Page 59 of Rival Hearts

Besides, most of the gossip surrounding Jett now was about the fire. So many people called her a hero and checked in on her and how she was doing. She didn’t feel like a hero, and she was happy to have returned back to work last week, but she also didn’t feel like she had something to prove anymore. She felt more confident in herself and like she really was helping people.

She had known that before, of course, but knowing something and trulyfeelingit were not the same thing. And now Jett felt it. And with Riley by her side, she felt more complete than ever before. Jett smiled wide as they walked into the conference center and saw their friends, family, and coworkers.

The conference center was decorated very fancily in red and white, the colors for firefighters and the medical staff, and the blue logo of the Phoenix Ridge Hospital was next to the red symbol for the Phoenix Ridge firefighters on the door. The event was held as an appreciation for the fire department and hospital.

Many prominent members of the community were also at the event, and Jett could see her Aunt Becky talking to the mayor from afar. Jett made a note to avoid her aunt until after she was done talking to the mayor. Jett had met the mayor before a couple of times and she was a lovely lady, but she also knew that Riley sometimes got nervous around authority figures, and she didn’t want to make her even more nervous than she probably already was.

Riley squeezed Jett’s hand and pointed to the bar.

Jett laughed. “Trying to recreate memories, are we?”

Riley laughed and squeezed Jett’s hand again before she whispered in her ear, “Well, I wouldn’t be opposed.”

Jett shook her head and whispered back, “Too bad this place doesn’t have a rooftop we can get to.”

“You can always steal a ladder off the firetruck,” Riley said.

“That’s a lot of work to have some incredible sex when we can just go back to my place after this and haveallthe sex,” Jett said.

She was feeling completely back to herself now and their sex life had continued exactly where it had left off, and if possible elevated to all new levels.

Riley laughed and shrugged. “I’m impatient,” she said and Jett shook her head.

“You sure are,” she said, “but I’m definitely going to have to call a rain check on that.”

“Damn,” Riley said her green eyes sparkling, but of course, she wasn’t actually upset.

Jett just laughed at their antics, but she did walk with Riley toward the bar. Drunk Riley was fun, after all. And Jett also wanted a drink. Of course, it was champagne, which definitely influenced her decision.

The two got a glass, and Jett made sure to ask if there was a limit. The bartender told her no, but that if she started swaying or slurring her words she would be cut off.

“Fair enough,” Jett said to the bartender and raised her glass to the woman before walking off with Riley.

Riley greeted a few of their coworkers as she walked with Jett, but after a minute, someone stopped Riley with a smile. Jett couldn’t remember her name, but she did look familiar. She thought that she was maybe a nurse.

“Hey, Leah,” Riley said with a smile.

“Hi,” Leah said and stared at Jett and Riley’s intertwined hands with a pointed look. “Please tell me that you two are officially together. I’ve been holding out of the work gossip about you two out of respect, but I’m so tired of having to keep my mouth shut.”

Riley laughed, and Jett barely understood what was going on between the two of them. “Yes,” Riley said. “We are absolutely together, we have moved in together and I don’t really care about you gossiping anymore.” Riley looked at Jett, who saw it as her cue to speak.

Jett shrugged. “Gossip away.”

Leah smiled and sighed dramatically. “Finally.”

“And thank you for keeping it a secret when I asked,” Riley said. “I know you really didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

Leah waved her hand at Riley’s thanks. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’d hate it if someone started gossiping about me when I was just starting to get with someone. Now that it’s official, however…”

Riley laughed and Jett smiled. She didn’t know what had gone on between the two of them, but she was glad that Leah kept the secret for Riley. That said, Jett didn’t realize Riley had been just as worried about workplace gossip as she was. Jett frowned, upset that she was so focused on herself that she hadn’t really thought about what Riley thought or was going through.

Jett didn’t think about how the workplace gossip would have affected Riley, especially since most of it came from the hospital where Riley worked all the time. But Jett decided it was okay and she needed to forgive herself for that. She was going to be more considerate of Riley in the future, even if she did have a lot going on in her own brain.

“Oh, and we are picking up a new furry member of our family tomorrow,” Riley smiled proudly, while squeezing Jett’s hand. Jett felt full of love as she joined in.

“Yes! His name is Romeo! He is a beautiful fluffy ginger stray, we are collecting him from the Forever Paws rescue tomorrow.” Jett smiled.

She loved animals, going to the rescue with Riley, they had found it tough- so many of those poor cats needed a loving home, but it was Romeo who had stolen their heart. He was recovering from a collision with a car, he was missing fur still from his surgeries and Jett felt an affinity with him.

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