Chapter Ten
With so much pent up frustration, she hardly slept at all.
In fact, her jaws ached from where she’d clenched her teeth while she’d restlessly tossed and turned.
She’d never been one for playing games, especially not where work was concerned, but Mayor Burns had gone a little too far this time.
She’d show him. Right along with that scumbag son of his.
She didn’t need his help getting a job and she damn sure didn’t need his help where Colton was concerned.
She logged onto the City of Keebler Hills website then scrolled down until she found the list of positions they were hiring for.
Being a tight-knit community, city jobs were always few and far between.
There simply wasn’t much turnover and when someone left a position, it was usually due to retirement.
Such as the case with her father’s position.
As she scanned the list of opportunities, she found it odd that the fire chief position wasn’t listed.
Despite how adamant Brent Burns has been about it.
Could be that the position just wasn’t open to potential candidates yet and that the mayor was holding off going public with it until he’d had a chance to discuss it with her.
Or, was he so confident she was going to take it that he hadn’t bothered to have it listed?
She typed up a letter requesting a formal interview and attached her resume to it.
She’d talk to him, make him think she was interested, then when he was all set to offer her the position, she’d politely tell him where he could shove his damn job.
She knew in her heart that she didn’t want to leave Gorman Valley, but no one was going to challenge her and get away with it. Not Mayor Burns. Not his son, Colton.
She closed her laptop then leaned back in her dining room chair. To think that she’d thought Colton had changed!
The next few weeks went by in a blur. She simply hadn’t felt like herself since the weekend she’d gone home. Not to mention, the silence where Mayor Burns was concerned heavily weighed on her. Had her plan backfired?
On Tuesday morning, she’d just gotten out of the shower when her phone rang. Seeing the 823 area code on her phone, she contemplated letting the call go to voice mail. Instead, she answered, ready to go to battle with whoever was on the other end of the line.
“May I please speak with Blayze Jenson?” The woman’s voice was pleasant and not one that she recognized.
“This is she. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Ms. Jenson, this is Barbara Allen, the Town Clerk with the city of Keebler Hills. We received your inquiry about the fire chief position and Mayor Burns, along with the city council members, would like to set up a time for you to come in to discuss it further. Is the position something that you’re still interested in? ”
Unable to say anything, she held the phone loosely against her ear. So, they’d fell for it and Mayor Burns wanted to talk to her about it.
“Ms. Jenson?” the lady asked again.
She cleared her throat then replied, “Um, sure. I’m definitely interested.”
“We’d like to set up an interview for next Friday. Would that work for you? Say, ten o’clock?”
She walked to the calendar she kept on the refrigerator, the one that she kept her work schedule posted to. “Yes, that time works well for me.”
“Perfect. We’re trying to line up as many interviews as we can in one day. We’ll see you at ten.”
The idea of seeing Mayor Burns again and sitting in a room with him and the city council members sickened her. Literally, she felt like throwing up. She bent over and placed her hands on the tops of her knees. Her palms were sweaty, and her forehead had a sheen of moisture on it.
Damn you, Mayor Burns! You won’t play games with me and get by with it!
The whole situation had her so worked up, she didn’t know if she was coming or going.
*****
She felt some better the following day and she tried her hardest not to worry about everything. Come Friday, she’d say what she had to say—to him and Colton—then she’d tell them all they could kiss her ass as she marched out the door!
She’d just finished putting away some new equipment that had come in, some new face shields and stickers for their helmets, when the alarm sounded. She listened for the dispatcher’s voice over the intercom, giving them a detailed run-down of the emergency.
She slipped into her pants and boots, giving her suspenders a quick snap as she secured them in place. From the information given—a two-story sub-division home with the second level fully engulfed in flames—they were about to have our hands full.
With the sirens going, she hopped into the passenger side of the truck.
Three other firemen took their places in the secondary row of seats and she began to go over the information as Lt.
Mac prepared to pull out into oncoming traffic.
She still wasn’t feeling a hundred percent, but now wasn’t the time to be worried about herself.
They had a family, their home, and surrounding neighbors that she needed to make sure were safe.
As soon as they turned into the subdivision, she radioed for dispatch to send a backup truck. Thick, gray smoke filled the sky, and she didn’t like what she saw up ahead. They were going to need lots of manpower and water.
Ready to jump from the truck, she gave direction to all of her guys.
As part of her job, she had to make sure she sent them to the right places with the proper support.
Often times she’d take up the rear, depending on the nature of the call, but she worked just as hard as they did, ensuring everyone remained safe.
The firehose felt heavier than usual, and she set her legs in place while she aimed it towards the house.
Smoke continued to billow from the roof while the flames didn’t seem to be fazed by the amount of water that was being sprayed.
Working her way to the west end of the property, she continued to maneuver the hose.
All the while praying that she could at least save the home next door.
She felt sorry for the homeowners and neighbors as they gathered in the distance showing their love and support during this traumatic time.
Parts of the roof began to collapse, and she felt hopeless. No matter how hard they worked, the result was going to be a total loss. She knew the water level in the truck was getting low. So she raised her arm to give the signal for one of the backup firemen to connect her to a nearby hydrant.
Just as she turned back around and readjusted the water pressure, an explosion sounded from the backside of the house.
She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground.
Her facemask shifted and she breathed in an excessive amount of smoke.
She had no choice but to snatch the mask the rest of the way off as she gasped for fresh air.
Coughing and sputtering, being down on the ground caught the attention of several other firemen. One of them quickly came to her rescue and secured an oxygen mask over her face. As she tried to calmly breathe in the air, a wave of nausea swept through her body.
She crawled off to the side and began to vomit.
It wasn’t the first time she’d inhaled so much smoke that it made her puke and probably wouldn’t be the last. Someone came running up to her with a wet cloth and she immediately wiped her face.
She tried to do some of the counting exercises in her head, willing her breathing to return to normal, but the smell of the smoke was just too much.
The more she breathed in, the worse she felt.
Not surprisingly, letting her guys down didn’t set well with her.
Several hours later, they pulled back into the station. She felt as though she’d been run over by a train, but because the they’d all stepped up to cover her slack, she released a couple of them from truck duty. It was the least she could do.
Lt. Mac hung behind. “You sure you’re doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. There was just something in the air, mixed with all that smoke, and it made me sick to my stomach.” She tried to blow it off as nothing too concerning, but truth be known, she wouldn’t wish feeling that way on anyone. “Then that explosion, scared the shit out of me…”
“Damn propane tank on the back porch. Blew out chunks of the concrete patio,” Mac added. “Those things are no joke.”
By the time they were finished with the truck, she started to feel a little better. She went into her office and closed the door. As she made notes for the chief, she couldn’t help but think about all the duties he fulfilled. Not just there at the station but within community as well.
The more she thought about it, she realized that she truly wasn’t ready for such a big step in her career. She didn’t feel she had nearly enough experience yet. One day, but not right now.
Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door. Lt. Cook, one of the firemen that’d been at the scene stuck his head inside the door. “You got a minute?”
“Sure, Mike.” She motioned for him to come on inside. “What’s up?”
Mike was still wearing his turnout gear, minus the coat and helmet, when he walked in. The strong stench of smoke wafted into her nostrils and she lunged for the garbage can.
“Damn, Captain. I didn’t mean to make you sick again.”
She felt bad that Mike blamed himself, but the reaction she was having to the smoke was obviously getting worse not better. “Just give me a moment, would you?” She looked up long enough to grab the paper towel he held out then lowered her head again.
“I know this isn’t any fun for you, so I’ll come back when you’re up to it. Take care, BJ.”
A few minutes later, Chief Moore peeked his head inside. “Jenson, I have something for you to take.”
She recognized the EMT standing beside him and tried to sit up. “What’s this?”
“It’s a Phenergan pill,” the chief replied. “Take it to help you with the nausea.”
She reached for the bottled water sitting on the edge of her desk and immediately downed one of the pills. “Thanks. I’ve gotten sick before but nothing like this.”
“Take the rest of the evening to relax. And if you’re not feeling any better by tonight, you might want to consider getting checked out at the clinic. Could be you inhaled something poisonous at the scene of the fire. Better to be safe than sorry.”
She nodded. “Hopefully this will work.” She took another swallow of water and laid her head back down on her desk again.