Page 7 of Off the Clock
“It’s pink,” Scotty countered, but he collected his backpack without further objection. I’d managed to furnish the cottage with a mixture of stuff from my apartment, Mom’s garage, and a few estate sales. The two small bedrooms were on opposite ends of the house.
Scotty didn’t seem interested in lingering in the living area, so I led him back to his room. “This is your room.”
“Are those my posters?” He tilted his head.
“Yeah. I put some of your things up.” My mom had tearfully boxed up some of Scotty’s favorite possessions. “Mom and I thought it would help you feel more at home.”
“You need to chill.” Scotty flopped on the full-size bed I’d found, which was almost too short for him. “Stop trying so hard when we both know this whole situation bites.”
“It doesn’t have to.” I pushed past my frustration for one last stab at enthusiasm. “I’m excited to spend time together.”
“And I’m excited for a nap.” He gestured at the doorway until I got the message and left him alone.
Tired of trying to jolly a seventeen-year-old porcupine into a good mood, I decided to gift myself a pre-dinner run. The sun was still out but nowhere near as strong as earlier in the day, and a breeze rolled in from the mountains and river. I was nowhere near as athletic or fast as Scotty, but somewhere along the road to graduating from the fire academy, I’d come to find satisfaction in pounding the pavement.
Out here on the sidewalk, I didn’t have to be coordinated. Didn’t have to be funny and likable. All I had to do was keep moving forward, my only competition my own pace. Slowly, my stress started to ebb.
“Caleb!” The sound of my name brought all my tension back in a hurry. I slowed to discover Sean, Tony, and one of Eric’s teens, John, all out for a jog on the opposite side of the street. Tony naturally looked even better in running shorts and a gray tank than in uniform. The last thing I needed was another reason to ogle him, but all three paused as Sean gestured me over. Sean waited until I’d crossed the street to ask, “Since when do you live on this side of town?”
“I moved because I needed an extra bedroom and a place near the high school for my little brother.” Seeing an opportunity for Scotty, I nodded at John. “He plays football like you.”
“You don’t say.” All three sets of eyes widened. They’d all witnessed my flag football humiliation and undoubtedly were envisioning Scotty as a similar hot mess.
“Way, way better than me.” I laughed like the memory of landing in a muddy heap with Tony was as pleasant as a sunset. “Scotty was kind of a big deal in Portland.”
“Awesome.” Sean gave John a pointed look.
Sighing heavily, John shifted his weight from foot to foot. “We’ve got a team meeting coming up. I’ll give Sean the details to give to your bro.”
“Thanks.” I gave what I hoped was a cheery wave. “I appreciate that. Enjoy your run.”
“Eh. We’re almost done.” Sean wiped the sweat from his forehead with the edge of his T-shirt before jerking a thumb in Tony’s direction. “The sergeant here busted our asses.”
“Can’t let myself go soft.” Yet again, he held my gaze a beat too long before glancing away.
“No danger of that,” I said without thinking. Everyone laughed, but Sean’s eyes narrowed with a clear warning. Great. All I needed now was my acting boss to be suspicious that I might have a crush. Not only did I not need a rep of macking on each new fire station employee, but I also didn’t need to run afoul of any fraternization regulations. Rumor had it that two EMTs had recently run into issues while dating. Going forward, I’d need to be on my very best, absolutely-not-flirty behavior.
Chapter Five
Tony
“Think fast!”
Thanks to my Ranger career, I was no stranger to chaos, but even I had to jump as a football soared over my head at six a.m. in the kitchen of Eric’s house. Sean was snug in his little carriage house with his boyfriend, Denver, and I’d taken over Sean’s old room, which placed me right in the thick of teen central.
Since he’d discovered that I used to play, the middle teen, John, had been trying to goad me into practicing with him. His latest idea seemed to be this breakfast sneak attack. I was still bleary from a late night finishing my audiobook, but I managed to snag the ball with one hand.
“No footballs in the house.” Eric gave John a stern glare. Despite the early hour and it being summer, all three teens were in the kitchen, devouring large bowls of cereal.
“Thank God, someone has sense where sports balls are concerned.” Wren, the youngest, had a perpetually dry tone and was the opposite of their more athletic sibling, preferring the science lab to the gym.
“And no phones at breakfast either.” Eric shook a finger at Wren and Rowan, the oldest teen, who’d been glued to his phone in its purple sequin case the entire time I’d been living here.
“No problem.” Rowan deposited his bowl in the sink and grabbed a banana as he headed to the kitchen door. “I need to head out anyway. Gotta get to drama camp on time.”
“Go earn some bacon.” Eric laughed fondly. Rowan was a camp counselor for a day-camp drama program for elementary school kids, and on the rare occasions he looked up from his phone, camp was all he talked about.
“You could bring some actual bacon home,” Wren mused as they refilled their cereal bowl. “We’re out. Again.”