FULL NOVELXO Finding Hayes: Chapter 21
“Married life looks good on you,” Cap said, as he clapped me on the shoulder and then moved around his desk to sit across from me.
“Thanks.”
“Was that Priscilla Larson I saw upstairs bringing you cookies?”
I laughed. “Yeah. She hasn’t missed a year yet. I keep waiting for those grumpy teenage years to kick in and for her to realize she doesn’t need to thank me year after year.”
“You saved her life, Hayes. That’s not something anyone forgets.”
I cleared my throat and nodded. “Thank you.”
“So, I wanted to talk to you about this position and make sure you know what you’re up against.”
I was just coming off a three-day shift, and I was tired, but I perked up at the mention of the promotion.
“I’m assuming I’m up against Lenny.” I leaned back in the chair, stretching my legs and crossing them at my ankles. “Even though I think he’d be a terrible leader, I understand why we’d both be considered for the position, as we’re both lieutenants.”
“Lenny isn’t in the running. Not really. I mean, he’s applied for the position, of course, but he’s never had my support. It’s always been you I saw filling my shoes. The job is yours if you want it.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“What do you mean? We’re both lieutenants. We both want to be captain. Everyone knows we’ve been competing for the same position.”
“At the end of the day, I’ve spent a lot of time with both of you. I know what’s best for this firehouse, and I’m not shy about it.” He leaned forward, folding his hands together and resting them on his desk. “Lenny isn’t a bad guy. He’s a decent lieutenant. He’s a better firefighter than people think he is, and the reason they feel that way is mostly because he’s gotten lazy. But he’s capable, and that’s why he’s still here. But he’s never been in the running for this position.”
“Well, that’s news to me. He’s been campaigning with Kimber for quite some time.”
He chuckled. “I’m more than aware of what he’s been doing. But having a wife who throws fundraisers doesn’t make one a fire captain. You’ve always been the only one in this house who has been considered. We’ve got some applicants from out of town, but you’re the guy we want. Always have been.”
“You’re serious?”
“Do I strike you as a joker?” He smirked. We were similar in many ways. We were both quieter and focused on the job.
I rubbed my hands together. “I don’t know what to say. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“You thought that I’d promote Lenny because his wife likes to throw parties?”
“I think everyone did.” I shrugged. “We all know that a family environment is important to you.”
“Creating a family environment does not happen because someone threw a few parties. Creating this connection with the guys comes from being there. Modeling the behavior you want to instill. Showing up when they struggle or when there are challenges. Leading by example, and that’s exactly what you do, Hayes. What you’ve always done. Every damn day that you come to work, you show up. You work hard. The guys respect it. The way you’ve taken Stinky, Beebs, and Bones under your wing and taught them the right way to fight fires. The right way to show up for your family here at the firehouse. That’s what matters.”
I ran a hand down my face. I wasn’t used to being caught off guard, but I hadn’t expected this.
“Thank you. It means a lot.”
“I know it does.” He smirked. “And it’s great that you and Savannah found your way together. I like seeing you like this.”
I quirked a brow. “Like what?”
“You know, there’s an occasional smile on your face.” He barked out a laugh. “It has nothing to do with you as a firefighter, Hayes. I wouldn’t give a shit if you stayed single your entire life—I care about how you do the job. But as a friend. As a man who’s watched you grow up and looks at you like a son. I like that you have something, someone to go home to. And I can tell that you like it, too.”
“When did you turn into such a sappy dude?” I shook my head and used my hand to cover my laugh.
“Apparently, the older I get, the sappier I become.” He reached for his coffee and took a sip before returning his mug to the desk. “So, what I want to talk to you about is the part of the job you might not like.”
“Which is?”
“You’re going to be a fucking babysitter sometimes. You’re going to break up fights and have to ride the guys when they slack. You can’t just call them assholes and shut down. You’re going to have to check your temper at the door and be the guy everyone turns to with all their problems, even when you don’t feel like it. And trust me, there’s always something.”
“All right. I can handle that.”
“I know you can. That’s why you’re here.”
“And what happens with Lenny?” I asked, knowing that he wouldn’t take it well.
“Listen, if Lenny were being promoted, I know that you’d leave. Because you know that he wouldn’t lead this house the way it needs to be led. But I think he knows you’re the man for the job. I think he’ll accept it.”
“Pffft.” I quirked a brow. “I think you’re underestimating how much we despise one another.”
“Well, that’ll be up to him. Can you handle being his boss without being an asshole to him? Or at least no more of an asshole than you are to anyone else?”
“Yeah. If he does his job, I wouldn’t have a problem with him. Hell, if he leaves me alone now, we won’t have an issue. But it’s usually him fucking with me. Trying to goad me, you know?”
“So don’t bite. He’s going to be offended at first. And, at the end of the day, this house would survive just fine without Lenny. It would not survive without you. So if he decides to leave, we’ll throw him a party and wish him well. But it will be his decision.”
“Is this official? Or is there still some red tape to get through?”
“No. The job is yours, Hayes. We’re announcing it the minute you accept. Obviously, I’m not leaving just yet, but I’ll start training you over the next few weeks.” He pushed to his feet, and I did the same.
He extended an arm, and my hand wrapped around his. “Thank you, Cap. It means a lot to me.”
“Do you need to discuss this with Savannah? Or do you need some time to decide if this is what you want?”
“Nope. I’ve always known what I want. She supports that. She wanted this for me. This firehouse is my home. These guys are my family. I’d be honored to walk in your shoes, and I’ll do my best to make you proud.”
His lips turned up in the corners, and he clapped me on the shoulder hard. “Already there, son.”
He led me out of his office toward the kitchen, where Biscuit stood at the stove, pushing around some eggs in a pan.
“Listen up,” Cap said, loud enough to get everyone’s attention. The guys all went quiet, and Cap informed them that I’d be taking his position when he retired in a few weeks.
The entire table erupted in cheers and whistles and celebration. I wouldn’t have guessed they’d be this excited. No one wanted Cap to retire, including me. But if he weren’t the one here leading these guys, I knew I wanted it to be me.
“What’s going on in here?” Lenny said. He tugged his coat off and walked into the kitchen, as he’d be starting his shift right when I was leaving.
My gaze locked with Cap’s, and then he turned to Lenny and said the words I knew my nemesis would hate. “Rambo here is going to be the next captain of this firehouse. Everyone is just congratulating him now.”
Lenny narrowed his gaze, and I saw the anger, but he straightened his face and forced a smile. “Congrats, man. That’s great.”
I nodded. “Yeah, thank you. I’m going to head out.”
I held up my hand as Cap sat there answering all the questions the guys were firing at him about who could move into my current position. I laughed as I made my way down the hallway and found my coat, sliding one arm at a time into the sleeves.
“So, let me guess… your wife is some sort of ridiculous fucking social media star, and now you get the job? Way to play fair, Hayes.” Lenny was standing there, just as angry as I’d expected him to be.
I reached for my zipper and took my time answering because he wanted to pick a fight right now. He wanted me to get angry, and then he’d play the victim. But he wouldn’t get that from me.
Yeah, Savannah’s farmhouse renovation had blown up on social media, and she’d gotten millions of views. Everyone in town was talking about how talented she was, and she’d received offers from several design firms in the city, interested in having her come work for them when she wrapped up this project.
She was leaving.
We both knew it.
But I’d stopped thinking about that because I was having a good time with our situation.
I turned, keeping my cool but stepping closer to him. Shoulders set, eyes locked with his. “How about you and I agree that you don’t speak about my wife? You don’t think about her. You don’t talk about her. And we won’t have a problem.”
He smiled just enough to let me know he was enjoying himself. “Wow. Looks like everyone has a kryptonite, and I sure have found yours.”
I took a step back and moved toward the door. I wouldn’t engage with this asshole. Today was a good day, and I was not going to let Lenny fucking Davis change that.
“Have a good shift.”
I hopped into my truck and tried calling Savvy, but it went to voicemail.
I sent the guys a text.
I got the job.
River
Let’s fucking go.
King
Are you the new fire captain or a house husband? Your wife had a reporter out at the house earlier today. She’s becoming quite the local celebrity.
Fire captain, dickhead.
But I couldn’t help but smile at all the good things that were happening for Savannah. She fucking deserved it. She worked hard. And when it came to her passion for design, she didn’t have to overthink it. She just got on camera and shared her work, and people fucking loved it.
Loved her.
I understood it.
Because I was crazy about her, too.
Nash
Congrats, brother.
Romeo
Happy for you. You deserve it. How did Lenny take the news?
As expected. He’ll cool down eventually.
King
Does this mean I can pull all the fire alarms everywhere I go, and I won’t get arrested?
I’ll be the first one to call you in and do a citizen’s arrest. How about you start calling me, Captain.
King
Captain dick banana?
Nash
Have you told Savvy yet? She was bragging about you today at the house.
King
Don’t get a big head. She wasn’t bragging about your… dick banana. She was telling the reporter all about your fire skills.
River
Are you putting out a lot of fires at home? <laughing face emoji>
Romeo
Hey, she loves her husband. No fault there.
King
Well, she put me in her video today. I bet this one blows up the internet.
Nash
You were pretending to tile the backsplash on camera with your shirt off. I don’t see that one going viral.
Romeo
No one would love to go viral more than King.
King
Have you seen my six-pack?
No one gives a shit about your six-pack.
King
I think your sister would disagree. <winky face emoji>
<middle finger emoji>
River
So, when do you take over at the firehouse?
A couple of weeks.
River
Look at you, Hayes. Everything is falling into place for you. You got the job. You got the girl.
King
You’ve got the best friends anyone could ask for.
Nash
Six-packs and all.
I hate to interrupt this riveting conversation, but I need to go find my wife and tell her the news.
Nash
We left a half hour ago, and she was heading home. Happy for you, brother.
King
By the way, are you sure you two want to sell that farmhouse? I think she loves it there, brother. Maybe you should think about keeping it, Captain. <winky face emoji>
I set my phone on the center console and started driving toward our house. It was our house now, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter that this relationship wasn’t real—she’d been the first person I’d wanted to tell the news to. The first person that I wanted to see.
I didn’t know what we were anymore. It had been a few weeks of sleeping in the same bed, making out like teenagers, showering together—we’d traded more orgasms than one could imagine, but we hadn’t had sex. And I didn’t even know why we were holding back anymore.
Even she’d suggested we just tear off the bandage.
It was me who was afraid to take that step. And it made no fucking sense.
We were both on the same page.
We were having fun.
We knew how this would end. We’d agreed we’d stay friends after our very amicable divorce, but right now, playing house was a lot of fucking fun.
Our attraction was impossible to miss. We wanted each other. We were two consenting adults.
She wanted it.
I wanted it.
And I was done holding back.
It was time for me and my wife to take things to the next level.