Daddy Ford: Then quit your bitchin’.
Fuck, he’s hot. I picture him saying that to my face, his voice all growly.
Me: You put all that gear on for me, Cap?
Daddy Ford: Maybe. Or maybe I was already wearing it.
Me: The only time y’all wear that gear is when you go out on a call. I know better than that. You put that on special for me… Admit it.
He sends the shrugging emoji back, and I chuckle. I do love the idea of knowing he put all that on just to send me a picture. After I really do take a leak and wash my hands, I reply before heading back out.
Me: Why are you still at the station? Y’all’s shift ended an hour ago, didn’t it?
Daddy Ford: Had some paperwork I needed to get done.
Swinging by the bar, I order a pitcher of beer, then meander back to the table, where Remi’s wearing an amused expression, staring at his phone.
“What’d I miss?” I ask as I slide back into the booth.
Glancing up, he breathes out a laugh as he pockets the phone. “You know how Chandler’s goin’ on that cruise in a couple weeks?”
“Yeah. What about it? Her wife is sick, and she needs a replacement vaca buddy? Because I volunteer.”
“No,” he says with a chuckle. “We’re gettin’ a loaner from the 120 to fill in for her, and Cap just sent out a text to the team, letting us know who it’s goin’ to be.”
I wait to see if he’s going to say anything further. “Well, don’t keep me waitin’,” I say. “Who is it?”
“It’s Tanner Baker.”
Remi says it like I’m supposed to know who that is, and ittakes a minute, but then… “As in, the firefighter you fucked in the bathroom during the Christmas party last year?”
Groaning, he nods. “That’s the one.”
I burst out laughing before I can help it. “Shut the fuck up. That’s gold.”
Remi isn’t the guy to randomly hook up with somebody he’s never met before, but he got ridiculously drunk after he ran into his ex-boyfriend who cheated on him at the party with one of the firefighters, and ended up in the bathroom with Tanner. I was proud of my best friend.
He was…not so proud.
The drama between firefighters is honestly astounding, butveryinteresting to me.
“Glad you find this so amusing.” Remi narrows his eyes.
Pulling myself together, I ask, “Have you talked to him since that night?”
He shakes his head. “Nah, not really. It’s going to make for an awkward as hell week at work.”
“Wait, the 120…” I pause, holding a hand up. “Isn’t that the station Cap’s ex-husband works at too?”
“Well, they’re still technically married, but yeah, it’s Trent’s house.”
I nod, trying to appear nonchalant. “Do you think they run into each other much?”
“I have no clue.” He shrugs before taking a pull from his beer. “Definitely not at work, though.”
If it weren’t for me knowing the fire station’s business because of Remi, I wouldn’t even know Trent existed. I’ve rarely seen him around town, and we’ve never interacted at any fire department events, and because he works in a different county, he and Ford lived more on the outskirts of Wolf Creek. I don’t know him, but I don’t like him, and I’m not entirelysure why. Ford’s never shared any details of their marriage, or their separation, with me, but I’m suddenly wishing he would have.
Did they end on good terms? Bad?
