A Home for the Firefighter

by Amie Denman

  “Are you hoping I’ll wear out soon and call it quits?” he asked.

  “You only rented that board for an hour, and we have to be getting close.”

  He laughed. “They can charge me extra when I return it. I want to see you ride at least one good wave before I give up for the evening. You need to prove to yourself you’ve got it in you.”

  Her face became grave and he felt he’d crossed over a line suggesting that Kate doubted herself, even though she had jokingly said the same thing. Just as he was afraid he’d ruined a nice evening, she steeled her jaw with pure determination and looked behind her. A decent wave was approaching. Kate kept her eye on it, got on the board and started paddling with it. Brady jumped on his, too, not wanting to be left behind, and paddled alongside Kate.

  The wave was larger than it had looked at first, and Brady got to his feet on his board. He risked a glance sideways and found Kate was on her knees and then, precariously but definitely, on her feet. She rode only a few feet before she hit the sand and toppled onto it, but she had done it. Brady was almost sorry she had accomplished the feat because it probably spelled the end of their evening in the fading light and warm ocean.

  Brady hopped off his board next to her. “Eat sand?”

  Kate laughed. “I had the wisdom to keep my mouth shut. It’s a skill I’ve developed over the years.”

  “I know a lot of people who could use those kinds of lessons, including myself sometimes.”

  He pulled both of their boards clear of the water and they sat on them, watching the waves roll gently in and rearrange the sand at the edge of the beach. A white shell drifted in, was sucked out and drifted back again. Brady would happily have sat there all night, just enjoying the companionship and the sweet taste of something fleeting.

  “I have to ask you something,” he said finally, reluctant to break the spell. “I guess maybe tell you something first, though. My brother’s girlfriend had a serious family health issue—heart surgery involving her dad that went well—and it apparently gave her a lot of time to think about what matters.”

  Corrinne had told him the whole story of the surgery that had come up unexpectedly and how her mother was a wreck and needed Corrinne partly for support and partly to run their family golf course business. Hospital corridors and step-down recovery units are no place for little kids, and it had cost Corrinne a lot to concede she needed help from Noah with their daughter.

  “I’m glad her dad is okay,” Kate said.

  He knew Kate didn’t want to get wrapped up in obligations, but when he’d needed her to help him with Bella, she had done it without hesitation. There was a big heart beating in Kate’s chest, even if she didn’t want the same things he did.

  “Anyway,” he continued. “With all that thinking, it appears she’s decided that it’s important for Bella to have a solid family, and she wants to marry my brother and make it official.”

  “That’s great, right?” Kate asked, caution in her voice. “Are you happy about it?”

  “Of course I am. I didn’t know Corrinne very well before, but she’s been living under my roof for two weeks, and I can see how happy she makes Noah. And she’s a wonderful mother. No wonder Bella is such a terrific kid.”

  “It must have been hard for Corrinne leaving Bella with your brother for over a month.”

  “I’m sure. Just as it would be hard for Noah to be parted from Bella.”

  And hard for himself. If and when his brother’s family got their own place, how would he fill the empty spaces in his home and his heart?

  Kate put a hand on his knee. “Are you okay?”

  He took a deep breath. “I’m being selfish. It was foolish, but I had this whole plan cooked up where I got a perfect house and my brother and niece moved in with me. Now that Corrinne’s back, it reminded me that they should be together and I’m just the lonely uncle.”

  Kate moved onto his surfboard and put an arm around him. They both watched the water for a few minutes, and Brady enjoyed the comfort Kate offered, just with her presence and for the moment. But it was enough.

  “What were you going to ask me?” she finally said.

  “Oh.” He’d almost forgotten. “The wedding. They want a simple beach wedding and they want to do it soon. Next week.”

  Kate drew back in surprise. “They’re going to put together a wedding in a week?”

  Brady shrugged. “They just need time to get a license and for her family to come from West Virginia. Her dad got the okay from his cardiologist to make a short trip. Corrinne’s family owns a golf course there, but I guess they’re getting someone else to run it while they come down here next weekend.”

  “Will Noah and Corrinne move to West Virginia after they’re married?”

  “I don’t think so,” Brady said. “Noah just started a good job at the bank, and Bella loves the ocean. I haven’t asked a lot of questions, but I think they will stay in Cape Pursuit.”

  “So you won’t be so terribly lonely,” Kate said, smiling. “Uncle Brady.”

  “No,” he admitted. “But I do still need a date for the wedding.”

  He saw her hesitate and then flash a quick smile. “Who are you planning to ask?”

  Brady laughed. “The girl at the beach shack, as soon as I return this overdue board.”

  Kate withdrew her arm from around his shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest as she gave him a goofy grin. “I’ll make sure we’re both marked off on the schedule as soon as you tell me the time and date,” she said. “I’ve never been to a one-week-of-planning wedding, and I think I like the sound of it.”

  “Have you been to fancy weddings?”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “You can’t imagine. My parents and their friends believe that weddings are a display of wealth more than affection. You could probably buy a house for the amount my cousins spent on theirs, and a house will sure as heck last longer.”

  “Was the cake at least good?” Brady asked.

  Kate nodded. “And the champagne. It almost dulled my senses enough to ignore my aunts when they demanded to know when my wedding would be.”

  Brady smiled. “I’m trying to picture you with a cup of expensive champagne.”

  “Flute,” she said. “There are fancy names for all kinds of unnecessary objects, and that’s exactly how my family rolls.”

  “But not you,” he said.

  “Not true. Look at this pricey surfboard I’m disgracing with my lack of skill. It’s just as useless as Waterford crystal, unless I actually learn to operate it.”

  “You’re here for another month, and I think that sounded like a challenge. Or an invitation.”

  “I might try a few more surfing lessons, but I’ll probably have to bequeath this board to you when I leave town,” she said, smiling.

  Brady tried not to think about her driving away in another month or so, no surfboard sticking out of her Escape, no ties holding her heart.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  BRADY SPENT A long night lying awake in his bed. Surfing had tired him physically, but the evening had lit up his senses and ignited a thought that wouldn’t go away.

  He loved Kate.

  He’d never been in love before. Dated some girls in high school, but never seriously. He hadn’t gotten close enough for anyone to ask questions about the home life he’d tried to hide. Since then, he’d focused on his firefighting training, career and extra jobs, always with the future goal of a home. A wife and family could come later, but the house had to be first.

  There had been a few dates over the years, but Brady wasn’t interested in casual transitory relationships. He’d been holding out for the real thing. As he lay looking at the blue numbers on his bedside clock, he had the bitter realization that the two things he wanted most couldn’t exist together. He loved Kate, and she had no interest in the kind of permanence he need
ed like he needed air to breathe.

  He was afraid to even ask himself the toughest question. Did Kate love him? He squeezed his eyes shut against the pillow knowing it didn’t matter. Even if there was something growing between them, her need to move on and maintain her freedom would overpower it. If he loved her, he had to let her go.

  Or—the thought almost jolted him upright in bed—go with her. The thought was pure madness, reckless, even desperate. He had a plan for his life and he was too close to give it up, but...

  Kate’s future would center around airports, perhaps one airport in particular where she would be based. Didn’t airports need firefighters? It would mean giving up the life he’d been building in Cape Pursuit, but he could start fresh somewhere. As he fell asleep, he pictured himself on the ground at an airport, manning the fire station while watching planes come and go all day long. Kate would be on one of those planes, always climbing out of his reach. He didn’t remember where his thoughts ended and dreams took over, but in the back of his mind, he couldn’t answer the most important question. Did Kate love him, and what would he be willing to risk to find out?

  As soon as Brady shut off the alarm and got to the station for an early shift, he already heard the call tones echoing that signaled a fire call. He tossed his backpack into his locker, nodded to Captain Kevin Russell to tell him he was ready for duty even though his shift didn’t officially start for another ten minutes. No one punched a clock when people or property were in danger. Brady pulled on his gear and got in the passenger seat of the second pumper where Charlie was already in the driver’s seat wearing his turnout gear.

  “Were you just about to go home?” Brady asked, knowing he was probably Charlie’s replacement.

  “Isn’t that when fires always happen?” Charlie asked, but his grin erased any cynicism. Brady knew Charlie lived for the rush and also the fulfillment of being a rescuer, just as he did. “My wife will hear it on the scanner and take our baby with her to work, so it’s all good.”

  Brady briefly imagined himself getting home late from work, a wife and kids happy to see him. The wild thought of leaving town and following Kate from the night before made no sense in the daylight. Even if he did quit his job and go with her, would she want him?

  “The buyer dropped the price on that blue house you liked,” Charlie said. “Hate to take advantage of someone else’s misfortune, but they’re in a position where they need to unload it fast.”

  “Really?” Brady said, hope surging in his chest. He adjusted the siren to change its long wail to a quicker warble as they approached an intersection in downtown Cape Pursuit. Charlie hit the brakes and slowed until Brady looked twice and called out a “clear right” from his side of the cab. His thoughts were on the attack plan for the call they were hurrying to, a reported garage fire. The garage was not attached, and the caller said there were no other structures or people in danger, but every fire call was serious, and Brady never let his guard down until they were on the way back to the station.

  But that blue house danced before him, enticing him and tempting him to imagine his mismatched dishes in the kitchen cabinets and his ancient push mower in the garage.

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Brady said. “Any idea if there are hazardous materials stored in this garage?”

  Charlie let out a short humorless laugh. “It’s a garage. You know there will be a gas can, a bucket of something that looks like used motor oil, lawn chemicals and fifteen cans of half-empty spray paint.”

  Brady smiled. “Nice to know you can count on some things.”

  They were the second fire truck to leave the station, and the first one was already blocking the street in front of the burning structure. Gavin and Kevin had the hydrant hooked and were rolling out long stretches of hoses. Charlie stopped the truck, Brady hopped out and chocked the wheels and they reported to Kevin for orders.

  It didn’t take long to knock down the fire in the small structure, and when the fire was out, Kevin and Brady worked together to stack the fire hoses back on the truck while Charlie and Gavin picked up equipment. It was hot, and Brady put his helmet and coat in the cab of the truck leaving on his sweaty T-shirt, bunker pants and heavy boots.

  “You ever think about your future?” Kevin said as he waited in the hose bed for Brady to hand up hose.

  Brady’s attention caught at Kevin’s serious tone. Was he in trouble for something? Kevin was a captain and a cousin of the chief. Was there something Brady needed to know?

  “My immediate future,” Brady said, trying for a cheerful tone, “involves a shower and a sandwich.”

  Kevin laughed. “Mine, too. But I mean on the department. We’re always on the lookout for good officers, and you’ve put in five years now.”

  An officer. Brady respected and admired the leaders on the department, and it always seemed like a someday goal for him. As soon as he got established, bought a house, had a permanent address...then he could think about furthering his career. When he didn’t have to work two jobs anymore to save for a down payment, he would have time to go to evening or weekend classes at the State Fire Academy.

  “It’s something I’ve always wanted,” he said.

  “Good. Tony will probably put out a call soon for anyone interested in classes, and I know he’s got you on the top of his list.”

  “Thanks.” Brady felt a glow in his chest. He’d come a long way from being practically homeless as a child to being a man entrusted with saving people and possibly even becoming a leader. And being an officer came with a small but decent raise—extra money that would come in handy if his house needed plumbing work or a new swing for the porch. He pictured himself coming home to that perfect blue house.

  On the way back to the station, Charlie fanned the flames even more by talking about how he should jump on that house before someone else did, how property values were going up in that neighborhood, how it was a perfect time of year to close on a deal and be ready to rake the fall leaves.

  Call me, Brady texted to his brother, knowing Noah would check his phone at lunch. He didn’t want to pressure his brother about his future housing plans, especially with a wedding in just a week, but he had to share the amazing news with someone. Noah, more than anyone, would understand what a home meant to Brady and what being offered a chance at advancement on the fire department would mean.

  He could text Kate, but he knew she would also be busy working. She’d be happy for him in a friend-cheering-on-a-friend way, but she wouldn’t understand. To her, a home meant confinement. To him, it meant freedom from uncertainty, want and even fear. A person who had grown up like Kate wouldn’t see it that way, no matter how much he wished he could explain.

  * * *

  “DO YOU HAVE a few minutes?” George asked as Kate punched out after her dayshift driving the trolley.

  “Sure,” she said. She didn’t have to check her watch. She knew it was just past four, and even though she was planning to take advantage of the Friday night tourist crowd by driving for Uber, she could spare a moment for George. The guy was overworked and seemed anxious lately, but Kate also admired the way he’d tried to build an employee culture throughout the summer. He didn’t have to do that. He could have just paid minimum wage and hoped some of them would return for the next season out of loyalty to a paycheck if nothing else.

  He gestured for Kate to come into his office and pointed to a chair across from his desk. The surface of the desk held a computer, piles of papers, a stapler, a paperweight with a seashell embedded in its glass surface, two plastic drink cups from fast-food restaurants and a faded blue hat with an older Cape Pursuit Trolley logo. Kate knew he spent a lot of time there, but his desk suggested he’d been living there for ten years.

  “I actually used the surfboard already,” she said as she sat in a red plastic chair that was missing one foot and teetered when she moved.

  He looked up, a
question on his face. “Oh, that’s right. You won it. I hope you had fun.”

  Kate laughed. “Learning to surf is more challenging than fun, but I’m willing to give it another try. Brady went with me.”

  She didn’t know why she added that fact. Of course a lot of people knew she was dating Brady; it wasn’t something they’d kept secret or hidden. There was no reason to conceal something that was uncomplicated and shared the same timeline their summer jobs did.

  “He’s a good guy,” George commented, but he seemed distracted.

  “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “I hope so. You’ve probably noticed that this summer has been...different from last summer. I’ve tried some new things, attempted some organization and reorganization.”

  Kate kept a neutral expression as she looked at his desk, a not-so-stellar example of his organization.

  “I know,” he said, smiling. “I said I attempted it. What I really need is good help. Full-time help. Someone to be my business manager.”

  He stared at Kate as he spoke, and she had the sinking feeling that the potential business manager wore a nametag that said Kate in George’s mind.

  She cleared her throat. “That’s a good idea. Every business needs someone to keep order and keep the books.”

  “I was hoping you’d think so,” he said. “I want to let you in on something that’s been going on in my mind for a while and it’s happening now.” He paused and tapped a pen on his desk. “I’m buying out one of the other summer tourist outfits—Cape Suntimes. They do some shuttles and tours, run two food stands and three souvenir places.”

  “Wow,” Kate said. “I didn’t know they were selling. I’ve seen their coupon booklets all over town.” Kate had a few acquaintances who worked for the competing company, and she’d been to their souvenir shops and food stands many times. She’d even taken one of their evening ghost tours of Cape Pursuit. It was sort of a shame to see the company sell out, even though she liked George and knew he’d do a good job. It was just that if and when she returned to Cape Pursuit sometime in the future, maybe some summer for a visit, it wouldn’t be quite the same.