The Firefighter's Thanksgiving Wish Read online

  “Jasper, you’ll be great at whatever you choose to do. But fair warning. The training to be a firefighter is seriously hard. You’re going to have to build up some muscle and a lot of stamina if you’re going to even pass the entrance test. The physical qualifications alone—”

  “I know.” Jasper looked down at his pipe cleaner–like arms. The kid had always been on the skinny side, and puberty hadn’t helped much other than to add significant height. He was taller than she was. “I’m not worried about the EMT stuff. But the rest? That’s what has me worried.”

  “Is that why you’re waffling? You’re afraid you won’t pass?”

  Jasper shrugged. “I don’t want to let anyone down.”

  “You’d only let us down if you didn’t try for what you want. Tell you what.” She leaned over again, skimmed the small print. “I’ll set you up with a training program. Plus, we always need more volunteers, and you turn eighteen next month. That’ll get you good practical experience.”

  “You mean it?” Jasper blinked up at her, and for a moment, he looked like he did when he was ten years old. All big, dark eyes and too-long black hair, daring to believe in something impossible.

  As usual, once an idea took root in Frankie’s head, it started blooming immediately. “You already know our routine, but there’s tons more you can learn. And I can train you, help you bulk up and improve your strength. I’ll be honest, I’ll kick your butt and you’ll probably hate me. But if you want this, I will do everything I can to make it happen.”

  “You’d really do that for me?”

  Did he have to sound so surprised? “The chief did it for me.” Because her own father had been gone by then. “Now’s my chance to pass it on.” In case she moved on. Yeah. The more she thought about it, the more fitting her offer felt. She clicked to bookmark the application site. “You go home and you talk to your mom and sisters. You fill them in on everything you’ve told me. If, after that, you decide this is what you want, I’ll go to bat for you when it comes to applying to a firefighter program.”

  She saw him swallow hard. “That would be amazing.”

  “Just remember you said that when I’ve got you running five miles a day and lifting weights heavier than Mrs. Hastings’s grocery bags.” She had to resist the urge to ruffle his hair. Pride she hadn’t known she possessed welled up. She remembered when he’d been born, had watched him grow up and, at times, had wished she had the opportunity to help him. Now, finally she’d found her chance. “In fact, why don’t you head on home. Think about what you want to say to them. And tell them you have my complete support.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you.” His eyes flickered to the side, and for a moment, she saw panic in the dark depths. She turned and found Roman standing in the doorway, unabashedly eavesdropping.

  Wow... Frankie had to stop herself from gaping. Did the man have to be so...overwhelming? The last thing she needed was a reminder that her boss had more appeal than a movie-star superhero.

  If he’d meant to throw her off-kilter by his surprise appearance, he’d be disappointed. She was the master at hiding her emotions. And attraction. Not that she’d ever felt this level of attraction for a man before. “You can thank me by promising to do your best, Jasper,” Frankie told the kid. “But before you go, it’s time you met our new chief. Chief Salazar, this is Jasper O’Neill. He’s been one of our in-station volunteers for the past few months, helping with paperwork and equipment checks. Jasper, Chief Salazar.”

  Roman strode forward and offered his hand as Jasper stood up. “Nice to meet you, Jasper. Did I hear correctly? You’re thinking about becoming a firefighter?”

  “Yes, sir. Frankie—”

  “I’m mentoring him,” Frankie cut in to challenge any argument Roman might have. “As I’ve been in charge of the volunteer staff for the past three years, it’s in my purview.”

  Roman nodded. “We can always use great candidates. I second Frankie’s endorsement. I’m happy to lend a hand where needed. Did I also hear you’re interested in arson investigation?”

  Frankie bit the inside of her cheek. Just how long had he been listening?

  Jasper nodded. “That’s what I really want to do. But I know I need experience first. And education. A lot of it.”

  “Then we have a lot in common.” Roman stepped back. “It was nice to meet you, Jasper. I look forward to seeing you around.”

  “You, too, sir. Frankie, I’ll see you tomorrow with an answer.”

  “Take your time,” Frankie reminded him. “It’s a big decision. I want you to think about it. Lay everything out. And give your mom time to get used to the idea. You know how much she worries about you.” And diving headfirst into the world of fire prevention and safety wasn’t exactly, well, safe. “Monday’s fine.”

  “All right. Should I talk to Luke or will you—”

  “We’ll talk to the sheriff about your hours.” And the mayor. The thought turned her stomach. Getting Gil to transfer the funds for Jasper’s part-time employment from the sheriff’s department to the fire department might be the biggest challenge in the whole situation. “Don’t worry.”

  “Awesome.” He slapped his laptop shut and packed up his bag. “I’ll see you later. Nice to meet you, Chief.”

  “You, too, Jasper.” Roman stepped back as Jasper raced out.

  Frankie waited until she heard the front door slam before she looked at Roman. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “I’m light-footed.” Roman’s eyes glinted, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. She could almost always get a read on people, just not him. “I have to admit, I was surprised to hear you offering him a job.”

  “Yeah, well.” Frankie cringed. “It just kind of happened. I didn’t want to discourage him, and he needs help.”

  “Got it in just under the wire, didn’t you? Not much I can do about it without looking like the bad guy. Seeing as I won’t officially be chief until Monday.”

  Frankie swallowed hard. “Didn’t exactly cross my mind. At first. Sir.”

  Roman smirked. “And here I thought the diner this morning would be my trial by fire. I suppose I should thank you for not calling ahead and outing me the second I walked in the door.”

  “Did you not have a good breakfast?” She tilted her head, blinked innocently.

  “I had a wonderful breakfast, actually. These are for you.” He placed a white paper bag on the desk. “Pumpkin scones. Consider it a peace offering.”

  Frankie scowled. Darn it! How was she supposed to loathe the man when he kept being so darned...nice.

  “Mrs. Hastings says hello,” he said. “As does...what did she call them? The Cocoon Club? Along with half the town it seems.”

  “Mrs. Hastings, huh? Now she’s a tough one.”

  “Turns out she eats there every Thursday morning without fail. And she had quite a bit to say about you.”

  She would not blush. “I’m innocent until proven guilty.”

  “Not from what I hear. Look.” Roman sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “I get that you don’t want to make this easy on me, and truth be told, in your place, I’d probably be thinking about doing worse to someone who took the job I’d been working so long to get.”

  Grudging appreciation slipped through her veins along with a good chunk of frustration. Didn’t anything irk him?

  “Nothing is going to change the fact that I’m here,” he went on. “Or that I’m going to be here for a while. We need to find a way to work together, Frankie. And that means, first and foremost, we need to get this initial resentment behind us.”

  Seeing him perched on the chief’s desk wasn’t going to speed up that process.

  “And you hiring people behind my back isn’t going to go far in a truce.”

  “I didn’t do it as a shot across the bow,” Frankie told h
im. Still, she loved her job, and for now, she wasn’t going anywhere. Which meant she needed to get on board with the chain of command. No matter how disappointed and disillusioned she was, her obligation to the town overrode any personal or professional setbacks she was meant to endure. “I did it because it needed to be done. You don’t know Jasper. You don’t know what he’s been through or what he’s overcome.”

  “That’s true. I don’t. I don’t know anything about this town except what I’ve seen so far. That said, the respectful thing would have been for you to come to me first before making the offer to Jasper. I probably wouldn’t have said no, but you took the choice away from me. And that I don’t appreciate.”

  “So you’re, what?” She really hated that he was right. “Going to say no now and place the blame on me?”

  His relaxed face tensed, and for the first time, ice flashed in his eyes. “Snotty doesn’t work with me, Frankie.”

  Her mouth twisted. Yeah. It didn’t work with her, either.

  “You and I need to come to an understanding. You need me to sign off on Jasper’s employment as a probie.”

  She gnashed her teeth. “Yes.”

  “And I need you here, focused on the job. Not trying to find the best place to stab me in the back. I learned one important thing at the diner—I can’t do this job without you. So, here’s what we’re going to do.”

  Panic seized her throat. Was he going to fire her?

  “I’ll sign off on everything you want for Jasper. I’ll even go to the mayor and have a discussion about the budget and our need for more firefighters. I’ll lend my expertise in helping Jasper study and take over if you can’t do something. We’ll tag team and get him solidly into the program.”

  “That’s...generous of you.” Not to mention unexpected. “And what exactly do you want in exchange?”

  “Nothing.” A sly smile slipped across his full, amazing lips.

  She tilted her head and arched a brow.

  His smile widened. “Nothing yet. I’ll do it on credit.”

  She smirked. “Thought so.” But he’d caught her interest. He wasn’t steamrolling over her. He could have, but for whatever reason, he’d chosen not to. And that she had to respect. And appreciate. “Okay. You work out a deal with Gil about Jasper and I’ll ease up. A little.” She didn’t want him to think she was a pushover.

  He narrowed his eyes. “No catch?”

  Now she smiled. “Not yet. Come on, Salazar. A big, handsome firefighter like you can handle a little snark and sass, can’t you? Consider it an added challenge of the job.”

  His grin widened. “Handsome, huh?”

  Frankie’s face went hot. “Figures that’s what you’d pick up on. You know what I mean.”

  “Yes, thankfully, I do. Okay.” He held out his hand and, after a moment’s hesitation, she accepted and they shook on their deal. “Now that we’ve got that settled, tell me something.”

  “What?”

  “What on earth is a Cocoon Club?”

  CHAPTER SIX

  GETTING AN APPOINTMENT with the mayor should not have been difficult, especially since Gil Hamilton was already aware Roman had arrived in Butterfly Harbor. When Friday afternoon’s visit to both the town hall and the mayor’s temporary office proved fruitless, Roman decided to continue the direct approach and hunt the mayor down on Saturday.

  The sooner he got Jasper’s situation settled, the easier the coming initial weeks with Frankie—and subsequently Butterfly Harbor—would be.

  Ferreting out that the mayor planned to drop by the butterfly sanctuary construction site sometime before noon today felt like a real accomplishment. That he’d be passing by Duskywing Farm on the way meant he could mark off some of his shopping, as well.

  After only a few days in town, he was already enjoying the fact he could walk most anyplace he needed to go. Reminding him of his time in Boston, when a car was a superfluous expense and the added exercise kept his fitness tracker happy.

  Butterfly Harbor was the perfect spot for an early-morning walk, well before any of the stores were open. The scents of bacon and fresh-baked bread wafted from the continuously opening and closing door of the Butterfly Diner, but he decided to forgo his morning meal there, and, protein bar in hand, headed up the hill.

  The first place he came to, though, was Duskywing Farm.

  He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect—a farm in the middle of a town? But given the collection of cars in the makeshift lot and the sound of enthusiastic, excited voices in the distance, it seemed the farm was about to fulfill the promise he’d been given: a unique, inviting experience.

  The crisscrossed wooden fence gave way to a gate, guarded by a sleek gray cat. He’d no sooner reached out a hand to the animal than a little girl of about ten raced over, a jangle of bells wrapped around each ankle, her feet bare in the thick grass. Red curls curtained her fresh, freckled face and eyes as bright as amethysts glinted up at him. “Hello.”

  “Hi,” he said. “She’s beautiful.” After receiving an approved head bump against his hand, he stroked two fingers down the cat’s back.

  “She knows.” The girl laughed. “Her name’s Ophelia. Would you like to come in? We’re having a special today on honey. Calliope says if I sell all my jars I can start helping her tend the hives. Would you like a jar? Or two?”

  “Quite the saleswoman, aren’t you?” Roman said. “Tending beehives is something you want to do?”

  “Well.” The girl scrunched her nose. “Don’t tell her, but I’ve already been visiting them. Do you know bees talk? Not with words, but their buzzing changes depending on the time of day or if they’re stressed. If you listen, you can hear it.”

  “I did not know that.”

  “Stella, you have customers!”

  Roman blinked at the nearly identical but fully-grown woman who strode over, equally stunning, equally barefoot.

  “I do?” Stella jumped and almost collided with the fencepost. “Oh! I have to go. If I have any jars left, I’ll sell them to you. ’Bye!”

  “Well, that’s the best welcome I’ve ever had.” Roman realized he was still petting the cat and pulled his hand away. The woman smiled at him and, after lifting the latch, pulled open the gate.

  “Please, come in, Chief Salazar.”

  “Roman, please. I’m not sure I have time.” Roman glanced up the road. “I was hoping to catch the mayor at the construction site—” Unable to resist the open expression on her face, he did as she asked and stepped through the gate.

  “Actually, my husband, Xander, and the mayor are meeting today. I’ll introduce you and you can go up with him. Come.”

  “Thanks.” Swallowing some embarrassment, he said, “I confess I should know your name. I’m sure Frankie mentioned it—”

  “Calliope. And the honey huckster is my sister, Stella. Welcome.” She led him down a peat gravel path that twisted and wound toward a stone cottage with a bright red door that was standing open. “Xander?” She disappeared inside as Roman was still looking around.

  Everywhere his gaze fell he saw lush, green life. An endless field of vegetables stretched into the distance, dotted with customers picking their own bounty, filling basket upon basket. The wooden stall by the gate where Stella was selling her honey was filled to the brim with jars of amber liquid and plastic bags filled with homemade scones. He could smell the fresh herb garden overflowing with lavender, rosemary and thyme, and the bare remnants of a bountiful basil patch, settling into dormancy for the coming winter.

  Overhead, bees buzzed and butterflies fluttered, darting in and around the trees, flowers and vegetables, dancing from leaf to leaf, bloom to blossom.

  “Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?”

  Roman glanced over his shoulder to where a dark-haired man stood, a dishtowel and chipped plate in his hand. “I’ve never seen anyth
ing like it.”

  “City guy, huh?” The man chuckled. “Can spot them a mile away. I used to be one. Xander Costas.” He held out his hand, which Roman accepted. “Nice to meet you, Chief.”

  “I didn’t realize I was wearing a name tag.”

  “Your reputation does precede you.” Xander nodded. “Calliope’s fixing breakfast if you’re hungry. Come on in.”

  “I don’t want to impose. I was just hoping to meet up with the mayor this morning.”

  “Calliope mentioned that. I’m heading up there in about an hour. You’re welcome to come with me. Gil can be a bit slippery to catch.”

  No kidding. Seemed every time Roman came close to tracking the good mayor down, the man disappeared minutes before Roman arrived. He felt the wrapper of the protein bar crunch in his pocket as he went into the house, but all thoughts of it melted away at the aroma of fresh-baked biscuits. The long wooden table was filled with an array of fruits. Dried herbs hung from the hand-strung wooden racks above; the planks beneath his feet were homey and worn. Persimmons, oranges and apples surrounded him, along with wreaths of fall flowers and corn husks in varying degrees of craftiness.

  “Sit, Roman. Please,” Calliope urged. “Make yourself at home. It’s a bit of chaos right now with Thanksgiving coming.”

  “Should I take off my shoes?” He only now noticed Xander was as barefoot as his wife and Stella.

  “If you’d like.” Calliope’s voice was as melodious as the bells she wore in her long, red hair. “Most of the time I simply forget to put them on.”

  “Easy habit to form,” Xander told him from across the table. “My sister Alethea still teases me about our barefoot wedding.”

  “Alethea teases you about a great many things.” Calliope stopped long enough to press a kiss to the top of his head. “And you deserve every one of them. Would you prefer strawberry or apricot jam, Roman?”

  “Either sounds delicious.” With all the twinkle lights and scents of fall, Roman felt as if he’d fallen into some kind of fairy world. “I appreciate the invitation.” He leaned closer to the coffee and inhaled the rich brewed scent. “Ah, man. Now that’s good.”