I chilled out at my place some before my shift later in the afternoon, when I headed to the fire station. Beau needed my help with changing some of the equipment in the pumper, so I lent him a hand in thebay.
“Quiet day, busy night,” Beausaid.
“Don’t jinx it, man,” I said as I continued stocking withhim.
He snickered, opening a box on the floor beside him, packed withsupplies.
“How are you and Ash doing, by the way?” I asked. “You guys have been like honeymooners the past few months, so I figure you might as well be putting a ring onit.”
“I sure hope I don’t have to work on my actual honeymoon,” hejoked.
“Fairpoint.”
“We haven’t talked about getting engaged. Probably one day, but we’re both just taking it as it comes. I’m sure it’ll come up eventually, though. Ash has been the best thing to happen to me. You know, there are those people in your life who when you look at them, they make you want to be better…and then encourage you along theway.”
“Yeah, I know the sort,” I said, thinking about my mom. “Lucky when we find thosepeople.”
“Hey, will you two lovebirds get back to work?” a deep voice came from nearby, which I recognized as Zed’s. Turning, I saw the little guy coming around the pumper, his hands on his hips, a smile stretched across hisface.
“Did you hear something, Beau?” I asked as I turned away fromZed.
“I don’t think I did. I can’t hear baby noobs. Did you hearsomething?”
“I thought I did, but I think it was just an annoying gust ofwind.”
Zed sidled up beside us, and I turned to him, offering a playful smile so he’d know I was just kidding around withhim.
An experienced firefighter who’d transferred to our station from Atlanta, he was getting the ceremonial newbie treatment from a lot of us, but I could tell by the way he grinned that he enjoyed the teasing. It was kind of the way I was with my bro. Always in goodfun.
“Well, if you can’t see me or hear me, then I guess the guy looking for Jace the Ace up front is gonna have todeal.”
“Here at the station?” Iasked.
“Want me to scare himoff?”
I rolled my eyes. “Anotherpap?”
“Pap?” Zed asked. “Who the hell do you think you are? AdamLevine?”
“Let me have my fifteenminutes.”
“Eh, come on now, man,” Beau said. “You’re taking up way more than fifteenminutes.”
“Screw you. But I got it. I’ll go give this guy theshake.”
“What kind of shake are we talking about here?” Zed asked, offering a quick jerk of his hand to simulate a handjob.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,Zed.”
“Hard to when your mind is crowding everywhereelse.”
“Ah, you’re a fast learner, kid. We’re gonna get along just fine.” I patted him on the back before heading out the dual doors leading through the hall to the mainlobby.
Pushing through the lobby doors, I rounded the corner to see a man standing behind the front desk, sunglasses on and wearing a black leather biker jacket with vertical zipper pockets on either side. His dark hair was gelled to the side, and a thin layer of scruff speckled his face, uneven enough to be either a five-o’clock shadow or a tailored unkempt look. Whatever it was, it was sexy ashell.
I knew a hot guy when I saw one, and it never made me uneasy or shut down the way some guys did over a little male-on-maleappreciation.
“Hey, stud,” I said as I approached him, and he shifted about like he was confused before turning tome.
