“Have you worked with Kyle Bryce?”
I ignore them. By now, it’s clear they are not just photographers or news people. These are the paparazzi. Of course, I’ve heard of Kyle Bryce, but I wouldn’t recognize him if he fell in my lap. I’m not interested in celebrities, and I don’t follow their lives. I like to watch a nice movie every so often, but that’s about it. I’ve seen Kyle Bryce in a few movies, but that was a long time ago. These days I’m too busy to watch movies. Any free time I have is dedicated to my painting.
What I don’t understand is why the paparazzi think that Kyle Bryce is in the fire station. It’s not like the police station where there’re a lot of walk-ins with people going to report incidences. The people we serve don’t come to us. We go to them. So the chances of Kyle Bryce being in the building to report a fire is zilch.
Even more surprising, there’s no one at the reception desk. I make my way to the day room and find everyone crowded around the TV.
“What’s going on?” I ask loudly. On hearing my voice, everyone turns to look at me. I panic. Have I done something that I’m unaware of?
Perhaps recognizing the panic in my voice, Isla breaks away from everyone and comes to my side. She drapes an arm around me, and then Lucas, one of the guys, speaks.
“Turns out that your partner is none other than Kyle Bryce,” he says.
“I don’t understand.”
“Come and see,” he says, and like the red sea parting, a path forms for me to walk up to the TV.
That’s when I see it. Two pictures set side by side. One of Kyle Bryce and the other of Jack. My heart pounds so hard that I can hear it thrashing in my ears. I widen my eyes in an effort to see better.
Busted, the headline on the screen screams.
Someone near me is speaking. Explaining. It doesn’t make sense.
“He was here to research his next role as a firefighter. We didn’t recognize him because of his altered looks.”
“Yeah, they said he had major surgery after his accident last year,” someone else says.
I’m trying to keep up, but my mind refuses to reconcile the two. The Jack I know and the man they claim is him.
“Maybe it’s a mistake,” I murmur.
Isla hears it. “It’s not.”
“I knew it!” someone shouts. “I suspected he was an actor. He never talked about his previous job.”
As the voices whirl around me, I feel disengaged from reality.
I give my head a little shake. I feel an arm around my waist, supporting me just as my feet start to tremble. I try to form words to the questions I need to ask, but my mouth is too dry.
“Grace,” a loud voice booms from behind. It’s the chief. “Can I see you in my office?”
Isla, who has her arm around me, gives me a little shove, and I follow the chief. As I walk, the shock begins to wear off. I’m caught in a bad dream. There has to be a logical explanation for this madness.
Jack’s image fills my head. A smiling Jack. Jack during our intimate moments, holding my gaze without blinking or looking away. How can it be that he was lying to me all that time about who he is?
“Close the door and have a seat,” the chief says, his voice kind.
We’ve kept our romance a secret from our colleagues. Workplaces romances are uncomfortable for everyone, and now I’m glad that we kept it secret. I don’t think I could stand the pitying looks when I admit that I didn’t know.
“I guess you’ve already filled the gaps for yourself over what’s going on with Jack,” he says.
“Not really.” My lower lip trembles, and I bite down on it to keep it still. I’m starting to believe that it’s true. There’s no mistake. Jack is Kyle Bryce. I want to break down and allow the tears to come, but I won’t. I have to hold it together until I’m alone.
“The producers of the movie that Kyle is starring in reached out to me and requested that we allow him to shadow one of our best firefighters. I chose you.”
It’s a compliment, and I manage to murmur, “Thanks,” but it’s not genuine.
“Needless to say, that time has ended a bit prematurely, but I’ve no doubt he has learned a lot from you. Thank you, Grace. I’m sure he’ll thank you himself when this circus is over, and he can come back to say hello or whatever.”
I nod as he expects me to say something.
“Do you have any questions?” the chief asks.
I have so many questions. Didn’t Jack trust me enough to let me know who he really was? Why did he lead me on if he didn’t think we had a chance? He had to have known that we would be over as soon as I found out who he really was.