Page 4 of Bewitching the Firefighter

Nolan holds his plank, eeking out his next words slowly as he struggles to maintain his stance. “I will never have to know what that fucking word is.”

I shrug, grabbing a kettlebell from the line along the wall. “You will if your appendages turn green, Rookie.”

The way his nostrils flare is priceless. It won’t be too long before Tuck tells him it’s a beehive.

The conversation shifts to tomorrow night’s Halloween carnival, and even though I’m at the end of my forty-eight-hour shift, I’m working extra tomorrow night. Only certified engineers can drive company engines, and the next crew is needed at the station.

The rookie flattens out of the plank, his chest to the ground. “That chick from Austin going to be there?” His words are muffled against the mat.

Our lieutenant takes another sip of water. “We’re not seeing each other anymore.” Gentry’s priority is his kids, and if he’s dating a person who doesn’t fit into that equation, he’s out.

“I bet the curvy librarian’s gonna be there.” Tucker sing-songs the words as he powers on the treadmill.

I scan my buddies, jaw tight as I do another lift. “Drop it.” Regret fills me as soon as the words leave my mouth.

“Feeling a little sensitive there, West,” Nolan chuckles, doing another plank just to show off. “Need to run to your safe corner and feel it out?”

“I think you need to swipe right instead of focusing on me, Rookie.” He flips me off as everyone laughs.

Truth is, my mind drifts to the curvy librarian. She’s short, maybe 5’2”, with long, tawny brown hair, and brown eyes. She looked ultra-feminine in a black floral dress that fell just above her knees and black flats that looked like ballet slippers. Despite her professional look, there was no hiding her killer body. But my kryptonite? The bar piercing at the top of her left ear, as if she’s got a little rebel inside.

“Too bad she didn’t give you the time of day.” Tuck smirks, getting me back for making fun of his recent disaster of a date. “I think you’re losing your touch.”

“You know I wasn’t trying.”

Mike Gentry tosses the towel on his bag. “Leave Linc alone. You know he doesn’t date people from Indigo Hills anymore.”

Technically, he’s correct since I am a lot more careful about the women I ask out these last few months. Ever since a traveling nurse at Northwest General decided we were soulmates after one coffee date, I’ve been hesitant about dating. I couldn’t get a word in the entire time, which is why I’m unsure how she determined our compatibility. I mean… we hadn’t so much as kissed.

I had tried nicely to tell the nurse I wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship, but she showed up here at my job with printouts of area homes for sale. It didn’t help that she also brought homemade fried chicken for the crew. I refused to eat it, but the guys survived just fine. She eventually “broke up” with me and started dating a manager at the hardware store. Poor guy. Last I heard, she took a job in Tempe, Arizona.

“So you ‘weren’t trying’ to catch the eye of the new librarian, huh?” The rookie will not let this go, which makes sense since all we do is talk smack at work. “If the curvy librarian’s at the carnival, I bet you a pan of my lasagna that she’ll say no if you ask her out.”

I laugh before I can stop myself. “And if I lose?

“Next time you lead the fitness group, it’ll be in neon spandex.” Of course, the rookie goes there. As a side business, our captain runs a fitness program at the park, which I lead occasionally.

“You make it too easy.” We’re met with guffaws and snickers because everyone knows I’m right.

I mull over Nolan’s proposition, aware that if I accept his challenge, I’d have no intention of taking the librarian on a romantic date. I’m thinking a cup of coffee as a welcome gesture for moving to Indigo Hills. So what if my libido perks up at the thought of coffee with her? I can be great friend material.

Just ask… well, huh. Maybe I don’t have female friends except for my coworkers, but there’s a first time for anything. Besides, my grandpa always used to tell my older brother and me not to fall for ‘the first pretty girl to smile’ at us. He said we should take our time knowing our own heart before handing it to someone else. And I’m still working on that.

“Better go grocery shopping, Rookie.” I rub my hands together, knowing the best lasagna in the city is on its way.

The Cobalt County Halloween Carnival is traditionally held the weekend before Halloween on the same property as the Cobalt County Antiques Fair. Over the years, the carnival has grown in size, making public safety especially important. There’s a CCFD engine on site, extra law enforcement on duty, and a medical tent for minor injuries. The county even staffs extra people at the dispatch center to ensure emergency services run smoothly.

Mike Gentry is in the engine’s cab, letting a group of kids take turns behind the wheel. Any time there’s a community event, the Cobalt County Fire Department allows kids to ask questions and sometimes climb into the cab if the conditions are right. Having just shown those kids a section of firehouse, I set the cut piece on the tailboard, underneath the dials and instruments. They always love to feel how heavy it is.

The carnival lights are bright against the darkening sky, the kettle corn smelling sweet at a nearby booth. A group of women in their early twenties walk by, each dressed as a different woodland animal.

“Damn.” Tucker walks up and slaps my back. “Didn’t know I had a thing for cosplay, but I could give it a try.”

The women’s form-fitting silky dresses reach their ankles, some off the shoulder, some with halter or spaghetti straps. Each wears fur cuffs around their wrists that match their animal ears. It’s a community tradition that the sexy costumes don’t show up until trick-or-treating ends at 8:30 p.m. Somehow, this group found a loophole.

My eyes flick back to Tucker. “Where’s the crew?”

“Volunteering at the dunk tank. My shift is in half an hour.”