43. Tish

Chapter Forty-Three

Tish

My annoyance about Griffin's high-handedness was still chafing at me when he called me that afternoon. I was tied up with a meeting at work and didn't get a chance to take his call. Roughly an hour later, I learned his crew had gotten called out to another fire. My annoyance disappeared as quickly as a balloon popping.

A near-instant worry rose inside. I tried to call him back, but he didn't answer. I hurried down the hallway to search for Phoebe.

"What is it?" she asked when I walked into her office.

"Griffin's crew got called out to a fire."

Her gaze was warm and sympathetic, and she pulled me into a quick hug.

"Why did I have to fall in love with a firefighter?" I bemoaned.

Phoebe squeezed my shoulders before she stepped back. "You did, so you'll learn to deal with it."

Phoebe insisted I come with her to card night. With everything going on, I had forgotten about it. A serious side effect of having a baby all by myself was I had become wildly forgetful.

Conveniently, Madison was hosting, so I didn't even have to go out of my way to get there. When I arrived with Phoebe, Allie immediately swept Teddy into her arms. Maisie came in with Lucy and Amelia on her heels. Holly, Tiffany, and Farrah joined us, along with Susannah and Jasmine.

It was always a mix-and-match group, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Stella there. She smiled at me when I sat down beside her. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"I was at Firehouse Café, and, Janet introduced me to Maisie. She invited me," Stella explained. "I'm new here, so thought it'd be good to get to know some people."

I smiled around at my newfound friends before my gaze made its way back to Stella. "I'm still new to town, but they make me feel like I belong."

Madison sat down on my other side, curling her arm around my shoulders and squeezing tight before leaning back. "Of course you belong."

While we were nibbling on an array of appetizers, we began a casual game of cards and the usual chatter started. During a pause, Phoebe piped up, "Tish is learning that dating a firefighter can be stressful."

I felt my cheeks get hot when all eyes turned to me. "Griffin and Graham's crew got called out," Madison explained.

"I promise you'll get used to it," Amelia chimed in.

Maisie nodded vigorously. "Of course I worry about Beck when he's gone and I miss him like crazy. Aside from the worry, there are perks. I get plenty of my own time and hot welcome-home sex."

Stella snorted. "Is that what we're calling it?"

"Well, it's not make-up sex, and I think it's better," Maisie replied matter-of-factly.

"So, how serious are you and Griffin?" Susannah asked.

"Pretty serious, I think."

"Do you love him?" Maisie pressed.

I slid my gaze to her. Amelia let out a dry chuckle. "Beck is the nosy guy, and Maisie is the nosy girl."

"I call it curious," Maisie said. "You don't have to answer."

"I don't mind. I do love him. I just can't believe he even wants to be with me. I have a baby, and it's not his baby, and then this whole drama happened…" I threw a hand up in the air.

That led to plenty of questions and I had to fill everyone in on the events around Paul and his parents. Stella mostly stayed quiet.

"You work at the law firm, are you helping her with this?" Farrah asked.

Stella held her palms up. "I can't talk about it unless Tish wants to."

"Stella has been amazing. It's all good. I just hope Paul doesn't do anything else shitty," I added.

"If he does, we'll kick his ass," Tiffany said.

As my gaze encircled the table, my heart felt full. When I moved to Willow Brook, I'd been feeling lost. My lifeline had been my job, but I'd been beyond startled to find myself unexpectedly pregnant and struggling with the way it had come about. Because of these women, I felt like I belonged somewhere, like they had my back.

"I know you would, but I think it'll be okay," I replied.

The night moved along with plenty of laughter and more lighthearted gossip. By the time the group started to filter apart, multiple phones vibrated, rang, or chimed all within seconds of each other. An evening that felt good and embracing took a sharp turn.

Maisie got the full story the fastest. While she wasn't on duty tonight, she had the dispatcher at the station on speed dial.

"The engine went out on one of the planes." Her gaze was steady, but I could see the worry flickering. "Nate was able to bring the plane down, but they're in an area where there's no cell reception. They radioed in. Everyone survived, but that's all we know."

Of those of us here, Madison, Farrah, Tiffany, and I all had firefighters we loved on that plane, and Holly's husband was the pilot. For the next half an hour, we were locked in a pattern of making calls and trying to gather more information until Maisie finally looked around the group. "We're not going to get any more information until the rescue group is able to reach the site."

Madison glanced around, her expression stoic. "Everyone is welcome to stay, but I know we all deal with things like this differently. This is a waiting game at this point."

Over the following hour, most of the group left with everyone planning to stay in close contact.

Holly looked sick, her normally sunny expression shuttered with her eyes puffy and mascara streaked on her cheeks. "I don't even want to call Nate's parents."

"You know they're going to find out," Madison said.

Holly blew a puff of air out, expertly dislodging a loose lock of hair falling in front of her eyes. "You're right. I'll just go over there. Are you sure you're okay?"

The group had dwindled to Madison, Allie, me, and Phoebe. Phoebe had called Archer and told him she wanted to stay with me until we had some news. This used to be Phoebe's crew.

"Go to his parents," I said. "Maisie said she's going to call as soon as she hears anything."

The frustration that had boiled over this morning about Griffin paying for my attorney felt so insignificant now. I just wanted him home.

Allie looked absolutely distraught with worry about her father. She coped by focusing on Teddy and her little brother, Harry, who was two years old now. Madison made coffee and we sat around the living room with the TV on in a rumble in the background.

Madison's cell phone vibrated. She had it on speaker before a second ring could happen. "What's the update?" she asked.

"They're on-site and I don't have any updates on who, there are some injuries, but everyone is expected to survive," Maisie said quickly.

"Is there any way we can talk to any of them?" My voice cracked at the end as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I wish," Maisie said. "I really do. They're communicating through radio only and that's limited to the rescue crew."

"Do we have a time frame?" Madison asked.

Allie had returned to the living room. She sank her hips slowly onto the couch beside Madison, leaning into her as Madison curled her arm around Allie's shoulders.

"Best guess is they can get back in maybe six hours or so. Even though the wait is hard, everyone is alive and okay," Maisie said.

I hated the waiting. I wanted Griffin here. Home. With me.

I was too restless to leave, knowing that if I went home, I would pace by myself with my thoughts gamboling around in my brain. We collectively decided to wait out the night.