The Firefighter Who Rescues Me

Chapter 15 ♚ New Opportunity

Despite all the unexpected turns of event last night, I had an extra pep on my step the next morning at work.

"Someone's happy," Paul said while taping up the insides of another house we had yet to paint.

I shrugged, hoping the gesture would stave off any further interest on my good mood.

But then Shane said, "I heard a rumor."

My body froze in the middle of laying a plastic tarp on the floor. Thoughts running a mile per hour all arrived to the same destination: Hunter told him. The whole town knew Pace and I had danced naked merengue under the starlit sky in a national park last night.

"Coach Martel might be looking for a new assistant coach soon," he said instead, drawing gasps from Paul and Teddy, the latter who was just walking into the unfinished house with two buckets of white paint.

"Again?" Teddy asked, setting the load down.

"It's truly been a carousel of assistant coaches ever since Gauthier went to prison, huh?" Paul mussed, shaking his head as though that were more important than the fact there was an assistant coach who went to prison, period.

Pueblo pequeño, inferno grande, was how the saying went.

Well, at least they weren't talking about Pace and I. Maybe the Sheriff was a cooler guy than I pictured him as, huh?

"I'm going to apply." Shane puffed up his chest. "The Bears need someone who can bring leadership and support to the team. I'm just the man for the job."

Chuckling, Paul asked him, "Remind me, were you the captain in your generation?"

"No, that was Dean."

"Or the assistant captain?" Paul smiled.

In reverse, Shane's face lost humor. "No, that was Pace but-"

"Of course he was," I said, which drew every eye in the room to me. I turned away from them on the excuse that I was busy, and busied myself with work as I said, offhandedly, "He seems to volunteer for everything."

Actually, hadn't Pace been the one to bring my stuff to the hospital after Lance called the firefighters? I didn't even have to ask to know he'd offered to help. That dumb little angel on earth, ugh.

"Yeah, but that's also because he was the second best player in the team." Shane joined me on this side of the house and helped me tape up the tarp. "He could've been as good as Dean if he'd had more time to practice. But with the way his family is... well, you know. It's tough."

I didn't, actually. I had no idea what Shane was talking about. Then again, I'd only known Pace for a couple of weeks and that was far from enough.

Making a mental note, I vowed to ask him about this on our date tomorrow. As much as I wanted to know right that second what Shane meant, asking my coworkers would be a huge red flag.

"Come to think, I'll have to talk with Pace so he doesn't volunteer for this gig and steal my thunder," Shane continued saying.

"I like that you think you stand a chance," Paul said, now laughing in full. "I really like that for you."

Teddy scowled at the younger guy. "Hey, miracles exist. Let him dream."

No human power could prevent me from laughing then. "Wow, you guys are savage."

"Is Cora here?" a new voice said.

I couldn't speak for the others, but it was always a shock when the top boss came looking for you. I felt like a school kid about to get scolded by the principal as Lance spotted me.