The Hot Firefighter by Foss Tiffany

Author:Foss, Tiffany
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

31

CHRIS

“Can you come out here and help me with something?” Zoe asked, approaching me as I was taking a rest in the relaxation area. A couple other guys were playing pool at the table on the far side of the room; though they had ignored me, they gave Zoe nods of respect and murmured greetings.

She ignored them, though, so that made me feel a bit better.

“Sure, what do you need?” I asked, starting to stand.

She waved for me to sit back down. “It can wait until you’re done with your break. It’s just that Brian’s tasked me with a supply inventory. He said I could pick out someone to help me, and if they complained, I was allowed to whack them one.”

“Is that really what he said?” I raised my eyebrows. “Doesn’t sound a lot like him, if you ask me.”

“I might be paraphrasing a little bit.” She shrugged her shoulders. “So, when you’re done here, you can come find me in the garage. Bring drinks and snacks. It’s going to be long and cold and boring.”

“Sure, I’ll meet you there.”

“Thanks.” She gave me a little wave with her fingers and left the break room.

The guys playing pool started snickering to each other and glancing at me.

I looked over at them, frowning, irritation prickling up and down my spine. Being the butt of jokes was getting to be unbearable. When would people grow up? “What?” I snapped.

“Dude,” one of them said, “you’re in for a seriously awful time. Inventory sucks. And inventory with Zoe? No way. I’d quit.”

I didn’t dislike Zoe, though it was obvious she had a tendency to be pushy. But she was still a great firefighter and people respected her. “Well, I don’t have any plans to quit. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s not what I’ve been hearing,” the other one said. He grabbed a bit of cue chalk and applied it to the tip of his cue stick. “Thomas has been telling people that you’re going to quit and leave. Said that you were getting moving boxes the other day.”

I thought of the boxes now stacked up in the back of my garage, in a sort of limbo, waiting to be used or put into the recycling. “Well, we all know Thomas talks before he knows the whole story. Excuse me.”

“Good luck,” they called after me as I left the break room.

My heart beat a bit faster than was normal after that discussion. That was the first time in weeks that I’d had a normal, cordial conversation with anyone. Maybe all the hubbub around my past was starting to die down.

Maybe it was a good thing that I had kept working hard without jumping ship the first time things got tough. I was proving myself.

I joined Zoe in the big garage where the firetrucks were held. The big red trucks were like slumbering beasts. The air smelled of oil and dust.

Zoe handed me a clipboard with a stack of papers attached to it. The papers were divided into rough categories with different lists in each category.

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