made him an impossible necessity.
“Is this what you call quick?”
His voice felt like a slap, but maybe one she needed. “Sorry. Lost my train of thought.”
“You were going to tell me something official.”
“Yes, I was.” She walked closer, sat down on a stump opposite his. “Consider this my resignation.”
He didn’t so much as blink, which both shocked and infuriated her. And then he didn’t speak for at least a minute, which took her from infuriated to incensed. Was that how he was going to play it, like he saw her coming all along?
She gave him her best glare. “Is silence what you call a response?”
Finally, he blinked. His mouth pressed itself into a thin, sad line. “A resignation isn’t really a conversation. What do you need from me?”
“Acknowledgment would be helpful. Not to mention polite.”
“Oh, are we being polite?”
“Are we not?”
Gunnar sighed, longer than she’d ever heard a person sigh. “Fine, MacBain. Resignation acknowledged.”
Oh, no he didn’t. No questions? No fight? Was she that irrelevant to the station and its operation? “Seriously?” she managed through her fury.
He blinked again, the motion slow, pained. “I think you’re making a mistake, but I accept that it’s yours to make. What else are you looking for from me?”
“You’re not even going to ask why?”
“Isn’t that for you to tell me? It’s a standard part of a resignation, as I understand it, but given our history, I’m not going to push.”
Katy sat up straight, her arms folding themselves across her chest like a shield. “I’m not quitting this job because of our history.”
Gunnar’s mouth twitched, the motion quick and slight, and he gave her a slow nod. “My mistake.”
“I mean, I’m resigning because of you, but not in the personal sense.”
He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Katy jumped to her feet, body craving both fight and flight. “Okay, fine. Have it your way. You sit there like a bump on a stump, and I’ll say what needs to be said.” She paused, waited to see if he might answer the challenge in her words, then decided not to give him the chance. “I’m not staying on a squad with a chief who doesn’t trust and support his crew.”
Gunnar cocked his head and studied her. “That’s simply not true.”
“It is from where I stand.”
“And how, exactly, did I not support you?”
“You’ve already forgotten today’s call?”
“No. In fact, I remember it very clearly, which is why I’m confused.”
“You hovered over me like I couldn’t be trusted to make the right decision, and you acted like I was an embarrassment.”
He pressed his fingers to his forehead. “You were very aggressive with the kid.”
“He was an idiot.”
“He was a patient. You lost your objectivity.”
“I’m allowed to have opinions. I can have strong feelings about a patient’s choices without compromising his health.”
Gunnar eyed her pointedly. “They taught you that in your paramedic training?”
“They don’t cover common sense in paramedic training. I would expect the chief to know that.”
His eyes narrowed, and every trace of the young boy she’d seen earlier disappeared. “You grew up pretty much getting your own way, didn’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“Spoiled. That’s your problem—well, one of them—you’re spoiled.” His face slipped into a deep scowl and he shook his head in disgust. “I shouldn’t have come looking for you in the first place.”
Katy’s mouth dropped open, and molten lava-level heat rushed through her body. Spoiled? Spoiled? Oh, that was rich. A wave of regret enveloped her, a wish that she’d never let him get close to her and, even more, that she hadn’t confided in him, hadn’t told him the secret she might never tell anyone again. And what did he mean about coming to look for her? She’d come to find him. She’d been the one to grab this particular bull by the horns.
Uncrossing her arms, she took a step away from the fire circle. “Clearly, you have no idea who I am or what’s going on here. Thanks for giving me even more reason to leave this job.”
The sadness filled his face again, like he struggled with his own version of regret. His lips parted, ready to say something, but then he pursed them and squinted up at her. After a few moments, he raised his right hand and gave her a quick, sharp salute. “Best of luck to you, MacBain. I hope you find what you need.”
Katy’s knees wobbled a little, made her wonder if she was really ready to walk. With one last look at Gunnar Wolfe, one last sweep of all she’d