Page 4 of Controlled Burn
We didn’t take a truck up there every month. That was a big deal that was reserved for the month of October for National Fire Prevention Month, but I always tried to take a piece of equipment with us for the kids to check out, and this month I was taking my compass.
I’d gotten a ton of questions about it last month when I’d taken my mask, but my time was limited, so I didn’t really have a chance to show them how it worked. Plus, I’d talked our chief into dipping into our community education fund to order some student compasses for me to hand out for the kids to keep.
I stopped in the chief’s office on my way out to remind him where I was going. It was so strange for this office to belong to someone other than my dad, but Samuel was a good choice, and he would make a good chief. He really cared about the station and all the people who worked there.
I tapped on the door before sticking my head inside. “Hey, Chief, I’m headed over to the library.”
He looked up from the papers he’d been studying on his desk and smiled at me. “Good. You got the compasses you asked me to order?”
“Not yet. I’m gonna grab them on my way out.”
“Those were a good idea, Keith.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
“Actually, what time do you have to be there? I have something I wanted to run by you, if you have time.”
“I have to be there at ten, so I have a couple hours. Why, what’s up?”
“I appreciate the fact that you’re pretty much always up for things like this at the library, and I know it’s something you do on your own time, but I thought you should know there’s been talk of making it something more than a volunteer gig.”
“What do you mean, more than a volunteer gig?”
“The mayor’s thinking of making it official. Community relations and education is an important part of what we do, so he said if he could find the funding, he would create a department to handle community events like the day at the library and visits to the local schools, as well as things like fundraising events.”
“How would it work, exactly?”
“I’m not sure. At this point, it’s just something he’s considering, but if it happens, you would be a shoe in.”
“I don’t really know much about fundraising, though.” I’d participated in plenty of fundraisers. Vesper did the best it could, but fire equipment was pricey. The city managed to fund the necessities, but we relied on fundraising to cover the extras like the thermal imaging cameras we’d purchased last year.
“You could learn that part easy enough. It’s a full-time position, though, so it would mean you wouldn’t be working out of the Sixty-nine anymore but out of the mayor’s office instead. We’d hate to lose you, but I don’t want to be selfish if this is something you would want. Just think about it for me. You have some time before he gets the program going. Maybe run it by your dad… see what he thinks.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Chief.” I couldn’t imagine working anywhere but here, but the least I could do was think it over.
“Speaking of your dad. The mayor said you agreed to do the speech for your father’s awards ceremony.”
The city was planning to give my dad an award for all his years of service to the Vesper Fire Department. He’d had a couple of months’ vacation time built up, so while he’d been gone a month already, his official retirement wouldn’t take effect until this time next month.
“Yeah, I did. I’m really proud of him, but I’m a little scared to see what crazy shit he and my mom get up to with so much time on their hands. Last I heard, he was trying to talk her into going zip lining in the Amazon.”
“That sounds like your father, but I’d be shocked if your mom went along with it. Listen, you know how much your dad’s leadership meant to all of us, so if you need someone to read it over, just let me know.”
Caleb
“Pssst. Caleb,” Giles hissed. “Your fireman is here.”
“He’s not mine, and you know it,” I muttered back, forcing myself not to look at the seriously sexy man who’d just walked through the door. Keith Brooks was probably the most perfect specimen of a man I’d ever seen, but he was absolutely not for me, no matter how much I enjoyed his visits to the library.
“Hey, Caleb, how’re you doing?” Keith set his duffle bag up on the counter in front of us.
I looked up into a pair of deep brown eyes. “I’m fine. How are you?”
“Good, just got off shift. Your dad said to tell you hello.”
I nodded in acknowledgment. Talking about my dad was like the last thing I wanted to do while thinking about how freaking hot Keith Brooks was. “So you have a good-sized group already here today, and it isn’t even time to start yet.”
“Good.” Keith grinned. “I like that the kids are excited to meet a firefighter.”