The Chance

by Theresa Puckett

  The Chance

  Firefighter and New Adult Romance

  By Theresa Puckett

  Copyright © 2017 by Theresa Puckett

  All rights reserved. The people, places and situations contained in this book are figments of the author’s insane imagination and in no way reflect real or true events.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Please purchase an additional copy for each reader, if you would like to share this book with another person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting this hard work.

  Thank you for buying this book.

  Contents

  Copyright

  The Chance

  Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  The Chance

  Description

  When Jonathan Kowalsky finally realizes his dream of becoming a Firefighter, he doesn’t realize that it’s merely the start of his life. Young, unsure of himself, scared of what he’s capable of, and still riding off of a past that haunts him as one of the outcasts of his social circle, he enters his new life unknowing if he’ll make a good impression or not, having only squeaked by the bare minimum.

  However, it all changes when he meets Cheyanna Short. A young woman with a lot going on in her life, and a lot to look forward to. John looking to her and thinking she’s everything that he wants, while she looks to him the same.

  A chance fire and a chance to finally be the hero he wants to be however changes John’s life in the end, and sets him on an upward swing that changes his life, and reveals things about both him and Chey for the better.

  Chapter 1

  “Kowalsky! Get your ass up out of the dirt and run!”

  Quickly I looked up, mud caking my face as I felt my knees wobble beneath me. The thunderous cry of thunder overhead booming and echoing in the distance as droplets of water splashed down against my body like icy little prickles, chilling me as the wet earth hardened over me.

  I heard the sound of Kent Marshal, my instructor, still yelling as loud as he could, still calling out for me to continue to get up and hustle. “You’re never going to pass if you don’t get up! You’ve got literally 30 seconds left! GO GO GO!”

  Those last three words, so loud and clear, echoing louder in my head than the booming thunder propelled me forward as I dug my sneaked heel into the earth, and shot up. I fell, I remembered suddenly. I was in the midst of running, my foot caught and I crumpled down to the earth in a splash in the mud.

  I couldn’t stop, not now. My test was today and if I failed I wouldn’t be able to take it again for another several months. I couldn’t continue to work Retail till that, not now. I needed to pass this physical and I’d have the job I’ve always wanted. The job I dreamed of as a child.

  My breath seized in my throat, and suddenly the adrenaline hit me. Cool, and numb I suddenly felt, all instincts within me seized up in that moment and I became hyper-aware of my surroundings. The world suddenly seemed to be in slow motion, and I felt myself giving way to gravity as I leaped up from the mud, and just ran.

  My muscles strained, my knees ached from the fall, my hands burned from hitting gravel and abrasive dirt, and still, I continued on quickly as I saw the end goal in my sight. The end of the race. I already finished the obstacle course. Climbed the wall, jumped through the tire tracks, swung over the rope, climbed the rope and more. My end was coming soon.

  And then, in that moment I passed through. The sound of a whistle screeched through the coming chilly air, signaling its end and I collapsed once more onto the ground, out of breath from having used up my second wind in that mad dash to get to the other side of the finishing line.

  My instructor came up, his hooded sweatshirt lined with the coming of the rain on his shoulders as he held up his clipboard and stopwatch, kneeling down beside me.

  “Do you really want to know your time John?” he asked, his voice now softer and kinder than the loud rough and gruff yelling of both derailment and encouragement from earlier.

  I huffed, catching my breath still as I slowly rose up onto my feet. My leg’s still feeling a bit shaken from the release of adrenaline. “Whew… yea. Just… give me the bad news…” I said between heavy breaths.

  He smiled and turned both clipboard and stopwatch to me. 1:59:14. I had to complete the obstacle course in less than 2 minutes. “Close enough to pass John. Might have gotten the average time if you didn’t fall, but heck can try to beat your personal time later. Right now you passed the physical exam.”

  I was so sure I was going to lose that, the relief made me want to sink back down to the muddy ground. Already feeling my shorts and shirt clinging to me, I resisted the urge to hug the man. The last year, all of that training, practicing, learning, studying and all to pass all of my exams hit me suddenly. I couldn’t help but feel choked up as I turned to look at him; my mentor who had been with me every step of the way.

  “You mean?” I asked I didn’t want to believe it, but I wanted to hear it from him.

  He smiled even more and nodded, the baseball cap he wore sliding along his bald head as he reached up to tug it back down as droplets of the coming water continued on down. “Yep John. Welcome to the Fort Wayne Fire Department. You’re now a part of the team.”

  Again, I fought the urge to hug him, to fist pump, to do anything but release the anxiety and allow it to melt down into the earth beneath me then. “Oh my God. Oh my God…”

  “Yea. I know you been working pretty hard, and got by on the width of a hair. But a victory is a victory. How do you feel kid?”

  I looked down at myself as I frowned somewhat. “Happy… dirty, but happy.”

  Kent merely reached a hand out to pat my shoulder as he pulled me towards him as he turned to walk away, guiding me to follow. “Yea, well it’s starting to rain, you fell in the dirt, you’ve been sweating for the better part of an hour, and you smell like a horse's back end. Why don’t we get you cleaned up, dressed, and we’ll talk about when you start, and what precinct you’re reporting to.”

  Suddenly I felt that surge of adrenaline welling within me once more. I could feel it now; my dream, my goal. I was only 22, but this was something I had wanted since I was a kid. Playing with firetrucks when I was a kid. Watching all sorts of shows and documentaries about firefighting. Its history, the people behind it, the sacrifices and heroics they do to keep neighborhoods safe, protect homes, and keep towns from burning down to the ground.

  It was something I wanted to be for as long as I could remember. And here I was, getting ready to become one.

  I grinned and was led to the training facilities. My mind wandering over to the future now that I would have. I was so sure of it; I put in my 2 weeks’ notice at the local “Burlington Coat Factory” because I knew I could do it.

  And now, well. I almost didn’t. It would have been embarrassing to go crawling back for my job, but at least now I wouldn’t.

  “Alright Kid, get washed, dressed, and I’ll get you settled in with your paperwork. Like I said, welcome to the team.”

  I nodded, speechless still, and went, happy that the last year was all worth it.

  Chapter 2

  My life as a Firefighter afterwards was one of ups and downs for the next several months after I passed all of my tests. One that was both exciting, and boring at the same time. Something that I was pretty happy with, but also unexpected at the same time.

  Since the initial change in my job, I was now at the bottom of the social ladder when it came to my new lifestyle. Unl
ike what I saw in a lot of movies, and television shows that showed firefighters, I didn’t have to “live” at the precincts where I was assigned, which was kind of nice because I liked my little house on the outskirts of the city, but mostly what I did when I showed up for work was keeping the place clean. The older Firefighters choosing to use me as their “gopher” (go for) boy. Often getting them lunches, coffee, and the like while teaching me the ropes of firefighting.

  It wasn’t so bad, all things considered. A little humiliating, but surprisingly, and thankfully, I started to fit in with the Firefighter culture. A lot of them having come from a long line of Firefighters themselves, keeping on the family tradition and working in tandem with the local police and paramedic crews on just about everything. The culture of firefighting I was finding out soon encompassing more than just firefighting in general; it was all about protecting the city.

  The next best thing? The various different social gatherings we had to keep us connected to the city and the people too. Almost once a month there was a potluck or a bake sale that the other Firefighters wives and daughters cooked for, or some other thing going on that took place at the Precinct we were at and various other locales in the city itself.

  I didn’t particularly mind them. It was a nice distraction, and I got paid over time as I often came out to work at these functions, both to entertain guests, talk with people, and also be on call in case of a fire. A little bit of extra to pad my wallet at the end of the month as a reward, but this one, in particular, was proving to be something even better.

  I was doing my usual duty at these things; Running the coffee maker and giving out coffee, soda, and water to people who showed up to a potluck dinner we were having that evening. A small gathering at the tail end of the autumn season, hungry for the BBQ Chicken that was cooking as the last grilling of the year before the cold weather set in. Nothing that was too big or too fancy. Mostly people who were free from work, with $5 to spare to help pay for some new equipment and receive a plate of meat and potatoes, and all.

  I returned from the back, thermos in hand. I liked to liken myself to a coffee aficionado, and this particular thermos was full of a sweet iced coffee brew that I whipped up for the others and was willing to share when I nearly awkwardly bumped into a mass of red hair from the corner of my eye.

  Our bodies collided, and I nearly sent the other person to the floor as I quickly recovered, almost dropping the thermos in my hand as I reached down to help the other person up, uttering my apologies for being clumsy.

  “Hey! I’m sorry!” I started to say, my hand reaching down to the other person before she turned and looked up at me. Her long curly red hair falling back on her head, and large blue eyes looked up from the ground up at me in shock. Her beauty at that moment nearly paralyzing me with shock. I never seen this person out and about before at these functions, so she was completely new to me.

  I instantly froze; I never was one who was good around pretty women, and she was certainly something. So I stammered, ignoring the others around me for the moment as a cold bead of sweat trickled down from my brow.

  “I… Hey… Yea. I’m… sorry about that.” I continued on as I kept my hand out towards her.

  She didn’t seem to notice or care too much that I was the one that knocked into her. She smiled, and it sent a feeling of warmth into my core as she reached out, and took my hand as I helped her back to her feet. The jacket she wore giving way a little bit to the Band shirt she wore beneath; a vintage tee from a rock band well before my time.

  “That’s alright.” She spoke, her voice light and airy, almost musical with a hint of a southern drawl to it. “I shouldn’t have been back here. I was looking for someone actually.”

  “O... Oh…” I said, fearing for the worst; she was looking for a boyfriend or something of that nature. “Well, who are you looking for? I know a lot of people here. Been here for at least 5 months.”

  She smiled still and shook her head. “Just my Uncle. He works here. Do you know Kendrell Addams?” she asked.

  I nodded. “Yea, he’s my boss here. You’re his niece huh? Haven’t seen you around before.”

  “Yea. I moved here to be close to some family. I actually just started at Purdue University a little while ago. Just been busy getting use to the city, and the town, you know?”

  I nodded my head, I knew of Purdue. I actually thought about going to college for Engineering if the whole “Firefighting” thing didn’t work out, to at least do something with my life, and Purdue was one of the places I was interested in.

  “Yea... Yea. I understand. There’s a lot here in Fort Wayne to see. I guess. You know?” I said with a slight grin, feeling dumber by the moment, and feeling I was messing up my chance to talk with a pretty girl of around my age; a chance I didn’t get to do too much anymore…. Though it wasn’t like I had practice in high school.

  But she smiled still and just dusted off her jacket before she zipped it up. “To be honest, it’s alright. I kind of don’t mind the city, but I don’t exactly know the music scene all that well out here.”

  “Yea? Haven’t gotten out much have you huh?” I asked, looking from her band tee back up quickly before I realized I was being rude and extended my hand out towards her. “I’m John, by the way. John Kowalsky. You know, in case you wanted to know who it was that bumped into you.”

  She nodded with a smile, reaching with her free hand to brush back her curly red hair from her face as she took my hand in hers. Soft, but firm. “Chey Short. Cheyanna if you want to be really formal. But you can just call me Chey like everyone else.”

  I seized on that opportunity. “You like music?”

  She leaned in conspiratorially towards me, almost as if to whisper a dark secret to me, and could sense her warmth, smell the essence of her perfume on her, and it only made me blush at her closeness. “Don’t tell anyone but I wanted to be a musician when I was younger.”

  I couldn’t tell if it was a secret she did want to keep from her Uncle or not, so I simply nodded, dumbfounded a little bit as I replied back. “Oh... Secret is safe with me.” I said, nearly slack jawed at Chey’s closeness to me.

  She laughed and nudged me lightly; pressing her arm against the side of my ribs to the point I could feel the lining of her muscle digging past my Firefighters tee and into my ribs a bit. “I’m kidding silly. It’s not that big of a secret. I’m sure everyone wanted to at one time or another.

  I laughed, and felt a little bit of relief, though a little bit embarrassed that she played me with that my joke. I didn’t want to dwell, if she was being playful, and took my chance at a flirt. Figuring maybe perhaps I should take this opportunity to talk to her more. Who knew when the next time she’d come out to the Firefighter precinct would be?

  “You know…” I said, nudging her back a bit as I tilted my head for her to follow. The smell of the grilling chicken and potatoes starting to fill the air with a delicious aroma. “… if it’s music you like, there’s actually quite a good scene for it if you know where to look.”

  That brightened her blue eyes, and to my surprise, she followed beside me. Stepping up with a trotty little bounce next to me, bubbly and carefree, her expression changing from mild amusement to one of interest as she stepped close enough once more that I could feel her warmth pressing against me. “Really? Is that right? Where? Do you know? I’ve been dying to see and just get out of the house a little bit more.”

  I smiled at her and guided her with me towards the tables where the food was as I placed the cold thermos of iced coffee against the table, my free hand lightly brushing against her arm as I reached for several of the red plastic cups. “Yea sure. A lot of places in the city. The Coliseum where they typically play. Lots of bars and clubs here in town for indie bands. There’s even a newspaper for that kind of stuff that you can find all over town if you’re into that sort of stuff.”

  “Oh my gosh. I must have missed all of that stuff.” She said, surprised at the news that Fort W
ayne actually had quite the nightlife.

  “Oh, yea.” I continued on, pouring her a cup of coffee. “You know… I know a place we could go. If you want…” I ventured on. Seeing if she’d take the bait, gauging to see whether or not she’d like to perhaps go on a date.

  She looked at me and surprised me with her words. “Yea! Sure, just name the time and if I’m not studying I’d love to go with you!” I figured at first I’d end up having to try and work to convince her, but the suddenness to the agreement caught me off guard enough I started to stutter. I was becoming increasingly nervous as my boldness was rewarded.

  “I… well... You know. Yea. I’ll find out the time. Yea.” I said, handing her the cup in my hand, as I tried not to shake with the anticipation of now realizing that I had a date set up with her.

  She smiled still, always seemingly smiling as she took the cup in hand. “I’d love that. Do you want my number?”

  “Well. You live with your uncle right? He’s my boss so I have his number…”

  She frowned at that but simply laughed as she shook her head. “Silly. No. I’m not going to have you call my Uncle to ask for me. Not if you two work together. I’ll just give you my cell number. Besides, I live in the apartment above his garage so I’m hardly at the house anyways. It’ll just make things easier.”

  “Ohh… yea. That makes sense.” I agreed nervously still. Watching her as she quickly took a sharpie that was close by, writing it on the cup I had handed her before she handed it back with a wink.

  “Talk to you soon?” she asked.

  I smiled, and turned the cup in hand, still full of coffee. Her number written in broad strokes across the cup in dark black lettering. “Yea… Yea. I’ll find out tonight when I get home.

  “Cool. I’ll see you then.” She said again, another wink to her face as she turned, and walked off. Leaving me there stammering, confused, but ultimately happy.