“Besides,” Joy continues, “you’re not exactly a stranger. You’re a firefighter, which means you’re automatically trustworthy. You’re an Other, which means you understand what it’s like to be underestimated. And you’re single, which means you don’t have anyone else demanding your time over the holidays.”
“How do you even know I’m single?”
“Grum told me. Also, your mom might have mentioned it when she was buying Christmas decorations last week.”
Note to self: have a conversation with Mom about oversharing.
“Look,” Joy’s voice softens, “I know it sounds crazy. But I have a really good feeling about this. Sometimes you meet someone who needs exactly what you have to offer, right when you have it to give. You know what I mean?”
I do know what she means, actually. It’s the same feeling I get when I’m working with the animals at the rescue center. Like puzzle pieces clicking into place, like being useful in exactly the right way.
“Where’s this cabin?”
“San Gabriel Mountains, about forty-five minutes up from here. Sounds like a beautiful property, really peaceful. She inherited it from her grandmother.”
“And she’s expecting me to just… show up?”
“Well, not exactly. I was thinking more like you could call her, maybe meet up to discuss the details.”
Through the bay doors, I can see the sun in a cloudless blue sky. It’s a beautiful day, the kind that makes you want to be outside instead of stuck in the station catching up on paperwork.
“What’s her number?”
“I knew it!” Joy’s triumph is audible. “I knew you were exactly the right person for this. Hold on, let me find it…”
She rattles off the digits, and I dutifully enter them into my phone. Laney. College student. Out of her depth with holiday pets.
“It would be great if you call her soon,” Joy adds. “She’s starting to panic.”
“I’ll call her right away.”
“Great. And Ryder? Thank you. I know this is going to work out well for everyone.”
After we hang up, I stare at the new contact in my phone. Laney. No last name, no context except what Joy told me. A strangerwho needs help with animals, which happens to be the one thing I’m actually good at besides fighting fires.
“Who was that?” Kam appears at my elbow, because apparently eavesdropping is his new hobby.
“Joy. She wants me to help someone with pet-sitting over the holidays.”
“Pet-sitting?” Kam’s eyebrows disappear into his hairline. “That’s either the most boring vacation ever or the most complicated, depending on the pets.”
“Apparently, it’s the complicated kind.”
“And you said yes because…?”
Because I can’t walk away from animals who need help. Because vacation days don’t do me any good sitting in my account. Because something in Joy’s voice made this sound like more than just a favor.
“Because it beats spending Christmas alone watching football.”
Kam studies my face for a long moment, then grins. “Right. This wouldn’t have anything to do with helping a damsel in distress, would it?”
“It’s about the animals.”
“Sure it is.” He claps me on the shoulder. “Have fun with your animals, brother. Try not to rescue anything that outweighs you.”
I flip him off good-naturedly and head for the showers. Then, I need to track down Chief Brokka and request vacation time.
The Chief barely looks up when I find him in his office, feet up on his desk, working through a stack of incident reports with the focused concentration of someone who’d rather be anywhere else.
