Chapter 3
Hallie
If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.
~ Seth Godin
Gravel crunches under my tires as I pull into the lot next to the station and ease into a space alongside the pickup trucks and cars of the other firefighters.
Such a mom-mobile. Here I am trying to keep Mia separate from my work while arriving at work in a vehicle that screams suburban soccer mom.
Only, I’m a baseball mom through and through.
I don’t want the guys on the crew to know about my personal life—not yet. I don’t want their sympathy. I want their respect. In time, I’ll share about Mia and the life I live as a single mom. I’m fooling myself if I think I can keep all the details of my past hidden in a town the size of Waterford.
As impossible as that may be, I need to give myself the opportunity to start with a blank slate—as blank as it can be when you’re the first woman firefighter in the entire history of the department.
No pressure.
Somehow, I made it through the first day at the station two days ago.
We didn’t have any calls that day with the exception of a minor medical that Greyson and Patrick covered while Dustin and I remained behind.
After that shift, I had a full twenty-four hours off to do more unpacking and help Mia adjust to our new rhythm.
The crew has been extra nice—and extra careful. I went into this knowing I’m joining an all-male crew. Of course they’re going to tiptoe around me a bit until we get our bearings. Still, I’m not made of glass, and the sooner they realize that, the more comfortable we’ll all be.
I take a deep breath, blow it out and start to open the van door to head into my second shift. My cell pings.
Avery: Go get ’em Little Miss Firefighter.
I laugh softly to myself.
Hallie: Exactly who am I going to get?
Avery: For one, possibly a hot firefighter. But actually, I just meant for you to have a great day and show those men what you’re made of.
Hallie: There will be no getting of any hot firefighters. I’m just hoping to make it through day two on shift. Nothing more.
Avery: Don’t sell yourself short. You’re awesome. They’ll see soon enough. What’s the matter with you, anyway? You’re usually the optimist who’s so sunshiney I need shades.
Hallie: That’s when it comes to life in general and other people. When I’m stressed, I’m a total rain cloud.
Avery: Well then, I guess I’ll be your sunshine today. It’s the least I can do to thank you for always being mine.
Hallie: Aren’t we supposed to be rivals, or jealous of one another? I think we’re doing this sister thing all wrong.
Avery: I wouldn’t know about any of that. I just do it the way you showed me my whole life. I kind of like the way we do sisterhood.
Hallie: Me too. Love you, Ave.
Avery: Love you, too. Now go get a hot fireman.
I laugh out loud and pocket my phone. Even if Avery weren’t joking, the last thing I’ll be doing while I’m here in Waterford is dating someone from my workplace—or anyone, for that matter.
When I step out of the van, Greyson is walking into the station.
He tips his chin to me as a greeting and turns to walk into the firehouse without another word.
I don’t take it personally. I can’t remember ever meeting another person who kept to themselves more than he does.
He’s not rude about it, but he’s like a vault.
And I can’t shake the feeling of familiarity I had at the pizza place.
It’s crazy, considering I’ve never been to Waterford before.
There’s just something about him.
Patrick waves from across the parking lot. “Ready for your first shift-change meeting?”
I smile and wave. “I’m ready!”
Dustin walks up behind me. “Heya, Rook! Man, I’m glad I’m not the rookie anymore.
You have no idea. I was rookie for nearly two years.
Well, a year and a half. Maybe two. Whatever.
It was too long. I know that. Do you think I got to graduate from pranks during that whole time?
No. The guys just refined their skills and creativity.
Speaking of which, I’ve got a few hints for you. ”
I pause, looking up at him. This is the most camaraderie I’ve experienced since their jaws all hit the floor when I first announced my presence two days ago.
“One: if they put you on Vanessa duty, be careful. Not that she’s going to want to marry you.
But … yeah. Come to think of it, they won’t put you on Vanessa duty.
” Dustin shakes his head. “Two: there’s no such thing as auditing the fire hydrants.
If they assign that task, just smile and nod.
Go for a run. Come back and say the hydrants pass inspection.
” He smiles a conspiratorial smile. “I’m not leaking all the state secrets, though. You’re bound to be pranked.”
“I hope I am,” I confess.
There’s something about Dustin that sets me at ease. The anxiety I was feeling on the drive into work evaporates and my shoulders loosen just a bit.
“You hope you’re going to be pranked?” He laughs. “Why?”
He opens the side door that leads into the kitchen and waves his hand to tell me to walk in past him.
“Then I’ll know I’m accepted,” I say softly just before we enter the main room. “One of the guys.”
“News flash, Brownie,” Dustin’s voice is loud, filling the whole room. “You’re not going to be one of the guys. You’re not a guy.”
“I know,” I laugh despite the fact that when I look up, all the eyes of the alternating crew and my new crew are on me and Dustin.
I straighten my spine and say, “Good morning,” to the wall of testosterone gathered around the large wooden table and standing in the kitchen just beyond it.
A chorus of tenor voices responds, “Good morning.”
What was I thinking, becoming the first female firefighter in Waterford?
Nearly every woman I know has teased me about “living the dream.” In theory, yes, being surrounded by attractive men with hearts to serve their community should be fantastic. In reality, having a backstage pass to the men’s locker room is more than slightly intimidating and regularly overwhelming.
All the eyes in the room remain on me as I pass through the dining room, through the bays, to my room—the one they obviously cleared out for me.
I’ve always loved a challenge.
I wouldn’t trade Mia for the world, but sometimes I wonder about the way life has turned and twisted.
Nothing landed the way I imagined. I’m a twenty-seven-year-old divorcée with a seven-year-old daughter.
I never finished college. And now I’m living halfway across my home state fighting fires in a town I never even visited before.
I only heard about Waterford once before Avery moved here.
And that night seems like a dream now. Maybe it was.
Once I’m changed into my station uniform, I return to the crowded main room where the captains hold our shift-change meeting.
One of the guys from the other crew stands and offers me his chair.
I’d like to ask him if he’d give his chair up for any other firefighter in the room, but I’m saving the hills I’ll die on for ones worth making a scene over, so I just take the seat.
“I’m Shawn,” he says.
“Thank you,” I say as he steps back and settles into one of the recliners along the wall.
The captain from the other shift, Captain Brewer, runs through a list of the calls they took over the last twenty-four hours.
“We restocked the engine and medic,” he says. “And Sycamore Assisted Living was a false alarm. Apparently the alarm pull was initiated by a sleepwalker.”
Dustin looks at me, stifling a laugh and softly shaking his head.
He silently mouths the words, “What did I tell you?”
“We cleared a brush fire near Smokehouse Road,” Captain Brewer says. “There’s a threat of rekindling if the wind conditions continue.”
Cody nods his head. He and Greyson exchange a silent conversation. My eyes linger on Greyson. He’s a jigsaw puzzle with missing pieces. Maybe if I stare long enough, something will click into place.
His eyes flick to mine and I look away, fixing on Captain Brewer with a focus that makes the backs of my eyeballs tug. I’m sure Greyson tracks every bit of my avoidance. I wouldn’t be surprised if he could see straight through my head to watch my eye muscles straining with his X-ray perception.
It’s always the quiet ones. Intense. Deep. Unreadable. But they perceive all the things most people miss.
I shift in my seat.
“We have a new member on Crew A,” Captain Brewer says. “Cody, do you want to do the honors?”
Cody stands next to Captain Brewer at the head of the table. “We’ve got a new rookie on our crew. Hallie, say hi to the guys. Guys, welcome Hallie to Waterford Fire. Hallie came here from Maryville. It’s her first assignment out of the academy. We’re looking forward to having her on crew.”
The guys all clap. I can feel their eyes on me. I force myself to smile and look around the room, meeting each one of their gazes directly.
“Thank you,” I say. “I’m glad to be here.”
“When are we getting a woman on our crew?” Shawn asks from his spot in the recliner.
The room erupts in laughter.
I take my opportunity to show what I’m made of—borrowing courage from Avery’s text.
I turn and face Shawn. “Maybe if Crew A doesn’t live up to the hype, I’ll be switching over.”
A riot erupts—laughter, taunting, more laughter.
“What do you mean, not live up to the hype?” Dustin says playfully.
“Come on over anytime,” one of the guys from Crew B says. “We’ll trade Thompson.”
A brown-haired man says, “Me? What about you? I cook a better steak.”
“Facts,” Shawn says. “I say we keep Thompson and trade Leuzinger.”
“Watch it, Shawn,” the blond who suggested trading Thompson says. “I’m in charge of workout tomorrow.”
More laughter fills the room.
Cody’s smiling when he says, “Alright, alright. I think we’ll keep Collins on our crew. No need to get rid of Leuzinger or Thompson.”