“I know.” Cal pulled James under his arm. “Walked myself into that one. Where’s the new kid? We need to eat before we get a call.”
“Not sure you should call him a kid,” James pointed out. “Just because you’re so old that—”
Cal growled while pulling James toward the kitchen. “Smartass.”
Being with his crew made all his worries disappear. At least for a few hours.
“Here. Give me your stuff. I’ll put them in your locker and track Brad down,” Josh offered.
James hesitated. He placed both the cape and his new action figure in his backpack before he’d left. James wasn’t even sure why he’d done that. It just didn’t seem right to leave those two items behind.
Josh grabbed James’s jacket and backpack before turning away.
“Everything okay?” Cal asked quietly. “You look weird.”
“You look weird,” James mumbled his dumb reply. Josh wouldn’t go through his things. James knew that. And if he did for some strange reason, Josh had already told James that he was a Daddy. Nothing for James to be worried about.
Cal snorted at James’s lame comeback before directing James toward the table.
James always ate the best when he was on shift. Cal was as talented in the kitchen as he was as a firefighter. He slid into the chair, sniffing to try to figure out what they’d be eating. Cal loved to spoil them.
Cal turned to the counter where a covered dish sat. He brought it over to the table as some of the other guys entered the room, with Josh and Brad bringing up the rear. The six of them sat around the table as Cal removed the cover on the dish.
“Yes!” James and Josh both cheered.
Brad looked confused.
Martin, the acting lieutenant for their shift, was already reaching for the serving spoon. “I love your homemade chicken and dumplings.”
“Did you make rolls too?” James asked as he shoved his plate toward Martin.
“Of course I did.” Cal turned on his heels to grab a basket overflowing with hot and fresh homemade rolls.
“There is no way we eat this good every shift,” Brad said with amusement.
Grabbing a roll, James took a big bite. “We do when Cal is here.”
Cal smacked him in the back of the head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full, boy.”
James swallowed. “Sorry, Gramps!”
“Shit!” Brad barked out a loud laugh. “I think I’m going to like it here.”
* * * * *
Jacob
Knowing James’s schedule made it easy for Jacob to be waiting for the boy’s return as James drove that damn motorcycle into the drive. He rose from where he’d been sitting on the bottom step up to the garage apartment as James cut the engine to the motorcycle.
Jacob couldn’t help that he hated James’s mode of transportation, but it wasn’t his place to say anything. He was done trying to force himself into James’s life.
When he’d found half that cake wrapped up on his backstep that morning, Jacob had been shocked. The superhero candlewas a bigger surprise. So maybe James didn’t hate him. Jacob was there to offer a fresh start.
“Hey,” James said after removing his helmet.
At least the boy wore his helmet and leather jacket this time. “Hi. Did you have a good shift?” Jacob didn’t want to add to the boy’s stress if he’d had another bad day.
“I did. It was slow. There was one callout but it wasn’t a big deal.” James swung his leg over the side of his bike and stood straight. “Did you get your cake.”
