The Firefighter's Cinderella (Fire and Sparks)

by Sonya Weiss

  “You have a visitor. Jean is here.”

  As soon as Ivy made the announcement, Jean swept into the office, and Ivy backed out, closing the door behind her.

  “What a beautiful shirt!” Harper exclaimed.

  Jean always managed to look like a million dollars regardless of what she wore. The older woman touched the hem of her sparkly shirt. “A friend brought this to me from Italy.” She pushed her red heart sunglasses to the top of her head. “I hear you’ve lost some more employees.”

  Harper grimaced. “I have. To Thrills & Chills.”

  Putting her hands on her hips, Jean announced, “Then today’s your lucky day.” With a chuckle, she made herself comfortable in one of the chairs across from Harper’s desk. “You’re in need of employees, and I need to be employed.”

  The statement took Harper by surprise. “You need a job?”

  “That’s usually what being employed signifies.”

  “Yes, but I mean why do you need a job?”

  “Because I’m not the sit-and-knit type? Because I got fired from Hogwarts?”

  “I’m serious, Jean.”

  Jean’s lower lip trembled. “To be honest, I have a lot of free time on my hands, and not everyone wants a little old lady around. I get in the way.”

  “I happen to know your family loves having you around, so nice try, Granny.”

  “Oh, all right. I want to work here because Papa Ron and I thought it would be fun to work together. And don’t call me Granny.”

  Harper studied Jean. “You’re not up to your matchmaking tricks, are you?”

  Jean put a hand against her chest, the picture of innocence. “Me?”

  “You have a reputation and you know it.”

  “No good deed goes unpunished,” Jean said.

  “This is just about you wanting to work, and you won’t try your matchmaking skills on me,” Harper ordered.

  “I won’t.”

  Harper forced a lingering doubt out of the way. “Okay, tell you what. I can use someone part time in the costume department with Papa Ron.” If Jean was inside the castle working with him, she wouldn’t be doing any heavy lifting or be out in the heat, and Harper wanted to protect her friend.

  “Is there a maid costume I can borrow for after hours?” Jean asked, waggling her eyebrows.

  “Wha—?” Harper sighed as she understood Jean’s innuendo. “No. Definitely not.” She took employment paperwork from a folder. “Here. Fill these out while I locate Ivy to show you the ropes.”

  “You can’t show me around?”

  “No. I’m meeting Rafferty for a burn drill. Stop with the Cheshire cat grin, Jean. I’m going because I promised and not because anything is going on between us.”

  “Of course not.” Jean set her purse on the corner of the desk but not far enough, and the bag tipped, spilling contents across the floor.

  Harper bent down to help as Jean rushed to gather the things. She picked up a photo of a young woman sitting on the hood of a cherry-red Plymouth Valiant. A man about the same age leaned against the front grill. Judging by the car and the clothing, she’d peg the date as the mid-sixties.

  Jean snatched the photo away from Harper with such gusto that it took her aback. “Jean, who is that man in the photo with you?”

  “Someone who meant a great deal to me once.”

  “He looks familiar…is it Benny Heller?”

  “He wishes.” Jean tucked the photo out of sight. “If intelligence was sold by the pound, Benny wouldn’t have enough to make an ounce.”

  “If it’s not Benny—”

  “If you don’t mind, I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Contrite, Harper nodded. “Sure. I understand.” Her heart went out to Jean, and she wondered if the man in the photo was someone the other woman had lost. While Jean filled out the forms, Harper called Ivy and asked her to come to the office.

  By the time Ivy arrived, Jean had finished filling everything out, and with a promise to take care of the older woman, Ivy escorted her down the hall to the costume department.

  Harper tidied her desk, checked her upcoming schedule book, and then changed from heels into a pair of sneakers. Finally, deciding she’d procrastinated long enough, she locked the office and went to check on Jean on her way out.

  She found Jean and Papa Ron sitting on stools huddled close talking and could have sworn she heard her and Rafferty’s name. “Everything okay?”

  They sprang apart like two kids with their hands caught in a cookie jar.

  Papa Ron put a hand on his heart. “You shouldn’t sneak up on old people.”

  “We’re like those goats that get spooked. We tend to fall over and lie there stiffly,” Jean added.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I’m leaving to meet Rafferty.”

  Papa Ron busied himself at a worktable cutting material.

  Both he and Jean wore a flush of guilt.

  Harper put her hands on her hips. “Unbelievable! You two were talking about Rafferty and me. Jean, you promised.”

  “And I’ve kept that promise. I’m not matchmaking. All I said to Ron was that when it came to you, Rafferty was all hat and no cattle about there not being a spark.”

  “There’s no— You know what? I give up. Okay, there might have been a spark, but I squashed it, and no amount of matchmaking can revive it. Understand?”

  Jean swung herself down from the stool to hug Harper. “You know I love you the same as I do my grandkids.”

  Harper nodded.

  “All I want is for you to be happy.”

  “I am.”

  Jean snorted but covered it by clearing her throat. “You go on now and get to your man.”

  “Meeting,” Harper said.

  “That’s what I meant.”

  “Uh-huh.” Harper shook her head. Trying to stop Jean from matchmaking was as useless as sticking her thumb in Niagara Falls and hoping she could stop the flow of water.

  She went out to the van, and the entire twenty-minute drive to the rural part of Morganville where the burn house was located, she told herself she was not looking forward to seeing Rafferty. Then she gave up lying to herself.

  The van’s arrival didn’t go unnoticed, and the firefighters milling about the yard looked her way. Through the crowd of men, she spotted Rafferty, and he smiled. Harper had a catch-her-breath moment.

  Oh, girl. Pull your head out of the clouds and forget about him.

  He held up a finger, indicating he’d be with her soon.

  While Harper waited, she noticed Eshana Williams, a woman Rafferty had dated. When Eshana spotted her, she walked over and lifted a camera. “I’m taking some shots for the Morganville website. Are you here with Rafferty?”

  Harper hesitated, and Eshana laughed. “There’s no drama if you are. I’m here with one of the other guys.” She lifted a shoulder with a shrug. “But even if I wasn’t, Rafferty was up front with me that we weren’t heading anywhere permanent. We became friends, and his friendship is pretty amazing.”

  “It is,” Harper said quietly, glancing over to where Rafferty was instructing one of the rookies.

  “See you around,” Eshana said with a smile as she moved closer to begin taking photos.

  Rafferty jogged across to Harper. “You ready to rappel down the side of this house?”

  Harper looked at the two-story structure. “What? No! I—”

  “I’m kidding.” He walked her over to the rest of the crew. She said hello to Chris and Mac, then Rafferty introduced her to some men and women she didn’t know.

  “These are some of our new volunteer firefighters as well as a few rookie recruits.” Rafferty pointed to a group of men standing near a tarp filled with equipment spread out on the ground. “Those guys are our ignition team specialists. They’ll go in
side the house and start the fires.”

  Harper looked at another group assessing the side of the house. “Who are they?”

  “Rapid intervention team in case a firefighter gets trapped.”

  “In case—” She didn’t want to think about the possibility. Turning toward the road, she scanned up and down. “I don’t see a hydrant.”

  “Too rural for one. We’ll use the portable water tank. That holds about three thousand gallons.”

  The more she learned, the more she became aware of the dangers of his job.

  Any number of things could go wrong. What if one day he went out and never came back?

  As if he could read her thoughts, he said, “I’ve been in this burn structure before. Most of us here have. We know where the stairs are located and where the ladders are in case we have to bail. I have the access and egress memorized.”

  She bit her lip.

  “The conditions are real, but I promise they’re controlled. The structural integrity has been checked and a hole cut in the roof to release gasses. Plus, the house has a low fuel load.”

  “Low fuel load?”

  “There aren’t household furnishings in there. No beds, bookcases, furniture, things that can fuel a fire. Additional fuel sources were removed.”

  “Oh.” Harper watched the ignition team enter.

  “There’ll be two burn rooms using hay and pallets. Doing this helps to teach the rookies what fire behaves like.”

  The assistant chief clapped his hands together. “All right, let’s get suited up.”

  “You’re not going in?” Harper asked, noting the man’s lack of protective gear.

  “No. Rafferty and the rest of the team are going with you and two rookies.”

  “Feet first,” Rafferty said, kneeling to tuck a pair of turnout pants into a pair of boots. “All right. Step in.”

  Harper pushed her legs down into the pants and her feet into the boots. They were clunky, heavy on her feet. Like trying to move in wet concrete. Will I be able to run from any danger in these?

  She wiggled her hips and pulled the pants up over her jeans then tried to get the suspenders positioned on her shoulders, but after struggling futilely, Rafferty stepped in and tightened them, making sure they were snug. Time slowed to a crawl. She drummed her fingers against the side of her leg, unaware she was doing it.

  Until Rafferty gently assured, “I’ve got your back, Cinderella.” But still, he paused. “Continue?”

  Stay or run. Run or stay. She tossed the decision back and forth. Run.

  She swallowed hard, locked eyes with him and read the assurance, the strength, the promise that he wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. The confusion cleared. “Stay,” she said.

  He nodded, and after that, with each step he helped her do, he’d perform the same with his own gear, and Harper couldn’t help noticing he looked a heck of a lot better filling out his gear than she did in the borrowed ones. He checked the suspenders across the white T-shirt he wore, then he handed her an overcoat.

  Harper gasped at the weight of it as she zipped it up. Chris passed her what Rafferty called a hood, and she put it on to protect her neck and ears.

  Rafferty grinned. “You look cute.”

  “Don’t let it go to your head. Prince Charming says that to all the firefighters,” Kevin said, making a kissing motion toward Rafferty.

  Harper laughed but stopped when two other firefighters put an air pack on her back. She could barely move and couldn’t imagine how Rafferty ever got used to being weighed down.

  “Air mask,” he said as he put it against her face.

  Harper adjusted it and forced herself to breathe slowly and calmly. She gave him a thumbs up to reassure him and herself.

  She could do this.

  Seconds later, after adding gloves and a helmet, she was ready to go. She walked between Rafferty and Chris as part of the crew holding onto a long hose as they walked up the steps and entered into the house. Thick smoke was the first thing Harper noticed, followed by the low visibility. Her heart raced. She couldn’t imagine Rafferty having to walk into a place where the fire wasn’t controlled and he didn’t have the exits memorized.

  She stayed close to him as they moved farther into the house and made their way slowly from one burn room to the next.

  The firefighters put out the fire in both rooms, and finally, Harper was back outside. Though he’d told her the drill wouldn’t last long, it felt like hours. Harper was drenched in sweat and far more in awe of what Rafferty and the rest of the crew faced.

  “Hang on a second,” he said and approached two of the rookies. He stopped in front of the first one and nodded toward the house. “I saw you struggling with your grip in there, but don’t ever take your gloves off inside a structure fire again. All right?”

  Then he turned toward the second one. “I heard you didn’t check your personal gear this morning, and you know better. It’s not just your life that depends on that.”

  The second rookie nodded and looked away.

  Rafferty came back to rejoin Harper.

  After watching him in action today and seeing how he tried to help the younger, inexperienced firefighters, she understood now that it took someone with a passion for the job, someone who was committed to helping others. There was no glory to be found here. No spotlight. Just men and women who cared enough about helping other people to put their lives on the line.

  She took a deep breath of the fresh air, glad her mask was off. Rafferty shed his gear faster than the rest of the crew and helped her out of the rest of hers. She met his gaze as he lowered the suspenders. His brown eyes weren’t full of arrogance. That was confidence.

  A man who knew what he was doing, what he wanted out of life.

  “Will the town tear down the house now?” She looked at the broken glass on the ground where the windows in the two rooms had blown out.

  “No. We’ll use it until it’s not safe to do so anymore, and then it’ll be torn down.”

  She looked at the house and then couldn’t stop smiling. “I did it. Shaking in my shoes, but I did it.”

  He grinned. “Yes, you did. We walked through fire together.”

  Walked through fire together. His words struck a chord. Buoyed by what she’d accomplished and wanting to celebrate, she nudged Rafferty with her shoulder. “Do you want to go to the tavern this evening?”

  …

  “Are you asking me on a date?” Waiting for her answer, Rafferty drank in the picture she made standing in front of him.

  “No…I thought it would be nice to go get a drink together.”

  “Like friends?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I got the vibe last night that you didn’t want anything more to do with me. What changed?”

  “I decided that maybe I could risk something, and everything would turn out okay.”

  “Risk something. Meaning me.”

  She nodded.

  “There’s zero risk. I won’t hurt you.”

  “Maybe you won’t mean to, and I’m probably an idiot for taking a chance, but I’ve been thinking, and I realized that you being different from me with what you want out of life, and relationships doesn’t make you a bad guy.”

  “I see. I do have something to take care of later tonight, but I can go for drinks first.”

  “Okay…is nine good? I have to go back to work and then home to change.”

  “Let me give you a ride then.” Rafferty held his arm out, indicating for her to move away from the firefighters shifting closer to them. He walked with her to her van.

  “Okay. If something happens and you can’t make it, you can reach me on my cell.”

  Rafferty opened the driver’s side door for her. “I’ll be there,” he said firmly.

  Harper slid onto the seat and
rested her hands on the steering wheel. “I’m glad we’re friends again.” She smiled then started the van and drove away.

  Rafferty was glad they were back on familiar ground. Glad that she’d changed her mind about him. Chris called his name, and Rafferty didn’t have any more time to dwell after that.

  …

  His tires kicked up gravel pulling into Harper’s drive. After he’d gone home, wolfed down a meal, and showered, he’d started thinking about what Harper would wear. He figured it would be a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. That was the usual attire for an evening at the tavern.

  He scooped up the flowers he’d stopped to buy at the florist, telling himself they were because he wanted to give them to her because he knew she liked flowers and giving a woman flowers in the name of friendship was acceptable. Hurrying up her front porch steps, he stood at the door, heart jackhammering and mind racing.

  She opened the door after he knocked, and his brain function dropped to zero. He could only stare. Her hair curled around her face and spilled onto her shoulders. A yellow summer dress with pale flowers snuggled up against her body like it was tailored for her curves. The neckline dipped low, giving him a hint of the fullness of her breasts.

  All the ladies said he was smooth, an easy conversationalist, but all he could think was, Me, Rafferty. You, Harper.

  “Flowers,” he said, thrusting them at her.

  “You bring flowers to all your friends?”

  “Not my guy friends. They prefer beer.”

  Harper laughed. “The flowers are beautiful, thank you,” she said without a hint of any reaction at seeing him. “Come in. Give me a second to put these in water.”

  Rafferty stepped in and waited just over the threshold, telling himself to chill. He’d done this hundreds of times. Gone out with a pretty girl. Except this wasn’t a date.

  “You look amazing, by the way,” he said.

  “Thank you.” She let out another soft laugh. “I don’t know why I feel so nervous.”

  “You’re going out with the best-looking guy in Georgia. Some butterflies are normal.”