Cate brought over a young woman with short dark hair. She was pretty and smiled shyly as she was introduced.
“This is Margo,” Cate said. “She’s dating Jeremy.”
One of the new guys, Rachel remembered. Just out of his probationary period.
“Hi, Margo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Halcomb.”
Rachel laughed. “Please don’t call me that. I sound like my mother-in-law. Not that she’s not a lovely person, but you know how it is.” One of the toddlers ran by. Rachel caught her and pulled her onto her lap. Someone passed her a set of baby keys and she held them out to the little girl.
Margo sat across from her. “Jeremy said I should talk to you. About, you know, his work.”
“Because you’re scared?”
A blunt question, but it got to the heart of the matter. Margo picked at the grass. “I am a little,” she admitted, her voice small. “I love him and we’ve been talking about getting married.” She raised her head. Her eyes were wide. “I don’t know if I can do it. Live with the worry. I’d be scared all the time. I don’t want to lose him.”
“Does he love his job?”
“Yes. It’s what he’s wanted for as long as I’ve known him. He’s good at it, too.” Her lower lip trembled. “Maybe I’m not strong enough.”
Dawn came by to claim her daughter. Rachel passed her over, then returned her attention to Margo.
“We’re all scared,” she said calmly. “But life is scary. My father died driving home from work. It wasn’t raining, it wasn’t anything. He spun out, hit a tree and died. I was nine and it changed my life forever.”
Margo’s big eyes got bigger. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“How could you? My point is, people die when we least expect it. What I can tell you about the Los Lobos Fire Department is that it’s one of the finest in the state. The guys train every day. They’re prepared. They watch out for each other. It takes a special person to be willing to run into a burning building when everyone else is running out.”
She smiled. “Yes, you get scared, but you also get to be a part of a wonderful community. You get to know that Jeremy is doing what he loves and saving people at the same time. Only you can decide if it’s worth it.”
“Is it to you?”
Rachel guessed no one had mentioned that she and Greg were divorced. Not that their breaking up had anything to do with his job. She’d had a few rough moments when they were first married, but she’d loved him and had known this was what he wanted to do. Not being with him hadn’t been an option. So she’d made peace with his job.
“It is. I’m proud of him and so is his son.”
Margo nodded. “Thank you. I have to think about this, but I’m pretty sure I understand what you’re saying.”
She left and Greg took her place.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. She’s scared. She’s going to have to figure out how to deal with that.”
“You did.”
“Not everyone can.”
He took her hand in his. “So the captain is going to talk to you today.”
“Your captain?”
She was proud of herself for sounding so normal while Greg was touching her hand.
He nodded. “He thinks it’s time I started moving up the food chain. I’d have to study for the tests and then pass them.”
“You should do it. You’d be great. You’re so good with the younger guys and you’ve always been a natural leader. Now that I think about it, I’m surprised you haven’t done it before.”
“A few things got in the way.” He studied her. “Rachel, have you forgiven me?”
The question was unexpected. “Of course,” she blurted. “You were wrong to have that one-night stand, but I was wrong, too. I made so many mistakes. I was unhappy, but instead of talking about the real problems, I complained about other things. I wasn’t willing to confront you or deal with us. I whined about everything except what was really going on.”
“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“Hey, Greg, let’s get these burgers on.”
He released her hand. “Duty calls. Save me a seat for lunch.”
“Of course.”
She watched him jog over to the guys at the barbecues. Her heart raced and she felt a little dizzy—just like she had in high school. She didn’t want it to be true, but there was no denying reality—nearly twenty years after their first ever date, she was just as in love with Greg as she had ever been.