Page 3 of Shelter for Morgan

She shrugged. "Right now I'm just filling in. The Department of Education said they didn't have anyone qualified to teach the history and civics track that the other teacher was doing, so I jumped in my Camobile and drove down."

"Camobile?"

She grinned at Taco's confusion, but it was Squirrel who answered him. "I saw it outside. It's a Kia with a cool camo pattern painted on it."

Morgan grinned. "It's all hand done by yours truly. It certainly keeps my car easy to find in parking lots."

"I'd like to see that." The Chief stood and gave the room a once-over before he looked at her. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you need. Is Rhett coming to pick you up here?"

She tapped a fingernail on her phone screen. "I'm going to give him a call and hopefully he won't think I'm a total idiot for coming on the wrong day."

She saw a look that passed between Taco and Squirrel as the Chief spoke to her. "Don't worry. Rhett's a good guy."

After he left the room, she turned to look at Squirrel, first. "Okay. What was that look for?"

Squirrel put his bottle of water up to his lips and looked over at Taco.

She turned to Taco as well. "Answer, please?"

Taco shrank back a little in his chair. "Yikes. You are a high school teacher, aren't you?" He caught Squirrel's eye. "It's scary."

Squirrel nodded.

Taco exhaled softly and looked at her. "I'm not telling you anything you don't know, since you know him..."

She circled her finger in the air trying to move him along.

"Well, he's not the most personable guy we know."

Squirrel nodded in agreement, still nursing his bottle of water.

"He has a habit, of you know..." Taco's words drifted off.

"I know... What?"

He shrugged. "Resting Rhett face."

If her thoughts were a vinyl record, she would have heard the screech of the needle sliding over the grooves. "Resting Rhett face?"

Squirrel reached his hand back and scratched at the back of his neck, leaving it to Taco to explain.

"It's like, forgive my words, Resting," he barely whispered the next word, "Bitch," then spoke with his normal tone, "Face, but it's Rhett. So it's-"

"Resting Rhett Face," she repeated. "Ah..."

"It's not a criticism," Squirrel leaned on the table and met her eyes head on. "We all think he's a great firefighter and a totally stand-up guy."

"Awesome EMT," Taco confirmed with a nod.

"Yeah," Squirrel tacked on his own affirmation. "He's great, but he's not a smiley guy. That's not a bad thing. It's just-"

"Rhett."

She shrugged. "Okay. That doesn't sound like him but the last time I saw him was years ago. He worked in Center City with my brother."

"Oh?" Squirrel grinned at her. "Is your brother a firefighter?"

She winced a little, unsure of how deep the competition was between the first responders in San Antonio. "My brother's a Detective with the Center City Police Department."

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