“That’s obvious. Not just today, either. You haven’t been worth shit this whole week,” he barked. “Bryant, the Fairview Fire Academy program is fourteen weeks long. You’re eleven weeks in. You’ve been at the top of the class, but you know how competitive this place is. If you start falling behind now, with such little time left, you won’t be able to catch up.”
I hadn’t had a lot of time to study for the written test, either, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Is it your day job?” he continued. “Because most of the other guys quit, or at least took leave until the Academy is done.”
“It could be,” I hedged.
“Could be, but isn’t, huh?” Captain Willis sniffed. “That means it’s girl trouble. Or guy trouble. Heck, I don’t know what to say these days.”
“Girl trouble,” I admitted.
“Well, girl or guy, it ain’t for me to judge,” the Captain said, squinching up his grizzled, weatherworn face. “Either way, I’m gonna tell you the same thing. Get your head out of your ass and focus.”
“I will,” I promised.
“Good.” He sniffed again. “Now, this afternoon, I’m gonna give you a break. Take some time away from this stuff.”
“You’re sending me home?” I looked over at the field where the other guys were still training. If Captain Willis sent me home, I’d never hear the end of it.
“Nah. If I was going to send you home, it would be for good. Got a different job for you. Shouldn’t take too long—an hour maybe. The Millers were going to do it, only the older one called in sick today, and I don’t like to send just one guy over. I gotta get back to it. Go find the younger one. He’ll tell you what to do.”
Josh Miller was already sitting in the firetruck when I caught up to him. “The Captain sent me over,” I told him.
Josh tapped his helmet. “Yep. He messaged me over the walkie-talkies. You’re in your gear already. Slap on a helmet and hop on in, Bryant. We’re running late already.”
I did as he asked and hopped in the truck. Josh and Jake had hair as red as the firetruck we were sitting in. The only way to tell them apart was that Jake was typically clean-shaven, whereas Josh was always a bit scruffy. Like me, they were legacies in the department—their father had been a firefighter and so had their mother.
Even if I did sometimes have trouble telling them apart, I liked both the brothers, who always seemed cheerful and good-natured.
“So, where are we going?” I asked, buckling my seatbelt.
“Over to Fairview Elementary.” Josh put the truck in gear and pulled out onto the road.
“Fairview Elementary?” I struggled to remember something I’d heard about that school recently.
“Yeah,” Josh said. “It’s Fire Safety Day. We were supposed to go on actual Fire Safety Day a few weeks back, but there was a five-alarmer over on Tenth, and it was all-hands-on-deck, so Captain Willis called over to the school and rescheduled for today.”
My mouth went dry, and the butterflies that kept haunting my gut returned in full force as I suddenly remembered what I had heard about the school. “That’s where Katie works,” I said.
“Who’s Katie?” Josh asked, grinning. “She your girl?”
How could I possibly explain? “A girl I know. She and her friend Emma work over at the school. My roommate’s kind of dating Emma.”
Josh laughed, “And you’re kind of dating this Katie?”
“Not exactly.” I could not believe we were talking about this. Especially after the captain had just given me a lecture about getting my head out of my ass and forgetting all this nonsense.
“You like her, though. I can tell.” He pulled the truck around the corner.
“She’s a distraction,” I said, a little too quickly.
“Captain Willis tell you that?”
“Yeah. How did you know?”
Josh chuckled again and glanced over at me. “Because the Captain thinks everything is a distraction. It’s practically his catch phrase. Last month, Jake was talking about this movie he wanted to see, and Captain Willis came over and barked, ‘Ya watch too many damn movies. It’s a distraction.’”
“Seriously?” My nerves calmed down a little. Maybe I wasn’t in trouble after all.
Josh shook his head. “The Captain’s a character, but he’s right about half the time. Jake does watch too many movies. I make too many jokes. Cooper and Grayson bet on the ponies a little too much…”
“And I’ve got a girlfriend I’ve been dating for years, who lives three hundred miles away.”
Josh whistled. “And a Katie who works at the school? Well, that is a doozy. Here’s my advice—whether you want it or not. You’re almost done. You’re almost one of us. Don’t think about either one of them for the next three weeks. Keep your head down, study like crazy, and keep them both on the hook until the Academy is over.”
“Keep them both on the hook? That sounds kind of—”
“It sounds like a dick move. And it sort of is, but I’m not telling you to play them forever, or cheat on your girlfriend and pretend like nothing’s wrong for the next five years. All I’m saying is you need to put them both off just until you make it into the department. Then, no matter what happens with the girls, you’ll have a career you love.”
“And I can make a decision without jumping into anything,” I said.
“Exactly. Three weeks to clear your head.”
“Except that my distraction is standing right there.” I pointed to the circular driveway in front of the school. Standing on the sidewalk, surrounded by about twenty kindergarteners was Katie. And she did not look happy.
Katie
The excitement of Halloween had barely died down, and now my class was all riled up for Fire Safety Day. I hoped nothing went wrong this time because the team was originally supposed to come the first week of October. When they hadn’t shown up, my aide Carol and I had to disappoint twenty-five five and six-year-olds, most of whom started crying when they learned we would be coloring a picture of a fire truck instead of seeing a real one.
We bundled everyone up into their coats and hats and finally got them assembled in front of the school. Emma’s class was supposed to join us, but they were running a few minutes behind.
I was helping Olivia G. rebutton her coat when the firetruck pulled around the corner. The kids let up a cheer and started clapping. I stood up, only to see Liam in the front seat.
He was pointing right at me. Of course, he was. Does he think I can’t see him pointing at me? I wondered. Because I could, and the stunned expression on the redheaded doofus sitting next to him didn’t help things. Now, I knew how Ethan felt when we were gossiping over him at the costume store—awkward and embarrassed.
Then, Liam saw me looking at him, looking at me, and turned to his coworker. I was just going to have to be professional about this. It had been a week without anything from him. I knew he had my number. Clearly, he wasn’t interested. He loved this Nicole girl, and unlike my confused, asshole ex-boyfriend Ben, Liam wasn’t about to throw everything away for a one-night stand.
Which was fine. The idea of revenge sex had lost it’s appeal the moment I saw Ben pathetically leaving our apartment. I didn’t need to get revenge. I needed to take some time to process and move on.
The truck parked in front of us, and the other firefighter hopped out down from the driver’s seat. “Hey, kids!” he called out. “I’m Firefighter Josh. Would you like to hear the sirens today?”
A collective “Yeah!” rose up from my class. Inside the firetruck, Liam flicked the switches for the lights and sirens, causing everyone on the sidewalk to cover their ears. And, causing my biggest crier, girl Jayden, to burst into tears. All I could do was motion to Carol to take her back a few steps. The last thing I needed was for Sophia and Sadie to follow suit. Once one of them started crying, the other two inevitably joined in.
Emma’s class burst out the front door like a pack of wild dogs. Jumping and shou
ting, they ran up to our group. Liam kept the lights flashing, though thankfully, he turned off the siren. Once everyone was there, he flipped the switch again, turning everything off. Then, he sat in the truck silently, as if bracing himself for an encounter with me.
“This is Firefighter Liam,” Josh said as Liam finally exited the firetruck, shamefaced. I took one glance at him and turned back to my students.
“Boys and girls.” I clapped my hands, getting their attention.
“Yes, Miss Evans,” their usual reply came in unison.
“We’re going into the cafetorium so Firefighter Josh and,” my voice hitched at his name, “Firefighter Liam can tell us all about fire safety and answer all your questions.”
After a few minutes of wrangling, they got into line and walked down to the cafetorium. As a small school, our building couldn’t handle both a cafeteria and an auditorium. What we had instead was a cafeteria with a stage for small plays and presentations.
While our classes walked down the long hallway, Emma sidled up to me. “I can’t believe he’s here,” she whispered.
“I don’t care,” I lied. “There might as well be two Firefighter Josh’s up there.”
“You like him,” Emma insisted. “I know you do.”
“I like him, but he has a girlfriend, and much as I might want to get to know him better, I’m not like Amber. I can’t just make a guy cheat on his girlfriend and feel good about myself.”
“The girlfriend’s gone,” Emma whispered.
“What?” I gaped at her.
She moved to reply, but the presentation was starting, and when I looked over, I could see Olivia G. was struggling to take off her coat this time, and Olivia P. was squirming in her seat, a sure sign she had to go to the bathroom.
“Later,” I told Emma and moved over to my class.
The guys started out by passing out a flyer with ten tips for fire safety and another flyer about ten tips for pet safety. This time, girl Jayden cried because she couldn’t read yet, and then Sophia and Sadie started crying because they had “kitty cats” at home, and the thought of their pets being harmed was overwhelming.
When the cries of three little girls drowned out the presentation, Josh looked over at Liam, and Liam came down off the stage while his red-haired friend continued.
He walked over to my three criers and squatted down to their level. “Hey girls,” he whispered. “What’s wrong?”
“What… what if my cat, Princess Fluffington, gets caught in a fire?” Sadie hiccupped.
“And what if my cat, Princess Whiskers, gets caught in a fire?” Sophia asked. “Will she get all burned up?”
Liam smiled softly, and I saw slight laugh lines around his eyes, which might turn into crow’s feet someday. For now, the crinkles just made his brown eyes seem even warmer. “That’s what the flyer is for.” He pointed to the sheet. “It tells you all about how to keep pets like Princess Fluffington and Princess Whiskers safe.”
“But, Miss. Evans hasn’t taught us all about reading yet, and I don’t know what it says!” Jayden bawled.
The three girls wailed, and Liam finally met my eyes, bewildered. I shrugged as if to say, “Well, they’re five. What did you expect?”
Sighing, I hunched down along with Liam. “Jayden,” I started, using the calmest voice I could muster, “we talked about reading before. You don’t learn to read in one day. Now, I know you already learned cat, hat, mat, and sat. Can you see any of those words on your page?”
Jayden sniffled and looked down. “Ye..ye…yes,” she stuttered through her tears.
“Okay, so which words are on there that you know.”
“Ca..cat and d-o-g spells dog,” she brightened.
“Good,” I said. “I will read the rest when we go back to class. I promise. Then, we can learn the words pet, fire, and smoke. Those are on there, too.”
Jayden smiled and brought the flyer right up to her nose, as if having it closer to her face would make her learn the words faster. That girl was going to be valedictorian in a few years.
I turned my attention to Sadie and Sophia, who were sniffling, but looking at Liam with gazes of admiration that he probably got from every female from ages five to fifty. “Can I touch your hat?” Sadie asked.
“Sure.” Liam pulled the helmet off his head. “But you can’t put it on. It weighs almost as much as you!”
Sadie touched it tentatively with her finger, as if it would be hot with fire. Sophia giggled, and I knew the three of them would be fine the rest of the day. Standing back up, Liam gave me a wink that made my stomach flip over on itself.
Before rejoining Josh, Liam stood close to me and breathed, “Sorry for not calling. Things have been…”
“Yeah, for me, too,” I murmured.
His lips turned up in a sad smile for a moment before he pasted on a huge “I’m in front of a group of kids” grin and bounded back to the stage.
After a lot of talk about fire alarms batteries, escape plans, open flames, and the dangers of playing with matches and lighters, the guys took a few questions from the audience.
I was surprised when Sadie raised her hand first. “Can girls be firemen?” she asked.
“Girls can be anything they want to be,” Josh grinned. “Just like boys. My dad was a firefighter, but so was my mom. She worked in the fire department as a firefighter for six years, and then she went back to school to be a fire investigator. She’s still the strongest woman I know!”
“How long have you been a firefighter?” boy Jayden called out, without raising his hand.
“I’ve been with the department for almost two years,” Josh replied.
“And I’m still in training,” Liam said. He looked out over the crowd and locked eyes with me. He said his next words slowly and deliberately. “I’ll be done in three weeks. It’s a difficult program and takes up a lot of time, so I don’t always have room for… fun right now. But hopefully, if I pass all the tests, I’ll be a firefighter soon.”
So that was it. I smiled, wanting to kick myself. The program. Not Nicole, the girlfriend who was apparently gone.
“You have to take tests?” boy Jayden asked, again without raising his hand.
“Yep,” Liam grinned. “Just like you. A few written exams and then a few physical ones. It takes hours of training to be a firefighter.” He looked at me again, and I could swear he gave me another wink. “So, you have to listen to your teachers and get good grades. If you keep studying hard, you can be a firefighter just like us.”
Boy Jayden turned to me. “I don’t think I want to be a firefighter anymore.” It was all I could do not to laugh.
Josh and Liam finished the questions and passed out the plastic, red firefighter hats, which Vice Principal Lopez had placed back stage. Unfortunately, they also passed out candy, which was left over from Halloween. I gave a silent groan for another afternoon of sugar rushes.
Carol and I got the kids reassembled and ready to go back to class. In the hallway, the second and third graders were bouncing up and down outside the door. As we were about to return to our room, Liam hopped off the stage and came toward us.
“Carol, can you take them back?” I asked. “I’ll just be a minute.”
The older woman pursed her lips, but didn’t comment as she led the kids away.
“I know you don’t have a lot of time,” Liam said, “but I thought you might like to go for coffee tonight.”
“Do you have time?” I asked, a smile playing at my lips. “All those tests and everything?”
Liam put his hand on my shoulder, and I tried not to shudder. “I have time for you, Katie. I’m only sorry I didn’t make the time before.”
“Okay,” I said. My voice sounded small.
He ran his hand from my shoulder down my arm and pressed something into my palm. “Seven o’clock,” he said. “My number’s on the back.”
I looked down at the card for Brews & Brews. I’d never been there before, but I always wanted to go.
“See you then.” I ran back to the line of children in red hats and a very-irritated Carol who grimaced even more than usual. I didn’t care. After more than a week of fantasizing and dreaming about Liam, we were finally going out.
Liam
Backstage, Josh and I were grabbing up plastic hats by the dozens. “Your girl is cute,” he flashed a smile of crooked teeth at me.
“Don’t even think about it.” I elbowed him. “She’s mine.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, Liam. No competition from me. I doubt she’s my type.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I felt protective of Katie, even if she wasn’t really mine.
Josh paused above the third box of hats, considering. “She seems more like the milk and cookies type. I like a woman with a little more of an edge. That’s all.”
“What, like tattoos and piercings?” I asked, unloading the candy, which I was sure the kids would like more than the hats.
“Not necessarily. More like a little bit of spirit and spit-fire. Someone who challenges me. Makes me keep up with her.”
Before I could go back in front of the curtain, Josh handed me a business card. “This is my cousin’s place,” he said. “It’s new, but it’s awesome. Perfect place for a quiet conversation. Sit her down, tell her what’s up, and ask her to wait until the program’s done.”
“Get Katie on the hook, in other words?” The idea made me slightly ill.
“Put your number on the card and seal the deal.” Josh slapped me on the back.
When we were done, I saw Katie about to retreat out the door and took my chance. She gazed at me, looking as if she was going to cry just like half her class had earlier, and I felt like I could drown in the big, green pools of her eyes.
I wanted to go all-in with her right then and there, but instead, all I could muster was, “I have time for you, Katie. I’m only sorry I didn’t make the time before.” It was true. She was beautiful, and from what I knew about her already, kind and sweet. I should have at least sent her a text explaining things. It probably took a lot for her to put herself out there and make sure I had her number.
Hot & Heavy Halloween (Hot Holidays Book 1) Page 8
