They had less than an hour left in their shift and she was anxious to get the truck ready for service again. Working 24-hours on then having the next 48 off had its advantages, but it was certainly a schedule that had taken some getting used to. And because they’d just gotten back from a fire call, she couldn’t wait to get home so she could take a nap.
“Got big plans for the weekend, Mac?” Blayze asked since it wasn’t often their two days off fell on the weekend. “You and the family going anywhere special?”
“Nah, nothing that I know of. Probably got a honey-do list a mile long, though.” Lt. MacDonald laughed at his own comment. He and his wife Sara had two young boys with another one due in just a few short weeks. They were a lovely couple, and she admired their growing family. Single life was just…blah.
“Don’t forget about the game Sunday night.” She reminded him. “You and Taylor have to clean the trucks on Monday if the Razors lose.” The guys were literally her second family—her brothers—since her own family still lived in Keebler Hills.
MacDonald laughed as he swept off the hoses. “Yeah, with the season they’re having, I’ll be cleaning trucks for a while. You’d think by now I’d have learned not to place bets with you guys.”
Instead of watching the game at home, she planned to stop by the station and watch it with Taylor and Knight. That is if they didn’t get a fire call. She was as much a sports fan as theywere, and since her social life pretty much non-existent, it sure beat staying home alone.
She’d tried the dating thing, even going as far as living with a guy for almost a year, but she was pretty much convinced that finding someone long-term just wasn’t in the cards for her. Hearing the “it’s not you, it’s me” excuse over and over again pretty much convinced her that “no, it wasn’tme, but my job” that kept them from getting serious. That the career she’d chosen did indeed intimidate them more than any of them cared to admit.
She gave a hundred and ten percent to her job every single day. From working out and staying in the best physical condition possible, to signing up for every training and safety course she could get her hands on, she lived and breathed everything that had to do with being a firefighter.
Her brothers would back her up wholeheartedly and would never look down on her because she was a woman doing the same job as them. They respected her, as she did them, and together they ran the best damn fire department the city of Gorman Valley had ever had.
Did they give her hell? You betcha, but she dished it right back at them.
Perhaps her prince charming just hadn’t come along yet and she was reading more into the trials and tribulations of her dating life than need be, but it sure sucked being home alone sometimes.
She and Mac finished getting the truck prepped and the hoses rolled back up. While he backed the truck inside the proper stall, she headed to her office to work on the details and paperwork of the call while it was fresh on her mind. More than anything she wanted a shower to get the dirt and smell washed off. It was so close to quitting time, though, she consideredwaiting until she got home. A nice hot bubble bath sounded so much better than the stand-up shower she used at the station.
When she was done with the paperwork, she dropped it off on the chief’s desk then headed to change clothes. She said goodbye to the guys and greeted the new crew coming on for duty. Finally, it was time to get out of there.
Chapter Two
Blayze’s phone rang just as she was pulling into the parking spot outside of her apartment. Normally, she would’ve let the call go to voicemail but seeing her momma’s name light up on the screen, she couldn’t wait to hear her voice. She was pretty sure Louise Jenson kept her daughter’s schedule written down on the calendar right alongside her husband’s. Knowing her, she’d been sitting by the phone, patiently giving Blayze enough time to make it home.
“Hi, momma,” Blayze greeted her cheerfully.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” she asked. “Have you made it home yet?”
“I’m just walking in the door,” she told her. Then she slung her backpack over her shoulder and turned around to click the alarm on her car. “Are you and daddy doing okay?”
“We’re doing just fine, sweetheart. Your daddy has been doing some training classes at the YMCA. Those kids in the after-school program sure do enjoy him coming by to talk with them about fire safety. Lots of future firefighters he claims.”
She could hear the proud tone in her mother’s voice. Though she’d never worked outside the home, she’d been a supporter of Wayne Jenson’s career since the day he’d taken his oath as a fireman. As he’d moved up in rank, her mom was right there with him every step of the way.
“How much longer is he going to keep it up?” Blayze asked, knowing her own work ethic had totally come from him.
“Well, that’s what I’m calling you about,” Louise Jenson said before allowing her voice to trail off.
“Mom?” She could detect something was heavily weighing on her mother’s mind just from the tone she used.
Louise sniffed and pulled the phone away from her ear. The TV was on with the music from the game show Jeopardy playing in the background.
“Mom? Is everything okay?”
After a couple of sniffles she finally replied. “Your daddy’s finally made a decision.”
To say that she was confused was an understatement. “What are you talking about? A decision about what?”
“Your daddy’s finally decided to retire. You know we’ve always wanted to travel, and with his schedule we’ve never really been able to go very far from home. Now, we’ll be able to…”
Blayze interrupted, not certain if she’d heard her correctly. “Retiring? Are you serious? Daddy’s finally going to retire?”
“Yep, he’s calling it quits,” she said between sobs. “After thirty-eight years, he’s finally giving it up.” If Louise Jenson was this emotional now, she hated to see what her mother would be like his final day on the job.
