Larry was her mom’s husband, but Tessa had never considered him her father. The guy was nice enough and she liked him okay, but she had no desire to get close to him. Every man she’d ever loved had left her, including Zach. But Larry took good care of Mom, and that was all that mattered. The woman had shed enough tears of grief after Tessa’s father had deserted them. Mom deserved to be happy.
“Soon you’ll be back in school. Only one more year left,” Sean said.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“And you won’t be fighting wildfires after that, right?”
He sounded almost hopeful. As if he was eager to have her off the team.
“That’s right.”
He grunted. “Well, if you need a letter of reference, let me know. I’ll write you a good one.”
Remembering the heavy finals she’d completed recently, she released a shallow exhale. She was glad to be out of school for a little while. “Thanks. I hope all the hard work is worth it when I’m finished.”
“It will be. You’ll finally reach your goals.”
Another long silence, and then Sean gave a low chuckle. “Zach always said you’d get more education than the rest of us, and it looks like he was right.”
“I guess so.” She remembered how hard her brother had pushed her to get her master’s degree. And she thought how easy it was to fall into a quiet camaraderie with Sean. Talking like this almost felt like old times. Almost. And this conversation gave her a glimpse of how they used to be.
“I miss that,” he confessed.
“What?”
“Your smile.”
She did, too, but she wasn’t about to say so. A mountain of caution stood between them like an armored sentinel. Always vigilant, always wary. She longed to make it go away but didn’t know how to navigate through her qualms.
“You broke up with me, remember?” She couldn’t help reminding him.
His face drained of color and he looked away. “Yeah, I remember.”
But he didn’t take it back. He didn’t say another word.
When they arrived at the school, Sean parked near the red brick building and they went in through a side entrance. A man with a gray mustache and plump cheeks met them in the front office.
“Hello, Mr. Nash. I’m Chuck Garvey, the guidance counselor for the school. Thanks for joining us today.”
Sean introduced Tessa and they all shook hands.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Mr. Garvey said. “We’ve had two cancellations from our other career specialists this morning. So feel free to take lots of extra time in your presentation.”
Tessa’s heart sank to the floor. But then she reminded herself that she was a hotshot. If she could fight wildfire, she could talk to a bunch of high school kids with Sean. This was work, and her personal woes had no place here.
“Let me show you to the classroom where you’ll be speaking. The students will be arriving shortly.” Mr. Garvey led the way down a long hallway that smelled of damp paper towels and pencil shavings.
Inside the classroom Tessa swept past rows of desks and chairs to the front of the room. Several other presenters sat looking expectant, their soft chatter filtering through the air as they spoke politely to one another. Following more introductions, Tessa took a seat beside an accountant and gazed out the wide windows onto the football field. The sprinklers were on, whooshing over the shimmering grass. She made a mental note of the door leading outside and the exercise equipment littering the area near the bleachers. That might come in handy.
A shrill bell rang and Tessa inwardly cringed. As a gawky teenager, she’d never fit in with the other girls her age. She could do without all the primping, gossip and the pressure to dress and act a certain way. Instead, she’d preferred being with Zach and his friends. He’d never seemed to mind.
Within minutes approximately fifteen kids piled into the room, an equal mixture of boys and girls. In a small town this size, Tessa recognized most of them, including Matt Morton. The boy’s mom was a widow who waited tables at Rocklin Diner on Main Street. The owner of the restaurant happened to be Megan Marshall, the FMO’s new wife. Tessa made a mental note to pay a visit to her good friend as soon as she got some time off from work.
The kids barely glanced at the adults stationed up front, laughing and talking as they found their seats. They slouched in their chairs like they didn’t have a care in the world. One student looked up and spotted Tessa. Nudging the boy next to him, he smiled wide.
“Hubba, hubba. This might be fun.”
A shrill wolf whistle followed his comment, but Tessa ignored it. She didn’t like public speaking, but this wasn’t her first rodeo. She had learned to take care of herself in a work environment filled with men. She decided that she could handle a bunch of hormonal adolescents.
Another bell rang and Mr. Garvey stood to give the introductions. Two law enforcement officers would go first, followed by the CPA and then a technology professor from the community college out of Reno. Sean and Tessa were dead last on the agenda.
Hmm. This might take longer than she expected.
Crossing her legs, Tessa put herself on cruise control and waited patiently. She enjoyed the respite, but inside she was quaking. Standing up to speak in front of a bunch of mouthy teenagers made her nervous, especially when she knew Sean would be watching her.
When it was his turn, Sean stood. Ignoring the podium, he walked to the front of the room in his hotshot swagger that said he was in control.
Tessa hid a slight smile.
“Good afternoon,” he began, his deep bass voice filling the room like rolling thunder. He sure didn’t need a microphone.
“My name is Sean Nash, and I’m the superintendent of the Minoa Interagency Hotshot crew.” He gestured toward Tessa, and she stood. “This is Tessa Carpenter, one of my crew members.”
A piercing whistle split the air and someone called out from across the room. “Ooo, Tessa. You are fine, lady. Can I work wi’ you?”
A round of snickers skittered across the crowd. Simultaneously, Mr. Garvey and Sean jerked their heads in that direction. Mr. Garvey glared and scanned the sea of faces as though trying to pinpoint who had spoken. The group of teenagers stared straight back, looking innocent as newborn babes. Tessa didn’t show any reaction whatsoever. But inside she was laughing. She’d been uneasy at first, but now she was in her element.
“Tommie Wheeler, you’ll have to ask your mommy about that,” Tessa shot back, her face void of expression.
Tommie’s gaze widened as though he was surprised that she knew it was him who had spoken. His face flushed red as a new fire engine, his eyes filled with embarrassment.
“Ah-hum! Remember these people are our guests and you will be polite,” Mr. Garvey said in a stern voice.
Dead silence fell over the throng. Tommie sat back, his eyes downcast.
Sean gave a scoffing laugh. “I don’t blame you for wanting to work with Tessa, but you will have to prove you can keep up with her first. To be a hotshot, you’re gonna have to be in prime physical condition.”
“I’m a hotshot. I’m prime.” A tall boy wearing a letterman jacket flexed the muscle of his arm.
Tessa didn’t know the youth, so she held her tongue.
Sean showed a tolerant smile. “Talk is cheap. If you want to be on my crew, you will have to prove yourself.”