The hot firefighter, p.74
The Hot Firefighter, page 74
“Exactly. I’m seeing so many improvements in both math and reading. You wouldn’t believe what these kids can do when they put their minds to it,” I said excitedly. “I would love to see each and every one of them grow up and become contributing members of society.”
“I’m sure they will, if you have anything to do with it,” he teased. “If there’s anyone who can make them want to do better, it’s you.”
“Because of you,” I said. “You were the one who pushed me to be the best of the best.”
“And, you are,” he kissed me on the forehead as he rose, and I fought the urge to shake my head. I still didn’t have the same confidence in my redemption as he did, but I was determined to keep moving forward. I would never go back to the person I was in the past, that was for damn sure.
But, I couldn’t say the kind of person I’d be in the future.
“I’m going to head to work, but I’m proud of you. And, I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too, Dad.” I rose and brushed off the seat of my jeans. “Have a good day, and be careful, okay?”
“Always,” he said. He walked down the steps and lingered at his car a moment. I had my back turned, but I knew he was looking back up at me. Ever since my overdose– hell, ever since I fell into the drug scene – he had been terribly worried about me. I knew he still wasn’t entirely convinced that I was completely through it.
Those things were to be expected, they told me in rehab, but everyone in my life would come around eventually. I just had to prove to them that I’d changed. And I had.
I stopped at the door and waved at him before he drove off, then I headed inside. It was summer in the city, so the outreach center was busier than normal. Kids who didn’t have anything to do with their day would come to us, as well as the kids whose parents just didn’t want to deal with them.
The center welcomed all, and I worked hard to make sure it was a fun, secure environment for everyone who came through the doors.
I put on more coffee for Miss Spruce to have when she arrived, then I headed to the gym to lay out the mats for the impromptu wrestling match we’d be having later that day. Then, I’d sharpen pencils, lay out workbooks, and get out other gym equipment to play with. Anything the kids would need to have a good day.
Just another morning at Eastside Outreach.
3
Trevor
“Finally,” I muttered as I shoved the last of my laundry into the dryer. “Large loads my ass.”
The signs posted all about the little laundromat boasted that they were the largest in the area, but I swore New York City could do better. Sure, this might not be one of the ritziest parts of town, but it certainly should have accommodated more, in my opinion.
Then again, if I didn’t wait until my days off to do laundry, I might not have that big of a problem.
It was the first day of my break. I was on for seven days, off for seven days, and boy, was I more than ready to have a day off. Or seven, for that matter. I had a shit ton of things to get done, and not much ambition to do any of it.
So, I found myself at the laundromat doing the pile of clothes that had built up over the past week.
There was a washer and a dryer at the station, and many of the boys who were on for the week would keep up with their wash. It must have made it easier for them to choose which uniform to wear for the day, but I didn’t care. In my mind, we were always wearing the same thing, so why bother with several clean shirts at a time?
I brought enough clothing to get me through the week, but that was it. I didn’t bother with any extras. Didn’t see the point in doing it and didn’t care to stress about it. I had enough other shit to focus on when I was on duty. I didn’t want to bother with clothing on top of it.
Of course, now that I had made it to my week off, there was an ominous pile of laundry staring back at me.
Living in New York – in the heart of the City, even – prompted me to stick around when my clothes were in the wash. There was no telling when some punk would empty the load and see what they could steal, and I wasn’t in the mood to go shopping for replacements.
So, I bought a Coke and grabbed a magazine, then sat down in the waiting area to people watch and pretend I wasn’t.
I greatly enjoyed watching the kinds of people who came through the little laundromat close to my complex. They came in all shapes and sizes, and were all ages. Most appeared to be worn out, overworked people just like myself. But then there were those who seemed to be bored with the concept of doing laundry and were almost hanging out just for the sake of socializing with the others.
Anyone who tried to talk to me was largely ignored. I wasn’t in the mood to talk, and I didn’t want to pretend like I was. I didn’t care what your life story was, and I wasn’t going to give you mine. But, it was still entertaining to see the young mothers trying to keep their kids in line or the bored college age kids on their phones.
My phone buzzed in my pocket right at that moment, and I pulled it out, curious to see who was the first to bother me on my day off. I wasn’t surprised to see my sister’s name on the screen alongside the text notification.
You want to grab a drink later? I could use some serious adult time. Blaire’s going to have a playdate with a friend, and I’m seizing the moment.
I smiled. My poor sister hadn’t had much of an adult life since her kid was born a couple years earlier. My niece, Blaire, was adorable. I loved her with every fiber of my being. In fact, she was the one reason that I retired from the military as early as I had.
I was on the cusp of entering another four year commitment right about the time she was to be born. It was a serious decision on my part, and it was only at the last second that I decided to get out and help my sister.
She’d gotten pregnant by this douche she was seeing for only a short amount of time. I knew the guy was bad news from the moment she told me about him. Just the way she described him, the things he did, the opinions he held… I really didn’t know what she was doing with someone like that, and I told her so.
But, who was she going to listen to? Her brother who was stationed halfway across the world, or to the guy who was right there in front of her telling her that he was the greatest thing to ever happen in her life?
We didn’t have much to speak of in the way of family. Our parents were both only children, and they’d passed when we were in our twenties. It was an accident, but one that we never really talked about. We’d both come to terms with it as far as I knew, but it still wasn’t something that either of us really wanted to bring up in conversation.
So, when the asshole left her after finding out she was pregnant, my sister found herself completely alone. Not only in New York City, but in the world. I mean, she had me, sure, but what was I supposed to do when I was stationed in Singapore and she was barely making ends meet with her reporting job here at home?
If there was one thing that I’d learned about my time in the military, it was that I had to go where I was needed. At that moment, I felt like my sister was the one who really needed me, even more than the country did.
I resigned at the end of the tour, settling in a small apartment not far from her place. It wasn’t hard finding a job with my history in the Navy, and soon, I’d settled into my new life.
Anna was happy I was out of the service, though she wasn’t entirely thrilled when I joined the local fire department. She worried far too much for my safety, so I was glad when little Blaire was born to take some of the pressure off me. But, things also changed for my sister when that happened.
Without much of a support system besides me, she spent her days either working or being at home with the baby. Of course, she would swear up and down she was happier with her life like that than ever before, but I knew there were plenty of nights when she wanted to be out with her childless friends, but was stuck at home.
I did my best to step in from time to time when I could, and things did get easier as Blaire got older, but the desperation still rang through in her text.
I’ve got some shit I’ve got to get done, and I’m kind of tired after this last week, anyway. I was going to head home after I’m done drying my laundry if you want to stop by.
I hit send and waited. I knew my excuse wasn’t going to carry much weight when my sister was in this kind of mood. She wanted to be out and doing things, and since it was early in the afternoon, her few friends were all at work themselves.
Sure enough, not even thirty seconds passed before she replied.
You are getting to be such an old man. Working all the time, then spending the rest of it at home. How do you function without any sort of a social life?
I chuckled out loud. It was just the response I expected. The truth was that there really wasn’t that much for me to take care of at the house. And hell, I had the entire week to do it. It wouldn’t matter too much if I were to take the afternoon off to go hang out with her.
She didn’t always get the chance to pass Blaire off on one of her friends for a playdate. And considering the fact she didn’t want to hang around and chat with the woman in charge, I had a feeling she really did want to have some adult time without any children present.
With a smile, I sent her another text.
You realize you are two minutes older than me, right? But fine. For the sake of your sanity and my social life, I’ll go out with you somewhere. I’m almost done with the laundry then I’ll be down to head to wherever.
Once again, I had barely sent the message before she sent another reply.
Thank God! Good. Let’s go to Miss Mac’s around two. I’ll meet you there.
I smiled. It was an old hipster bar she and I had frequented ever since we were old enough to drink and before I had joined the Navy. It was one of the places I’d missed most when I was deployed, and the first place I’d gone after her apartment when I got back.
After sending her a thumbs up emoji, I grabbed my laundry out of the dryer and headed home. Miss Mac’s certainly wasn’t the place to dress up, so I merely pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It was the one shirt that I really cared about keeping clean.
Seal’s Do It Better was printed in large letters across the chest. There was a picture of a destroyer with an eagle flying above it in the background, with a faded American flag barely visible behind everything. The dark gray weathered fabric looked good against my tanned skin, and I always felt it was a shout out to my brothers who were still out there.
After spritzing myself with a bit of cologne, I headed out. It would be nice to not have to worry about being on call for a while, though I did love my job. I liked getting to just hang out with my sister and talk.
Miss Mac’s wasn’t far, but it was far enough that I decided to take a cab. I didn’t want to bother with the street traffic, and I knew after I had a beer or two, I wouldn’t want to walk home. It was easier just to grab a ride on the way over. Especially if I was meeting my sister there. Who knows? She might even insist on giving me a ride back to her place.
We were close enough.
“You made it!” Anna nearly shouted when I got out of the cab.
“Of course I did, dummy. I said I’d be here, didn’t I?” I teased.
“You have no idea how many people cancel when you are in the parenting world.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s like we cease to exist as people and just serve these little humanoid beings that demand all our time and attention.”
I laughed. “You realize that humanoid being is half you, right?”
“She’s all me, as far as I’m concerned. Well, as much me as she can be and still be her own person…you know what I mean!” She shook her head, and I laughed again.
We were so different, Anna and I. She was high strung and outgoing, and I was more reserved. I didn’t lack for confidence, that was for sure, but I didn’t have the same tightly-wound spring outlook on life, either.
“Let’s get a beer,” I said.
“Yes!” Anna bolted ahead of me to the bar, and I trailed behind. We both chose dark ales in bottles and grabbed one of the high tops near the center of the room. As soon as we sat down, Anna launched into her life. Everything she’d been doing with Blaire, how Blaire was growing both physically and mentally, and what she was trying to do with work.
I knew it was hard for her to keep up with her career while being a mother, but I admired her for the job she was doing. She excelled at both, as far as I was concerned, and I didn’t hesitate to tell her so.
“Thanks, but I feel like I’m not quite good enough in both realms,” Anna sighed.
“You’re doing a better job than I would,” I encouraged her. She gave me a look.
“You are!” I insisted.
“I’m just not sure I’m going to climb that wonderful ladder of success now, you know?” she sighed again.
“I think there are different kinds of success in life, and you are doing the best of both,” I replied.
“You’re sweet,” she said. It wasn’t long before she launched into another tirade, and I sat back in my chair, listening as I glanced around the room. I tried not to keep looking over toward the left corner, but I recognized the girl sitting with a petite blonde.
Riley, she said her name was. The woman from the outreach center a few days before. She looked to be in the same boat I found myself in. Her friend was chatting away as though neither of them had a care in the world, and she was glancing about the room.
I didn’t know if she intentionally didn’t make eye contact with me, or if I was the one who kept looking away at the right time. Either way, we didn’t look directly at each other.
“You should say hi,” Anna said.
“What?” I asked, looking at her.
“The girl you’re staring at. You should go say hi to her,” she said again. “Really.”
Immediately, I gave my head a light shake and held up my hand slightly. I didn’t want to launch into the explanation of who she was or why I was looking in her direction. My sister wanted me to find someone and settle down. She hoped it would help me lead a safer life.
It was a conversation I was growing tired of having, so I did the opposite.
I launched into telling her about my last call.
4
Riley
“Do you need me to do something dramatic or what?” Tracy asked.
“What?” I looked back at her.
“You are clearly oogling that hot guy over there, so do you need me to get him to come over? I can act like I’m about to faint or something,” she replied. “You haven’t been listening to a word I’ve said, have you?”
“I have, sorry. No, really, I have. You’re upset with the way he won’t text you back, right?” I replied. She raised her eyebrows at me and crossed her arms, so I repeated myself. “Right? I don’t know what else you want me to say! I’d say that he’s a player and you need to get rid of his ass before he breaks your heart, but we both know you aren’t going to do that.”
“He’s not a player. If you were listening to me, then you would know that,” she said as she shook her head. She was clearly pouting, and I laughed.
“If you listened to yourself, then you would know that he is. He’s not answering your texts, he’s not wanting to hang out when you are available, and he’s clearly keeping you in his back pocket in case his other plans fall through,” I counted off each point on my finger, and she sighed.
“But he’s so hot!” she moaned.
Like the guy over there, I thought.
I really was trying not to stare at the hot firefighter from the other day. I wanted to point out to my friend that he was one of the men I’d told her about. I’d told her that both had been good looking, but the one had really caught my eye. Trevor, his name was.
It was hot, and I liked it.
Not to mention the fact he was clearly with his sister made him even more appealing.
I didn’t have to meet them to know that they were clearly twins. They were nearly the same height, his sister tall for a woman, and only a couple inches shorter than himself. They had the same facial features, and the same eyes. Her smile was remarkably like his, though I could see she was clearly far more stressed about something than he appeared to be.
Every time I looked back at Tracy, I kept an eye on him through my peripheral vision. More than once, I could swear that he looked over in my direction, and each time he did, my heart would skip a beat.
I’d noticed the t-shirt he was wearing. Clearly, he was proud to have been a SEAL.
I knew he had been in the military. My father had already told me that much, but the sight of him in a shirt like that made my heart melt. As did his smile, and his looks in general. I could hardly keep my focus on what Tracy was saying, though I was determined to listen enough to what she said to be able to repeat back to her the facts.
She was complaining about yet another guy in her life. I’d told her time and time again to stop dating the bad boys, though I had been just as guilty of it in the past. I told her that I wanted to find someone nice to settle down with, and she should do the same.
That way, neither of us was going to have to worry about having our hearts broken again. Then again, neither of us really was looking for that sort of guy, either. We knew what we should want, and she clearly didn’t give a damn about even trying.
I, on the other hand, wanted to find the right one. I was sick of the dating game, sick of being passed around back and forth, and sick of trying to make it work with this dick or that asshole. I wanted something that was real, and I knew it wasn’t going to happen with the sort of guys I’d been guilty of dating.
“If he’s hot then you know you have the perfect mix for a bad boy right here,” I said with exasperation in my voice. “Combine everything I just said and add heat to the mix, and you’ve got the perfect bad boy.”
