“Anything you say, sugar. Anything you say.”
****
“What’s this place?” Michelle questioned, looking around at the seemingly abandoned brick building. I followed her eyes as they roamed up the metal staircase that ran the ten stories up to the roof of the building. It was the perfect spring night. Not a cloud in the sky. Great for viewing the rest of the city from the roof.
“Come with me.” I took her hand in mine, pulling her toward the latched staircase.
“What are you doing? What is this place?”
“This,” I paused, while pulling down the lever that released the unfolding staircase as well as the open-air lift, “is the place where I became a firefighter.”
Her nose wrinkled a bit as she looked around and then back at me.
“This is the building the fire department uses for trainees during the academy. We have to make it up the staircase, carrying all our equipment on our back, plus a hose, in under two minutes, flat.”
I watched Michelle’s profile as her head shifted up the building, eyes widening. “Good thing you did,” she finally stated before turning toward me. “I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t made it up those steps.”
I swallowed, my hand tightening around hers.
“Think you can make it up?” I nudged my head toward the building.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Maybe a little.”
She shook her head and giggled. “I’ve noticed.”
“I’ll let you have more than two minutes.” I tugged her arm in the direction of the staircase.
“Carter, I am not going up those stairs! Not in these heels.”
I ran my eyes down the length of her legs, noting the outline of her legs in the thigh-high boot, with the four inch heels.
“I’ll carry you.” I pulled her to me.
“You really are insane.”
I laughed some more and planted a kiss on her ear because I couldn’t help myself.
“We can take the lift.” I stepped back from her and opened the half door of the metal lift that ran up the length of the building. I held out my hand to her.
“Ahh!” she screamed when I pulled her to me once she took my hand. I shut the door and let the lift carry us up to the roof of the building, helping her off once we arrived.
“How much does all your gear weigh in total?” she questioned, looking around the flattop of the roof.
“Close to eighty pounds. The hose adds another fifty pounds.”
Those honey eyes bulged when she turned back to me. “You had to carry a hundred and thirty pounds up ten stories in under two minutes?”
I gave a half shrug. “Yeah.”
“Williamsport really does have the best of the best.”
“And we don’t let anyone forget it either. Especially us guys in the rescue squad.”
“So I’ve heard.”
I tilted my head to the side at her comment. “What else have you heard about us?”
