“Well, if that’s the case, we’d better get you some more.” Thomas offered Erik another Boston Cream. “You need to use both of those brain cells.”
“Ha.” Erik rolled his eyes but grabbed the offering. “You’re just jealous that Jason put my plan into action. Aren’t these new shifts much better?”
“Fine, I’ll admit it.” Thomas nodded. “At first, it was a struggle to adjust to the changes. But now that it’s been a few weeks, I can agree that you had a good vision when you came up with this plan.”
“Yeah.” I placed a hand on Erik’s shoulder. “Everyone seems to be taking the changes well. And I heard that Jason found scheduling a lot easier now and can accommodate requests better. Good job, man.”
“It’s no problem.” Erik blushed and gestured toward the door. Although he often came off as confident, he did not know how to take praise. “I’m gonna go head to the store and pick up a few ingredients for dinner. I’ll catch you guys later.”
Erik left, but Thomas and I remained in the kitchen, sitting at the table. “Who else is on shift today? I know that we made a few changes while I was gone. Were our guys affected, or are we all together still?”
“We did make a few changes, but most of them are just who arrives an hour earlier or later, so that there are no gaps in coverage. We are all still working the same shift. They didn’t want to do major changes to the crews overall, just small changes that make the flow better. Jason is in his office. He will be here with us this weekend.” Thomas pointed toward the captain’s door. “Erik and I got here about an hour ago. We replaced William and Becket. Antonio and Callum will be leaving in about an hour, and then it will just be us four, Trevor, Chance, Devin, Yuri, and Oliver.”
“Good crew.” I liked all the guys in our group, so I was glad we stayed intact. “It would have sucked if we didn’t remain together. Not that the other crew is not great, I just know you all well enough to know your next steps when we are in the middle of action. I know we have each other’s backs.”
“I get you.” Thomas sighed. “I was afraid they were going to shake everything up when they said we would be going through changes. I’m glad they just made the shifts slightly staggered and made a few of the guys who volunteered into floaters to cover vacations or sick days. No one was forced into uncomfortable situations. No one on our crew wanted to be a floater, though.I heard they took a few newbies to cover that role. I met a guy while you were on leave. He’s cool. Name is Leo.”
“I think I met him when he was doing his shadowing days in training.” I thought back a few months ago and remembered a shy guy who paid great attention to details. “Tall, blond, but takes a bit to open up and joke around?”
“Sounds like him.” Thomas grabbed an apple from the bowl in the middle of the table. “He seems capable and friendly, though. He should do well at this station. I heard he was from a few towns over and had a few issues there. Not from how he did his job but just some bullying because he was on the quieter side. But I didn’t think he was timid; it’s more like he just doesn’t talk unless he wants to. I can respect that.”
“Over in Smithville?” I waited for Thomas’ nod, even though I already figured I knew the town he was speaking of. “I swear the shifters there are always so loud and judgmental. If anyone is slightly different, they run them off.”
“That’s what I think happened.” Thomas sliced the fruit and offered me a piece. “He hit it off with Jason and Yuri. You know they are usually the hardest to get along with, so if he was able to get them to like him, he must have some good qualities. He’s an author, so he found being a standby firefighter to work best for him. He doesn’t need a stable salary from working at the station, just the benefits that come from it.”
“I can understand that. Individual plans are expensive. Since everyone is covered through the station, whether they work full-time or as a part-time floater, I can see why someone would sign up for the job. Did you meet any other floaters?” I was curious to find out who they could be and why they decided to pick up random shifts instead of working regularly scheduled shifts.
“There are about four of them, from what I remember Jason saying.” Thomas closed his eyes, a habit I learned meant he wastrying to recall something but having a little trouble. “Oh, yeah. I know. Besides Leo, there’s Ace, Vihaan, and Devin. I’ve only met Leo so far, though. They all seem to have freelance jobs that allow for flexibility in the schedule. I also think Vihaan is from a wealthy family up north and doesn’t really need to work. Jason said he was told that the guy felt a call to do something good for the community and had a lifesaving favor to payback for a karmic debt.”
“Cool.” My attention was pulled away from our conversation to the group of guys surrounding one of the trucks. There seemed to be an air of excitement surrounding them. “Hey, do you know what’s going on there?”
“Oh, yeah.” Thomas chuckled. “They are giving Devin a hard time because his crush stopped by again while you were out. Instead of dealing with the guy, he hid in the bathroom for the whole hour Sam was here. Sam thought Devin was sick, so he dropped off a package later that night. Antidiarrhea meds and a case of electrolyte drinks.”
“Oh man, on one hand, I would die of embarrassment.” I cracked up thinking of being in that scenario. “But on the other hand, Sam must have some feelings toward Devin to have done that. So, progress?”
“That’s what I told him. But the other guys still won’t let him forget.” Thomas raised a brow, smiling. “Did you expect anything else from these jerks?”
“Nope. They are exactly the right mix we need. We all will carry each other out of flames, risking it all for each other.” I was positive the brotherhood in our crew was strong.
“But we aren’t afraid to give each other shit just for the fun of it.” Thomas chuckled.
I nodded, knowing we were the first to offer a helping hand, but also first in line to keep one another in check when needed. “Exactly.”
This is why I love my crew.
Chapter Nine
Charlie
“The last two weeks have felt like a dream. Sorry, I know that sounds corny as hell, but it’s true.” Jamie grabbed my hand over the table. “I partly felt like I would never meet my mate and thought I could live a happy life anyway. But meeting you and solidifying our bond only proved to me that I would be missing out on so much.”
“I know what you mean.” I squeezed his fingers. “Of course, I did go get that tattoo, so I think I cheated.”
“Nah. Not cheating.” Jamie smiled as he looked down at the glowing mark on my forearm. “You were just using the tools available to ensure fate found you.”
“True.” I twisted my arm around a bit, watching the image shift. “It really does symbolize you. I thought the foxes were for me, but now I think it’s for all your furry friends at the rescue. And the flames are perfect for a firefighter.”
“That blueish glow is quite cool. I have my own little night-light now.” Jamie chuckled, running a finger over my skin. “Will it be like this forever? Not that it’s a problem. I mean, you won’t be able to hide in the dark with it uncovered, but it looks awesome.”
