Chapter 6
OLIVIA
I ’m not used to this feeling.
A feeling of hope boldly blooms in my chest. The idea that maybe, just maybe, I might get some sort of happy ending after all. And so, I take everything with a grain of salt, with a sliver of doubt that it might disappear if I don’t pay attention, if I get too comfortable.
“There she is!” Beck exclaims as he gets out of his ambulance.
Beck’s uniform is dark blue with short sleeves, different and lighter than Dax’s and Leo’s. I love the way they look in their gear.
“Here I am,” I laugh lightly as I set a box of cupcakes from Melinda’s on the squad’s common table. It’s their usual hangout in between calls on busier days.
“How’s working at the diner coming along?” Dax asks as he comes over to greet me and pop a kiss on my cheek.
“Good, actually,” I reply with a smile. “Jim definitely doesn’t regret deciding to make me a permanent hire. And Melinda is giving me more responsibility. So yeah, it’s going good.”
“I’m glad,” Dax says.
“Frankly, the job is easier than what I used to do for a living,” I quip, remembering the hours I spent poring over bank accounts and financial statements, doctoring them, and transferring funds across a slew of wires, just to keep the IRS and IAB off Marcus’s back.
“You never told us what you did for a living,” Dax responds.
“I did. Finance, fintech?—”
“Details, Olivia. I thrive on details.”
He wants to know more, and I can’t blame him, considering the level of intimacy that we’ve reached. I’ve only been here for two weeks and the four of us are getting closer. Physically, we’re almost inseparable. Emotionally, I’m afraid it will take longer for me to let my guard down.
For their safety and mine. But I know Dax can feel it.
“Is this Olivia?” a little boy’s voice cuts through the echoing noise of equipment being loaded onto the fire trucks behind us.
I glance over to see a kid who looks to be about twelve, with dark skin and deep brown eyes, looking at me. His black hair is a tousled mess, but I like the way it falls over his forehead, partially covering a half-moon scar. Leo pops out from behind the truck and brings the boy over.
“Yes, it is,” he says, giving me a broad smile.
“And who is this handsome fella?” I ask.
“My son, Luke. ”
The way Leo says the words has me laughing lightly before I realize that he’s serious. I pause and stare at him, then at Luke, then back at Leo. “Really?” I manage, kicking myself on the inside for not coming up with a more appropriate reply.
“I met Luke in Syria,” Leo explains.
“Oh, I see.”
Connecting the dots, I now understand that Luke survived a horrific war. “I’m adopted,” the boy says.
“Well, that is really cool.”
“Yeah, it is,” he states, looking adoringly at Leo.
I give Leo a curious look. “You never mentioned?—”
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it,” he cuts in, then looks back at Luke. “Hey buddy, do you want to check and see what Melinda sent over this time?”
“Yeah, man!” Luke exclaims and goes to the table, eagerly opening the box. “Cupcakes, really big cupcakes.”
I laugh. “Melinda’s trying out a new recipe. She figured you’d make excellent test subjects.”
“Lord knows she can always experiment on us,” Dax replies, helping himself to one while I switch my focus back to Leo.
“I didn’t mean to sound…. Gosh, I don’t know how I’m supposed to sound,” I sigh deeply as Leo comes closer. “It’s just that…”
“Luke isn’t a secret,” he says, lowering his voice. “I simply wanted to get to know you a little better before I brought him into the picture. ”
The words hit deep, though they shouldn’t. I’m certainly keeping my fair share of secrets, so why does this bother me even slightly?
“It makes sense,” I tell him. “He obviously knew about me, though.”
“Busted. We’ve raved about you plenty,” he admits with a shy smile.
“You have?”
“Of course.”
My cheeks flare with glee and a little bit of embarrassment as I sneak a peek at the boy. “How old is he?”
“Almost twelve. He was five when we brought him back. The adoption process went smoother than with other child refugee cases because he doesn’t have any living relatives left. They were all killed.”
“Poor kid,” I whisper. “How is he faring emotionally?”
“He still has nightmares sometimes. He was born and raised in a conflict zone, so the trauma runs deep. But we attend monthly sessions with a child psychologist who specializes in precisely this sort of stuff. Luke is on the right track.”
“And we’re all pitching in,” Beck says before he bites into a red velvet cupcake. “The kid got lucky. One dad, two great uncles. Plus, the rest of the crew here at the fire house have practically adopted him as well. He’s set for life.”
“I’ll bet,” I chuckle softly.
Luke comes over with a pink strawberry cupcake. “This is for you. ”
“Oh, for me? Melinda had me bring them over for you.”
“I don’t care. You should have this one.”
I’m speechless and flattered by his appreciation, so I take the cupcake and give him a thankful nod. “You’re very generous, Luke, thank you.”
“So you like my dad, right?”
Again, I’m speechless but for an entirely different reason. “I’m sorry?”
“He’s extremely observant,” Leo laughs. “He picks things up quickly.”
“Are you dating? Do you want to be my mom?”
“Whoa,” I gasp, half laughing, half ready to run for the hills, though definitely flattered that this gorgeous little kid would want me to be a part of his family.
Leo pats his shoulder. “Dude, take it easy. We’ve barely gone on a few dates and had some coffee together,” he pauses to look up at me, making it clear that the memory of that ‘breakfast’ on my kitchen table is still very fresh in his mind. “We’ve got plenty of time to see where this leads.”
“It’s just that you never let me meet your girlfriends,” Luke replies. “I figured that must mean Olivia’s special.”
“She is,” Leo says, his eyes locked on mine.
My heart swells as I try to keep my demeanor cool and composed. Part of me worries that this will blow up in my face somehow, but another part of me actually dares to envision a future with Leo, Dax, and Beck.
It sounds nice, really nice .
Luke also adds a new dimension to what I thought I knew about Leo. It makes him even more attractive, even more appealing to me. And paired with Dax and Beck, he’s downright irresistible.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Luke, I’ll tell you that much,” I say to the kid.
“He’s hanging out with us today,” Leo says. “His school is doing some major repair project, and they wanted to do online classes, but the parents banded together and got the principal to just give them a day off.”
“Sounds much more fun than online classes,” I say, then look around at the apparatus floor. “Do you come here often?”
“Yeah,” Luke says.
“So you’d be able to tell me more about the trucks and the tools these guys use, right?”
“Of course. Dax showed me how to use the Halligan tool last week,” Luke exclaims. “I could teach you.”
“Another day for sure. I have to get back to work now before Jim checks the time and realizes I’m still here,” I reply with a soft smile.
Dax comes in for another kiss on the cheek. “The diner’s not that busy at this hour, is it?”
“Nope, but I’m supposed to reorganize the cutlery compartments for table service, among other things,” I tell him. “Earning my pay.”
Suddenly, the siren blares, and a red light flashes just above the hall’s entrance, followed by the dispatcher’s voice booming through the wall-mounted speakers, announcing a structure fire somewhere across town .
“Okay, that’s us,” Dax says.
“I’ll just go inside like normal,” Luke sighs.
“Or you could hang out at the diner with me,” I suggest, genuinely eager to get to know him a little better. Behind his calm facade, I can see a curious boy with a big heart. In some ways, he reminds me of me. “It’s no trouble, especially if he helps.”
“Jim won’t mind,” Leo replies with a shrug. “We’ve got him by the short hairs because of those chocolate chip cookies. I know he won’t say no.”
That makes me laugh.
“Okay, yeah. I’ll go with Olivia,” Luke says.
“It’s settled then,” I conclude. Leo kisses my forehead, followed by a peck from Beck on the cheek before they all rush back to their trucks, getting their gear ready as they jump in.
In less than a minute, the trucks and the ambulance roll out into the streets, their lights flashing and sirens wailing, as the faint scent of smoke lingers in the air. Luke and I stand back and listen until the rumble fades and the firehouse is silent once more.
“Guess they’ll eat those cupcakes later,” Luke mutters. “The Oreo one looks really cool.”
“You should take it,” I suggest.
“Won’t they know it’s missing?”
“They don’t have to know. It’ll be our little secret.”
Luke gives me a broad smile, then grabs the Oreo cupcake and joins me as we cross the street to the diner .
I have a feeling he and I are going to get along just fine.
An hour flies by while Luke and I are at the diner.
It’s a slow day, and while my tips might suffer, I don’t mind because it gives me a chance to learn how to run this place in Melinda’s absence and also to learn more about Luke. My fondness for the kid is growing the more time I spend with him.
“So you’re really into computers?” he asks as he wipes down one of the tables with a dry cotton cloth.
“You could say that.”
“Do you know Python?”
I give him a surprised look. “Do you?”
“Yeah, some.”
“Some? Python is a complicated programming software.”
Luke shrugs lightly as he moves on to the next table. “It’s not that hard. I learned the basics in computer camp last year. I’ve been developing my own app since.”
“Really? That’s so impressive, Luke.”
Okay, now my feelings for the kid are increasing exponentially.
I take a moment to refill the coffee mugs at table four, then pop into the kitchen to see if Jim needs anything. Then, I whip up a milkshake for Luke, adding extra whipped cream, just the way he likes it .
“What’s your app for?” I ask, continuing our conversation.