13. Epilogue
The station smells like pizza and chocolate cake rather than diesel fuel and floor cleaner. Jake and Mack’s attempt at decorating makes it look like a dollar store exploded in the bay. Crooked streamers are strung across the side of the truck bay and a multicolored banner that reads “Congratulations!” in glittery block letters looks like it’s about to fall off the wall. But the sentiment behind the decorations for my farewell party makes my chest tight.
I tug a finger under the starched collar of my dress uniform.
Zoe reaches up to straighten my tie. “Ready to ditch the formal wear?” Her touch, even after a year together, still sends electricity racing through my veins.
“Not when I know how much you love a uniform,” I murmur, leaning down to nuzzle her earlobe.
Her lips curve into a smile against my cheek. “It’s a shame there’s not a coat closet around here somewhere…”
“There’s a utility room,” I reply. “But between the mops and cleaning supplies, there’s nothing sexy about it.”
“I can wait until later,” she purrs.
“Could we not?” Alex groans as he walks up and hands me a beer.
“Oh, please,” Zoe chastises, wrapping her arms around my waist. “It’s not like you and Kristina could keep your hands off each other when you first met.”
“But it’s been what? A year?”
“Don’t be jealous.”
Alex groans. “I just never would have guessed my best friend would go from never missing family dinners to dodging my sister for years then back to never missing one again.”
“Your sister’s an excellent incentive,” I reply, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
“Yeah, yeah.” Alex rolls his eyes. “Just remember, I’m still watching you when it comes to her, no matter that the New York Fire Department is trusting you to train new cadets now.”
Pride fills my chest at the mention of my promotion to become a trainer at the academy, a highly competitive post, even though it means saying goodbye to my station. I press a kiss to Zoe’s hair. “I don’t doubt it.”
“Did you hear what he did last year?” Libby asks Alex, chiming in from where she’s perched on the weight bench next to Brock. “I mean, if the academy knew about that little hospital stunt they might not have been so eager to make him an offer…”
“That was your idea,” I reply, shooting a glance over at the administrators who accepted Chief’s invitation to come back to our station after the ceremony. Fortunately, they don’t appear to have heard her throw me under the bus.
“But you have to admit that Code Red was a masterpiece of a romantic gesture,” Libby adds. “I mean, look where it got you.”
“You’re right about that.” I slide my hand down to the small of Zoe’s back. “I mean, who knew faking an emergency would be a move that led to everything I ever wanted?”
“It’s a good thing they don’t know about the fire code you keyed in at The Plaza,” Zoe murmurs under her breath.
I tug her against me, signaling that her silence on that little detail is appreciated. She looks up and casts a warm smile at me. One that says she’s proud of me. One I once thought I’d never deserve.
“Speaking of being on your best behavior…” Mack says, approaching with a paper plate piled high with pizza. “Anyone else worried about this sorry lot embarrassing ourselves at Serenity Slopes next month?”
“You better not,” Libby warns, at the mention of the five-star ski resort in Wildwood, Vermont where she and Brock are getting married. “If any of you show up to our wedding in anything less than perfect form…”
“Don’t worry,” Brock assures his fiancée cocking an eyebrow at the rest of us. “I’ve already threatened them with double shifts if they don’t mind their manners at the resort.”
“Perfect.”
With that, Zoe and Libby excuse themselves to use the restroom as I take a swig of beer and enjoy the last few minutes with my crew before I officially no longer work at Ladder 24. I’m glancing around this station that I know like the back of my hand, enjoying Jake giving Mack a hard time about something, when a movement near the bay door catches my eye. A petite woman with long dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail has slipped in. Her guarded expression matches her look—steel-toed boots, dark jeans, and a black leather jacket. She scans the station, her dark eyes scouring until she spots Chief, who’s chatting with the academy administrators.
A quick glance at Brock confirms he’s taken note of the unusual arrival as well. A notch forms between his brows as Mack, who’s been ribbing me mercilessly all afternoon about my ‘touching’ speech at the ceremony, goes suddenly, suspiciously quiet. He’s tracked her presence and the slice of pizza he was devouring is now stalled halfway to his mouth.
“Who’s she?” Jake asks, following our line of vision.
“No idea,” I reply, “but someone better check Mack’s pulse.”
“Shut up,” Mack mutters, even though he hasn’t blinked in at least thirty seconds. He sets the half-eaten slice back on his paper plate without taking his eyes off her.
I bite back a grin, remembering how he gave me hell about Zoe from the instant I laid eyes on her again. The woman and Chief are deep in conversation and although I can’t see her face, her back is ramrod straight. She nods curtly at whatever he’s saying.
“Maybe, she’s from headquarters?” Jake offers.
“Nah,” Brock counters. “I know most of those paper pushers.”
“Besides…” Mack adds. “She’s definitely field trained.”
“You think?” A skeptical look fills Jake’s face.
“Look at her,” Mack answers, seemingly without thinking. “The way she carries herself. As if she…” but he trails off as the three of us simultaneously turn to stare at him. Rather than finish, he clears his throat and snatches the half-eaten slice of pizza back off his plate. “What? I’m just observant.”
“Oh, you’re observing her all right.”
But before we can speculate further, the Chief dips his chin toward the four of us and guides her over. “Team, I’d like to introduce Maya Thorne. She’ll be taking over Reyes’s spot on B shift, now that he’s moving up to the academy.”
Out of the corner of my eye I see Mack’s eyebrows shoot up as he absently lowers the pizza slice back to his plate, his gaze locked on her. Jake nudges him in the ribs as Maya, who isn’t more than five feet tall steps forward.
“Congratulations on your promotion,” she says in my direction, her matter-of-fact tone carrying easily through the bay as she extends a hand.
“Thank you,” I reply automatically, her small, cool grip rigid as I shake her hand.
“And I look forward to working with you,” she continues, her tone brisk and businesslike as she turns to first to Brock and Jake, who acknowledge her sentiment without so much as a hint of the surprise that’s surely sliding through them at the news.
Then, her dark, guarded gaze lands on Mack. And stalls. Her carefully held composure falters for barely a second before she seems to shake off whatever it is that passes between them.
“Welcome to the station,” I say, rushing to fill the awkward silence now that Mack seems to have lost the ability to form words. “You’re going to love it here.”
“I hope so,” she replies quietly, in a way that makes me think she doesn’t believe there’s a chance in hell she will.
“Maya will be starting officially tomorrow,” the chief informs us, then almost as an afterthought adds, “I’m sure you three will do your best to make her feel welcome.”
As they murmur their assurances, Chief guides Maya away to give her a tour of the station.
“This should be good,” Jake murmurs under his breath, masking his comment with a sip of beer as he casts a glance at her over his shoulder and then turns to Mack.
Mack shoots him a death glare that could melt steel. I can’t help but share a knowing smile with Brock. Hell, it feels good to be on the other side. To have found a woman to love and be in a committed relationship rather than continuing to pretend that anything long term is the last thing I want.
Alex approaches just then and claps me on the shoulder to say goodbye before he heads out. “I’m proud of you, man.”
“Thanks, Alex,” I reply, a lump forming in my throat. “And thanks for coming. You know I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“That might have been true about getting into the academy way back when, but I think your girlfriend is to thank for the promotion, now.”
Speaking of my girlfriend, Zoe walks up and slips her hand into mine. “Ready for your next chapter?” she asks.
I glance around at the people who mean everything to me. Jake heading to grab a slice of cake. Libby and Brock, happy and soon to be married. Mack pretending to be engaged in conversation all the while stealing glances at my replacement, and, most importantly, Zoe, the woman at my side, who doesn’t know it yet but is hopefully my soon-to-be fiancée.
Although I made my share of mistakes and my timing couldn’t have been worse, everything worked out. And I feel like the luckiest man in the world. “More than ready,” I tell her because although I’m not sure the academy didn’t make a huge mistake in selecting me, I’ve found that the best things in life come from being honest, taking risks, facing your fears, and having the courage to love without holding back.
***
D ear reader,
Thank you so much for reading Code Red Chemistry! I hope you enjoyed Zoe & Levi's journey to happily ever after!
Maya and Mack's story is coming up next! Preorder Flashpoint Feelings , a steamy opposites attract forbidden workplace romance today!
The smoking hot firefighter at my new station needs to stop trying to protect me. I may be a woman, but I'm his equal, not a damsel in distress.
I didn't bust my ass through the academy and fight twice as hard as every guy there only to have a burly redhead at my new station treating me like I'm made of glass instead of steel.
Sure, he's got shoulders broad enough to carry a ladder truck and an easy smile that makes my pulse skip. But he’s so quick to jump to my aid it’s clear he thinks I’m the one who needs rescuing.
And the way I catch him staring at me? I can't tell if he wants to strangle me or strip me naked.
He's as stubborn about protecting his crew as I am about proving myself. And even though his jawline could cut glass and his muscles have muscles the department has strict rules about dating. And breaking them means kissing our careers goodbye.
The problem is, every time we're together, the temperature rises faster than a five-alarm fire and it’s getting harder to ignore the sparks. But with chemistry this explosive, someone's bound to get burned.
When this slow burn finally ignites, will it be worth watching everything I've worked for go up in flames?