Misadventures with a Firefighter

by Julie Morgan

  “Stop.” I stood and took a few strides around her living room. “Just stop before you say something you’ll regret.”

  She shook her head, and a new rush of tears streamed down her cheeks. “I need you to leave, please. Just go, Noah. Get out. Just leave, please.”

  “Cara.” I tried to reach for her. When she didn’t move, I took a step closer and took her hand. “Please, don’t,” I whispered. I held her close, cupped her face, and wiped her tears with my thumbs. “Please.” I lowered my forehead to rest against hers.

  She sniffed and gripped my wrists. We were both falling, and we grasped each other for strength. I needed her as much as she needed me, and I was determined to prove this to her, even if it took the rest of my life.

  “Noah,” she whispered through a sob. “Please.”

  “Yes, baby?” I looked into her eyes. I wanted to kiss her, hold her, make love to her, just to prove I was here and on her side.

  “Leave.”

  “Baby, please, don’t—”

  “Leave. Don’t make this harder than it already is. Just go.” She pulled my arms from around her, made her way over to the front door, and opened it.

  “Cara, don’t do this.”

  “Noah, please just go!”

  I closed my eyes and fought the pain of the tears that surfaced. Against my better judgment, I nodded, then walked past her. Just as I crossed the threshold, Cara closed and locked her door. I leaned against it and felt the pressure of the door move, probably from her leaning against it from the other side.

  As I slid down to the floor, I imagined she did it with me and we managed to stay connected. The wood between us was only two to three inches thick, but we were miles apart in this moment.

  I rested my arms on my knees and let my head hang low. Where did I go from here? Calls, food, and showing up on Cara’s doorstep did nothing to help regain her favor. She was hurting, and she’d need time to heal, but she needed me as well. It was just a matter of time before she saw that.

  I only hoped when that time came, it wasn’t too late.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cara

  When I’d met with the principal this afternoon, I wasn’t sure what to expect. He requested for me to remain in the teachers’ lounge until the school day ended. Thankfully, that was only about an hour. I thought of how everything had come to a head with Erin, Noah, my career as a teacher ending… It wasn’t supposed to end this way. I was a fighter and always had been, but I also knew when to accept defeat. When your boss tells you that you’re out, there’s not much negotiating around that.

  The bell rang for the final call. End of day had arrived. There were the sounds of students bustling in the hallway, lockers opening and closing, gossip being passed from one student to the next over who was wearing what, and who was picked for teams. When the door to the lounge opened, I didn’t expect her to walk in.

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you would be here,” Erin said, then turned up her nose to run the water at the sink.

  Snake. That’s exactly what she was. She wanted my job, wanted the involvement with the school, and eventually wanted the recommendation to be superintendent. None of it was guaranteed unless you proved yourself. Even then, it was a crapshoot.

  I stood, crossed the floor to the counter, and folded my arms over my chest. “Why’d you do it?”

  She flinched, not realizing either that I would dare ask her or stand so close—probably both. Erin shrugged. “All’s fair in love and war, Cara.”

  “Who’s at war here? I was never out for you.”

  She turned off the water and yanked a paper towel from the dispenser, then turned to face me. “Let me see if I can put this into terms you can understand.”

  The words offended me, but instead of retaliating, I listened, my hands in fists.

  “You are rich. Like, filthy rich. You’ve never had to want or need for anything. You get the men—all the men!—all the time. You never have to work for it. They just drop to their knees and become dumb to whatever goddess pheromone you wear. Same for this job. I don’t know who you fucked to get it, but it ends now.”

  I slapped her. It happened before I realized what I had done, but the shock on her face made me proud I did it. My palm stung, and it was glorious.

  “First of all, I’ve worked for everything I have ever received. My family’s money had nothing to do with my career as a teacher. Secondly, I don’t get all the men. How they fall to their dumb knees over my, as you say, ‘goddess pheromones’ isn’t something I do or don’t do. I’m real and don’t play games. Try it sometime. The slap was for the job. I never fucked or sucked anyone to get to where I was. I did that all on my own. You’ll do good to remember that next time you go accusing somebody.”

  She rubbed her cheek, and if stares could kill, I’d be dead. “Whatever. I won this time. So go pack your shit and get out of my school.” She turned on her heel and left the lounge. I silently hoped others would see her red cheek and wonder who she’d pissed off to get it.

  I leaned against the counter and took one last look around. It would be the last time I saw this place. In a few minutes, the principal would be here to walk me to my old classroom. I only hoped the students knew I loved them and that my leaving had nothing to do with them.

  Moments later, the door opened and Principal Bishop poked his head in. “Let’s go.”

  Together, we walked the halls one final time toward my old classroom. The last time we’d walked this path, it was my first day. I glanced over to him, then back to the floor.

  “Normally, I wouldn’t ask someone who was on indefinite leave to wait in the teacher’s lounge, but something told me I didn’t have to worry about you.”

  I thought of the slap I’d given Erin. “No, sir, nothing to worry about.”

  “Look,” he started and turned toward me. “I’m sorry things ended this way, but we have rules for a reason. Dating a student’s parent is not acceptable behavior for our teachers. Nor is having relations in your classroom.”

  I thought about his last sentence for a moment. “Who, may I ask, informed you I was having relations in my classroom?”

  He wouldn’t look at me, so I pressed on.

  “Was it Erin? She came out and told me it was her who ratted me out. So if it was her, I’d like to know.”

  “You know I cannot confirm nor deny that accusation.”

  I sighed with a nod. “As I suspected. Perhaps you should further investigate matters before shooting first and asking questions later.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Listen,” I turned to face him this time. “You came to me with this information and never gave me a chance to defend myself. You fired me before hearing my side of the story. It’s not fair.”

  “And it’s an employment-at-will state. An employer may terminate an employment relationship at any time for any reason.”

  I nodded. “Yes, and unless a law or agreement provides otherwise.”

  “What are you getting at, Miss Murphy?”

  “I’m saying, you should have investigated the source further. Did you bother to check any video camera feed from the halls for proof of these so-called relations? Just don’t be surprised by what she may try.” Thankfully we didn’t have cameras in the classrooms yet, but I imagined that would be changing soon.

  He frowned and remained quiet for a moment. “What do you think she’d try?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s an employment-at-will state. I’m not willing to share that information now that I’m no longer your employee.”

  “That’s not very nice, Miss Murphy.”

  “Neither is accusing me of violating the rules without proof.” I turned toward my old classroom and felt sadness creep over me. “Will there be anything else, sir?”

  Principal Bishop sighed behind me, and then he muttered, “No.”

  I looked around the room, and my eyes burned from the threat of tears. I loved my students and loved teaching. I sure a
s hell didn’t do it for the money. I loved their little minds and how they absorbed everything they were taught. They were our future, and my goal was to help broaden their horizon as much as I could, while I could.

  I made my way to the desk, pulled the chair out, and sat down. I glanced around the classroom and could almost hear the voices of the students talking, laughing, and reading stories—even Marshall, with Noah across the room cutting out pumpkins and ghosts.

  Noah. Great, adding him to my torment was not needed in this moment. I opened my top drawer and removed my personal items so I could place them in the box conveniently left for me. I opened my file drawers and saw the old copy of Wuthering Heights I took with me to every classroom. I smiled and picked it up.

  Randomly, I flipped through the pages and landed on a passage.

  “I have not broken your heart—you have broken it; and in breaking it, you have broken mine.”

  With a sigh, I closed the book and let the tears flow free. I had been a right foul shit to Noah last night.

  At least I didn’t walk in on him fucking someone else. If I had, would it have been easier to break things off with him? Yeah, it would have, because Noah didn’t do anything to deserve this. I loved him but let him go. What the hell was wrong with me?

  After I packed up my belongings, I looked over my classroom once more.

  “Miss Murphy?” Principal Bishop called.

  I wiped my tears away and, with a sigh, stood from my old desk. “I’m fine,” I mumbled and walked past him into the hall.

  As soon as I walked out the doors for the final time, the sobbing started once more. Right now, I felt utterly and completely alone.

  Chapter Twenty

  Noah

  When you wanted something, you fought for it, tooth and nail, blood, sweat, and tears. You fought for it until it became yours. If it wasn’t meant to be, you let it go. But you had to know, once and for all, if it was worth fighting for.

  If the woman wasn’t the one, I wouldn’t fight for her. But Cara? She was the one. I knew she was, and she knew I was her equal as well. She might not want to admit that, but she knew, and I would do everything I could to get her to declare it as the truth.

  I got into my SUV and held on to the steering wheel. I was on autopilot. I drove without thinking or feeling. Her place was my destination, but I was at a loss about how I planned to prove to her we belonged together. I loved Cara, and I didn’t want to live this life without her, but if she insisted it was indeed over, I’d have no choice but to accept defeat.

  But failure was not part of my vocabulary.

  I turned down her street and, with a sigh, parked. I gripped the steering wheel and willed myself to exit my SUV and go to the woman I loved. My heart raced, and my ears thumped with each beat. I began to perspire. I should feel a chill, but instead, on this cold fall day, I was completely numb.

  I turned off the ignition and felt my stomach lurch.

  Fuck.

  I wasn’t good at this. Being part of a couple wasn’t something I’d wanted after Autumn, but for Cara, I was willing to put forth the effort. She would need to meet me halfway. I opened the car door, and a brisk breeze blew around me. I welcomed the chill, for I needed it with the heat my body was producing from the nerves plaguing my mind. I looked up at her window. Was she looking down at the street? Would she see me? Should I go for holding up the radio while it blared “In Your Eyes”?

  Just go to her, you idiot.

  Taking the steps up to her building, I stared at the call pad. Her name was the third one, listed simply as Murphy. I reached for it and gently touched it with my finger but didn’t press it. Not yet.

  Was she home?

  Would she see me?

  What if she sent me away?

  What if you just man up and press the fucking button?

  As much as I hated my inner voice at times, it never steered me wrong. I pressed her call button, and it buzzed. I waited what felt like an eternity.

  “Yes?”

  I exhaled the breath I’d been holding when I heard her voice. I pressed the button once more to talk. “Hey, Cara. It’s Noah.” I let the button go and waited.

  It felt as if the world turned toward me and watched, waiting to see what happened. Would she open the door, or would she tell me to leave?

  The door buzzed. I quickly grabbed the handle and felt my mouth pull into a smile. This was at least the first step. The door closed behind me, and it was then that I finally really felt the chill of the weather. My body shook, and I moved my hands up and down my arms to produce heat.

  I took the steps two at a time and climbed to her floor. Her door was slightly opened. I began the walk to her condo when Cara popped out.

  She wore the same flannel pajamas as the other night, but this time, her cheeks weren’t flushed, and her eyes weren’t red. Her hair was pulled to a side braid. And she looked perfect. My perfect woman.

  I stopped when our gazes met. She hypnotized me in the best way. I couldn’t move or even blink, for fear if I did, she would disappear.

  Cara raised her brows. “What are you doing?”

  “I—” I wasn’t sure what to say, so instead I willed my feet to move. Thankfully they did. I made it to her door. “Hi.”

  She opened her door fully and clasped her hands in front of her body. “Hello.” Cara lowered her gaze to the floor, then leaned against the doorjamb.

  “I’ve missed you,” I said.

  She lifted her eyes and met mine. “You have?”

  I took a step closer. “Of course I have. I love you.”

  She sighed and lowered her gaze once more, then motioned with her arm for me to enter her apartment.

  I stepped past her and waited for her to close the door. She flipped the locks and hesitated by the door. I wanted to go to her, turn her to face me, but I held my position. When she did turn around, I wanted more than anything to press her body to the wall and make love to her, but wants needed to wait. Right now it was about needs.

  I needed Cara in my life.

  I needed her to believe that.

  I needed her to listen.

  She motioned to the couch in her living room. I took a seat, and she sat on the opposite side, putting both space and silence between us, and it was as thick as pie. I needed a knife to cut through it to get to her—to my love.

  I flinched when her cat, Luci, jumped up on my lap. He meowed and looked up at me.

  “Well, Luci likes no one but me. He never comes out for anyone, so this is a first.”

  “Can I pet you?” I asked Luci, half expecting the cat to answer. Instead, when I raised my hand to offer it to him, he sniffed it, then rubbed his face against my fingers. “I take that as a yes.” I petted his head, then scratched behind his ears. Luci then lay down in my lap and purred.

  I raised my brows and looked at Cara.

  “He definitely likes you. He won’t even come out for my mom.”

  “Wow,” I whispered and continued to scratch behind his ears. I took this as a sign to continue with Cara. “So, listen, there are some things I need to get off my chest.”

  “Same here. Can I go first?”

  I nodded, adjusted myself on the couch to face her, and helped Luci get into a comfortable position.

  “I’m so sorry for how I treated you. You’ve been so wonderful to me, and you didn’t deserve that. I hope you can forgive me?”

  I smiled. “Of course. There’s nothing to forgive.”

  Cara smiled at my words. “Oh, I’m not done,” she continued. “As you know, I lost my job.”

  Guilt punched me in the gut once more. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Thank you. I told you before that someone told the principal we were involved and accused me of putting Marshall in a bad situation.”

  I felt my cheeks heat with anger. Mess with me, I might be able to let it slide. Mess with my son? All bets were off. “We both know that’s not the case. We also didn’t exactly come out to anyone, so how
did they find out?”

  “It doesn’t matter. They found out.”

  I sat back for a moment and thought about her words. She was terminated because she dated one of her students’ parents. There was only one person I was aware of who knew we were involved, if at all. It was the teacher-friend Cara had mentioned she was with the night we met.

  Cara warned me this could potentially be an issue, but we decided we knew best. Maybe that hadn’t been such a great idea. I didn’t regret any of this, but I hoped Cara wouldn’t hold resentment against me for the turn of events. I’d pursued her. I’d wanted this. I didn’t force her hand, but I might as well have. I wanted to feel guilty, but anger made a fiercer presence.

  I frowned and wondered if I mentioned Erin, the teacher she had worked with, if it would upset her. Would she deny the accusation? “Was it your friend Erin?”

  She lowered her gaze and didn’t confirm or deny my question.

  I knew it. “Why?” I asked. “What did she have to gain to throw you under the bus like that?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” she offered.

  “Yes, it does matter. She had to have a reason.”

  Cara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, it was Erin. She’s been gunning for my job, and I didn’t realize it until I was terminated. I was going to be offered the job of running our department, and eventually I was going to make a play for superintendent. To do that, you need credentials from the school—credentials I was on the verge of gaining. Apparently she wanted the same, so she decided the best way to get it was to go after me. No matter the cost.”

  “So, she thought shitting on your friendship would get her these credentials and this opportunity?”

  Cara nodded.