Finally, they reached the Team table.
“Look who’s here.” Sasha jumped up, came around the table to hug them both. “It’s so good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.” That was the understatement of the century.
Nicole was next, followed by Lexi.
“We missed you.”
Taylor grinned. “We saved seats for you.”
“Thanks.” Eric greeted the others. God, it was nice to see them all. “Hey, Belcourt. How you doing, Naomi? Winona, how’s it going?”
“I’m doing fine. How about you?”
“Better.” Eric had heard about Shota and Winona’s decision to leave him at the wolf sanctuary. He could only imagine how hard that had been for her. “Keeping out of trouble, Herrera? Hey, Acharya. O’Brien. Where’s Megs?”
Ahearn pointed. “She’s up at the bar with Joe.”
Eric sat beside Taylor, a little overwhelmed by the crowd and the noise after so many weeks in the quiet of a hospital.
Rain walked up, Angel on her back, and set down a dozen menus. “Joe says to tell you all to keep your filthy money to yourself. All emergency responders eat free tonight. And that goes double for you, Eric and Vicki.”
Eric knew the menu by heart, but he picked it up anyway. He was trying to decide between a cheeseburger and going all out with a ribeye when Joe stepped up onstage.
“I want to welcome everyone to tonight’s fundraiser. We’ve got friends new and old with us tonight. It’s a real pleasure to have you all here. All sales of Libby’s new Limited Edition Smoke and Fire IPA go toward the recovery effort. Here she is to tell us about it.”
Libby bounced onto the stage. “Hey, everyone! Smoke and Fire IPA is a hoppy brew with overtones of citrus to capture that sense of summer and smoked shishito peppers to give it a smoky burn. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.”
“Smoked shishito peppers?” Eric would have to buy some and save it for when he could drink again. It wasn’t safe to mix alcohol with pain meds.
“I’ve got to try it,” Taylor said.
Joe took the mic again. “The Timberline Mudbugs have a special show for us tonight, but before they take the stage, there are some folks here who deserve our thanks.”
“Uh-oh.” Eric met Vicki’s gaze. “He’s not going to…”
Vicki smiled. “Of course, he is. You know Joe.”
“I’d like to turn the microphone over to Councilwoman Megs Hill.”
Cheers and applause.
“There are a lot of unsung heroes in this crowd tonight, so I’ve come to name names.”
She described each person’s actions, asking those who’d made special contributions to stand. Hunter, Darcangelo, and McBride for helping with evacuations and catching the guys who’d flown the drone. Julia Marcs for going above and beyond the call of duty in trying to evacuate Camp Mato Sapa. The West family for saving horses and critters of all kinds. Moretti for getting creative and using the fan guns to save Ski Scarlet. Lt. Gov. Reece Sheridan for moving heaven and earth to get the Supertanker. The IHC Pine Ridge Hotshots, who weren’t there but were named nonetheless. Rossiter and Belcourt, who’d been willing to sacrifice their lives for others—and then lived to laugh about it.
Then Megs thanked Scarlet’s fire crews, singling out Silver, Jenny, and Ryan.
Hell, they deserved it—and more.
“One man fought harder than anyone that day to save this town. He put everything on the line for us, and he almost lost his life. He doesn’t like attention, but he’s getting it anyway.” Megs’ gaze met Eric’s from across the crowded pub. “Eric Hawke, I’m talking about you.”
Embarrassed, Eric got to his feet and waved.
The pub exploded with cheers and applause, people rising to their feet, even his fellow Team members.
Eric turned to Taylor. “What the hell is wrong with all of you?”