Chapter 11
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TWO YEARS LATER (Present Day)
Hope Falls, CA
Marco tapped his heel on the cement floor as he waited in the fire chief’s office. After the shift-change meeting, he was almost out the door when Jake caught up to him and told him he needed to speak with him. So here he was.
When he’d started here as a probie, his boots would’ve been tapping on the floor for an entirely different reason—he would’ve been shaking in them. At that time, if the chief had placed a hand on his shoulder and said he needed to talk to him, Marco would’ve been terrified sitting in this chair. He would’ve been running everything that had happened during his shift over and over in his head, sure that he must’ve screwed something up. But with eight years on the job under his belt, he wasn’t nervous at all.
He assumed that he was sitting there because the chief needed something from him. If he were a betting man, he’d say that it had to do with the vacation he had planned. After he walked out of the station today, he was off for three weeks, and nothing Jake needed would change that. Even though he always tried to be a team player, taking this vacation was non-negotiable.
Pops was going to be staying with him, and his grandpa’s condition had progressed to the point where he needed to be monitored and have in-home care. It had taken Marco almost a year to finally convince his mom to go on the European honeymoon that had been his gift to her after she eloped with the man that she’d reconnected with at her high school reunion.
High school reunion.
Things had definitely worked out better for his mom than they had for him. Marco did his best not to think about his own reunion, but it always had a way of creeping back into his consciousness. It was painful and aggravating, like a hemorrhoid that kept hanging on. He’d think he was cured and then, out of the blue, he’d be hit with a memory of the way Sydney’s body had felt beneath him. Or the soft whisper of her yes, when he’d asked if he could touch her. Or the faint taste of wine on her soft, supple lips.
It was funny and ironic that the night he’d spent hours, days, weeks, even months of his life fantasizing about had finally happened, and now all he wanted to do was forget it. He wanted to erase it from the deep recesses of his mind. Because every time he was reminded of how amazing that night had been, he would then come face to face with the harsh reality that it would never happen again.
Maybe one day he’d be able to look back on the stolen night they’d shared together without wanting to punch something or puke, but so far, that hadn’t been the case. And he wasn’t holding his breath.
He’d tried to move on. The first year he’d continued to torture himself by checking in on her on Facebook. But he had to quit cold turkey when she was tagged in a photo Simon Corbett posted of her hand wearing a diamond ring with the caption, She said yes! He was able to quickly deduce from the picture that Simon was the man he met in her hotel room that night. Marco removed her Facebook page off of his bookmarks and hadn’t even been on the site since. He didn’t want to inadvertently see any posts about her wedding.
Letting his head fall forward, he rubbed the back of his neck. Today, he was definitely feeling older than his thirty years.
It wasn’t that he’d let himself go, at least not to the naked eye. He still appeared to be in top physical condition. But appearances could be deceiving. Since the reunion he’d gone a little overboard with his partying ways.
Every night that he wasn’t on the job, he was at JT’s Roadhouse. He’d drink. He’d hook up. He’d drink some more. He’d hook up some more. And the toll it was taking on him could no longer be ignored.
Emotionally, he was numb, but not in a good way. He didn’t care about anything anymore. He wasn’t passionate about anything anymore.
Physically, he was tired. He was rundown. His muscles weren’t recovering the way they used to.
These next few weeks, hanging out with Pops was exactly what he needed to reboot his life and get some perspective. He needed to get back to what was really important in life, and if there was anyone who would have no problem calling him on his shit, it was Pops.
The door opened behind him and he sat up straighter in the chair.
“Hey, man. Thanks for waiting.” Jake walked into the room and took a seat behind his desk.
“No problem,” Marco assured him.
It was still a little strange to see his friend sitting behind that desk. He and Jake Maguire had formed a close bond during their six years of being on blue shift together before he’d been promoted. As odd as it was, he had to admit his friend was kicking some serious ass in the role. Marco was feeling a little stagnant in his own career. The one promotion that had come up in the past year had gone to Eli Bishop, which was a fine choice, but it could’ve also easily gone to Marco or any one of several other firefighters.
That was the problem when you worked with the best of the best. There was no clear path to getting ahead. He was feeling stuck. Stuck personally. Stuck professionally. Stuck in life.
“So, I know you have some time scheduled off. But I need to talk to you about something.”
Here we go. It was what Marco had expected. They wanted him to pick up some shifts. In the past three years, several stations in the county had had to shut down due to budget cuts. Because of its central location, Hope Falls had taken the brunt of the impact. In the past twelve months alone the call volumes they handled had more than tripled.
He scooted up in his chair, ready to tell Jake that as much as he’d love to help them out, he couldn’t. But before he got the chance, there was a knock on the door.
“Come on in, Bishop.” Jake waved his hand.
Marco turned, expecting to see Eli Bishop, who’d just been promoted to second in command, but instead saw that Eli’s brother Evan had walked in.
Eli and Marco had started as probies together, and over the years he’d gotten to know the Bishop family pretty well. Evan was a former pro-ball player turned Captain. His hotshot crew was stationed down in Southern California and he’d recently been honored with the Medal of Valor for his bravery when fighting the Basin Hills fire that claimed fifteen lives.
From what Marco had heard his injuries had been severe, but other than a slight limp you’d never be able to tell. He looked as imposing as ever. As capable as ever. As commanding as ever.
The man was a beast.
“Oh good.” Jake rose from behind the desk and rounded it to shake Evan’s hand. “Just in time. I’m glad you made it.”
“Hey, man.” Marco stood and shook Evan’s hand. “How you doing?”
“I’m good.” Evan, who was a man of few words, nodded.
“Let’s head into the training room,” Jake instructed.
As they made their way out of the small office, Marco’s curiosity was officially piqued. He hadn’t heard anything about Evan coming to Hope Falls.
Was he going to be joining the crew here?
In what position? He was overqualified for any positions HFFD had open.
But even if he was, why would that have anything to do with Marco’s vacation time?
Marco’s hamster mind was still running on the What If Wheel when Jake closed the training room door and Evan and Marco grabbed a seat at the rectangular table.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard,” the chief began before he even sat down. “But the state has been issued a grant designated for an additional hotshot crew and Hope Falls has been chosen to be the base camp because of its location and resources.”
“I heard something about that, but didn’t know if or when it was going to happen.”
“It’s happening. Funding has just been approved for a twenty-person crew.” Jake motioned to Evan. “We reached out to Evan months ago when the grant looked like it was going to come through for next fire season, but it’s happening sooner than we thought. He agreed to come on and head the crew as Superintendent. That was before his injuries, though. He’s only been cleared for modified duty. And we need to be up and running by the end of the month.”
“This month?” Marco asked.
It was the eighth. That meant they had three weeks. It could be done, but it would be tight. To thoroughly vet and train a crew they would have to put them through rigorous testing, including physical and psychological assessments.
“Yes. This month,” the chief confirmed. “When the position of captain came up, you were the first man I thought of. I know that over the years you’ve shown an interest in hotshot crews. This new role wouldn’t affect your position here. You’d work with the crew May through October and then be back here November through April.”
Both men sat across from him and stared at Marco as if he were supposed to say something. Being on a hotshot crew had always been his dream. The work was grueling, but for an adrenaline junkie, it didn’t get much better. Were they asking him to join? Asking him to come on as captain? Or asking him to throw his name in the hat?
There was one way to find out. “So, are you asking if I want to apply?”
“I need a captain, and I want it to be you,” Evan cut right to the chase. “If you want it, it’s yours. The position would start immediately. I want you in on the hiring, setting up base camp and also training. It will be long, demanding hours but nothing compared to what it will be once we’re up and running. During fire season you would be on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It’s even less of a nine to five than being on an engine. Wherever you’re needed, you go. You never know when you’ll be back. It can be hard on loved ones, on relationships.” Evan spoke with sadness and conviction.
This was the first time that Marco had seen even the tiniest crack in the armor of invincibility that Evan wore. For a brief moment, Marco had peeked through a small window into his vulnerability.
“It’s a three-year commitment,” the chief added. “I know it’s a lot to consider.”
Shit.
The position he was being offered was Marco’s professional wet dream, and it was being handed to him, gift wrapped with a big red bow. This was what he needed to get his mind right. To get his life back on track. To infuse passion into it once again.
He knew that this opportunity would not present itself again. If he didn’t jump on this, the position would be filled. He could think of six guys that would jump at the chance to be number two on a hotshot crew, and that was just in this house alone.
He also knew that there was no way that he was going to let his mom postpone her trip again. She’d always put everyone else’s needs before her own. She’d always wanted to go to Europe, and she was getting on that plane tomorrow.
This decision was too big to make on the fly. He needed some time. Time to figure this out.
“Do you need my answer immediately?”
Evan’s jaw ticked. It was strange that a man that spoke such few could communicate so clearly without a sound. His irritation was palpable.
In an effort to clarify his position and take the sting out of his hesitation, Marco explained, “It’s not that I need to consider whether or not I want to do this. I do. It’s just that I have a family commitment that I need to work out before I can give you my answer.”
“You have until end of business today,” Evan conceded, but he didn’t look happy about it.
“Thank you.” Marco stood and shook Evan’s hand. “I’ll have an answer for you by lunch.”
Evan responded with a nearly undetectable nod of agreement. Again, Marco marveled at the man’s silent articulation skills. He could see now why he’d been such an effective leader. Hell, he’d follow this man into battle without asking any questions and Marco was used to being the alpha in the pack.
As he walked out of the station, he pulled out his phone.
After the third ring his mom picked up, and he made her promise him that she wouldn’t change her plans before he explained the opportunity that had come up.
When he’d given her the details, he added, “But don’t worry. I’m going to get a nurse to stay with Pops while I’m at work. I can get two if I need to since my hours will be so long.”
He braced himself, for her argument. But she surprised him.
“I can take care of that, honey. I have someone in mind,” her voice sounded downright giddy.
“Okay, just let me know where to send the check.”
“Oh no. Leonard and I will handle this. You’ve been generous enough giving us this amazing honeymoon.”
He would have insisted, but Leonard Harrington was a very successful real estate mogul, and Marco knew he would be happy to do it. He would be happy to do anything that made his new bride happy. The man had been head over heels in love with Marco’s mom when they were in high school, but he’d been too shy to tell her. Now that he was with her, he treated his mom like royalty, which was exactly what she deserved.
They decided that his mom and Leonard would drop Pops off before heading to the airport. He’d planned on meeting them at the airport but with this new development that would be impossible.
“Okay, text me when you guys get in town, and I’ll meet you at the house.”
“Sounds good, sweetie. Love you!” his mom exclaimed with bubbling excitement. She was happier than he’d ever heard her. She was so excited to go to Europe. And if she was happy, he was happy.
“Love you, too.”
Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he turned to head right back inside the station and give Evan and Jake his decision. This was exactly what he needed to get things back on track.