Chapter 8
COOPER
Iwas reorganizing gear I had already reorganized twice this week when Matt sauntered in eating an apple. He leaned a hip against the rack with a grin plastered on his face like he knew something I didn’t.
“Stop fiddling with your hose, Frost. Chief’s calling a meeting.”
I rolled my eyes. “How many times are you going to use that same lame, tired joke?”
He chuckled. “It’s just never not funny.”
“And that’s where you’re wrong. It’s stupid. Juvenile. You need new material.”
He took another bite of his apple. “Good to see the candy cane is still jabbed up your ass.”
“Want to go up there and get it out?”
“Maybe later.”
“What’s the meeting about? We’re not doing Secret Santa, are we?” I shook my head. “The only thing I’m giving out this year is coal.”
“How the hell should I know?” Matt shrugged. “Maybe you’ll finally get that fruitcake you’ve always wanted.”
I groaned. “If someone gives me fruitcake, I’m throwing it back at their windshield.”
He chuckled, pushing off the rack. “Come on, Grinch. Don’t make Chief hunt you down.”
We filed into the meeting room where the rest of the shift was already settling into the metal chairs.
The scent of coffee lingered, along with the faint aroma of last night’s chili cook-off.
Chief Bryden stood at the front, arms folded, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, but he still had the patience of a saint compared to the rest of us.
“Alright, listen up,” Chief began. “As you all know, the Yuletide Fest is picking up steam.”
I suppressed a groan. If I had a dollar for every time someone said Yuletide Fest this week, I could retire early.
“The town council wants us present at some of the events, just in case of emergencies. Mostly precautionary. And they’ll also be assigning a safety officer to work directly with the fest coordinator to make sure we don’t have any repeats of the cocoa fiasco.
The job is to prevent accidents. You guys know what to look for. ”
The room chuckled. I clenched my jaw. Of course that stupid cocoa fire alarm would haunt me.
“Any volunteers?” Chief asked.
The silence was immediate and deafening. A few guys looked at the floor. Someone coughed. Nobody moved.
I tried to disappear. I wouldn’t look directly at him.
Chief scanned the room, lips twitching like he already knew how this would go. “Alright then. Frost, you’re up.”
The room exploded with laughter.
My head shot up. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Chief.”
“Perfect fit!” one guy called out.
“Mr. Merry himself!” another added.
Matt clapped me on the shoulder like this was the best day of his life. “Congrats, partner. Santa’s got nothing on you.”
I shot him a glare sharp enough to peel paint.
Inside, my stomach turned over. This was a nightmare. Being forced right into the belly of the holiday beast. Lights, carols, combustible cocoa. All of it.
“Frost, you’ll be meeting with the new coordinator.”
Something told me I was not going to like what he said next.
“The new coordinator?” I repeated the words slowly.
The chief nodded and grabbed a paper from the table behind him. “Apparently Victoria Murphy is retiring. She’ll be training her replacement.”
I swatted at my ear. There was nothing there, but it felt like there were a hundred bees… no, mosquitoes. Obnoxious fucking mosquitoes buzzing near my ear.
I knew what was coming.
“Who would that be?” Matt asked. He was pretending to be all innocent but I knew otherwise. He had put it together already.
“Joy Murphy.”
I groaned and tried to sink into the chair.
“Oh shit!” Tony laughed. “That’s the lady from the school thing, right?”
Some of the others in the room knew who she was. Matt knew my history with her. Not all of it, but enough of it. There was good-natured ribbing and joking about me going up in flames.
They had no idea.
The memory of her stepping out from behind that snowman flashed in my mind. She had only gotten more gorgeous. But underneath the attraction was the same old bruise. She was just another woman who had left. Another heartache I never really got over.
This assignment wasn’t just a curse. It was a double curse. Christmas and Joy Murphy.
“Settle down,” Chief said, holding up a hand, and the laughter died.
“Doesn’t matter if our safety officer’s feeling the Christmas spirit or not.
This isn’t about decorations and holiday cheer.
It’s about safety. Making sure the people who are celebrating can enjoy themselves without incident. Got it?”
Everyone nodded. I crossed my arms and scowled. I could already imagine the next several weeks. I was going to be submerged in Christmas cheer. Some people imagined hell as fire and brimstone.
My version was red and green ribbons.
“Dismissed.”
I was halfway out the door when Chief called out. “Frost, hang back a minute.”
My gut tightened. Great. What now? Did the princess call and complain I was mean to her? That would be just like her. A fucking tattletale. Well, she was in the wrong. I was only doing my job.
When the others had cleared, Chief leaned against the table, looking me square in the eye. “I know what you’re thinking. This isn’t a punishment.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” I muttered.
He ignored that. “Truth is, I’ve been looking at promoting someone into a lieutenant position.
Supervising a full shift. It’s a big responsibility.
And I need to know whoever gets it can handle more than just running into burning buildings.
They need to manage, coordinate, keep things steady when there’s a hundred variables flying around.
Handle people. You’re an excellent fireman, Frost. But it’s not just about how well you handle the flames.
It’s about handling people and situations. ”
I blinked. “You’re saying…”
“I’m saying, if you do well with this fest assignment, Frost, the job is yours. I know you’ve already taken the tests and have been waiting for a spot to open up. We don’t want to lose you. One of those big city houses would jump on you in a heartbeat if you asked. I want to keep you here.”
For a moment, the world tilted. Lieutenant. It was what I’d been working toward for years. A bigger role. More responsibility. More trust. And Chief was dangling it right in front of me—if I could just survive gingerbread contests and Christmas choirs without losing my mind.
And her.
I could probably deal with Santa. Joy was going to be the issue.
But I could do it.
“You’re serious?” I asked.
“Deadly,” Chief said. Then his mouth quirked in something almost like a smile. “So make it work. Even if you hate Christmas. And apparently the new director of the festival.”
“That’s a long story, Chief.”
He chuckled. “Aren’t they all? We’ve all got stories from the past. Don’t let this one write your future.”
“I won’t. Thank you.”
I found myself in the radio room not long after, leaning in the doorway while my sister reclined in her chair, headset askew, wearing her usual Calton Hill Fire Department T-shirt, cargo pants, and slippers.
“Kat,” I said.
She spun around in her chair. “Why do you sound like a man who just stepped in reindeer crap? Oh wait, you always sound like that.”
“Do you know what Chief just did to me?”
Her brows lifted. “You finally got assigned to bring cookies to the bake sale? No, let me guess, you have to throw candy at the parade.”
“Worse. I’m the official Yuletide Fest safety officer.”
She frowned. “What the hell is that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. I will be making sure there are no incidents at the many events this town insists on having during December. Why can’t we just be normal and light up a damn tree?”
“Relax, it’s not that bad.”
“I haven’t told you the best part.”
Her eyes lit with excitement. “Oh, please tell me you have to wear an elf costume.”
“Burn in hell.”
“What? What is so bad about doing your job? No one is asking you to hand out gifts or sing.”
“Joy fucking Murphy!”
She frowned. “What about her?”
“She’s the chick doing all the events! I have to coordinate safety with her!”
There was a beat of silence. Then she burst out laughing so hard her headset slid off. “Oh my God. Ohhhh my God. This is better than Christmas morning.”
I scowled. “Glad you’re enjoying my misery.”
She wiped tears from her eyes, still grinning. “The guy who hates Christmas more than Scrooge, now in charge of keeping it safe with my old best friend that for whatever reason you hate? This is going to be fun.”
“Fun, my ass,” I muttered, pacing. “You know how many ridiculous emergencies happen during this season? People lighting candles under paper snowflakes. Extension cords strung through puddles. I’ll be chasing chaos twenty-four-seven.”
“Chaos keeps you young.”
I rolled my eyes. “Chaos gives gray hair. I’m too young to be gray.”
“At least you’re working with someone you know. You and Joy go way back.”
“Easier?” I gawked. “Joy is a chaos magnet. She nearly smoked out an entire cafeteria on day one. And now I’m supposed to keep her from burning the town down while Christmas carols play in the background. What could possibly go wrong?”
She folded her arms, eyes glinting. “Everything. Which means it’s going to be hilarious. I, for one, cannot wait.”
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. Lieutenant promotion or not, this was going to be the longest holiday season of my life.
Why did the universe think it was funny to fuck with me every Christmas? Couldn’t I just get coal in my stocking like a normal person?
“How long is she back here?” I asked.
“Who?”
“Murphy.”
“I don’t know. Could be forever.”
I dropped my head. “Of course. Well, don’t worry about getting me anything for Christmas. Apparently the universe has made sure I’ve got everything I could ever want.”
I walked out and headed to the kitchen to find something to drink. Matt was there scrolling on his phone, sipping a Coke. His head popped up when I walked in.
“Don’t start,” I warned.
“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes—”
“Shut up. And if anyone changes the fucking radio back to that station I will shoot you with my hose.”
Matt gasped. “Why does that sound kinky?”
I rolled my eyes. “You are such a jackass.”
I opened the fridge and pulled out what I needed for my sandwich. Matt leaned against the counter. “Are you good?” he asked in a low voice.
“Fine.”
“Chief upset?”
“No.”
“What was it about?”
Matt was my best friend. I wanted to tell him about the promotion, but not everything should be discussed. It complicated things. I knew Matt would be happy for me, but still. “Just said it’s important.”
He chuckled. “I think ol’ Chief might be playing matchmaker.”
“Well if that’s the case, he sucks at it because unless some hot little elf shows up, there will be no matchmaking.”