Chapter Two
“Peyton?” said Josie again, her eyebrows dipped so low they were touching her lovely lashes. Lashes that framed honey-brown eyes and accentuated the speckles of freckles over her nose and her pink cupid bow lips.
Funny how a person could make such a lasting impression after just one night.
How Peyton could still remember that very moment when Josie had slid in opposite her at the pub and pointed to the book she had been reading.
She had been completely oblivious to the fact that Peyton was coming out of a bad breakup and was desperate for anything, or anyone, to numb the pain.
It was a wrong time, wrong place sort of scenario.
And seeing Josie again, now, was like seeing a part of herself she wished she could forget.
Mostly because that time of her life was painful and had to be boxed up and forgotten.
Whoever she had met at that time, or slept with, or even looked at, had become unfortunate casualties lost in a void of memories she wished would fade forever.
“Hi,” said Peyton smoothly, not nearly as shocked as Josie appeared to be.
Of course, she wasn’t. As soon as she had left that hotel room in Manuel Antonio, she had done her research, found out that Josie Anderson was a lieutenant at a fire station in Morro Bay and that she had an identical twin sister, and that she was born and raised there, with no intention to move.
Peyton needed to know all of these things in order to avoid Josie, to avoid an accidental encounter in a coffee shop, or on a beach, or at an airport lounge.
The world was huge, yet for some reason, it often felt extremely, inexplicably small.
Peyton’s only surprise was seeing Josie there when she had adamantly asked the receptionist at Station 26 about her when she had volunteered to assist with the wildfires, and they assured her that Josie Anderson was, in fact, on her way out of the country.
If she had known that Josie would be there, Peyton would’ve stayed back and carried on with the daily grind at Station 34 in Los Osos.
As simple as that. Except now it had become a whole lot more complicated.
“I didn’t even know you were a firefighter.” Josie walked forward, her body stiff, her face, which Peyton had only ever seen as soft and smooth, held a deep frown.
“Why would you?”
“Because I told you that I was a firefighter, and you said you were in publishing.”
Peyton snorted a laugh and caught it just a second too late.
Publishing. The word had sprung up on her that Saturday morning—the morning after and yes; they had proceeded to have sex twice more—when they had both been in bed, naked.
Peyton had wanted to leave immediately. She wanted to flee the room like it was infested with snakes, but Josie had held on tightly.
It was a panicked lie that had sounded surprisingly convincing at the time.
What did it matter if she told a little white lie to a woman she would never see again?
Especially if it had felt absolutely necessary at the time.
“Come on, Josie. You didn’t think I’d actually tell you everything about me? How easy would it be for you to find me online if I told you what I did for a living?”
Josie’s expression fell. Her nose wrinkled. Her lips parted and closed again. An entire year later and for some reason, the woman looked younger, as if she had lost a year of her age instead of gaining one. All those soft curves and rounded edges were delicious, if not addictive.
Peyton was suddenly aware that a few of the other firefighters were gawking in their direction. A lot of new faces meant a lot of questions. She wasn’t one for questions.
“Hang on,” said Josie, folding her arms tight over her chest as a windswept expression made its way onto her face. It was the kind of expression you would see when a person stepped out onto a street and dodged a speeding bus. “Why don’t you look as surprised to see me as I am to see you?”
“Who says I’m not—”
“GET MOVING PEOPLE!!” shouted the captain. He looked far younger than Peyton had expected him to be when she had first heard him speak. He was a handsome man with a perpetually serious expression. “LET’S LOAD UP!”
Tearing her gaze from Josie’s face, Peyton rushed to her gear, grabbed her helmet and bunker coat, and ran to the truck. Josie cut her off and stepped up first, clearly holding a grudge. She then settled into the seat across from Peyton.
“Is your name even Peyton?” she asked, her gaze locked so tightly onto Peyton’s that she felt physical pain. “Are you even from Nevada? Or did you make that up as well?”
The truck blasted out of the garage and onto the street. Peyton shot her arm out and gripped the handrail tightly as the truck sped through the street. Sirens were blaring and lights were flashing, and Josie’s gaze penetrated ever deeper.
“Yes… and no,” said Peyton, ignoring the blonde sitting next to Josie, who watched them with a slack jaw and wide bug eyes. Peyton nearly leaned forward to close the woman’s mouth, whispering ‘It’s impolite to eavesdrop, sweetie,’ but kept her position.
“Do you even have a Labrador called Pretzel?” continued Josie. “And a brother who directs C-grade horror movies for a living? Do you even like banana peppers on your pizza, or did you just say that you do because I do?”
“No to all the above. Except for that last question. That’s a yes.”
Josie’s nostrils flared. “Do you always lie to people?”
“Don’t be a child,” shot Peyton, rolling her eyes, and nearly losing them in her skull.
If there was ever a time to regret coming to Morro Bay, it was right then. Not that she had too long to think about it when they drove into a dark plume of smoke, the air growing thick and acrid.
~~
Peyton was stationed at Black Hill.
The smoke was thick. Even Morro Rock, the volcanic plug that rose from the ocean like a giant’s fist, was hard to see. Flames brushed across the coyote brushes, California sage brushes, and coastal golden bushes. Everything was burning.
Coming from the city, Peyton was used to extinguishing fires confined to buildings or residential areas, but wildfires were a whole different kind of beast. Wrangling unpredictable blazes spreading over expansive areas required an entirely new playbook.
The scale of the flames was downright intimidating, tearing through dry bush faster than a kid tore through birthday presents.
“We need to cut off the fire before it spreads to those trees,” shouted Josie through the crackling of fire. “Let’s focus on suppressing the flames on the northeast corner… Peyton, where are you?”
Unfortunately, Peyton had been assigned to Josie’s team and since the woman outranked her, Peyton had no choice but to take instructions.
Funny how the tables had turned. The last time Peyton had seen her, she called all the shots and had taken the lead.
This change in dynamics was neither welcomed nor expected.
“Here,” said Peyton through gritted teeth. She stepped over a rock and winced when flames leapt onto a new section of chaparral in the distance.
The faster the fire grew, the harder they had to work.
“The wind’s coming up,” said Josie, fidgeting with the Velcro clasps of her coat. “We need to get additional hoses from the truck and reinforce our position there. Take Timothy with you.”
“Who?” Peyton shouted back, not sure why her skin was crawling or why she hadn’t just gotten onto the other fire truck with Madeline and Roddy—two of the other five firefighters joining the operation from Los Osos.
“Me!” came a man with a ridiculously deep voice echoing James Earl Jones. He jogged over to her side, his face streaked with soot, and together they raced back to the truck.
“Get the hose over there,” shouted Josie, her voice barely audible over the chaos. She pointed to a rapidly advancing line of fire threatening to jump the firebreak they had created.
“I’m trying. The thing’s jammed!” Peyton yelled back, wrestling with one of the hoses.
A stupid, stubborn hose that, for some reason, was jamming at the worst possible time.
Sweat poured down the sides of her face, her arms were aching and for a split second, Peyton wondered why she hadn’t done something more glamorous with her life.
She could have been a legal secretary, or an accountant, or even a stockbroker.
But then she remembered how firefighting made her feel alive, invigorated.
She loved the adrenaline rush, the camaraderie, and the sheer satisfaction of saving lives.
It wasn’t a job; it was a calling.
“You need to pull it from the other side! We’re going to lose this break if you don’t hurry. Focus, Peyton!”
“I’m perfectly focused,” Peyton shot back, her head thick with the worst kind of swear words. The kind of words that would have her mother rolling in her grave if she ever heard her daughter utter them out loud. “Stop micromanaging. I know what I’m doing. I’m actually fantastic at my job.”
“As far as I know, you’re in publishing,” retorted Josie, running over to help.
She then stood right behind Peyton, her right hand guiding Peyton’s grip on the hose, while her left hand steadied Peyton’s waist. “And book editors, or whatever fake job you’re pretending to do, aren’t particularly good at fighting fires. ”
Not only did Peyton’s retort get caught in her throat, but her breath, too. Smoke inhalation perhaps, or maybe it was the way Josie was standing right up against her, almost leaning forward, hugging her, that added an extra suffocating layer of heat.
Finally, the hose came free, and water surged out, hitting the flames with a sort of hissing fury that reminded Peyton of a rattlesnake.
“See? Just a little bit of teamwork. Although something tells me you’re not a fan of that.”
“Ha. Ha,” muttered Peyton, focusing only on directing the stream of water at the base of the flames, and not on Josie still standing closer than necessary. “You should probably go help Tim over there.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” snapped Josie, stepping back.
Peyton glanced back over her shoulder, and let a smile quip the sides of her lips. “If I remember correctly, you liked it when I told you what to do. Begged for it even.”
The glare that Josie shot Peyton’s way was like an actual flame darting in her direction. Josie’s brown eyes looked like melted gold reflecting dragon’s fire. “Don’t get the hose jammed again. We don’t have time for rookie mistakes.” She then marched off toward Timothy.