Dear Mr. Firefighter: The Match Maker Series

by Callahan, Kelli

  “You’re not dressed for work.” Abby’s eyes narrowed as she stared at her mother.

  “I’ve got a meeting before work.” Bridget poured a cup of coffee.

  “Oh.” Abby’s suspiciousness didn’t fade.

  Probably a good thing if she doesn’t tell her it’s about a new job, in case she doesn’t get it. Abby loves to turn possible outcomes into truths in her head before they become reality.

  “Time for you to go.” Bridget pointed at the door. “I hear the bus.”

  “Bye!” Abby scooped up one last bite of cereal and grabbed her book bag.

  Abby gave us both a quick hug and then darted out the door. Bridget finished getting ready between sips of coffee and I waited for her to finish so I could start getting ready for work myself. I needed at least one cup of coffee before I dared to get in the shower anyway. I slept but thinking about Chloe all night had caused me to toss and turn a few times.

  “Good luck today. Just be yourself.” I stood as Bridget walked back into the kitchen.

  “I’m trying not to be nervous.” She exhaled sharply. “I’ve never had an interview for a position like this.”

  “You’ll do great.” I walked over and gave her a hug.

  “I’m as worried about getting the job as I am about blowing the interview.” She pulled away after a quick embrace. “I’ve gotten used to my schedule and being able to be home with Abby every night.”

  “I doubt an office job will keep you out all night. Besides, I’ll be here.” I shrugged. “Well, most nights.”

  “Yeah, but that won’t last forever. If things work out with Chloe…” She pursed her lips but forced a smile.

  “That’s a long ways off—if it even gets to that point.” My eyes got wide. “Focus on what is in front of you. We’ll figure out the rest of it as a family, just like we always have.”

  “Thank you—and not just for the motivational speech.” She smiled. “I never thank you enough for what you do for us.”

  “You have nothing to thank me for.” I shook my head back and forth. “You’re family.”

  Bridget took a few minutes to collect her things and then she was off to the interview. She promised to text me as soon as it was over. I took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed downtown to the fire station. It was a quiet morning and I found myself lost in my thoughts as I waited on the first call of the day. I was contemplating my fourth cup of coffee when my phone lit up with a message from Bridget.

  Bridget: I got the job! Holy shit!

  Cain: Are you serious!? That’s awesome! You don’t even have to wait to hear anything?

  Bridget: No! He barely asked me any questions. Cain, I’m starting right now. Like, I’m literally sitting in a room waiting to sign the paperwork so I can start.

  Cain: Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?

  Bridget: It pays three times what I bring in from the diner on my best day.

  Cain: I guess that makes it hard to turn down.

  Bridget: This place is awesome. They even offer free daycare during the summer when the kids are out of school.

  Cain: Wow. So, no drug test?

  Bridget: He didn’t mention it during the interview. I think he just wants someone that can start right now.

  Cain: I guess you won’t be giving the diner two weeks…

  Bridget: I feel bad about that, but I can’t turn this down. Okay, gotta go. They’re here with my paperwork.

  I was a natural skeptic, but it sounded like a perfect opportunity and one Bridget couldn’t turn down. I worried about her having to work long hours or getting in over her head. She didn’t have any formal training—but she did know how to type, and she was very well organized most of the time. I hoped that would be enough for her to get started and learn the rest. It had to be better than waiting tables, even if she wasn’t totally qualified.

  Hopefully Chloe’s interview goes this well.

  I woke up and immediately felt a panic twist my stomach into a knot. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I was planning to wait up for Lola since she went out with Mr. Doctor for the first time the previous night. I put on my pajamas and opened my door. Lola’s door was standing open and it didn’t look like her bed had been slept in. That left me with a hint of worry as I walked down the hallway—the worry intensified when she opened the front door and walked into our apartment wearing the same dress she had on the night before.

  “Lola—did you…” My eyes opened wide when she turned around with a silly grin on her face.

  “I spent the night with him.” She walked to the couch and dropped down, comically throwing her arm over her eyes. “I’m in love.”

  “You were supposed to wait!” I hurried to the couch and sat down.

  “The night just—took us where it took us.” She sat up suddenly. “He’s so hot. Hold on, I took a picture at dinner. He looks so much better in person than he did in his profile picture.”

  Lola pulled her phone out of her purse and showed me a picture of them together at dinner. Mr. Doctor was certainly attractive. They looked very happy together, but I still couldn’t believe she spent the night with him—especially since the rules said they were supposed to wait three months before they were intimate.

  “So you just gave in to temptation…” I chuckled and shook my head.

  “Sometimes you just know.” She shrugged. “Okay, I’m going to bed. We didn’t get much sleep last night, if you know what I mean.”

  “The details can stop right there.” I held up my hand.

  Lola went to bed and I picked up my phone. I aimless scrolled through the pictures I had of Cain. Was she right? Was it okay to just go for it if it felt right? I seemed to be fighting a constant tug-of-war when it came to Cain. There were times when I thought a kiss wasn’t going to be enough, but he stopped himself. Other times, I was the one that had to stop myself. What if we were just being foolish and torturing ourselves?

  Chloe: How’s work?

  Cain: Boring so far, which is a good thing I suppose.

  Chloe: Will I get to see you tomorrow?

  Cain: Definitely. Hey, would you be interested in coming to dinner at my place this weekend?

  Chloe: Just the two of us?

  Cain: No. I want you to meet Bridget and Abby.

  Chloe: Okay! Yes, I’d love that!

  Cain: Awesome! We’ll work out the details tomorrow.

  Chloe: Don’t forget that I can’t stay out too late tomorrow. I have my interview the next day…

  Cain: Right. I’ll make sure you’re in bed early—not that it stops you from staying up late and sending me pictures.

  Chloe: You never complain.

  Cain: I complain, but only because I want the real thing more…

  Chloe: We can talk about that tomorrow too.

  I spent the day getting my outfit ready for my interview, going over common questions people asked, and when Lola finally woke up, I had her give me a mock interview that I found online. I felt prepared, but it didn’t make the nervousness go away. I spent the rest of the afternoon taking care of a few errands, and when I got back to the apartment, Lola was sitting on the couch wearing a dress that was way too gorgeous for lounging.

  “Are you going out with him again tonight?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

  “I am.” She looked up at me and smiled. “He’ll be here soon. You shouldn’t wait up.”

  “Okay—have fun.” I chuckled under my breath.

  “I plan to.” She winked at me.

  I guess it’s going to be a boring night.

  I exchanged a few text messages with Cain, but he got a call and wasn’t able to respond to my last one. It was certainly tempting to take a few dirty pictures and send them to him, but I didn’t really feel right about doing it while he was at work. I spent the evening eating dinner alone, going over my potential interview questions for what felt like the millionth time, and finally called it a night.

  * * *

  Two days later
>
  “I’m so nervous.” I stood in front of the mirror and tried to keep my armpits from sweating as I waited until it was time to go to my interview.

  “This is what you’ve worked for. Don’t be nervous.” Lola waved her hand under my armpits as I held my arms up.

  My date with Cain the previous night had offered a little bit of distraction, but the nervousness was in full bloom again. We made our plans for the weekend and I told him about Lola breaking the rules with the guy she got set up with. We were both tempted to follow in their footsteps—god were we tempted. In the end, we pushed ourselves against the clock and my need to get in bed early so I would be ready for the interview gave us an out before we got a chance to take things further.

  “Okay, I have to go.” I walked away from the mirror and grabbed my purse.

  * * *

  My stomach was a knot when I finally got to Cardinal Advertising. It’s a good thing I didn’t eat anything because I would have probably thrown up. Even the coffee wasn’t sitting right with me. My nervousness got worse when I walked into the room to wait for my interview and realized that I wasn’t the only person being interviewed. There were several other well-dressed people about my age, and I recognized a few of them from some of my classes. If I was going to earn my spot at the company, it appeared that I would have to compete for it.

  I clutched my portfolio close to my chest and wished I had more examples of my work to show them. One the guys that was waiting was a little older and he had a three-ring binder full of what I had to assume were advertising campaigns he had worked on. If I was competing against someone with experience, I wasn’t sure I would be able to prove that I was worthy of getting the job before them.

  I watched as others were called to an office by a brunette in heels and a pair of wire-rimmed glasses who introduced herself as Ms. Williams. The interviews seemed to take no more than fifteen minutes and after they were done, the candidate was either led to the exit or led to another room down the hallway. Most of them were escorted to the exit, including all of the people I recognized from school. That didn’t seem like a good sign.

  “Ms. Chloe West?” Ms. Williams looked around the room.

  “That’s me!” I held up my hand and stood.

  Ms. Williams took me to the office, and I tried to steady my nerves as the door was opened. Inside was Dane Cardinal himself, the head of Cardinal Marketing. It definitely wasn’t his normal office and appeared to just be set up for interviews. I had no idea I would be interviewing with the CEO of the company—although it was probably a good thing that I didn’t because that would have made my knees buckle before I even walked into the building.

  “Chloe! Hello, I’m Dane Cardinal.” He walked around his desk and shook my hand. “Please, have a seat.”

  “Thank you.” My words sounded like they came out in a squeak, so I tried to quietly clear my throat.

  “According to your resume, you just graduated from college?” He walked back to his chair and sat down.

  “Yes sir.” I nodded and took a seat, trying desperately not to start sweating from my forehead and armpits at the same time.

  “Are you nervous? Don’t be nervous.” He gave me a warm smile, but it didn’t do much to ease the tension.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I would be interviewing with you. I wrote a paper about you in college…” I blinked and tried to clear the lump trying to form in my throat.

  That probably made me sound like some obsessed fan instead of a potential employee.

  “Let me guess—you wrote a paper about the Quash Cola account?” He tilted his head inquisitively.

  “Yes sir.” I looked down.

  Of course I did—that’s what everyone writes about when they do a paper on Cardinal Marketing.

  “That’s a good account to research.” He looked down at his paper and picked up a pen.

  The interview delved into the routine questions, which I had prepared for, and while Mr. Cardinal was intimidating due to his position, he seemed to be trying to keep the atmosphere friendly. It wasn’t a bad interview by any means, and I felt my nervousness fade after a few minutes. I answered his questions honestly, made sure he knew that I really wanted to work for his company, and as far as I could tell—I wasn’t blowing it.

  “Okay, one last question.” He put down the interview sheet. “Why should I hire you over everyone else that I’m interviewing today. Keep in mind that some of them have years of experience.”

  “I’ve wanted to work in advertising as long as I can remember.” I exhaled sharply. “I know I don’t have an impressive resume, but I’m loyal. My generation seems to have lost that. I know people that are five years older than me who have switched jobs twice since they graduated from college. I’m not looking to use this as a stepping stone to something else. I want to work for one company, prove that I’m the best, and move up when the opportunities present themselves. I want to earn my spot the old-fashioned way, through hard work and dedication, rather than jumping from one company to the next.”

  Just like I rehearsed—and thank goodness I rehearsed it.

  “Yeah, that sounds like a canned answer.” He leaned back and shrugged. “Did you read that on a website somewhere?”

  Oh god.

  “No—no sir.” I shook my head back and forth.

  Although I did read a few articles about loyalty—and how it was missing from my generation.

  “I employ the best.” He leaned forward as quickly as he had leaned back. “I want people that are so good that my competitors are trying to steal them. Competition is healthy whether you’re competing for accounts or competing to get the best in the business to work for you.”

  “I do want to be the best…” I was starting to struggle—he hadn’t challenged any of my answers until that one, and I didn’t know how to respond.

  “We’ll be in touch.” He put down his pen.

  I didn’t even need to get my hopes up. I wasn’t going to be escorted down the hallway to the other room—I was being escorted to the exit. I held back the tears, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed when I got to my car. I thought my answer was good. It was honest and it was rehearsed, but it wasn’t some canned answer I read on a website. I truly did want to find a good company to work for and prove myself. It just didn’t look like Cardinal Advertising was going to give me the opportunity I was looking for.

  Chloe: The interview didn’t go well. I need some time to myself. Will you be upset with me if I cancel our plans tonight?

  Cain: No, not at all. I understand completely. I’m sorry. Please let me know if you need anything, even if you just want to talk.

  Chloe: Thanks.

  A few days later

  Chloe had been distant since the interview, which certainly didn’t go as well as she hoped. We went out on one date, but I could tell that she was distracted. We spent time talking and I held her in my arms for a while before we had our goodnight kiss, but the explosive passion wasn’t there like it had been on our previous dates. I didn’t mind, because I did want to be there for her when times were tough—that was more important than the desire we had been fighting off since our first date and the subsequent late night flirting over text messages.

  “Are you picking Chloe up for dinner tonight? If so, you need to get a move on it.” Bridget looked at her watch.

  “No, I talked with her earlier. She said she would be here at six.” I took a quick peek at my watch. “She’s got plenty of time.”

  “Okay, good.” Bridget rushed back into the kitchen to tend to dinner.

  “Is it okay if I call her Aunt Chloe?” Abby looked up at me with a grin on her face.

  “Absolutely not!” My eyes bulged and I quickly shook my head back and forth. “Call her Ms. West unless she gives you permission to use her first name—remember your manners.”

  “Fine.” Abby sulked and walked to the dinner table.

  Chloe arrived and while I could see that she wasn’t totally over th
e interview, she hid it well. Abby was in love from the first moment they met—obvious by the fact that she quickly pulled Chloe away from us to show off her bedroom. I didn’t even want to think about the awkward questions Abby was going to ask her. They would probably be worse than the one that killed her chances at the interview. Bridget finally had to call them for dinner and Abby acted like Chloe was her best friend—she even demanded that Chloe sit by her.

  “I think you’re her date now.” I chuckled under my breath and whispered to Chloe.

  “She’s adorable!” Chloe gave me a warm smile.

  Bridget and Chloe got to know each other as we ate, with Abby interjecting several times. I warned Bridget not to show too much enthusiasm about her new job under the circumstances, but Abby was quick to bring it up. I held my breath as soon as the words left my niece’s lips. Luckily, Chloe didn’t seem to be affected by it. That was a relief, but I was happy when the conversation shifted to something else.

  “Okay, who saved room for dessert?” Bridget stood and started to collect the plates.

  “Are we having ice cream?” Abby looked at her mother.

  “Yes—on top of some apple pie.” Bridget smiled and nodded.

  “Chloe needs to visit every night. I never get dessert!” Abby grabbed her fork.

  “You get way more dessert than you should.” I shook my head back and forth. “It’s a treat, not a necessity.”

  “I’ll help Bridget while you two debate that—I’m on Abby’s side, by the way.” Chloe gave me a quick wink and grabbed my plate.

  “See, that’s why she’s going to be my favorite aunt one day!” Abby quickly smiled.

  “Hmm.” Chloe looked at Abby and then to me. “An interesting thought.”

  An interesting thought? I was sure she would be offended if Abby brought up wedding bells…

  Bridget and Chloe got the dessert prepared and brought it back out to us. Abby practically inhaled everything on her plate and would have probably licked the residue if we hadn’t stopped her. After dessert, we decided to watch a movie. Abby demanded to sit next to Chloe, so the three of us piled on the couch while Bridget sat in the chair next to us. Our movie options were pretty limited with Abby in the room—and it was technically going to be her bedtime before we could even finish a movie. I wondered if that was her plan—to use Chloe as an excuse to stay up late. I decided not to bring it up since the evening was going so well.