Sizzle (St. Martin Family Saga): Emergency Responders Read Free

looked for her blond hair but she was gone and his elated mood waned. Swiftly he made his way outside. She’d vanished.
    What the hell was he doing anyway? Chasing after some fresh young girl could only bring trouble.
    Meanwhile, he needed to get back to the station. He had a probie to put in his place.
    ***
    That day around noon, Jackson and Clay were in the garage stocking the engines and calibrating the equipment. Jackson tossed a defibrillator on a pile of discarded hoses.
    “This one’s got too much water. It’s gone.” His words were draggy, his voice rough.
    The two men had been friends for years and knew each other well. Jackson never got any sleep since he was in the middle of completing his hospital residency, and Clay was increasingly worried about him. In the last few months, Jackson, seven years younger than himself, could pass for Clay’s own thirty-five.
    Clay climbed to the top of the truck to inspect the hoses. “You look tired. Might get a nap in before the next call comes.”
    “Naw, I’m good. I gotta leave here at three anyway to get to the hospital. I’m on call tonight, but I’ll be able to sleep once it slows.”
    Clay jumped down to stand next to Jackson at the back of the truck. “You know I’ve been meaning to tell you I, uh”—he cleared his throat—“I think it’s incredible how you’ve managed to stay in school and keep up with everything despite all you’ve been through these past few years.”
    Clay sat on the truck’s bumper and watched as Jackson tinkered with an oxygen tank. Clay scrubbed his jaw with his hand, not sure how to say what he wanted to say. It had been evident that school was getting harder as Jackson neared the end of the program, and Clay wanted to ask Jackson if he needed assistance.
    “If you need help with anything at all—a place to stay, money, time off from this place, just someone to talk to—I hope you know you could come to me or anyone in the family. You’re our long-lost brother.”
    Jackson turned and offered a sincere smile. He propped his foot on the bumper, resting a hand on his knee. “You know after my parents died, it was hard. The only thing that got me through was you and your family. Getting through the holidays is always difficult, but I can’t imagine doing it without you guys.”
    Money had been tight, but Jackson wouldn’t accept any. He said he was getting by, but Clay knew he needed to maintain thirty hours per week at the station to keep his finances in order. Lately he’d been asking for extra hours, and the fool had worked fifty-two last week.
    “If you need help with anything, you’ll let me know, won’t you?”
    Jackson dropped his hand on Clay’s shoulder. “You know I will, but I’d like to try to make it on my own. I’ll know when I need to ask for help.”
    “When a Man Loves a Woman” shot through the air from Jackson’s cellphone, where it lay on the bumper next to Clay’s thigh.
    “That’s Clara’s favorite song,” Clay said. Since the phone was out of Jackson’s reach, Clay picked it up and inadvertently glanced down as he passed it to Jackson. The image of Clara’s face filled the screen. “Hey, it’s actually Clara calling.”
    Jackson smiled widely and then wiped the goofy grin clear before he cut off the ring. “It’s nothing. She’s probably just looking for you.” He pocketed the phone.
    Clay felt for his phone in his pocket to make sure it was still there. “My phone hasn’t rung. Had she wanted me, she would’ve called.”
    Jackson turned and picked up a package. “Got some new barrel strainers in. You wanna load them?”
    Clay sat for a moment and stared hard at Jackson. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out a connection between Jackson and Clara. Maybe because there wasn’t one. He shook his head to clear it. Thinking about the barrel strainers, he walked to the tool compartment. The acting sieves were worn.
    “Yeah, let’s stock a couple new strainers.”
    A bell