Page 18 of Hearts & Embers

I glanced at the stack of books tucked beneath Jasper's arm.

"Find anything good?"

"A few things."

"Sounds expensive."

"It probably will be."

I glanced at the titles.

"History?"

"I like history."

I studied the stack more closely.

"Military history, by the look of it."

A smile appeared.

"Among other things."

That surprised me slightly. During the brief time I'd known Jasper, most of my memories of him involved emergency vehicles, winter storms, and a hospital stay I would rather not repeat. Seeing him standing in a bookstore carrying several books about military campaigns and political history didn't fit neatly with the picture I'd unconsciously built.

He noticed the look.

"What?"

I shook my head.

"Nothing. I think I'd convinced myself I had you figured out."

"That sounds dangerous."

"Probably."

He adjusted the books beneath one arm.

"For the record, I read a little bit of everything. History, biographies, some fiction, and anything recommended by somebody whose opinion I trust."

We continued browsing through the store together, comparing favourite authors and discussing books we'd enjoyed over the years. The conversation moved easily from one subject to another without either of us needing to work particularly hard to keep it going.

At some point Elyssa wandered toward another section of the store in search of educational resources, leaving Jasper and me to continue our discussion while we made our way through the shelves.

Neither of us commented on her departure. We simply continued talking as though we'd known each other considerably longer than we actually had.

"What made you become a firefighter paramedic?"

"My grandfather was a firefighter and my father was a paramedic. I decided to combine the two."

"That's it?"

"That's where it started."

He considered the question for a moment.

"I grew up hearing stories about both jobs. By the time I was old enough to choose a career, it was the only thing I could really picture myself doing."