817 Fireman Ln. (Cherry Falls)

I bite my lip to stop myself from begging him to come back inside. I nod and watch as he gets in his truck and drives away.

7

Kent

It about killed me, but I didn’t go and see Ava that night or the next. I don’t want to rush her, and after that kiss, I know it would be easy to rush into this. I want to do it right, and if that means dating her and taking our time, I’m all for it.

I’m early for my shift, hoping to talk to her. She’s not here, and so I go through my daily ritual of getting my gear and everything else ready. When it’s time for my shift to start and she’s still not here, I get worried, but I don’t want to call her and act like a crazy obsessed boyfriend.

Reluctantly, I knock on the chief’s door. I need to talk to him anyway and maybe he has talked to her.

“Come in,” he says.

I walk in and get straight to the point. “I need to talk to you about something, Chief.”

He nods and closes a folder that was open on his desk. “Sure. Does this have anything to do with firefighter Catlett?”

I nod instantly. “Yes. Is she okay?”

His forehead creases, and he looks at me questioningly. “Okay? Yes, she’s okay.”

I rub my hand across my chest. “Where is she?”

The chief laughs. “It’s not my day to watch her, Graves.”

I clench my fists at my sides. “I know that. I’m just worried that she hadn’t shown up for her shift.”

He puts the folder in his hands on his desk before getting up to file it. “Oh, well she requested to change shifts. She asked me if it was okay for her to date another firefighter, and she requested to change shifts.”

Change shifts? Fuck. I’ve already tried to figure out how we’re going to work together, and now I have to figure out how I’m going to be off work when she could be fighting fires and putting herself in harm’s way.

“Thank you, sir,” I say before I turn toward the door, but the chief stops me. “Aren’t you curious what my answer was?”

I shrug. “Sir, I know the protocol for dating in the department. I know it’s frowned upon but it’s not against any rules. But with all due respect, sir, I don’t care. She’s mine.”

He laughs. “Does she know that?” I don’t take any offense, though. He understands what I’m feeling because he went through the same thing with Bela Andrews, the owner of Bela’s Bakery. There was nothing stopping him from claiming her.

“Not yet, but she will.” I don’t wait for his response. I walk outside, pulling my phone from my pocket.

I dial Ava’s number and wait for her to pick up.

“Hello?” Damn, even the sound of her voice turns me on.

“You could have told me,” I say to her.

“I know. But I didn’t want you to talk me out of it. This is for the best.”

“I’m not giving up on you, Ava. You can change shifts, you can leave Cherry Falls, you can do whatever to push me away, but I’m coming for you, and I’m not a quitter.”

Her breath in is heavy on the line. “I’m not pushing you away.”

“You are, you...”

“I’m not though, I promise. I want you... I mean this with you, but I don’t want it to interfere with your work or mine. You know this was the right move.”

I tilt my head back and look up at the sky. The sky here in Cherry Falls is different than anyplace I’ve ever been. I’ve stayed out here many nights to try and count the stars in the sky. I want to argue with her. I really do. But I also know she’s right. “You’re right.”

“I am?”

I roll my shoulders to try and ease the tightness that has been there since I walked into the station and Ava was nowhere to be seen. “Yes, you are. I’ll worry about you, and I don’t know how we’re going to date, but I promise you, you and I are happening, Ava.”

She doesn’t try to deny it. “I know.”

“So go out with me.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” I ask her.

She giggles, and it’s the most lighthearted sound. It makes my body tremble just wanting to be closer to her. “Yes, okay, I want to go out with you.”

“When?” I ask her, wanting to get a set time down. It’s like I’m afraid she’ll change her mind or something.

“I dunno. I go in tomorrow afternoon –“

“Yeah, and I’ll be getting off work,” I say begrudgingly. “It’s okay, we’ll make it work.”

I can hear the smile in her voice. “Okay, sounds good.”

At that moment, the alarm goes off, and I start jogging inside. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Over the shrill of the alarm, I hear her say, “Be safe, Kent” before I hang up the phone.