“Damn, they work fast, huh?” Xander noted to himself, but loud enough for a few of the guys to hear. “I thought this village was brand new. They got buildings and houses and shit.”
“I’m saying,” Jamal agreed beside him with a chuckle. “I was expecting deserted land and half-built properties. Scaffolding.Anythingbutthis.”
Xander blew air through his lips as his eyes continued to scan.
The area appeared to be a mixed-use village community. Looked a lot like Brooklyn to him, with the blending of brownstone charm and modern design.
Xander wasn’t the only one in awe.
“Well, damn,” Pauly, another firefighter, said. His eyes were pinned to his window like a kid in the backseat of his parents’minivan. “Might have to make the move. You see that house right there?”
“Yeah,” Xander whispered, his eyes glued and moving with the passing homes.
“Aye,” Chief Logan called from his seat behind the wheel. “Don’t be getting no ideas, you hear me? I’m not trading firefighters for no damn Greene Gardens. Talkin’ about ‘you see that house right there?’ Y’all betterjustsee it.”
They all laughed, including Xander.
“Wouldn’t dream of leaving you assholes,” Xander said with a smirk.
Everyone laughed again.
He wouldn’t dream of leaving them, but a move to Greene Gardens, like Pauly just suggested, didn’t sound like a bad idea.
The guys arrived at the new firehouse site, stepping out of the SUV, all of their eyes scanning the building. The firehouse stood partially framed—steel beams, fresh cement foundation, and a banner that readFuture Home of FDNY Engine 3.
Xander tucked in the hem of his firehouse shirt into his slacks. He and the rest of the firefighters were dressed alike, all in casual FDNY gear.
“Gentlemen,” they heard behind them. Xander turned to see a smiling Black man with two women flanking him on either side. “Welcome to Greene Gardens. Y’all are early. Ilikethat.”
“Oh, no doubt.” Xander nodded. “That’s what we do.”
“I’m Levi Weston,” the man introduced. “I’m the lead landscape architectandyour Greene Gardens rep today.” He gestured to his right. “Over here is Presley Blake, one of our architects who’s assisted with designing this firehouse. And over here…” He nodded to his left.“Is Allison Cruise, our local project manager. Thank you for coming.”
All of the guys, including Xander, shook everyone’s hands.
“The lead engineer is already inside,” Levi informed, pointing ahead. “Let’s meet him and get you guys up to speed.”
At Levi’s direction, they all followed him into the firehouse, both Allison and Presley sharing the blueprints to give the team an idea of what the finished building would look like.
“This is obviously not the complete schematics,” Presley explained, pointing at one of the blueprints. “But it paints a pretty clear picture.”
Inside, after getting introduced to the lead engineer—who pointed out plans for two drive-through bays, crew quarters upstairs, and a community multipurpose space—they all walked the site for hands-on work.
Xander measured turning radii for the trucks parked outside. Tested hydrant water pressure with a gauge.
While checking the distance of one of the hose’s reach, he noted, “If you shift that hydrant five feet, we can reach the west end faster.”
The engineer nodded, lowering his attention to the folder he carried, jotting down Xander’s suggestion.
“Man,” Jamal said, walking alongside Xander and nudging him with his shoulder. “They should let you run this joint when it’s done.”
Xander snorted. “Nah, man. I’m just making sure whoever’s stationed here gets it right.”
“Hmph.” Jamal lowered into a squat to check the fire truck’s tire pressure. “The way your ass was looking through the window on the way here was givingI’m not just here for one visit.”
Xander chuckled, shaking his head. “And why were you watching me, creep?”
Jamal let out a laugh that made his head fall back.
