2. Matty

“This is3130 en route to Serenity General with an unconscious twenty-five-year-old female named Zoe Collins.”

Shock broke across my face as a familiar name sounded over the emergency services radio, my fingers going slack around my steering wheel for a few seconds.

Did I really hear the name Zoe Collins?

If I wasn’t making things up in my head, that meant that she was back in town. I blinked my eyes in shock as my memories zipped back years ago when Zoe and I went to high school together. Even if things weren’t perfect, they were certainly memorable.

Then, one day, she packed up her things and left, and I thought that I wouldn’t ever see her again. Which made me wonder… what was she doing back here?

Ice ran through my veins when I came back to the present and processed reality. Obviously, she was hurt or something was wrong if she was unconscious and on the way to the hospital. Despite the years that had passed, it only felt right for me to go check on her and make sure that she was okay.

Perfect timing too. I was just on my way home after leaving my brother David’s house for dinner. The side of my mouth curled up as my thoughts drifted back to that dinner and my brother’s unconventional but pretty damn cool relationship. It was him, his wife Brianna, and the eight other soldiers in his unit, and they all made this seamless, happy family.

Maybe other people would find it weird, but they were probably stiff losers anyway. Even though I wasn’t looking for a big, happy family moment right now, that didn’t mean I couldn’t find it cool for other people, especially for my older brother. Though, it did make me wonder what kind of family I would have in the future.

If I ever got to that point. It scared the hell out of me even thinking about trying to settle down and not screw things up.

For now, I was going to put my all into my new job as a firefighter. Maybe I could make a big difference like my brother. He definitely excelled in all of the areas that I sucked at, but that didn’t make me love him any less. There was no one more inspiring to me.

When I made it to the hospital, my brain shifted gears as I parked, my adrenaline kicking up again. I headed through the front entrance and walked up to the receptionist’s desk.

“I’m here to see Zoe Collins. She was a recent admittance,” I told the older woman running the desk.

“Just a second,” she replied as she peered through thin-framed glasses at me. She clicked around on her computer before looking back up at me. “Room 208.”

“208. Thanks,” I said with a grin before turning and heading down the hallway to the right.

Nurses and doctors passed by me as my brown boots thudded against the white flooring that matched the white walls. Why did hospitals have to look so… sterile? In an off-putting way.

When I saw Room 208 up ahead, I slowed my steps a little, trying to prepare myself. Admittedly, I was a little nervous about seeing her again because it had been so long. My history with her was a bit complicated, especially given the fact that I’d always felt some sort of draw to her.

She had this addicting energy that was impossible to ignore. Impossible to forget. Her smile was electric, and she always captured people’s attention when she was in a room. I wondered what she was like now.

There was only one way to find out. After conjuring up my courage, I walked into the room and saw her there in the hospital bed with an equally shocked look on her face.

“Holy shit. Zoe,” I said with a small laugh of disbelief.

Zoe continued to stare at me like she was witnessing a paranormal event, her body not moving an inch.

“Matty,” she finally replied. She shook her head, barely disrupting the auburn waves of hair that I distinctly remembered her braiding a lot in early high school. “What are you doing here? How did you know that I was here?”

Now that I thought about it, that was a pretty good question to ask since I just appeared in her room without being summoned. I probably seemed creepy now.

“I heard your name over the emergency services radio. I’m working as a firefighter now,” I explained as I approached her bedside, my eyes doing a brief sweep over her body. “Are you okay?”

Zoe’s eyes widened.

“Seriously? You’re a firefighter? I was watching that house fire on Grady Street before I passed out,” she told me.

“No way. My shift wasn’t tonight. I was having dinner with my brother and his family,” I replied with a grin.

“David?” Zoe asked, squinting her right eye a little as she strained her mind to remember his name. She somehow remembered, though. All these years later.

“That’s him. Question of the hour, though. What are you doing back in town?” I asked her as I stopped by her bedside, barely a foot of space separating us.

Zoe held my gaze for a second, visibly swallowing hard before folding her hands in her lap and sitting up a little straighter. Like she’d pulled herself together. What was running through that mind of hers?

“I’m here to investigate the arson case. I want to write a piece about it,” she told me.

My eyebrows lifted.

“Hey, you became a journalist! That’s awesome, Zoe,” I said as I reached out to nudge her arm.

Zoe smiled and shook her head at me like she used to do a lot. She was beautiful back in high school, but she was even more gorgeous now with her sharp eyes and full lips. When she looked at someone, it was like she was peeling back their layers, searching deep without a lapse in attention. Maybe that unsettled people, but I found it a little endearing. She actually paid attention when someone talked to her.

A familiar spark of guilt went off within me, catching me off guard. I hadn’t felt that in a while. Whenever I noticed her beauty or just other things in general that made me admire her, I was taken back to high school when I was dating her best friend, Rachel.

I knew that sounded bad. I internally grimaced at the thought, but Rachel was the best girlfriend I ever had. We had a lot of fun and did a lot of growing up while together. While I did find Zoe attractive, I never pursued her or ever thought about being unfaithful to Rachel. I refused to be that guy.

“Yeah, it’s been great. I write for The Blue Ridge Times out in Raleigh,” Zoe said. “I bet you’re a good firefighter. You’ve always been an adrenaline junkie.”

I chuckled and shrugged.

“I’m just a probationary firefighter right now to see if they like me enough to keep me, but it’s definitely been a thrill,” I told her before sitting on the edge of her bed, my fingers brushing the top of her knee as I sank down. “How long have you been in town for?”

“Not even twenty-four hours. I got here around noon, put my things in my rental house, ate at Pizza King, and bolted over to Grady when I heard about the fire,” Zoe sighed, sounding tired from all the craziness. Her feet moved a little under the sheets like she was digging her heels into the mattress.

“No clues yet, huh?” I replied.

Zoe shook her head.

“But I’m just getting started,” she said with a determined glint in her eyes.

I couldn’t help but grin a little. I had seen that look in her eyes so many times, whether she was hearing about a writing assignment in English class or someone challenged her to anything. She was competitive, and I doubted that had changed since I last saw her.

“You should come down to the station sometime,” I offered. If she needed information about the fires that had been going on lately, that would be a great place to start. Hell, I was probably hired because there was so much arson activity, and the station needed extra hands to help.

“Really?” Zoe asked, immediately looking intrigued.

I nodded.

“Yeah, you can talk to the fire chief or the station officer to get some information for your story. Maybe it’ll at least point you in the right direction of where to look,” I suggested. If I was her, that was where I would start.

Zoe reached out and gave my arm a gentle nudge. A familiar touch. This time, it lingered an extra second longer than usual. Oh, how I had thought about her touch roaming over my body like mine did to hers.

Forbidden thoughts. But what was holding us back now?

“Thanks, Matty. I wanted to get to the fire chief eventually, but I figured that it might be tough getting his attention given everything going on,” Zoe said.

“Luckily, I’ve got an in,” I told her, sharing a smile with her.

I’d just started working as a firefighter, and I was already starting to get burnt out from all the calls we had been getting lately. These weren’t small, petty fires either. Cars went up in flames. Houses were destroyed. Businesses were set ablaze in the dead of night. It was constant.

So, if she could figure out what was going on and expose whoever was behind all of this insanity, I was all for it. I wanted to help her because that would help us and this town.

Maybe part of me wanted an excuse to see her again too. She would be so busy working on the story, so her being at the fire station every so often gave me the opportunity to at least check in on her. Depending on how deep she got into this case, she was putting herself at risk. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her.

“I can’t believe I’m seeing you right now. I figured I’d run into a few people I know, but I didn’t think I’d see anyone that I talked to a lot in high school,” Zoe told me.

I was glad that I’d caught her name on the emergency services radio. Maybe I would’ve run into her eventually while she was working on her story, but she would’ve been busy talking to other people and getting swept into the craziness of the case. It was nice having a moment alone with her right now before things got really intense.

Because they would.

“Well, I won’t be the only firefighter you’ll recognize,” I said as I nudged her knee through the white sheets.

Zoe lifted an eyebrow at me.

“Who else is a firefighter? I know this is a small town, but sheesh. I didn’t expect to know more than one,” she replied with a faint laugh.

Now that I was really thinking about my next words, I realized that she might not like my answer all that much.

“Garrett and Gabe,” I told her.

Zoe’s eyes widened as she leaned closer.

“Garrett and Gabe Wallace?” she questioned, her voice dropping in volume like we were sharing a secret.

A sheepish expression filled my face as I nodded.

“Yes,” I said, already seeing the tension forming in her shoulders as she stiffened. “I know you guys didn’t get along the greatest back in high school, but we’ve all grown up.”

Zoe ground her teeth as she thought to herself. She then sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Of course they’re firefighters,” she muttered under her breath. It was hard to tell whether she was aggravated or wary. Or both.

The tension in the air around us made the atmosphere a bit uneasy and awkward. The warm, exciting mood from before was long gone now, but that was my fault. At least I got to warn her, though, so that she wasn’t blindsided when she saw them.

“Sorry for the wait, Ms. Collins. I’m Dr. Jenkins,” a voice burst from my right, catching me off guard as a middle-aged man in dark blue scrubs and a white coat strode into the room at what felt like the speed of light. Busy man.

“I’ll leave you to it. Come by the station tomorrow when you’re free,” I told Zoe as I reached out to pat her hand.

Zoe flashed me a grateful look and nodded before turning to the doctor.

I smiled a little to myself as I walked out of the hospital room, knowing that I would see her soon. She was itching to get out of here and get to work, and I was more than willing to help her however I could. The only problem was that I wasn’t sure the other guys would feel the same.