Page 26 of Five Alarm Love
Babies.Exactly what she couldn’t have.Shouldn’t have.
Because her genes were anything butgood.
“Um, I…” she murmured.
Was there a hole she could crawl into?It wasn’t enough to want her personal life to stay personal.Now her future was a topic of uninformed speculation.
She opened and closed her mouth, but didn’t move.
Mav studied her for a few seconds, concern creasing his features.“Oh hey, I think we need to get going,” he said, too brightly.He met her stare with a brief, warm smile and a wink.“Let’s roll.See you later, everyone.”He waved to the staff as he pulled the gurney, dragging Lou along with him.
Amberlyn stood there, gaping like a salmon on dry land.
Lou had no idea how she made it out of the hospital.
Mav put the gurney in the rig and shut the door.“Get in.”
“We’re just going across the lot to the garage.I’ll walk.”
“Lou.In.”
“Sure.”
They both opened their doors, settled in, and out of habit, put on seat belts.In their line of work, they’d seen freak accidents.Always safety first.
“You looked like you’d seen a ghost a minute ago.”
“I did?”
“Yeah.Are you okay?”That was her partner, checking on her, even when she didn’t want to talk.Mav was a good guy.
“Yeah.”He also deserved more than a single syllable answer, likeyeah.“Thanks for running interference.”
He started the ambulance to get some cool air blowing from the vents but didn’t put it in drive.“Look, I’ve been subject to uncomfortable ribbing around here.Matchmaking is an Olympic sport in Yukon Valley.”Clearing his throat, he rested the heels of his hands on the wheel.“While I’m always down for some teasing, I draw the line when someone’s in distress.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”But close.
“Huh.”His light-brown eyebrows rose.“Sure.Anything you want to chat about?I’m a good listener.”He motioned.“In this ambulance, everything said is HIPAA compliant.”
“Is that the protocol?”
“That’s my protocol.”
The EMS director had her back.Good to know.
However, there was no way she was prepared to go into the details of her inner turmoil and worries about her future.For five long seconds, a tight lump formed in her throat and she blinked against burning eyelids.“Thanks.”
He studied her for a few more beats.
“It’s not like that,” she said.“Like what Amberlyn is thinking.Trying to set me up with someone.”
“It can be whatever you want it to be.”
“Sure.But I don’t want a relationship.”
“With anyone?”
She sighed.“Things are complicated right now.I’m still dealing with my feelings from my ex and all.”
