Dad continued, “I used to work there back in the day, and I know what it’s like there. You’ve helped out a lot of people; possibly saved lives even.”
“Thanks, but I was just doing my job,” Hugh replied humbly, and took a final swig of his Coke. “And on that subject, I’d better get back to it. There’s a post-storm clean-up to report on. Is your landline working? I need to call a cab, and I still can’t get a signal.”
“I’ll take you,” I blurted out.
It had been a hell of a long day, and I was so beyond tired that the thought of a bed made me woozy. But I didn’t want to say goodbye to Hugh. I also hoped Cameron would be done with his shift soon so we could meet up again, although knowing him, he was probably going to work twenty-four hours straight to help out with the rescue effort.
My men were two good guys.
“You sure?” Hugh asked.
I nodded eagerly. “As long as I wouldn’t be in the way. What were you planning to do, exactly?”
“Just drive around, see if I can help out anywhere. I’ll do some interviews and take photos if people let me. Why?”
“I’d love to come along. You’ve got me all fired up and ready to help.”
“Sounds good then. Let’s head out to Ashford first; they were forecast to get hit pretty hard.”
***
We said goodbye to my parents, but not before I promised to return for brunch the next day, which was fine. It had been fun to catch up with them, and Mom was a lot more accepting of Hugh’s presence than I expected.
I realized maybe she had just been a ‘while you’re under my roof’ kind of parent. We were on a more equal level now that I was an adult with my own responsibilities. And of course, the fact that I’d managed to impress Patty and Beth didn’t hurt, either.
Perhaps I’d been avoiding visiting my parents unnecessarily, and I had a lot of time to make up for once I knew they weren’t going to ground me for talking to boys.
All in all, the visit placed another tick in the ‘Pros’ column for returning to my hometown.
We headed back to Hugh’s place, where I waited in the car while he got changed into some looser-fit clothes and grabbed some supplies. First-aid kit, a toolkit, and his police scanner; we were hopefully well-prepared to help out anyone who might need it.
“Mind if I switch on my scanner?” Hugh asked as we pulled away. “It’s good for picking up where we might be most in need of help.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
He turned it on, and we drove for a while listening to the general buzz of cops updating each other over the radio. Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded out across the airwaves.
“Officers three-oh-one and five-seven-nine, code seven, Arburn, over.”
A wave of fear surged through me, and I stared across at Hugh, wild-eyed.
“Code seven. What the hell is a code seven?”
Hugh laughed at my panic. “It’s a lunch break, Muri, don’t worry. Say, wanna see if we can meet up with him? We’re not far from Arburn, and there’s a waffle place he loves there. I bet that’s where he’ll be.”
Panic turned to joy, and I agreed we should track him down. It had only been a few hours since we’d been with Cameron, but it felt like ages, and I couldn’t wait to see him again.
I followed Hugh’s directions, and we arrived in just ten minutes. Sure enough, a cop car was in the parking lot. We parked up, walked over, and peered through the window. Cameron was alone in the car and appeared to be drifting off in the driver’s seat until I knocked at the window with a grin.
“Huh? Ah, wha—Muriel!” Cameron quickly came around and beamed when he saw Hugh and me standing outside his car. He rolled his window down, and I gave him a kiss. “What are you two doing here? Everything okay?”
“It’s all good; we just thought we might join you for lunch.”
“Hah, I wish you could.” Cam unlocked the back door of the car so we could climb inside. “The waffle place is shut. Which I know it’s totally reasonable given that it... well, it doesn’t really have a roof anymore,” He gestured to the devastated building. “But I just wanted a waffle so bad I can taste it. Does that sound selfish?”
“Yes,” Hugh said flatly, before breaking out into a smile. “But you’re doing a hard job today; you’re entitled to be a bit selfish.”
“They’re well insured anyway. I remember helping them with some tips on security measures they could put in place and those things helped lower the cost of insurance. Still, it might be a long time before they serve another waffle.”
“I make waffles.” I patted Cameron’s shoulder reassuringly. “How about you come over to my parents’ house tomorrow, and I’ll make you all some?”