A few quiet moments passed and then the truck siren could be heard in the distance. As the fire engine grew closer, Ethan glanced over at the young woman, there were tears in her eyes.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. “Help is here.”

She swiped at her cheeks. “I…I know. Don’t mind me.”

He should say more—something comforting. But before he could speak, she moved to the street to greet the firefighters. He had this gut feeling that something more was troubling her, but being a stranger, it wasn’t his place to pry.

A short, stout man with his turnouts on and Chief emblazoned in gold on the front of his black helmet moved from the engine to the sidewalk. “Hannah, what’s going on?”

So that’s her name. A pretty name for a pretty lady.

At that moment, she looked as though she was having problems keeping her emotions in check. Ethan felt sorry for her. He spoke up and filled the chief in on everything that had happened so far.

“Thanks,” the chief said. “We’ve got it from here.”

The chief started yelling orders to his men before speaking into his mic to dispatch, requesting the power company cut the electricity to the building. Ethan took a step back and watched as the firefighters rushed past him. He wasn’t used to being relegated to the position of mere observer. It felt wrong to do nothing.

The firefighters had a pump, a generator, and some fans prepared to take in the building once the power was cut. For a volunteer company, they moved with practiced ease. Their chief obviously kept a tight house.

Ethan’s attention turned back to Hannah. A frown pulled at her pink lips. Her fine brows were drawn together, creating worry lines. It was only then that he noticed her pale complexion.

With the men rushing back and forth in the narrow space, they were in the way. “Come with me,” Ethan said to her. When she resisted, he said, “We won’t go far. Let’s just move out of the way so they can do their work.”

She hesitated. But when a firefighter bumped into her, she turned to Ethan and nodded her agreement. He led the way to the sidewalk across the street. He moved to a quiet spot and sat down. She looked at him and then at the sidewalk.

“What? You never sat on the curb as a kid?” Growing up, he’d spent a lot of time sitting or standing on a curb in Brooklyn near his buddy’s house.

She didn’t say a word as she left a respectable distance between them. Peaches sat between them. Hannah stared straight ahead, looking as though she’d just lost her best friend. The longer the silence wore on, the more he worried about her. She was taking this hard. It wasn’t like it was the end of the world.

“Do you work at the bakery?” he asked, trying to make conversation.

She shook her head. “Worse.”

He found the response rather odd. “I don’t understand.”