Page 15 of Anchor Point

I made it to the red light before the tones dropped, and we began an intense day of running calls. By that evening, I’d finally had enough distraction that I’d settled somewhat. I joined the guys, mid-argument, watching golf in the day room.

“I’m just saying that watching YouTube videos of people playing golf is not my idea of watching sports,” Nate grouched from his recliner. He was kicked back, an arm behind his head, eyes glued to the golf game in question, despite his denial of enjoying it.

“What would you rather watch, then, Grandpa?” Burgess taunted.

Three voices answered, “The Braves.”

Burgess exhaled a beleaguered sigh. “Baseball is so boring.”

“And watching golf isn’t?” Thoren chimed in.

“Enough.” I snapped my fingers, demanding the remote from Burgess. I flipped it to baseball and kicked back in my chair, effectively halting the argument.

Burgess slipped out a few minutes later, mumbling about his iPad.

The back door chimed, and Mike Harrison, the fire marshal, walked in.

Greetings and handshakes were passed around before Mike settled into the recliner next to me.

“What’s up, Mikey?” Nate asked.

“Man, fuck off with the nickname.”

Thoren chuckled. “But it’s so cute when your mom says it.”

Mike scowled. “You’re pushing it. Just because you overheard my mother say it, does not give you leave to use it.”

“How’s it going?” I asked.

“Pretty good. Leah’s got a late class, so I thought I’d hang out here while I wait on her.”

His girlfriend, Leah, and Thoren’s girlfriend, Kylie, ran a yoga studio together.

“They got the studio reopened, then?”

“Yeah, man. The new space is working out well. It was a stroke of luck finding a vacant space on the square, but so far, so good. Business is going well for them.”

“That’s good,” I mumbled.

“It’s still unsettling that the bastard is still on the run,” Mike said. His heavy sigh carried a weight each of us felt.

“No kidding,” Thoren agreed. “Like waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

On the screen, the Braves hit a homer to take the lead, and the guys whooped like they were at the park. Just like that, the heavy mood lifted.

When they settled, Mike started again. “I got to meet the new fire chief.”

I knew immediately where this fucking conversation was headed.

“She looks an awful lot like that photo Kylie saw on TikTok this summer,” he continued, the words loaded with meaning. Meaning I didn’t want to think about. Instead, I focused on the game stats scrolling the bottom of the screen.

All fucking day, I’d been dreading this conversation, knowing it was coming because these guys couldn’t help but gossip.

“Yeah, she came by this morning.” Nate straightened, his attention on me. “So, what’s up, Capt? Was that picture legit?”

Thoren dropped the foot of his recliner and leaned an elbow to his knee, fully invested in the topic. “More importantly, do you have a secret love child that we don’t know about?”

“Because it seems that maybe you do, and maybe your baby mama is now your boss. That’s gotta suck, man. All parts of it.” Mo summed up the situation perfectly.

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