Chapter Six

 

 

 

 

Simon

 

 

 

 

 

“This wall’s gonna have to come down,” I said as I gestured to the charred partition in front of us. “It’s not load-bearing.”

Jones nodded in agreement and immediately swung her axe into the weak structure. I did the same and the wall came down after seven strikes. The wood inside glowed hot from the fire and I knew immediately that bringing it down had been the right call.

“We’ve got a hot spot,” Jones said into her shoulder, causing her voice to come through the ear pieces we were both wearing. I kept inspecting the structure as we waited for the hose to make it to us.

Christos and Hughes joined us and doused the embers as I followed Jones out of the house. We both paused next to the truck and I pulled my helmet off.

“We need to clear the crawl space once they’re done with that wall.”

Jones nodded as she tucked her helmet under her arm. Soot covered her damp face as she took a drink of water. Her green eyes looked tired but I knew she’d never admit it.

“The floor was already weak in the kitchen so I think we should break through there.”

I agreed with her assessment. Victoria Jones was underestimated by people all of the time, usually because she was a female, but she was a damn good firefighter. She and I were both going after the promotion that our company knew was coming soon and she was definitely giving me a run for my money. She and I already split the lieutenant duties unofficially but that only strengthened our applications. The Captain trusted half of the company to one of us every shift and we were both determined to beat out the other.

Tori Jones and Nick Christos were probably the best friends I had. Nick and I had known each other since he started a couple of years after me and we’d instantly gotten along. He was a year or so younger than me, super immature, somewhat obnoxious, but loyal as all hell. Tori was probably around his age and she had come in with a chip on her shoulder about five years before. The chip was understandable since being a woman in our profession was hard. It’d taken about two or so years before she stopped biting my head off every time we spoke and now we were definitely friends. She was a bitch but she could give it as well as she could take it.

I took a swig of my water and gestured towards the house. “Ready?”

Jones put her helmet back on and gave me the affirmative before leading me back inside.

It took us another hour to clear the scene of the fire completely and I was happy when our Captain called out to us to load up.

I heaved my tired body into the backseat of the truck and Hughes was already inside, looking as exhausted as I felt. Barthe jumped in the front seat and glanced back to us.

“You good?”

I nodded as Christos took the seat to my right. “Fucking tired. This is only going to get worse the closer we get to the fourth.”

Illegal fireworks were the bane of our existence. Didn’t people understand that Nevada and California were recovering from a fucking drought? Conditions were still dry and everything caught fire easily. I’d put in more overtime since the drought had begun a few years before than I’d ever thought possible because people just didn’t think. It was only mid-June and we were already starting to see more and more fires started because of fireworks. Never mind the fact that it wasn’t even fucking dark yet. People would light them earlier in hopes that they wouldn’t be as easily spotted and caught if their location wasn’t illuminated.

Trujillo got into the back seat as Jones got into the front. She gave Barthe a nod and he immediately put the truck into drive. No one bothered to put on their headsets as we drove back and I was happy to see the 22nd company was already at the station house. Their presence meant my company could go home.

We pulled into the garage and the ladder truck with the rest of my company did the same a moment later. We all climbed out and began to hang up our equipment. Our Captain supervised us and clapped each person on the back once he was done, giving his thanks and offering praise. He stood there after everyone was gone, just watching as I inspected the equipment.

“Nice work today, Owens.” He gave me a nod of approval and walked next to me as we moved upstairs. “You’re setting a good example. In fact, it’s very lieutenant-like.”

I grinned at him as we hit the top of the stairs. “That’s the goal, Cap. Thank you.”

I showered quickly before dressing in my civvies and grabbing my backpack. I said goodbye to the rest of my company and the members of the 22nd before getting into my truck. As I drove home, all I could think was that I couldn’t wait to stuff some food in my mouth before passing out in my bed. Those thoughts went out the window as I pulled up in front of my house and parked behind a white SUV.

Megan. I’d known she was coming over because I’d heard Alex invite her when we’d dropped off her car the day before but after a twenty-four hour plus shift, I’d forgotten.

When I got home from dropping her off the night before, I realized that I was insanely attracted to my brother’s girlfriend. That alone wouldn’t be a problem but I could tell she was attracted to me, too. That combination was bad, especially because Alex really liked her. The way he’d spoken about her when we’d driven back from dropping her car off yesterday said it all. The boy was in deep and I couldn’t blame him. I’d just get over whatever attraction I had and move on.

One way to do that was to avoid her. When I walked through the front door, I paused, trying to figure out where everyone was. The house was quiet and I could hear voices coming from the backyard. I tiptoed into the kitchen and opened the fridge to find something I could eat to hold me over.

“Uncle Simon!”

I jumped slightly at my nephew’s voice and closed the fridge as I turned around to smile at him. Eight-year-old Hudson was only wearing a pair of Captain America swim trunks that were soaked and dripping water on the kitchen floor. The Owens genes were strong with that kid and he looked exactly how Alex and I had when we were little. His blonde hair was really light but we knew that it would darken over time.

“Hey, Huds. What are you doing?” I dropped my hand to his wet hair and messed it up.

“Dad’s cooking dinner and he turned on the sprinkler since it’s so hot.” He gestured for me to follow him. “Come watch the cool trick I can do.”

I shook my head and leaned against the counter. “I’m tired, dude. I really just want to sleep.”

“Please, Uncle Simon?” Hudson looked up at me with a pleading expression.

I let out a long sigh and gestured for him to go. “Okay. Five minutes.” My nephew let out a triumphant noise and I cleaned up the puddle of water he’d left in the kitchen before following him out to the deck.

Hudson was already back in the grass and had the sprinkler in his hand as he tried to chase his little sister with it. Alex was at the grill and pulling hamburgers off that smelled amazing. He was alternating between telling Hudson to stop terrorizing his sister and talking to Megan, who sat at the patio table with her eyes on my niece and nephew.

“Okay, watch!” Hudson said as he put the sprinkler down and looked up at me. I leaned my shoulder against the door frame and nodded to let him know I was.

“Hey, Simon,” Alex said as he spotted me. My eyes cut to him and I gave him a small grin before looking back to Hudson.

“Hey. I don’t mean to intrude. Hudson wanted to show me something.” I watched as he ran for the sprinkler and did a front flip over it at the last minute. He landed on his feet and slipped for a second before sticking the landing. I clapped my hands loudly, along with Megan and Alex, and Hudson grinned at us proudly.

“You have to be starving. Come eat with us,” Alex said as he gestured to the covered, wooden picnic table that was full of food. Despite my aching stomach, I shook my head.

“I’m good.”

“You should eat, Simon.”

It wasn’t Alex that spoke but Megan that time. I looked at her for the first time and she gave me a small smile. Her brown hair was left straight and her hazel eyes were warm as she looked up at me. She was wearing a white, lacy shirt and a pair of denim shorts that showed off her bare legs. I immediately stopped my inspection of her and looked anywhere else.

“Uncle Simon!” A small, very wet body flew into mine and I caught Kendra easily. She was wearing a bathing suit that had ruffles all over it and her light brown, shoulder length hair dripped water all of my shoulder as I held her to me. I pressed my lips to her cheek to give her a raspberry and she giggled. “You smell like camping.”

I put her down and nodded. “I have the scent but not the s’mores, pretty. It’s a shame.” I looked up at Alex and nodded. “I am starving, though. If you don’t mind me crashing, I would love some grub.”

My shirt was soaked from Kendra but it felt good in the hot air. I sat on the bench diagonally from Megan and immediately grabbed a handful of chips. I rubbed my eyes tiredly as I watched the kids play and I took me a minute to realize that Megan was talking to me.

“What?”

She gave me a small smile. “I asked if you wanted something to drink.”

“Oh, I can get it.” Before I could finish my sentence, Megan was handing me a bottle of water. I took it gratefully and noticed there was a cooler of drinks on the ground behind her. “Thanks, Megs.”

Her cheeks colored slightly and she looked away. That simple action almost had me groaning and I stuffed two burgers in my mouth as quickly as I could before standing up.

“Thanks for letting me eat with you guys. I really need some sleep, though.” I flashed a smile to everyone, purposefully avoiding looking into Megan’s eyes as I did. I didn’t stick around to listen to them reply and instead went right down to the basement where I slept.

Alex and I had redone the basement when I’d moved in. The entire area was my room and there was a small bathroom with a shower stall off to the side. I took the quickest shower known to man before pulling on some boxers and falling into my queen-sized bed so I could cuddle with my pillow.

It was dark in the basement when I opened my eyes again. I glanced at the clock and saw it was shortly after two, which meant I’d slept about eight hours. I pulled myself from bed and used the bathroom before I walked up the stairs. I pushed open the basement door and took a left so I could walk into the kitchen.

I poured myself a glass of ice cold water and leaned against the counter. The only light came from the clock on the microwave and nightlight plugged in above the sink. I had just tipped back the rest of my water when I heard footsteps on the staircase that led upstairs. The stairs to the second story were right next to the door to the basement and I glanced to the right just in time to see Megan at the bottom of the stairs, still wearing the clothes she had been earlier. Her hair was ruffled, though, and that thought had my stomach feeling sick.

“Walk of shame, huh?” I said quietly. I had meant to tease her but my voice just came out bitter instead. Megan jumped slightly and her head swiveled in my direction. Her eyes were wide in surprise and she held her hand to her chest.

“Simon. You scared me.”

I didn’t answer as I opened the fridge to refill my water. Megan stepped into the kitchen but didn’t say anything as I leaned back where I had been. I didn’t miss the way her eyes ran down my body appreciatively or the burn in her cheeks after she was done. Her eyes settled on mine and she folded her arms across her chest.

“Finally sealed the deal with my little brother, I see.” I gulped down some more water as I held her gaze. I waited for her to get mad at me, to say I was being a jerk, but the soft expression didn’t leave her face.

“And you’re upset with me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement and I didn’t bother replying. She was right. I was irrationally upset that she had sex with her boyfriend and I had no idea why.

After a moment of silence, Megan spoke again. “I’m sorry.”

She turned and bent down to grab her sandals that were by the back door before walking out of the kitchen quickly. I heard the front door close quietly and I moved into the living room. I watched her as she rushed to her car and got inside. She didn’t start the engine right away but instead sat there, her silhouette staring straight ahead for a long moment. She finally started her car and I didn’t stop watching until she’d driven away safely. I let the blinds snap closed as I released a long breath and realized that getting over my attraction to Megan was going to be harder than I thought.