Chapter 33
Tanner
Once I get to the station, I head straight for the chief’s office.
This is the last thing I want to do, but I made Roo a promise, so I figure it’s time for me to step up and stop being the dumbass everyone sees me as.
There’s still three months until the full-time role is up for grabs, and damn it, this time it’s gotta be mine.
I tap on his office door, and he calls for me to enter.
“Hey, Tanner, take a seat.”
I cross the office and do as he says before quickly wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. “Thanks for seeing me, sir.”
“Anytime.” He narrows his eyes at me. “What did you want to talk about?”
Right to it, then. Fantastic. I’d been planning on a bit of small talk to either ease me into it or to give me a chance to change my mind.
“Did you, umm, manage to get funding for another firefighter?”
He studies me. “I did.”
“Okay.” I could easily leave it there, but then I picture how proud Roo will be when I tell him I finally did this, and it forces more words out. “I’ll be applying again.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” He pauses. “And what are you going to do about the test?”
My breath rushes out of me in a whoosh. “That’s why I’m here. I, ah …” I rub my head. “I’ll need some help with it.”
“What sort of help?”
“I … To read it.”
His dark eyes widen. “You need help with reading?”
I force myself to nod. “I can’t read. Well, I mean, I can. I can read words, a sentence even, but anything more than that, I’m lost. The words disappear from my brain.”
“I don’t understand. You did a test to become a volunteer.”
I grin. “We both know that test was kinda bullshit. It was about listing basic steps, and it was multiple choice. You were never gonna let me not pass; I’ve been helping out here unofficially since I was a punk kid.”
“You were never a punk kid.”
“Aw, and now you’re being nice.”
He laughs deep in his chest. “So … why haven’t you mentioned this before?”
“I was embarrassed. I didn’t want people to find out and treat me any different.”
“Who would treat you differently?”
“That’s the thing. I have no clue. But it’s happened before, and I don’t doubt it will happen again.”
“Not in my station it won’t.”
I smile. “Thank you.”
“Nothing to thank me for. You don’t have to tell anyone either. When it’s time for testing, we’ll make plans then.”
Relief washes over me. “T-thank you. Just, so much.”
“Can I ask, why now? What changed your mind about asking for help?”
“There’s a guy who’s maybe the strongest person I ever met. And he finally stopped being stubborn and did what was best for himself. If he can do it, there’s no reason why I can’t too.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Let me guess, you’re talking about the best friend?”
I go to confirm it immediately, then hesitate.
“Actually … Well, yes, but also …” Should I tell him?
He’s a pretty fair boss, and he took the reading help well, but there’s a big difference between needing help to read a test and dating a guy.
I’m not about to assume everyone will be okay with it. “He’s my boyfriend.”
The chief’s eyebrows well and truly hit his hairline. “Well, then.”
“I haven’t told anyone here yet.”
“But you plan to?”
“I … Is that okay?”
“Yes, of course,” he hurries to say. “That’s your business, isn’t it? And I’d like to think I’ve hired some pretty okay men, but it goes without saying to be careful.”
“I will. But I think you’ve hired some pretty okay guys too.”
I feel like I’m high as I leave his office and make my way into the living quarters.
I’m seeing the place in a whole new light as I realize there’s a very real possibility this is my future.
If I can understand the test, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t ace it.
I did okay in school with the assistance, and this is stuff I actually know.
Pauly’s doing sit-ups when I walk in, and Jones is laying into a punching bag. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell them now, but I hold off. We’re close for work friends, sure, but it’s not something they need to know. Especially since my position here isn’t certain. Yet.
I can’t wait to get home and tell Roo I finally did what he’s been pushing me to.
“All right, who’s getting lunch?” Chief asks, following me into the room. He hands over his credit card.
“I guess that would be me, then.”
“I’ll come,” Pauly says, jumping up from the floor. Jones keeps pounding the bag as he calls over his shoulder for a burger.
It’s a nice day out, not cold at all, and we decide to walk down to the burger house and carry the stuff back.
Except, as soon as we walk in, Mom and the whole festival planning committee are there. Along with Roo. They wave us over, and Pauly and I share a quick look before answering her summons.
“Now, you boys are all organized for next Saturday, correct? The firehouse will be open, and the trucks will be on show after they’ve finished in the parade.”
I press my lips together before reassuring her for the twentieth time that we know what we’re doing, and then let Pauly take over.
Sunflora happens every year, and from a fireman’s perspective, not a whole lot has changed.
We open up, we show the kids how to use the hose, run some basic fire training for people who have signed up, answer the standard questions on how to make it a career, and let kids climb all through the trucks.
Though, I’ve gotta hand it to her. She does not let Sunbury being a small town hold back her plans.
“You know if there’s an emergency, we have to go, right?” I clarify, because I’m not so sure she does know that.
She waves a hand. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
Well, if she’s sure …
She jots something down in her notebook but doesn’t look too worried. Pauly and I exchange a look, wondering if we can get out of this conversation now, when Mom turns back to me.
“Look who I finally got ahold of,” she says, patting Roo’s hand.
The smile he sends me looks more like a cringe. “Couldn’t keep me away.”
“Mmhmm.” Mom sounds skeptical as hell. “And it has nothing to do with you wanting to impress your future mother-in-law.”
Pauly’s head snaps toward me, and my spine feels like it locks up. I clear my throat. “We’ve gotta get back.” I send a smile Roo’s way, desperately wanting to kiss him goodbye, but he’s sandwiched between Mom and Lori Taylor, eyes begging me to help him escape.
Dear fucking God.
I mouth sorry and try not to feel guilty when I leave him there.
Pauly’s stare burns into the side of my face as we approach the long counter. Surprisingly, Piper isn’t the one taking orders. Instead, the man serving is—
“Rowan, hey.”
“Tanner.” He nods in our direction and plucks the pencil from behind his ear. Rowan was a year above me in school, and he’s, well, almost unrecognizable. Longish hair, buff, and tattoos down both arms. He’s far from Piper’s preppy, jock older brother.
We place our orders, Rowan heads off out back, and it’s not until I’m alone with Pauly again that I realize I still have his full attention.
“Really?” he finally says. “We’re both going to pretend what your mom just said wasn’t weird?”
“The festival stuff? I know. You’d think we’ve done it enough times now to know what’s going on.”
His stare doesn’t drop.
I huff. “The mother-in-law stuff?”
“Is that …” He steps forward and leans in. “Is that the usual gossipy shit?”
He’s giving me a pretty easy out. Technically, Roo and I wouldn’t have to say shit to anyone, and they’d make all their own conclusions anyway. But I don’t want it to be like that. Still, Pauly’s reaction isn’t exactly filling me with confidence.
“Ah … not so much.” I shrug, trying to play it off while I’m literally starting to sweat. “That’d probably be cool one day.”
He glances around really quick, then leans closer. “You guys are a thing?”
“Yep.” I take a breath. “That a problem?”
He hurriedly backs up. “Nah, man. Totally cool.”
“It better be.”
Rowan calls our order, and I step forward to grab it, declining Pauly’s offer to help. We’re halfway back down O’Connell Road, when there’s a sudden screech of tires. I jump at the blare of a horn and a loud yowl followed by the ginger stray darting past.
“Fucking thing.” Pauly shakes his head.
I shove our lunch at him.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“To make sure the stupid bastard is okay.”
I jog into the alley between the burger house and the pharmacy and look around. There’s a giant dumpster, a few neatly stacked crates, and down the end, a flash of ginger. I head in that direction to a gap in the wall and find the stray glaring back at me.
And … now I dunno what to do next.
The cat is curled in on itself, and doesn’t look happy, but I don’t think it’s injured. I’m no expert, though, am I?
I watch for a little longer, still unsure what to do next, when footsteps sound behind me.
“Shove over,” Pauly says. “I brought reinforcements.”
Margot, Sunbury’s only vet, sets down the cat carrier and peers inside. “Let’s see if he’s hungry.”
Silence falls around us, and I spend the time while we wait looking everywhere but at Pauly. He’s trying to catch my eye. I don’t make it easy on him.
After a few minutes, the cat’s head pokes out, and then she stalks forward and into the cage. Margot is quick to snap the door closed. “Might be the easiest catch I’ve made.”
A loud hiss answers her, and as Margot glances in, something catches her eye.
“What is it? He hurt?”
“Actually … He’s a she. Which almost never happens with ginger cats.” Margot turns back to the gap and shines her phone light inside. “Tanner come here.”
I crouch down and try to see what she’s—
“A kitten!”
She shifts the light.
“Two kittens.”
“Yep.” Margot turns her attention back to the cage.
“How old do you think they are?”
“Hard to tell. Though looking at those two, I’d say they’re about ready to move on. Can you reach them?”
“Yeah.”
They don’t come easily. I end up taking off my shirt to wrap them up tight enough to stop their sharp little claws from scratching the hell outta me.
“I might take lunch back,” Pauly says. “I’ll let them know you’re on your way.”
“Thanks.”
He gives me a smile that seems almost genuine. “It’s really no problem.”
After helping Margot with the cats, I head to the station, a ball of dread clenched in my gut. I’m pretty sure Pauly wouldn’t have said shit, but I can’t be sure. What I do know is that I need to be prepared for people to be fuckwits.
Roo is worth it. Just like he was in high school.
But the shit I went through back then got to me pretty hard.
I’ve gotta hope I’m ready for it this time.