Chapter 14
“Porter, you’ve got a visitor.” Fisher leans closer and wiggles his eyebrows. “Of the female variety.”
I put down the laundry I was folding and leave our locker area, following Fisher to the station’s lobby. My eyes widen in surprise when I see Shayna standing there in a floral sweater tucked into a black skirt. “What’re you doing here?”
She hands me a box bearing the logo of a local mom-and-pop donut shop. The sweet smell of sugary dough hits me, making my mouth water. “I wanted to drop these off for your crew as a thank you for saving me the other day.”
“You didn’t have to do that. We were just doing our job.”
“I know, but my mama always taught me to show my gratitude through baked goods. And since no one would want to eat anything I’ve baked, I figured donuts would do.”
A faint memory pops to the forefront of my mind of a time when she made cookies and brought them to one of her Friday night sleepovers with Mallory.
We quickly learned that her snickerdoodles contained an obscene amount of cinnamon since she didn’t know the difference between teaspoons and tablespoons.
Shayna must see the wheels turning in my brain because she rubs her forehead. “Please tell me you’re not thinking of my snickerdoodle snafu.” I shrug and she sighs. “I’ve learned my lesson. Baking: bad. Buying sweets from bakeries: good.”
I lift the box slightly. “The crew will appreciate these. Thanks.”
“Are you coming Friday?”
I quirk a brow, unsure what she’s referring to.
Her cheeks flush pink. “You know, Alyssa’s and my birthday party?”
Oh, right. Now that she mentions it, I remember getting an invitation via text from Mallory. The second I saw the word party, I closed out of the message and didn’t think twice about it until now.
No.
The word sits on the edge of my tongue, but before I can say it, Shayna says, “It would mean a lot to me if you did.”
How am I supposed to say no now? Especially after I told her to start sharing what she wants. I dip my chin. “I’ll be there.” Guess I need to go shopping for two birthday presents when I get off my shift. After I do an internet search for birthday-present ideas for women in their mid-twenties.
“Great.” She beams. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I just wanted to drop those off.” She gestures to the box of donuts I’m still holding.
“Thanks.” I place the box on the counter and lead her out to the engine bay, since the exit through there is closer to the parking lot.
“See you Friday.” Shayna waves goodbye and smiles at the rest of my crew, who seem to have miraculously appeared in the two minutes we were in the station and are now pretending to do random jobs that don’t need doing.
It’s a good thing firefighters aren’t tested on their subtlety, because my crew would fail. Miserably. Fisher’s broom isn’t even touching the cement. He’s literally sweeping the air.
“Who was that?” Malone tosses me the rag she was rubbing the already spotless engine with before pulling her long hair up into a bun.
“The woman I saved in the flower shop fire,” I say, figuring it’s best to include as little detail as possible.
Fisher lets out a wolf whistle. “Did she want to come see you in action again?”
“No,” I grunt. “She was dropping off donuts as a thank-you.”
“I can think of some other ways she probably wants to thank you.” Fisher takes the rag from my hands and winds it up before using it to slap me on the butt.
I roll my eyes. “It’s not like that with Shayna.”
“Oh, she has a name.” Malone and Fisher share a conspiratorial smile.
“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a badge bunny.” Gordon leans against the fire pole, wearing a smirk.
“A what?”
“Badge bunny,” Gordon repeats. I stare at him blankly, waiting for further explanation.
“You know, a woman who loves a man in uniform.” Gordon gestures to the door Shayna just walked through.
“You saved her from that fire, and now she’s showing back up because she’s attracted to the man who saved her.
We’ve all been there, probie. But if you get tired of her flirting with you, feel free to send her my way.
She is smoking hot.” He steps forward and gives me a hardy clap on the back.
I have to dig the heels of my boots in to avoid being pushed over, but there’s no way I’m letting this guy feel like he won—and I’m definitely not letting him talk about Shayna that way.
“Be careful how you talk about my sister’s friend.” My tone remains calm, but the threat in my words hangs in the air.
Gordon raises a brow like he’s amused that he struck a nerve. “So there’s a history there?”
I’d love to wipe the smirk off his face, but that’s not the kind of impression I’d like to make on my station in my first few weeks here.
“I think we’ve had enough fun for today.” Lieutenant Moreno steps out from behind the engine. I never even saw him. The man is stealthy. “Back to work, Gordon. The oven needs cleaning after you burnt that pizza yesterday.”
“We had to leave for a call,” he mumbles.
Moreno crosses his arms over his broad chest. “And you left the oven on.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” Gordon leaves the bay like a dog with his tail between his legs.
Moreno looks to me. “You good, Porter?”
I nod. “Yes, sir.”
He nods back and walks away as quickly as he arrived.
It didn’t take long for me to realize that he’s a man of few words, just like me.
It makes me relate to him more and gives me a sliver of hope that someone like me who doesn’t talk much and chooses their words carefully could thrive in a higher position at the station.
“This is delicious.” Fisher smiles through his mouthful of donut.
“Gross,” I mutter before moving past him to grab a donut for myself. Anything sweet doesn’t last long at this station. The box is already mostly empty when I get to it. I move to grab the last fritter, but Gordon snatches it before I can.
“You snooze, you lose, probie.” He winks before heading toward the kitchen.
I grab a glazed donut. It’s a poor replacement for the fritter, but it’ll have to do.
I eat it in a few bites and head back to the locker room.
I look at the mound of laundry I need to finish folding and realize there’s a small baggie sitting on top.
I pick it up and am hit with a sweet apple-cinnamon scent.
An apple fritter. I read the flower-shaped yellow Post-it note stuck to it.
I wanted to make sure you got your favorite! Thanks again. Xoxo, Shay
I always requested a fritter when my mom picked up donuts for Mallory and her friends whenever they slept over. But I can’t believe Shayna remembered that. I also have no clue how she got back here. Maybe she asked someone on the crew to put it in the back for me.
I put it in my locker to eat later since I already had a glazed donut, then attempt to fold a shirt, but my mind keeps going back to Shayna.
It’s not just her personality that’s infectious—it’s her.
Everything about her makes me want to be around her.
Her encouraging spirit. Her kind heart. Her ambition.
The way she can make me laugh and feel more alive than I’ve ever been.
Not to mention the fact that she’s beautiful.
It’s more than that, though. I’m beginning to realize that she means something to me. But I’m not built for a relationship. Jillian’s words replay in my mind like an annoying fly I can never seem to swat away.
I groan, wringing the shirt in my hands that I seem incapable of folding. I need to get Shayna out of my mind. I throw the mangled shirt back onto the clean pile and head to our in-station gym. There’s nothing a hard workout can’t fix.