Chapter 2
Dex
I’m good at this, I’ve realized—joking around, laughing, hanging out with the guys as if nothing’s wrong, when in reality I’m stressing the fuck out.
It was fine before, when we were out in the wilderness fighting that beast of a fire, but now that we’re back in Copper Creek, everything I don’t want to think about is right here in my face.
And if I’m this good at pretending, does it mean there’s something wrong with me? Am I a psychopath or something? Or am I just really good at compartmentalizing?
I’m standing close enough that the heat from the bonfire is searing my face, sparks popping from the gnarled dead tree that we finally got burning. I lost track of the conversation a while ago, but I’m still nodding along and grinning as if Garret’s story is the greatest thing I’ve heard all day.
Out of the corner of my eye, I’m watching Uncle Rhodes, waiting for a chance to catch him in a good mood. I was just about to approach him when the fucking new guy showed up out of nowhere and ambushed him, and now I’m sizing up the new guy as well.
He’s around my age, late twenties maybe, and he’s a bit scrawnier than the typical firefighter. Apparently he’s done this before, but I find that hard to believe.
Also, I doubt he’s had a shower in weeks. He’s got dark hair hanging lank all around his face, and I bet he’d be good-looking if he bothered to wash away the grime. Not that I’m into guys or anything, but he’s got the cheekbones and the dark, intense stare that girls love. The bad boy look.
Shit. Now he’s looking at me.
Before he starts thinking I’m a creep, I make my excuses and stump over to Uncle Rhodes. Might as well get this over with now.
“Hey,” I greet Uncle Rhodes—aka the fire chief, aka the reason my ass isn’t unemployed and living on the streets right now—and give the new guy a nod too.
“Hey, Dex! This is Korren. The one who’ll be living in my campervan, remember?”
Shit. I had kind of been counting on that for myself.
“Yeah, ’course,” I lie, summoning up a tight smile for new-guy Korren.
“I’ve got a bed set up for you in my place for now,” Uncle Rhodes says. “I’m not sure how long it’ll work out for us all, but it’s something. At least until you find something better.”
What the hell does that mean? He’s paying me next to nothing this summer, since I fucked up and he’s giving me a chance to prove I’ve turned things around.
The deal was he’d cover my food and lodging for now—pretending I’m a real firefighter—until I’m trained up and he can trust me enough to give me a proper job.
But that means there’s no way I’ll afford a rental.
Especially not in tourist season, when half the accommodation in town is rented out to visitors.
“How come you qualify for handouts from the fire chief, huh?” I growl at Korren.
He reddens, and a defensive look comes over his face, like he’s got something to prove. “I—”
“Lay off, Dex. We’re desperate for staff, and Korren is a career firefighter who’s planning to stay on after the summer season. Unlike most of our crew. So I’m doing him a favor until he gets himself settled in, all right?”
Meaning of course the new guy is more deserving, because he’s trained and isn’t an untrustworthy shit like me.
Also, that means my chances of getting to live in the campervan are next to zero, because Korren’s going to be competing for a rental in the same market as the rest of us.
The guys who came in May are fine, because there’s a handful of run-down houses and a couple apartments set aside for seasonal workers, but they fill up right at the beginning of summer.
In other words, I’ll be sharing a room with two of Uncle Rhodes’ four kids for the next three months.
Fuck me.
And fuck Korren. Uncle Rhodes and I literally had this same conversation two weeks ago, before the big mission—back when I was camping in his backyard while he got the campervan ready—and he’d more or less promised it would be mine for the summer.
Or maybe I’d been so desperate I willfully misinterpreted him.
Either way, I was counting on that goddamned campervan.
Uncle Rhodes gives me a stern look that says I deserve this, and he’s testing how I’ll react. Fuck him.
“Dex. Chill. Everything’s going to work out in the end, all right? It’s solstice—have a beer, talk shit with the rest of the crew, and roast some damn marshmallows over the bonfire. I know it’s been a big week. We’re all stressed.”
Easy for him to say. His entire life isn’t riding on this fucking campervan.
I’m about ready to storm off home to my tent—or maybe drink until I pass out and it doesn’t matter where I’m sleeping—when I catch sight of a distant cabin on the lakeshore. And that reminds me of something that would be a hundred times better than the campervan.
“Uncle Rhodes?”
“Yeah?”
“You know that cabin you’ve got?”
Uncle Rhodes’ eyes light up. “That’s an idea. It’s leaky as hell, and half the floor needs replacing, but I’m sure someone in this crew would be up for the job. Problem is, it’s a damn good deal, so it needs to go to someone deserving. That means—”
“C’mon, Uncle. Don’t make me beg.”
“You’re going to compete for it. Same as everyone else here.”
He looks way too pleased about whatever idea he’s just had.
“Boys!” Uncle Rhodes calls. “And Cami! Get over here!”
The rest of the crew ambles over, still talking and laughing.
Garret’s cheeks are red from the heat of the fire, and Cami is snorting with amusement about something Brett said.
I trade a sour look with new-guy Korren, whose eyes are dark with an intensity that tells me he wants that cabin almost as badly as I do.
“Who here wants a free cabin to live in?” Uncle Rhodes roars.
The crew gives a cheer.
When the noise dies down, he continues. “We’re going to play a game, d’you hear? Winner gets my cabin, forever. You’ll just have to fix it up, which is no big deal for you guys, right?”
There are a few chuckles at this, obviously remembering Ambrose’s disastrous attempt to repair the shed at the fire station. When you live in such a remote part of Alaska, you really need to learn your way around a few tools. It’s not exactly easy to call in a professional for most jobs.
“What’s the game?” Garret demands.
“I’m going to split you guys up into pairs, and you’re gonna play gay chicken. Last one standing gets the cabin.”
“Isn’t that homophobic?” Garret asks.
“Is anyone here gay?” Uncle Rhodes asks, scanning the group.
Cami puts her hand up enthusiastically, but no one else moves.
“Thought so. So it doesn’t matter.”
“Does that mean you’re going to find a girl for me to play with?” Cami asks with a cheeky grin.
“No, but don’t you already own a house outright? You’re disqualified.”
We all chuckle at this.
“Yeah, but I could use help finding a girlfriend,” Cami says.
Garret claps her on the back. “Couldn’t we all?”
Uncle Rhodes goes around pairing us up, and right away he puts me with Korren.
It’s kind of an asshole move, because we’re probably the two of this whole group who are most desperate for that house, but at the same time I don’t mind.
As I’d thought earlier, Korren is attractive enough, and it’s probably way less awkward kissing some guy you’ve just met than cozying up with someone you’re already friends with.
Problem is, he doesn’t look like he shares my opinion. He’s now glowering at me like he’s contemplating murdering me in my sleep, and that reminds me there’s a downside to him being a stranger. What if he’s certifiably insane, and this is going to end with my body dumped somewhere in the woods?