Page 3 of Playing With Fire
The steady purr of the engine faded as Evelyn Ford switched off her car, the silence thickening in its absence. She took a moment to survey the fire station, an imposing structure that seemed to radiate a quiet, unyielding strength. Its brick walls held a history of sweat, camaraderie, and lives saved, stories that whispered from the shadows beyond the bay doors and the golden glow of the station lights spilling out onto the asphalt. She felt a chill that wasn’t from the cool evening air.
Evelyn straightened, smoothing down her crisp blazer with practiced efficiency. Her reflection in the side mirror was the same one she’d seen for years: poised, confident, untouchable. She glanced at the station’s crest emblazoned over the entrance and exhaled, already hearing the distant rumble of resistance she’d have to cut through. This wasn’t her first time stepping into a legacy, one built on tight-knit bonds and tradition, and it wouldn’t be the last.
This is just another job,she reminded herself, stepping forward with the click of her polished heels striking the pavement. But Phoenix Ridge felt different, if only because ofwhat she’d read. Chief Becky Thompson—now a legend traveling the world—had set the gold standard for a department that prided itself not just on skill but on an unshakeable trust that bordered on family.And families don’t like outsiders,Evelyn mused. Especially ones who came bearing changes.
Evelyn took another step, the click of her heels punctuating her thoughts as she assessed the scene before her. This wasn’t her first time overhauling a department, but Phoenix Ridge presented a unique challenge. She’d come here to make things more efficient, to trim the budget in a way that would force every dollar to stretch further—a task that seemed sensible in theory but tended to feel personal to those on the receiving end.
She knew what people thought of consultants like her: outsiders who slashed budgets without understanding the heart of what they were cutting. But in her mind, this wasn’t about ruthlessly stripping down; it was about strengthening from the core. Phoenix Ridge Fire Department was already excellent—Becky Thompson’s legacy was proof of that—but with the city’s resources stretched thin, the department needed to adapt or risk losing funding entirely. Every dollar saved could be reinvested in the long term, enabling them to update equipment, adopt cutting-edge technology, and better protect the firefighters who risked their lives.
Yet Evelyn knew she’d have to tread carefully. Change, especially in a place that prized its traditions and sense of family, would be a hard sell. She wasn’t blind to the skepticism she’d felt the minute she’d walked into the firehouse—the cautious glances, the muttered words. They saw her as the enemy, an intruder threatening what they held dear. But Evelyn was here to improve things, to make the department sustainable in ways that would secure its future, even if it meant making tough decisions now.
She tried to shake off her discomfort, reminding herself that she’d done this before and that she was here to help them see beyond the immediacy of their resistance. But Phoenix Ridge felt different, as if its loyalty to its own extended beyond reason. Here, tradition wasn’t just a word; it was a heartbeat, a collective pride. And she was about to put her hands on it, trying to reshape it in ways that might be necessary but would inevitably be met with distrust.
Evelyn took a steadying breath. This was her job. She was here to make things better, even if they couldn’t see it yet.
Inside, the warm, smoky scent of the station enveloped her, hinting at recent use, a night spent on the job. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it carried a weight that settled into her thoughts. This was the smell of the women who ran into danger without a second thought. An all female team. For a heartbeat, Evelyn allowed herself to feel a flicker of something unfamiliar, something almost like respect. She quashed it with a practiced blink.
As she walked toward the conference room, snippets of her earlier encounter with Captain Cassidy Harris played on repeat. The fire captain had been everything Evelyn anticipated—and yet not. There had been fire, not just in her commands but in her eyes, a fierce intensity that drew people in and, apparently, held them loyal beyond reason. The reports hadn’t quite captured that.
Cassidy Harris’s voice during the debrief had been sure, edged with defiance, a stark contrast to the crisp, calculated way Evelyn was used to working. Harris was the type who thrived in chaos, who led with her heart as much as her head. And while Evelyn knew how to deal with obstinate leaders, there was something unsettling about how Harris’s presence lingered in her mind, like an ember refusing to cool.
Evelyn felt a twinge of irritation at the thought.Resistance is part of the job,she reminded herself, cataloging the details from their interaction. But it gnawed at her, that flicker of admiration threatening her tightly wound resolve. The captain’s challenge had sparked something, an unfamiliar dissonance that Evelyn wasn’t accustomed to. She quickened her pace, as if the sharp staccato of her heels could drown out the echo of Cassidy Harris’s unwavering stare.
Focus, Ford,she told herself, tightening her grip on the tablet in her hand. This was no time for distractions, no matter how much heat flared from the memory of Harris’s fierce eyes or the defiant tilt of her chin.
The entrance to the conference room loomed ahead. Evelyn squared her shoulders, ready to step back into the fray, where she knew loyalty would battle logic and pride would test protocol.
The hallway was a quiet corridor stretching into the heart of the fire station, lined with framed photographs that seemed to whisper stories. Evelyn’s polished shoes tapped against the worn linoleum, their rhythmic click softened by the weight of the station’s history pressing in around her. She glanced at the photos: firefighters, arms slung over one another’s shoulders, grinning through grime and exhaustion. Images of rescues mid-action, the blur of motion and smoke captured in split seconds of triumph and relief. There were plaques, awards bearing Chief Becky Thompson’s name, words likecourageandexcellenceetched into brass.
Evelyn paused, her gaze lingering on one photo where Cassidy Harris stood front and center, her expression both fierceand protective, blue eyes alight with a determination that leapt from the frame. She felt the hint of a shiver run down her spine, a reminder of what she’d felt earlier in the night—the sense that Harris wasn’t just a leader but a guardian, a force capable of pulling people into her orbit.
This is what I’m up against,Evelyn thought, fingers flexing against the tablet at her side. It wasn’t just the logistics of change or the bureaucratic resistance she had anticipated. It was deeper, wound tightly around shared memories and loyalty forged under fire. She was here to streamline, to modernize, and to maximize efficiency, but that task suddenly felt heavier, more personal in this space that breathed camaraderie and trust.
As she resumed her walk, the notes from the debriefing replayed in her mind. Harris’s words had been sharp but composed, edged with a protectiveness that resonated in the room. The subtle shifts of posture among the crew, the way they looked to their captain for cues—none of it had been lost on Evelyn. It wasn’t just loyalty she’d seen; it was kinship, something almost primal. The realization sparked an unease in her. Introducing changes here wouldn’t be as simple as pushing policy and crunching numbers. To get any real buy-in, she’d need more than her usual strategy. She’d need to show them that she understood what they valued.
But did she? Could she? Evelyn exhaled, a barely audible sound in the quiet hallway. Winning over this department felt akin to scaling a cliff with only the thinnest rope, and right now, Cassidy Harris was the jagged peak standing defiantly in her path.
She’s just a challenge,Evelyn told herself, a mantra she’d repeated many times before. Yet when she pictured Harris, the memory of their interaction tugged at the edges of her thoughts. Harris’s voice, unwavering, sharp as a blade, had carried the unmistakable timbre of someone who’d fight tooth and nail forher team. The flash in her blue eyes—a mix of fire and steel—had made Evelyn’s pulse quicken in a way that bothered her more than she was willing to admit.
It was infuriating. This was supposed to be a straightforward job, just another assignment to add to her list of successes. But the way Harris stood her ground, the way her presence filled a room and refused to be ignored… Evelyn shook her head, annoyed at herself for the distraction. She wanted to attribute it all to her frustration, to the defiance she’d faced, but the nagging feeling remained.
Focus,she thought, clearing her mind as she turned a corner and pushed open the door to her temporary office that contained a small desk that had been hastily cleared for her in the corner of the fire station’s administrative office. She’d been given permission to use the captain’s desk when the team was called out, but for now this was her home. Papers were stacked neatly before her, each one meticulously annotated with the data she needed to make her case to the city council. Outside the office window, the steady hum of activity in the station played out like a scene from a movie: firefighters bantering as they cleaned equipment, the distant blare of a radio dispatch, boots clomping on the concrete floor. It was all so…chaotic. And at the center of that chaos was Captain Cassidy Harris.
Evelyn leaned back in her chair, staring at the closed door of the captain’s office across the room. She had barely known Harris for twenty-four hours, but already she was sure of one thing: she was going to be a problem.
The captain was everything Evelyn disliked in a professional adversary. Loud, brash, and stubborn as hell. During their meeting, Harris had made it abundantly clear that she had no intention of workingwithEvelyn. No, Harris was gearing up for a fight, and it seemed she’d decided that Evelyn was the enemybefore she’d even walked through the door. That kind of hostility was exhausting—and completely unproductive.
Evelyn sighed and picked up her pen, tapping it against the edge of her notebook. Harris had come into the meeting armed with arguments and anecdotes, throwing around terms liketraditionandfamilyas though they held any weight against cold, hard numbers. Evelyn couldn’t deny the fire captain’s passion—it practically radiated off her—but passion didn’t balance budgets or improve efficiency. It was all emotion, no strategy.
What irritated Evelyn the most, though, was the captain’s unwillingness to listen. Harris had bulldozed through every point Evelyn had tried to make, interrupting her with sharp rebuttals and personal jabs. It was infuriating. Evelyn prided herself on being calm and composed, no matter the situation, but Harris had a way of pushing her buttons that felt…deliberate. Evelyn wasn’t used to people like Harris—people who wore their emotions on their sleeves and charged headfirst into conflict without considering the consequences.
It wasn’t that Evelyn didn’t understand where Harris was coming from. She knew what the fire department meant to the captain; it was obvious in every word she spoke, in the fire that burned behind her eyes. But understanding wasn’t the same as agreeing, and Evelyn couldn’t let sentimentality cloud her judgment. She had a job to do, and she was going to do it, whether Cassidy Harris liked it or not.
Her gaze drifted back to the door of Harris’s office. Harris had the kind of presence that drew people in, a natural charisma that made it easy to see why her crew respected her. But that same intensity could be a double-edged sword, especially when it was turned against someone like Evelyn.
If Harris thought she could intimidate Evelyn into backing down, she was in for a rude awakening. Evelyn had facedtougher opponents than the fire captain in her career, and she hadn’t lost yet. Cassidy Harris might be a force to be reckoned with, but Evelyn was determined to prove that logic, reason, and a cool head would always prevail.
No matter how difficult the captain made it.