The Dalmatian Dilemma

by Cheryl Harper

  She covered her face with her hands, and Sean understood some of the emotion burning in her eyes. Was it guilt? Maybe. In her heart, she was close to that terrible person, because she’d wanted to say no.

  But she hadn’t.

  At least she hadn’t said it yet.

  “If I can’t pass the class, if I can’t meet the physical requirements, if I can’t find a firehouse to take me on...then this is a worthy backup. It is.” Reyna straightened her shoulders. “And until I know I can do all those things, I’m not going to rock the boat. There’s no reason to dump us all into stormy Montero seas if I can’t make this work.”

  It all made sense when she outlined her plan. Reyna was taking it step-by-step in a logical process, testing those waters.

  For some reason, the deflation of being second best settled over Sean’s shoulders. He’d chosen Concord Court and loved every bit of the job from the development to the day-to-day oversight.

  Reyna only wanted this as a safety net, but she was used to soaring. For him, this was his first choice.

  His best choice to do what he hoped.

  “I’ll help. However I can help, count me in.” Sean swiped his laptop off the desk. He wasn’t sure what Brisa would do, but he could see the wheels turning in her brain. She’d impressed him as one of those people who could be a criminal mastermind if she decided to go that way.

  She offered Reyna her hand. “Fine. I’ll help, too. I’ll keep your secret.”

  As Reyna slipped her hand inside her sister’s, Brisa added, “On one condition.”

  If he’d had the assistance of that protective glass, Sean might have laughed at the way the whole world froze in that instant.

  These women? They were impressive. If they could get on the same side of the fight, they’d change history. As it was, he wasn’t certain which one he’d back in a fight. They were evenly matched.

  But only one of them was impossible to look away from. Reyna’s face was set, the warrior in her close to the surface.

  Why was that so...exciting?

  At some point, he’d examine the reasons. Attraction to a woman who could eliminate him and hide the body without much help made no sense.

  Since he could still feel the shape of her shoulder under his hand, he knew the attraction had already landed. He’d have to ignore it until it went away.

  Even without a protective barrier, he was smiling. They were fun to watch.

  “There’s nothing amusing about this,” Reyna snapped. This time, when he locked eyes with her, he didn’t see fear, only an extremely irritated woman. Good.

  “I’m not enjoying this.” Sean crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m prepared to break up any fistfight, though. I’ll have to make all the repairs to whatever it is you break, and I have big weekend plans.”

  “Tell me your one condition,” Reyna said softly as she dragged her suspicious stare back to her sister. It was easier to think when she wasn’t focused on him, but nothing was the same, either.

  Brisa pinched her skirt as she considered. “I’ll be your assistant manager and we will cover for you. I’m prepared to answer phone calls, arrange tours, do contracts—whatever it takes to keep this place going when you need time. In exchange, you’ll give us what we want, your okay to explore Sean’s Shelter to Service program and my...clothing idea.” She waved her hands. “The title for his program came to me immediately. Mine will take a minute.”

  Would this work? Sean held his breath as he waited.

  “Counteroffer. I’ll give you a small budget and connections to a few of the veterans programs I work with. Let’s give this professional attire program a try for a month or so.” Reyna met Sean’s stare. He couldn’t read whatever it was in her eyes. An apology, maybe. “Then we’ll reevaluate the service dogs. Thirty days. You build up your idea, Brisa. Show me what that looks like. Then we’ll move to Sean’s.”

  Brisa’s slow-growing grin was easy to read. It looked like victory.

  “Deal.” They shook.

  He tried to determine whether they were doing the he-man test of strength that men’s handshakes sometimes resorted to, but it seemed friendly enough.

  Brisa turned toward Sean. “My sister wants me to prove myself with something small before we move to your program. She thinks I’m going to get bored and move on and leave her with a mess to clean up. I’m not. I can do this.” Brisa tilted her head to the side. “With her help, I can do this. I should argue for both programs now, but I’m going to stick with this until I prove to her and Luis Montero that I’m ready for more. I can wait one month, because she’s going to owe me an apology and a favor then. Are you in?”

  He’d been in since...forever, but he nodded. “You bet.” He shook Brisa’s hand and then looked back at Reyna.

  Her hand was out, too, so he wrapped his around it, reminded again of how small she was in the face of an enormous personality. “Thanks for listening, Reyna.”

  Her lips curved. Her amusement was authentic. “I like the program, Sean. I hope you get that. I just...” She cleared her throat and did not glance at her sister. “Give us time to get everything in order and then we’ll move forward.”

  He held her hand when she would have slipped away. “Okay. With both of you in my corner, this could be something important. That’s what I want. A program that makes a difference.”

  She squeezed his hand. “You’re the heart of this. Make sure you never let us forget it, either.” She nodded at Brisa. “Whatever Brisa and I do, we’re going to try to take over. Don’t let us.”

  He returned the pressure before forcing himself to let her hand go. “I forgot to blink a couple of times during this meeting. You two are intense.”

  “We haven’t spent much time on the same continent in years.” Brisa sighed. “This could get interesting.”

  He liked his job, but this restless excitement he felt now had been gone for a while.

  How much of that excitement was due to the go-ahead for his program? Most of it.

  But there was another part that belonged to the slide of Reyna’s skin against his.

  It felt good.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  WHEN THE DAY of the physical aptitude test arrived, Reyna knew that she had done everything she could to prepare. Memorizing the test elements and the scoring system had been easy enough. She’d watched the online video demonstrating the city’s test for firefighters so often that, for at least two days, she’d barely stopped herself from ending every sentence with “Safety has no shortcuts,” the reminder that ended every section. Nights staring up at the ceiling had given her plenty of time to dream up new ways to make sure she was ready.

  She had nothing to worry about. Her sister had stepped up to cover for her at Concord Court. Once she made it past this hurdle, her next step would be clear. Probably.

  Finding at least half of her academy class at the city’s testing facility should not have surprised her. But when she’d imagined this, role-playing it to make sure she was comfortable with the plan, she’d been alone. No one had been there to make any cracks about Montero money or the academy’s rankings.

  The tests were given on a regular basis. Her whole life, she’d moved quickly. She’d imagined she’d be the only one rushing to take the first one offered after they all completed the academy training.

  Being wrong was enough to shake her confidence.

  Finding Ryan Pulaski front and center might have been a gift. She had to act confident when he was around—no way would she let him know she was nervous.

  His only acknowledgment was one wary nod after she completed the registration process.

  “Morning.” Reyna flashed a quick smile at the group clustered in the entry of the training facility, which was situated in an expansive parking lot. Large windows on all four sides of the office gave views of the testing areas. The multistory
tower where she’d take her test anchored one corner. At one edge of the lot, Reyna could see cones laid out in a course for some kind of driving test.

  “Montero. I would have thought you’d already completed the test.” Pulaski leaned against the wall as if he didn’t have a single concern. “Haven’t you been camped out here since the final grades were posted in Fields’s class?”

  Be nice. Make an effort.

  “This is the first date that’s been offered since we completed the academy classes. I’m here for the same reason you are.” Reyna shrugged. “I was not expecting the group to be so large, though.” She wasn’t going to fight. She needed to focus.

  “You two know each other?” one of the women asked. She had a long blond ponytail and a brilliant, friendly smile. “I brought my EMT certification with me from Orlando. I should have gone for the firefighter certificate, too—I could have done it here at South Florida First Responder Academy. The buddy system must be nice. It would be awesome if somebody I know ends up being hired in the same fire station as I am. We’d be the rookies together.”

  There were a few nods and some of the tension in the group eased. EMT certification was the only requirement to joining the fire department. Reyna had gone for the firefighting certificate in addition, to better her odds of getting the job she wanted. The extra time it had taken away from Concord Court had made pursuing this career harder, but it might still pay off. She should be glad to have a connection, even if it was to Ryan Pulaski.

  Reyna smiled even as her brain turned over and over the comment. A rookie. How long had it been since she’d been the lowest of the low on a team? She’d forgotten or tried to forget the pranks and all the extra duties she’d picked up as the new kid.

  “Well, now we’ve all got the buddy system. Good luck, everybody.” Reyna offered her hand to Pulaski. “I hope we’ll get to work together.” He saw through the big fat lie, but it made her feel like the better person to at least make the effort.

  Reyna turned and shook every person’s hand. She took a minute to commit names and faces to memory. That was a trick she’d learned early on in officer training. Yelling an airman’s name was the quickest way to get the action she wanted.

  “All right, huddle up,” a large man said as he stepped out from behind the desk. He was tall and wide, and his muscles had muscles. “I’m Jenkins, one of the proctors here who will be completing testing today.” He motioned with a thumb over his shoulder. “There are four of us. We’ll get you in and out as quickly as we can. When I call your name, you will follow me to the tower. Your test will start there. It will end in fifteen minutes or less. If you hit fifteen minutes, you have failed. There will be no running. Ever. Move quickly, steadily, but do not take shortcuts. Shortcuts will get you disqualified. Safety has no shortcuts. One warning. That’s it.” He paused to study every face lining the wall. Reyna turned to see that everyone had wide eyes locked on him. They had to be as nervous as she was.

  “If you fall, get up. Return to the beginning and try again. Do not stop until the proctor tells you to move to the next event.” He tipped his chin down. “Finish in less than fifteen minutes. Those are the general rules. Any questions?”

  Pulaski raised his hand.

  Jenkins pointed at him. “Good. We have a volunteer to go first. Your name?”

  Pulaski slowly lowered his hand. “Actually, sir, I wanted to ask...”

  “Name?” Jenkins raised his eyebrows.

  “Pulaski.” Ryan stood. Everyone in the room knew that protesting would get him nowhere. Reyna had seen that trick pulled by more than one instructor while she’d served. She’d fallen for it more than once herself. “And I’m ready to go when you are.”

  Jenkins nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  After they left, Reyna considered trying to organize the rest of the group into a voluntary order. Some people would prefer to get the test out of the way and go next. Others would want to go last. If they organized themselves for the proctors, they increased their chances of getting the slot they wanted.

  But stepping out like that was dangerous. She chewed her fingernail and tried to decide whether that initiative would be praised or derided. In a lifetime of classes and teams, she’d gotten both respect and a ton of grief for stepping up.

  “I’m Alvarez,” said the woman who stepped out from behind the desk next. “Where is Montero? Jenkins says you’re ready to go.”

  Reyna tried to be relieved that the decision had been taken out of her hands as she stood. “Here, ma’am. I’m ready.”

  “Aren’t you a little old to be making this fresh start, Montero?” Alvarez didn’t smile as she motioned Reyna to follow.

  Reyna hesitated, caught off guard at the question.

  “I decided to fly jets first. I got here as quickly as I could.” Reyna fell into step behind her. They went outside and stopped in front of the five-story building behind the office.

  “First, you will fully outfit yourself in the bunker gear. Do you need to examine the helmet or air tank before we begin? As soon as you touch the first piece of gear, your time starts.” Alvarez studied her face.

  Reyna shook her head. “I’m ready.”

  She studied the equipment and replayed the order as she’d done at the academy. This would be easy.

  “Guess we’ll find out how that Air Force training stacks up,” Alvarez said as she pulled out her stopwatch. “Go when you’re ready.”

  “You’re military, too. Army?” Reyna stepped up to the starting line.

  Alvarez nodded, the corner of her mouth turned up.

  “Your posture. It’s a dead giveaway.” Reyna glanced at Alvarez. “Can I call you Alvarez?”

  “To my face, yes, but call me whatever you have to in order to get through this test in under fifteen, Montero. Just do it under your breath.”

  Reyna nodded. She was ready as she would ever be, so she walked quickly to the equipment and methodically stepped in. Boots and pants. Jacket. Air canister. Face mask. Helmet. Gloves. This was where the academy training helped. She’d had a chance to get hands-on experience with the gear.

  “Good. Pick up the bundle and carry it to the fourth floor. Set it down in the designated area. You’ll find an X painted on the floor near the wall.” Alvarez pointed at the bundled hose on the ground. Reyna knelt to pick up the weight and placed it on her shoulder before turning toward the stairs.

  A small alarm rang in her head when she reached the second landing and had to gasp for breath. She was in good shape. The extra weight took some adjustment, that was all.

  “Touch every step, Montero.” Alvarez followed her and pointed at the window. Reyna set the hose down and forced herself to inhale and exhale steadily. “Pull up the equipment bundle. Hand over hand. Do not wrap that rope around any part of your body. Using any part of your body as an anchor is a safety violation.” Alvarez watched closely as Reyna worked. Her biceps burned but she carefully brought up the bundle. “Lower it the same way, hand over hand, and complete one more lift and lower. Do not drop it.”

  Reyna nodded. She wouldn’t waste a bit of air trying to speak. As soon as she’d completed that, Alvarez said, “Pick up the hose and go back down to the ground. Do not skip a step.”

  Reyna hurried and told herself this would be easier than climbing up. She had no concept of how the time was ticking, but she never stopped. On the second landing, she struggled to keep her balance in the turnout pants and boots and missed the first step.

  “First warning, Montero. Every step,” Alvarez shouted. Reyna considered arguing and asking to return to the fourth floor to try this descent again.

  Then the weight of the hose bundle settled heavily on her shoulders, so she continued down to the ground level.

  “Set the bundle on the X. We’re going to raise the ladder next.” Alvarez pointed at the designated spot for the hose and waited for her
before moving around the side of the tower. “Hand over hand. You pull, the ladder rises. Then you release it and lower it. Go, Montero.”

  Reyna had to ignore the burn down the backs of her arms.

  Her breath was loud in her ears, but she was doing it.

  The ladder went up, then lowered.

  “Now raise the ladder again. Climb up to the tenth rung and back down.” Alvarez crossed her arms over her chest. “Do it the right way, Montero.”

  Reyna gritted her teeth and raised the ladder. Then she climbed steadily to the rung painted red and back down to the ground. She immediately released the ladder and lowered it.

  “Good job. Now we hook up the hose.” Alvarez pointed her to the fire hydrant. “Hook it up. Open the hydrant fully. Then close it.” Reyna fumbled with the hose and fought the urge to yank the gloves off. They’d practiced this at the academy, too. If she could use her fingers better, this would be easier. On the third try, Reyna got the hose hooked and started turning the wrench on top. And turning. And turning. Was she doing this wrong? Eventually she could see the hose changing, filling, so she kept pulling the wrench around. Her stomach hurt and her arms were going numb, but she was close.

  “Now close it.” Alvarez had stepped under the shade of the single tree in the parking lot, her focus on the stopwatch. “You’re doing good on time.”