By some miracle, the secret had actually stayed a secret. Somewhere around Memphis, with another long stretch of highway still ahead of her, Jaz had made one quick phone call to one of Matt's firefighters. She'd been gone for a few months, having been needed back in Texas to help with the ranch, and while she'd originally planned on coming back in another two weeks, she decided to leave early. Just in time for the Carnival and to surprise her boyfriend. "I want to surprise Matty," she'd said with a grin. "Think you guys can help me out?" The answer had been an immediate yes. By the time she'd crossed back into Ashford Valley, what started as one phone call had snowballed into nearly the entire department becoming accomplices. Now she sat perched in the rear crew cab of the Squad truck, leaning back against the seat with her feet perched up on one of the seats across from her. From where the truck was parked beside the firehouse, the carnival was alive just beyond the lot — music drifting through the warm July evening, laughter carrying on the breeze, and the occasional burst of cheers from one of the game booths. Her well-worn cowboy hat hung from the grab handle beside the open cab door, its brim swaying lazily whenever the breeze caught it. Across the lot, two firefighters finally caught up with Matt. "Cap," one of them called, trying to sound considerably more serious than he actually was. "We've might...maybe...okay, definitely got a bit of an issue." He paused for a moment until he actually had Matt's attention, watching as some kids nearby still lingered in the man's presence, before he continued to relay the so-called 'problem'. "Some kid climbed into the back of the Squad truck while everyone was distracted. And now we can't seem to convince 'em to come back out." It wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence during community events; kids were always interested in the trucks and the firefighters themselves. The firefighter jerked a thumb toward the truck where Jaz was tucked away inside unbeknownst to their Captain. "Figured you might have better luck?" the man remarked while Jaz pulled her phone from her pocket, shooting off a quick, unasuming text to Matt with a smirk on her face. 'Missing you even more than usual. I can't wait to see you again. 😭'.
[ @matt-schue ]
