CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The biggest benefit of their pizza night, aside from seeing his friends and inhaling his favorite greasy comfort food, was that Malcolm knew exactly what was coming with this meeting.
Every year, the Pinegrove Fire Department held some type of fundraising event or sold something to beef up their budget for the upcoming year.
While City Hall supported PFD, their budgets only went so far.
Javi was a good fireman, a loyal friend, but also the biggest attention seeker to come out of Georgia since Estelle Winters. Taking his time to quiet the room, Javi stood with his hands out, gazing at the ceiling like he waited for the voice of God.
“Hurry up, Ortiz!” one of the guys from night shift yelled, clearly bored with his theatrics.
“I’m with Adams, get on with it!” Maxwell shouted beside Malcolm.
She’d snagged him a chair at the front next to her so they could heckle their buddy unobstructed.
“How’s the coffee?” she asked, peering into his half-empty mug.
“I added a pinch of cinnamon today.” She grinned, and Malcolm didn’t have the heart to tell her he’d rather drink the drainage water after a fire.
“It’s perfect. Kick in the pants I needed today.”
While the others continued to heckle Javi, Maxwell leaned closer. “How are you feeling, Smithy? I mean it. You seemed good at your place, but being back and everything ...” She trailed off. “I know it can be a lot.”
Maxwell may have been relatively new to Pinegrove FD, but she wasn’t new to being a firefighter.
She’d worked in Atlanta for five years before marrying a small-town guy and settling in Pinegrove.
She’d had her share of injuries in the field, but Malcolm hoped that trend ceased.
She was mother to two kiddos under four, and he planned on keeping her safe and sound.
Patting her knee, Malcolm leaned back in his seat and kicked his feet out. “Thanks for worrying about me, Maxwell, but I really am fine. I need to keep up the PT and have some scans coming up next week, but all signs still point to a full recovery.”
Her face lit up at the news. “I’m so glad. I still can’t believe how everything went down, when we separated to check the perimeter, I should have ...” Her voice caught, and Malcolm shook his head.
“Don’t,” he warned. “It’s part of the job, and we followed all the proper procedures. I won’t have you beating yourself up over this.”
Maxwell didn’t look like she’d believed him, her eyes shimmering with tears. Malcolm understood that she needed to keep her emotions in check. Despite the fact that the crew was welcoming of their sole female colleague, she still didn’t want to be known as emotional, or worse.
Maxwell gave a firm nod. “I know, but still.”
“All right, goobers!” Trevor shouted from the back of the room, silencing the group and bringing Malcolm back to the moment. “Ortiz, get to the point, please. Your guest is here.”
Javi’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Excellent,” he crowed. “Listen up, folks! It’s time for our annual fundraiser, and this year I’m the chairman.” The last stranglers arrived, filling the room to bursting ... and already looking bored.
“No more peanut brittle!” Chief Warren shouted from the back, earning chuckles from his crew.
A few years ago, the chief organized a county-wide peanut brittle sale from the local peanut farms. While a fine idea on paper, it was about as exciting as a tax return.
Sales were moderate, and most of the force was still working through their own cases of the sugary, tooth-cracking sweets.
Malcolm was pretty sure his stash was putting his dentist’s kids through college.
Javi shot a grin at their fearless leader. “No offense, sir, but we can do better than that, boys.” Wincing, he turned to Maxwell, and added, “And girl.”
Maxwell raised a single eyebrow. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”
Javi splayed a hand over his heart and sighed. “You know I will do anything for the ladies.” There were murmurs echoing throughout the conference room until Javi snapped his fingers. “Actually, that’s the perfect segway to my point.”
“Oh, there’s a point?” Trevor scoffed, earning a discreet middle finger from Javi.
“Yeah, Cap. My point is that this year’s fundraiser is all for the ladies.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, a move that HR would surely write him up for if they were in the building.
Maxwell frowned. “I have a feeling I’m going to hate this.”
Javi shook his head. “I have a feeling you’re going to love this. I’m all about gender equality.”
Trevor gave up the pretense of not looking annoyed. “Just spit it out.”
Malcolm couldn’t disagree. “Ortiz?” He motioned for Javi to continue.
“Beefcake calendars!” Javi did jazz hands and beamed like he’d come up with a solution to world hunger. “Huh?!” His voice went up an octave in anticipation.
“He’s really going through with this?” Maxwell muttered in Malcolm’s ear. She raised a hand, but asked her question before anyone could call on her. “Um, not to state the obvious, but how is a beefcake calendar highlighting gender equality?”
Trevor nodded, hitching his thumb in the direction of his new favorite employee. “I’m with Maxwell. I’m failing to see how us guys provocatively posing for a calendar is going to please our DEI Rep.”
George Brock, their only openly gay teammate, turned a worrisome shade of scarlet as he cleared his throat. “I mean, I wouldn’t say no to one of those calendars.” After an awkward laugh, he added, “Calvin would probably buy one, too.”
Malcolm met George’s partner, Calvin, at the summer BBQ right after he joined the force.
The pair were clearly smitten and had that air about them that only people truly in love share.
Calvin, much like Javi, was also an incorrigible flirt.
He had no doubt he’d buy enough calendars to paper their house.
Javi pumped his fist in the air and stalked over to George, clapping him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit, man.” Dipping his head to his chest, George officially turned as red as their fire engine.
Trevor, ever the voice of reason, broke up the love fest with a round of very sensible questions. “First of all, Ortiz, have you run this idea past the chief?”
Javi smirked. “Yep, and he said that if the team is on board, he won’t turn us down.”
Every head in the room swung toward the chief, who was perched on a chair in the corner. “I’m not going to get in the way of a potentially successful fundraiser, but don’t make me regret it.”
Maxwell raised her hand again, and this time Trevor called on her. “Maxwell, please take the floor. We need to hear the other side of this insane idea.”
“Well, not to brag, but I’ve had two kids in the last four years.” The room erupted into whistles and cheers. “Thank you.” She laughed. “The point is, I’m not sure how comfortable I am with posing nude with my colleagues.”
Javi held up his hands. “Hear me out, it’s not like that.”
Malcolm snickered. “You mean you won’t cover us in coconut oil and have us hold hoses in suggestive poses?” Despite his soreness, he splayed himself across his chair like he was posing for Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic.
Everyone sniggered, but Javi wasn’t deterred. “Okay, Smithy. You might have to show a little skin.” He pinched his fingers together. “But it’ll be tasteful, y’all. I promise.” He held his hands together in prayer for a moment before turning to Maxwell. “And you can pose however you like.”
Maxwell was skeptical. “You mean with rotary saws in front of my breasts?”
Malcolm choked on the last of his coffee, spluttering while his partner thwacked his back. “Damn, Maxwell. Thanks for that visual.”
Javi snickered. “Not that I wouldn’t be all about that, but I was thinking something different. Maybe you could bring the kids and have it be like a badass Momma shoot.”
Her expression didn’t give anything away, and Javi seemed bolstered by her lack of argument.
“I’ve got the photographer coming in, and I think she can help share her vision.
We’ve been chatting online, and her portfolio is killer.
If you don’t like her plan for the calendar, we’ll do something different.
” He took a beat to glance around the room and joked, “But it won’t be peanut brittle. ”
“I heard that,” Chief Warren barked as he stomped out of the room to take a phone call. “It’s all about community building, Ortiz.” He didn’t bother looking over his shoulder as he slammed the door.
“Ain’t that the truth, Chief!” Javi agreed, turning to Trevor, he asked, “Cap, can you bring in our photographer?”
Trevor nodded, ducking out into the hallway and returning a moment later with a tall, lithe woman with a shock of blonde hair, a camera bag thrown over her shoulder. She looked like she was made to be in front of the camera, not behind one.
For a moment, the whole room was silent as she strode up next to Javi and extended a hand.
“You must be Javier. I’m Lola Peabody.” Javi’s jaw was unhinged, his eyes staring unblinkingly at her.
He took Lola’s hand, but he barely moved his arm.
She cleared her throat and said, “Of Peabody Photography. We’ve been emailing for over a week. ”
Finally, Trevor nudged Javi out of the way.
“Thanks so much for coming in to speak with us, Lola. I’m Trevor Mays, the captain here.
My tongue-tied lieutenant was telling us about your thoughts on the calendar.
Would you mind sharing your vision?” He gestured to the group, stepping back so Lola could have space.