Building a Surprise Family by Anna J. Stewart

Author:Anna J. Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-12T19:35:36+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

“SPARKY, YOU ARE not a dog. Get off the darned truck already.” Ozzy held the fire hose in his hands and watched the soap cascade off the side of the bright red paneling. The jet-black cat with big yellow eyes merely blinked at him and leaned down to bat away droplets of water. “How did nature come up with that menace?” he asked his boss. Co-chief Roman Salazar had just rounded the corner. “Cats are supposed to hate water. Can we retrain him?”

Roman, who stood a good three inches taller than Ozzy and could have given a pantheon of gods a run for their money, grinned up at the furball and shrugged. “That cat and my wife were made for each other. He’s started dive-bombing us in the shower now.” His smile faded. “Come to think of it, maybe you’re right. Menace is definitely the right word. Frankie was asking how’d the call go at Well Springs.”

“Straightforward. Panic attack,” Ozzy said. “I let Jasper take the lead. He’s going to do fine on his EMT exams.”

“Great.” Roman gave an approving nod. “Thanks for taking an extra twelve today. Callahan’ll be on next shift. Volunteer sheet is full, so your schedule won’t change after all. I’ve got to run my mom into town for big box shopping, but Frankie’ll be here, Jasper, too. You’ve got the next two days off.”

“Great.” It was definitely good news considering his plans for Friday afternoon. Luck was clearly on his side. Now all he had to do was stop feeling guilty for not using this extra time to respond to the many thumbs-up he’d been getting on his dating app.

After his disastrous movie night with Shelly, who had apparently bragged to everyone within hearing distance about how well their date had supposedly gone, he’d been putting off any more social interactions.

His reluctance to respond had absolutely nothing to do with his increasing fondness for a construction supervisor with a penchant for his mother’s baking, he told himself. Or the surprise he had planned for her.

“We still doing the water-rescue training next week?”

“Five a.m. Tuesday morning. Rain or shine,” Roman added, knowing Ozzy’s penchant for praying for a rain delay. “Four-mile swim followed by a two-mile run. Timed. Be ready for it because you know Frankie’s going to make you suffer if you fail.” His boss chuckled.

Oh, he knew. Roman might be a walking example of testosterone and pinup-calendar-inspiring goodlooks, but his wife—Ozzy’s other boss—wielded her own special talent when it came to motivating her team. Expectations weren’t merely high, they were hovering in the stratosphere. There were times Ozzy appreciated the challenge. But there were other times when...

“Hey, you hear about Luke and Holly’s barbecue?” Roman asked. “Are you planning on going?”

“As long as there are no emergencies,” Ozzy said. “Have to. I’ve got a water fight title to defend.” Simon Saxon and Charlie Bradley had already emailed him to make sure he was coming and had informed him that Simon had applied his special brand of knowledge to their neon plastic weaponry.

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