Protecting Paisley (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Eagle River Response Book 1) by Amber Kuhlman & Operation Alpha

Author:Amber Kuhlman & Operation Alpha [Kuhlman, Amber]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aces Press, LLC
Published: 2022-07-11T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Paisley

Hansen had made us all a grand breakfast by the time I went downstairs with Korbin. There were eggs and bacon and toast, even waffles. I was already finished with my 24-hour shift but having breakfast with the crew sounded such a better idea than rushing home to get the cold shoulder from Jeremy, so I grabbed a plate and a glass of orange juice and sat down next to Finn.

“What’s up, Cap?” Korbin asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “You’re awful quiet this morning.”

“It’s nothing,” Hansen said. “I’ve just got a lot on my mind.” He didn’t look up when answered, let alone at me, and I had a feeling in the pit of my gut that whatever he was pondering so deeply had to do with me; the good, the bad, or the ugly. I desperately wanted to poke him further, to get him to talk, but I wasn’t about to do that in front of the guys. I’d barely been accepted onto this crew, and I wasn’t about to test the barrier by throwing a lit match at it.

“Breakfast is good,” I said, pouring some syrup over my waffle. “Thanks.”

Hansen nodded and finally looked up at me, but not for long. A second later, he dropped his gaze again and didn’t look up for the rest of breakfast. And while the guys had already forgotten about his strange mood, turning instead to polish the bacon from their plates, I couldn’t get rid of the nagging feeling that something was really wrong.

After breakfast, I took the dishes to the sink and started to load the dishwasher as the crew filed out to begin their morning routine. Others went home to sleep. Hansen was the last one to leave, and I couldn’t help but notice the distance between us as he piled dirty dishes onto the counter for loading.

“Hey,” I asked after a few minutes of heavy silence. “Are you really okay? Something seems off.”

“I’m fine.” He said, but he still didn’t look at me.

“You don’t seem fine.”

“Yeah, well, I am.” He finally met my gaze, but there was no warmth in his eyes, only wariness. A complete 360 from his attitude last night. “Isn’t your shift over? You can go home, you know.”

“I know,” I said, trying not to sound too annoyed. “I’m just not sure I want to put up with Jeremy’s shit right now.” It was the first time I’d even mentioned Jeremy’s name in the station—it sounded weird.

“He’s your fiancé,” Hansen said, and I swear I could sense a hint of bitterness in his tone. “That’s what you signed up for when you said yes.”

“Whoa.” I dropped the dish I’d been holding back into the sink, caught off guard. “That was both unexpected and extremely unprofessional. What’s your problem?”

“What, the truth?”

“My personal life.”

“You brought it up.”

I couldn’t argue because I knew I had. Even if I did want to kick Hansen in the knee.

“Where is all of this coming from?” I asked instead.

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