 and give them our exact location.”
Nicole ran as fast as she could and found Kevin’s truck at the end of the first row. She whipped open the door and dug under the seat, thrilled when she found the bag. Slamming the door shut, she raced back to the scene.
Kevin had the man, looking much worse, on the ground. Nicole could hardly breathe from her run to the parking lot, but she couldn’t imagine the panic the struggling man must feel. How had Kevin guessed so quickly what the problem was?
Kevin held out his hand when he saw Nicole approach and she gave him the bag. He unzipped it and dug out a yellow box with a syringe inside. Nicole shrank back and watched Kevin open the device and inject the man in the thigh, right through his clothes. She waited, holding her breath. Would it help? Would he keep breathing until the ambulance got there...and then what? And where were Jane and Charlie? Hadn’t they noticed the commotion?
Slowly, the man’s struggle to breathe diminished. Kevin got behind him on the ground and propped him up, speaking to him in a low, encouraging voice.
The woman who was with him had recovered enough to be helpful and explained it was their first date. She didn’t know he had a food allergy and had given him a bite of her lobster roll without telling him what it was. Her tears flowed freely and Nicole’s heart went out to her. She put an arm around the woman and sat with her, uncertain what else she could do.
Sirens echoed in the evening air, and Charlie came racing out of nowhere. Kevin gave him the thumbs-up. “Anaphylaxis. Food allergy. I used my EpiPen. Breathing better already.”
Charlie squatted down and assessed the patient. “Sorry, I didn’t know what was going on until I heard the sirens,” he said.
“Where’s Jane?” Nicole asked, worried.
“She went to the bathroom and I was supposed to be holding our place in line.”
The ambulance pulled up, following bystanders who were waving vigorously to guide it. Kevin and Charlie talked to their colleagues and helped load the patient in the back. Jane came up just as the ambulance doors closed. She grabbed Charlie’s arm. “What happened? Is everything all right?”
“Kevin saved the day before I got over here. Allergic reaction to food,” Charlie said. “I lost our place in line, though, and I know you’re hungry. Want to give it another try?”
Jane glanced at Nicole, and Nicole tried to smile encouragingly. She wanted to give her friend the opportunity for an honest conversation with the father of her baby. Jane and Charlie walked away, his hand on the small of her back.
Charlie stopped before he was out of earshot. “Don’t forget to replace your EpiPen, just in case your brother runs into an angry bee.”
“I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Your brother is allergic to bees?” Nicole asked.
“Deathly. That’s why I have my own EpiPen.”
Kevin draped an arm around Nicole and they walked back to their picnic table. The crowd had dispersed as soon as the ambulance left, and the festival atmosphere slowly revived.
“I swear I’m going to starve to death before I get to eat tonight,” Kevin said, sitting down and picking up his cold burger.
“I don’t think I could eat a single thing after what just happened.” She felt as if she might vomit. That poor man’s face...he almost died.
Kevin shrugged, his expression rueful as he held up a soggy french fry. “You get used to it. It ended well.”
“How can you do this?” Nicole asked. Her heart was still hammering.
“Do what?”
“Be so calm?”
Kevin focused on her, studying her face. He reached over and grabbed her hand. “I’m sorry,” he said. “To me, it’s not scary anymore. An emergency, yes, but as long as I can do something about it, it’s okay. I forget sometimes what something like that looks like to other people.”
“What would have happened if you weren’t here?” Nicole asked, her voice sounding small and high-pitched. She tried to calm her breathing.
“I don’t know. I hope someone would have called 911 and the squad would have gotten here in time. We do our best to save people, but we don’t always get there in time.”
Nicole knew he was thinking of the drowning victim he’d tried so hard to save. “I’m going to go wash my hands,” Nicole said, emotionally overwhelmed. She headed for the park’s restroom building.
Kevin was right behind her. He stopped her before she’d made it ten feet. “Talk to me, Nicole.”
She shook her head. Her hands were shaking. She just wanted to go in the restroom and splash cold water on her face. She’d be okay if he’d just let her go.
Kevin took her by both shoulders and looked closely at her. “Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. As slow as you can.”
She tried following his directions, tried not to think about that man struggling to survive because of something silly like a piece of lobster. Her hands tingled and her legs shook.
“I’m going to count,” Kevin said. “Breathe in for four and out for four. Look straight at me. Ready?”
Nicole nodded. She stared straight into Kevin’s stormy eyes and did exactly what he said. Her breathing slowed, feeling returned to her hands, and she felt steadier. Maybe it was because Kevin was holding her, his words and eyes encouraging her. Why did she feel so safe with him?
The answer was obvious. He seemed like the kind of man who could handle anything. But what if he got in a situation that he couldn’t handle? What if a fire advanced on him and took his life, no matter how healthy and strong he was?
“You look better already,” he said. “Anyone would be shook up by that.”
She took a deep breath. “I’m okay now. I just needed to clear my head. I’m going to wash my hands and I’ll meet you at the table.”
He held her shoulders for a moment longer.
“Really,” she said. “I’ll be right there.”
“Maybe I’ll wash up, too,” he agreed.
Nicole took her time in the small concrete block building. She held a wet paper towel to her cheeks. I’m in control of my life. I just helped save a man’s life. I can make it through the next hour with Kevin and then be strong for Jane no matter what’s happening with her and Charlie.
When she got back to the picnic table, Kevin was already there. He’d shoved away his basket of food and was sitting with his arms crossed on the table.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “This burger and fries don’t look good anymore.”
Nicole could hardly look at the cold, greasy food. “You’re right. We could skip dinner and have ice cream,” she suggested. Jane and Charlie had not come back, and if she was going to hang out by the ocean on a beautiful summer night, she might as well make the best of it.
“I like your thinking,” Kevin said. He picked up their ruined dinners, dumped them in a nearby trash can, and then held out his hand to her. “We deserve something sweet.”