“Really.”
“How come I don’t believe you?”
“I never asked you to.” Paisley stood up, arching her back like a cat as she stretched the tired muscles.
“Is he bothering you?”
“More than usual? No. He’s fine.”
“You’d tell me if he was harassing you, right?” I pressed.
Paisley’s lips curled in a sneer, but there was no humor on her face. “I can handle my own, Cap. I thought I told you that.”
“Yeah, but—”
“Yeah, but nothing.” Paisley smiled, but it was forced. “What’s for dinner?”
“I don’t—”
Before I could finish speaking, she hurried away from me and out the door, dodging the possibility of me pestering her with more questions. I sighed and shook my head, scrambling to my own feet just as my ass started to fall asleep beneath me.
“You’re going to need to back off, Captain,” someone said, startling me from behind. I turned as Jake Finn leaned against the wall, folding his arms. It was the first time that day I’d really looked at him, seeing the tired lines in his face and the exhaustion behind his eyes. His red hair was in disarray. He was a lanky little thing, Jake was, but he had the drive he needed to excel here, and that’s all I could hope for.
“What do you mean? Back off what?”
He smiled a bit, looking once more like a twelve-year-old boy, not an adult man. “Paisley is a badass, Cap,” he said. “And we both know it. But the more you push, waiting for her to break, the more likely it will happen.”
“I appreciate your concern,” I said, more stiffly than I’d meant it. The truth was, I had a sneaking suspicion that Jake wasn’t the only man in this department who had caught the way I looked at her. “But everything is fine. I’m just concerned for her, is all.” I kicked off my boots and set them aside, rolling my head to release the kink in my neck.
“Concern is good,” said Jake evenly. “But she doesn’t need it. Just let her do her job. That’s what you hired her to do, right?” Before I could answer him, Jake, too, walked out on me, through the door, and into the kitchen where I knew everyone was gathering for dinner. I took a deep breath to compose myself and then joined them, finding Paisley right in the middle of boiling a pot of noodles. The garlic bread was warming in the oven, and the heavenly aroma of dinner wafted in the air. I was about to offer my help until I remembered Jake’s words, so I flashed her a smile and sat down instead. She seemed to be managing just fine.
“Ah,” Korbin said, coming into the dining room, his hair still wet from the shower he’d taken after their last drill. He looked and smelled much better than any of them had moments ago. “Now, there is where a woman belongs, in the kitchen.”
“Right next to your mom, Korbin.”
“Oh shit.” Tanner scoffed, and Korbin glared at her, his lip curling in a nasty grin.
“Can’t say you didn’t deserve it,” I muttered as he went to the fridge for a water bottle. He rolled his eyes but, fortunately, didn’t offer anything back.
“Dinner smells good, P,” Jake said, reaching for a plate. The rest of us got in line behind him to dish up some spaghetti, sauce, and garlic bread before taking a seat at the dinner table. Paisley sat down last, but she looked pleased with herself. As she should.
Everyone seemed too tired to speak, so we ate our meal in silence, and for once, no one seemed to be walking on eggshells or standing on a ledge. It was nice to be able to have dinner with my crew without the constant sound of bickering and the throwing of insults back and forth.
At around ten that night, as the crew prepared for bed, the alarm rang, the tone bouncing off the walls. Stillness fell over the building as the team stood erect, listening for details.
“Ladder One, Engine One, respond to 1867 Harrison Street for reports of an office building fire. There are reports of possible trapped victims. Ambulance Two is already en route. More information will be provided when available.”
“Damn,” Paisley muttered, pulling on her work boots. Next to her, Korbin had a shit-eating grin on his face as he laced up his second boot.
“Damn right,” he said. “I love a good rescue mission.”
“It sounds like we’re not needed yet,” I said to Paisley, and her expression fell just slightly at the sound of my words. She was running the ambulance today, but according to the dispatcher, a neighboring station had already responded with their bus. I looked from Korbin to Paisley as Jake Finn and Tanner Rey rushed past us to start the engines. “Hill, do you want to ride with Korbin and Nick on this one?”
“Seriously?” she said, jumping to her feet, raring to go. “Hell yes, I do.”
Chapter17
Paisley
