Page 95 of Controlled Burn
True, there was no one to blame but myself, but I had seriously underestimated what a pain in the ass a calendar photo shoot would be, much less one with puppies. It didn’t help that the chief had basically turned it into an event, inviting everyone to come watch.
Of course, when I agreed to be Mr. November, I had no idea they wanted us shirtless. When I realized that, I tried to use my leg as an excuse to get out of it, but the chief wasn’t having it.
“This was your idea, Brooks, so you can damn well man-up and take a picture with a puppy.”
“Yeah, Keith, at least you don’t have to be Mr. December,” Ford said, a mischievous gleam in his eye.
“If I find out you were behind that, you’ll be on toilet duty for a month.”
“Hey, that’s the probie’s job,” Ford grumbled.
“Yeah, well, that’s called fuck around and find out, Ford.” Samuel laughed and put on his Santa hat.
I gave it one last shot. “Nobody wants to see a firefighter with a banged-up leg. I bet we could get Fox to come over and do it.”
“Trust me,” Caleb said with a grin. “Nobody’s looking at your leg.”
He bit his bottom lip and ran his eyes across my bare chest. Then he gave me a saucy grin. “They’ll all be looking at the puppy instead.”
The guys all burst out laughing, and I reached for his arm. “Come here, you sassy brat, and give me a kiss.”
“Nope. They’re ready for your group shot for the cover… no time for kisses. Here.” He handed me the little puppy I’d been assigned for the shoot. “Don’t drop him. He’s tiny.”
“I’m not going to drop him,” I insisted, but I tucked him a little tighter under my arm. He wasn’t wrong; he was indeed a little guy. I wasn’t able to walk long distances without the crutches, but my leg had healed enough for me to put small amounts of weight on it, so I hobbled over to where everyone was lined up with their puppies.
“Mr. April, where are your ears?” the photographer asked.
“Do I really have to?” Andy whined.
“Yes, probie, you really have to,” Robert said, laughing.
“Fine. But only cause it’s for the dogs,” he grumbled as he shoved the pair of rabbit ears the photographer had given him on his head.
I understood him not wanting to do it, but I had to say the look suited him. Like the rest of us, he had on the bottom half of his bunker gear, and they’d paired the pants with pink suspenders. Add the bunny ears and the fluffy white ball of fur he was holding against his bare chest, and he was a study in contrast. You couldn’t quite decide if he was sweet and innocent or dangerously sexy, but there was no doubt it was a look that would sell calendars.
As soon as we were done, Caleb started motioning for me to join him and Del under a shade tree, where they’d set up four chairs. Over the last few weeks, we’d spent a fair amount of time with her and Robert, and so far, everything was going great. Caleb really seemed to like her. She had a couple of kids who were close to his age, and while she hadn’t pushed him too hard, there was just something maternal about that he seemed to enjoy.
I limped over to them, trying my best not to put too much weight on my right leg.
“We got as close as we could so you wouldn’t have to go far.” Caleb patted the seat next to him and grinned up at me, which would’ve given the impression he was glad to see me, but he wasn’t fooling me. It wasn’t me that he was excited to see. It was the little brown fur ball in my arms. Sure enough, as soon as I was seated, he reached for the puppy.
“Maybe we should get Nix a playmate. You know, for those days when I have to work, and you’re on shift.”
Nix had turned out to be a great dog, but the vet said they thought he was maybe a Shepherd/lab mix, and that he wasn’t going to be a small dog. Not that I thought he would be. The little monster had huge paws. Fox hadn’t been able to get any leads on where he’d come from, which was bad for the investigation, but good for us because we loved the little fur ball.
“I think we’re okay with one dog for now, baby boy. Don’t you?”
He pouted but nodded his head. “They’re all just so cute.”
“How about you, Del? Do you want one?”
“I’m afraid a dog would hamper my ability to travel and see my kiddos, Caleb, so now isn’t the time for me.”
“Makes sense.” He nuzzled the little dog I’d been holding for the photo. “Don’t worry, little guy, someone will take you home, I’m sure of it.”
Robert strolled over then and sat down in the chair by Del. He was Mr. July, and they’d given him a pair of red, white, and blue suspenders, and the dog he’d been assigned was wearing a matching bandana around its neck.
“Probie’s over there pouting because they’re going to shoot in the order of the months. Apparently, he’s got someplace to be.”