“Because I know how women fall all over firefighters. I am one, remember? We talk a few sweet words, tell ’em a story or two about the job, and they’re putty.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
He pursed his lips. “I’m serious, Angela.”
“I’m serious, too. I’m not a young twenty-something falling for the hot guy with the dangerous job. I was raised by a firefighter and the big brother I always looked up to is one, remember?”
Sean, peered at me dead on, his lips twitching at the compliment. He sighed.
“I mean, the two men I’ve loved my whole life are firefighters and set the bar pretty damn high on how I should be treated. It only makes sense I’d fall for a firefighter who treats me pretty damn special as well.”
I looked up to see a raised eyebrow staring back at me. “Fall for?”
I hadn’t even realized my slip of the tongue there. “Yeah,” I sighed.
“And you think he’s as serious about you as you are him?”
I thought back to the previous day, Eric’s wet body pressed against mine in the shower. The words he spoke about not releasing inside of me until we get married. Notifbutwhen.The acuteness of his gaze as he looked me right in the eye. As if it was a foregone conclusion.
“Yeah, I think so,” I responded; my voice sounded airy to my ears.
Sean paused, watching me for a few moments before finally nodding.
“Why didn’t you have lover boy come fix this faucet since he has you all starry-eyed and shit?”
“He offered, but he had to work, and I needed it looked at before his shift ended. Thank you very much!” I added, popping one of the maraschino cherries from the bar into my mouth.
He feigned hurt. “So I was your second option?”
“Yes. Don’t pretend like your feelings are hurt, I offered to make you and my nephew my double fudge brownies as a token of my appreciation.”
“And I’m holding you to that, too.” He pointed at me as he sank to the floor to take a look underneath the faucet.
I waved my hand in the air dismissively. “I know. I know.”
****
Eric
“Studying hard?”
I peeked over my shoulder to see Carter rounding my cot. I had a stack of notecards in my hand, all with facts, figures, and information that would be pertinent to the lieutenant's exam. I carried them with me everywhere these days. Whenever there was a free moment at the station, I pulled them out. I was loathed to admit out loud, but part of the reason I was so drawn to the cards wasn’t solely because of the exam. It was also the adorable, cursive handwriting that Angela had written on the cards. Interspersed between the actual information-filled cards were notecards that read things like “You’ve got this in the bag!” or “You’ve already aced the test!” or “I’m so proud of you for passing!” Who does that type of shit? Better yet, what type of a sap got a thrill out of it?
Me.
That’s who.
It was pure joy knowing I had that type of support. I mean, sure the guys at the station were supportive, but nothing compared to hearing Angela tell me what a good job I was doing. I think I could’ve lived on her compliments alone.
“Yeah, the test is in little less than a month,” I responded to Carter.
He nodded, sitting across from me on his cot. “And what happens after the test?”
“Well,ifI pass, then I’ll have to interview with some department heads. They’ll check my resume, test scores, commendations, and all of that, then make a decision.”
“And if you get promoted there’s a chance you’ll be out of Rescue Four, right?”
I almost flinched at that reminder. The department didn’t like to promote within the same station since it was believed that the new lieutenant would have a less likely chance of being respected. From their standpoint, it was hard for a group of firefighters to now look at someone who’d been their peer for so long, now as someone they had to report to.
