“Really?” In Sophie’s experience, kindergarten teachers were much more likely to wear chunky sweaters and velvet jumpers. “Then what are you doing out here?”

“There are quite a few teachers on the volunteer crew, actually.” Jessica started rummaging around her pockets until she extracted a spool of clear fishing line. She handed it to Sophie, who could only hold it awkwardly and wonder what else Jessica was hiding in those pants. “We have summers off, which makes it easy for us to drop everything and come running when there’s a forest fire.”

“Oh,” Sophie said. Her response felt inadequate, but then, so did she. It wasn’t a new sensation for her, since the majority of her life had been spent trying to catch up to the rest of the world, but she still resented it.

She’d done her time, paid her dues. What would it take for her to finally feel like a competent member of the human race?

“Don’t worry so much.” Jessica bumped Sophie with her hip. “I was just as out of place as you once upon a time. You get used to it. I never would have discovered this stuff on my own, but my ex-boyfriend roped me into volunteering one year, and I’ve never looked back.”

“Your ex-boyfriend?” Sophie thought of the friendly greeting between Jessica and Harrison and had to ask. “Was it…?”

“Harrison?” Jessica fell into a hearty burst of laughter. “No way. He’s scary.”

A flush that was equal parts relief and indignation rose to the surface of Sophie’s skin. “He’s not bad—not really. All those grizzled, gruff bits are mostly for show.”

Jessica just blinked at her.

“It’s true,” Sophie insisted. “He’s really very sweet.”

“Sweet? Are we sure we’re talking about the same man?”

Sophie’s hand clenched so firmly around the spool of fishing line, it started cutting into her palm. Okay, so he took a little while to warm up, but he was a sight better than most of the people she knew. At least he was up-front about who he was, honest about what he had to offer. Even his response to her health history was on par with what she expected of him. Grunting silence and a steady emotional retreat were his favorite states of being.

She didn’t get a chance to voice her indignation, however, because Jessica stopped her with a strange look.

“Didn’t you notice how no one said anything about the fact that there’s a puppy strapped to Harrison’s chest like a baby?”