Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,54
shift was less than an hour old, so he couldn’t imagine anything he’d done that would incur the captain’s wrath.
On his last shift, Ethan had been the one to spot smoke as they were driving the engine back from a false alarm, and they’d caught a young kid setting a fire in a Dumpster. Ethan had chased down the little firebug and, rather than getting tough with him, had engaged in a long discussion about the damage that could have occurred to nearby houses—and people—if the fire department hadn’t happened upon the scene. The kid had been in tears afterward, and had promised not to set any more fires. He’d even expressed interest in the fire department’s Explorer program.
Ethan’s efforts had earned him a rare compliment from the captain.
So what was wrong?
Captain Campeon looked more nervous than Ethan felt. Not mad at all. Ethan took a chair and waited.
“Part of my job is to see that my men—and women—are fitting in and adjusting to the job. It’s a sort of touchy-feely thing I’m not very good at.”
“I’ve been hanging out at Brady’s,” Ethan said immediately, since Campeon had been the one to suggest it.
“I didn’t bring you in here to reprimand you. You and Veracruz and Garner have gone out of your way to fit in. You’ve taken a lot of flak without complaint, and it’s paying off. I know being a rookie isn’t easy—especially not in this situation.”
“I’m not complaining. I love this company,” Ethan said, meaning it. Oh, no, was he about to get transferred? He’d go wherever the department wanted him, but he hated the thought of working without Tony and Priscilla by his side.
“You don’t seem very happy.”
Ethan was startled that the captain even noticed the moods of the firefighters under his leadership.
“I’ve been a little bummed because Kat and I broke up,” Ethan admitted, wanting the captain to know it had nothing to do with job satisfaction. “I hadn’t realized it was affecting my work.”
“It’s not. You’re doing a good job. You’re gonna go far. And I did hear about your breakup. The firefighter grapevine thrives.”
Ethan was pleased with the praise—Campeon didn’t often go out of his way to give pats on the head. But he was still puzzled as to why he was sitting here.
“I was sorry to hear you broke up. Kat seems nice. I thought she’d moved in with you.”
“She did. And we broke up. It’s complicated.”
The captain cleared his throat, indicating he wasn’t interested in any messy details. “So, anyway. I thought you might want to meet my sister.”
“Uh.” Ethan was speechless. A setup? He’d never been on a blind date, and he didn’t intend to start now. “She’s single?” he finally asked, realizing immediately what an idiotic question it was.
“Of course, she’s single!” Campeon thundered. “Would I offer to introduce you if she was married?”
“No, sir.” If it was anyone else, he would quickly make it clear he wasn’t interested. But this was his captain.
“She’s divorced. Has a couple of kids. Her ex is a jerk—she always dates jerks.
“I want her to meet some nice, gainfully employed guys. And since I know you’re unattached, and you like kids…”
“Sure, Captain, I’d love to meet your sister.” What else could he say?
“Great. We’re having a big barbecue here on the Fourth of July. Friends and family invited. That would be a good time for you to meet Tina and her kids, don’t you think?”
Ethan nodded. “Sure.” What a nightmare. Not only did he have a blind date, but he’d have to conduct it with Captain Campeon watching. Not to be insensitive, but if she were unattractive or if she hated him on sight, he would never live it down. He would be the butt of fire-department jokes for years to come.
“In case you’re wondering, she’s a former runner-up Miss Latina Texas. But I appreciate your saying yes even before seeing her picture.” He pulled a picture out of the drawer, and Ethan studied it.
Tina was, indeed, attractive.
Ethan hadn’t given up totally on Kat. But they were broken up for now, and maybe spending time with another woman would ease the pain—or at least help to pass the time. He tried to feel some optimism about meeting Tina, about moving forward. But he felt nothing.
* * *
TO KAT’S SURPRISE, James Canfield, the lawyer who’d been so interested in StrongGirls, called her the day after talking with her at the Sunset High cafeteria. His client, he said, was Oscar Breckenridge. He paused, waiting for