Page 31 of Striking the Match (Redwood Bay Fire #3)

“Well, that does all sound dramatic,” she says in concern. “That would rattle anyone.”

I nibble my lip and drag my fingernail over a grain in the wood on the countertop.

“I’m used to adrenaline and life-threatening situations,” I admit without bravado.

Not to sound like my brother, but it is part of the job here.

“It’s more…oh, there are several things bothering me,” I spit out in frustration.

“Keep going,” Mrs. Bloom says, sounding genuinely interested.

I don’t want to explain the Cassius situation just yet, so I start with what else is eating at me.

“The One-Two-Two think I’m a joke,” I grumble, trying not to feel like a petulant child. I’m not sure how successful I am. “That’s the second time in as many weeks they’ve had to rescue me when I couldn’t do the job myself.”

“Forgive me, dear,” she says with a flick of her perfectly penciled eyebrow. “But isn’t their job equally rescuing people? Why do you believe they’d think less of you for needing them to do what they literally get paid for?”

I shrug, trying not to let the shame get the better of me. “Because I should have done better. Both times it was like I could only half finish the rescue. How am I ever going to graduate to being a proper firefighter if I have to keep getting bailed out?”

Mrs. Bloom tuts. “You are a proper firefighter. The others have just been at it longer. And it’s not supposed to be a solo venture.

That’s why you’re part of a team. If anyone thinks less of you for having the common sense to ask for help when it’s necessary, they’re the ones who need to step back and examine their own insecurities. Now, is that all that’s troubling you?”

I sigh, knowing she’s probably right, but still feeling like the little boy who had to ask the big kids to help him out of a jam. My brother’s sneering looms at the back of my mind. But if she’s offering to help with what’s really on my mind, I’d be a fool to pass her up.

“No, there’s something else,” I admit. “It’s the actual problem, really. Well, I don’t know if ‘problem’ is the right word, but…”

Of course that’s when the rigs come trundling back inside the station.

The fire mustn’t have been that bad for them to have made it back so quickly.

I’m happy that it wasn’t serious and grateful that the place will be busy again.

But nervous that they’re finally going to want to talk about…

well, exactly what I was just going to mention to Mrs. Bloom.

She holds up a finger and places Miss Margot Fonteyn back down on the floor. “Hold that thought, Mr. Foster.” She turns around and peels the foil off the two big food trays, revealing what looks like some kind of bean casserole that she puts into the now-heated oven.

“Oh, Mrs. Bloom!” Lochlan calls as he hops out of the engine and slips out of his turnouts, leaving them in a pool on the floor for the next call. Hopefully, I’ll be able to join them for that one. Rocky sprints over to greet him as he walks to the kitchen area. “You angel. You’ve made us lunch?”

“Think nothing of it,” she says, waving the oven mitt at him even as she preens in delight. “Allow me to get some rice on to go with it. Young Mr. Foster here was just telling me his woes.”

“Ahh, dude,” Lochlan says sympathetically, wrapping his big arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head. “How you holding up?”

“Are you ready to spill all the juicy gossip yet?” Lili demands, skipping over and throwing her ass onto the stool beside me. “You know it was killing us not to ask earlier.”

“Hey,” Lieutenant Flores says firmly. “Go easy on him. He’s been through a lot already.”

“Well,” Mrs. Bloom says with a hand on her hip as she gets a large pot of water boiling. “Now I simply must know what’s eating you, Mr. Foster.”

“Not what but who,” Sawyer quips with a grin as he leans on the other end of the breakfast bar.

“Manners, Mr. Nelson,” Mrs. Bloom tells him, and he has the grace to look sheepish.

“Sorry, ma’am.”

“Teddy has a boyfriend, Mrs. Bloom,” Yara says from the back of the ambulance where her and Dray are cataloguing their supplies after the call.

“He’s famous and someone took a video of them this morning, so now Teddy’s getting attention, too.

But honestly, I’m not sure why all that matters. Do you like him for him, Teddy?”

“And is he actually your boyfriend?” Sawyer asks with wide eyes, leaning closer in. Lili smacks his arm but he just smirks at her before winking at me.

I sigh, but the lieutenant sets a cup of coffee in front of me, and I didn’t realize how much I needed it until I take the first sip.

He knows exactly how everyone takes theirs, and I feel a flood of gratitude wash through me that I’m so blessed to have such amazing colleagues.

For all the teasing, I know they only want what’s best for me.

It’s about time that I share what’s been going on in my life these past couple of weeks rather than bottling it all up and trying to deal with it alone.

Mrs. Bloom is right. We work as a team. That’s the whole point.

“I like him so much,” I tell Yara, my voice catching. It feels momentous to admit that out loud in a room full of people. “And not because he’s Cassius Garda, former NFL pro. But because he’s a kind, funny, generous guy who apparently likes me as much as I like him.”

“Hot,” Lili says, wagging a finger. “You forgot insanely hot.”

“And rich,” adds Sawyer, shaking his head.

The rest of the team collect their coffees from Lieutenant Flores at the machine.

They find a place to sit or lean against while Mrs. Bloom stirs the vat of rice.

Gene looks to be taking a call, no doubt from his wife needing to discuss one of their kids.

But everyone else is looking expectantly at me.

Lochlan waves his hand at both Lili and Sawyer. “Never mind all that,” he says, raising his eyebrows incredulously. “How the hell did you meet him, Teddy? Did you send him fan mail with dick pics inside?”

“What?” I splutter in horror. “No! Nothing like that, no. Do you remember the cat I saved from the river?”

“You mean the cat the One-Two-Two saved from the river?” Sawyer corrects with a smirk.

“Dude,” Anton says with a frown. “Read the room. Not the vibe.”

Sawyer looks genuinely contrite. “Sorry, man. Yeah, we remember the cat. The person who was going to adopt them wanted to meet you first, right?”

I wince and laugh. “Yeah…that person was Cassius Garda. I almost had a heart attack when I walked in and saw him.”

“I bet,” Dray says, sounding intrigued. “What did you do? Did you keep your cool?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, making everyone laugh.

I shake my head, grinning as I recall that moment.

It’s nice to finally share it with the guys, having vowed to take the experience to my grave.

“I thought it was a disaster. But apparently, he thought I was cute.” I blush, not quite believing I’m daring to admit that out loud.

“I knew I recognized that voice,” Captain Valentine says with a shit-eating grin, wagging his finger at me. “So he called the station to get your number?”

I nod just as Mrs. Bloom shakes her head. “I’m sorry, who are we talking about?”

“Cassius Garda,” Lili explains to our elderly neighbor.

“Former Seattle Seahawks star quarterback and little Teddy’s personal hero.

” She whistles and looks me up and down.

“Damn, dude. This is like one of those Christmas movies where the baker somehow ends up catering the royal ball and falling in love with the prince.”

“That sounds like an oddly specific reference,” Lochlan says with a flick of his eyebrow.

Lili shoves him. “Oh, like you literally don’t watch them with me every year,” she fires back with an eyeroll.

“Ah,” Mrs. Bloom says, steering the conversation back on track. “I’m finally starting to see why the situation is complicated. So what happened specifically this morning?”

I take another sip of coffee to fortify myself. “Well, we’ve seen each other a couple of times since we met at the shelter,” I start explaining.

“The day at the walkway?” Anton guesses, and I nod sheepishly.

“It was all so surreal, and I didn’t really know what was going on, so that’s why I didn’t tell any of you guys.

But, yeah, I found out yesterday that was actually a date and I didn’t realize.

Yesterday was a date, too, which he finally clued me in on.

” That gets a nice laugh from my avid listeners.

“Then this morning…well, we officially agreed to try dating. I’m, um, he’s my?—”

“Boyfriends!” Yara squeals excitedly. “Aww, how romantic.”

I huff. “The thing is, we’d talked a lot about the fame thing and how it would probably affect me, then those girls went and did what they did.”

The lieutenant catches Mrs. Bloom’s eye. “A couple of teenagers filmed Teddy and his boyfriend kissing without them knowing and put it on the internet.”

“How rude,” she says crossly with a furrowed brow. “But hopefully not many people saw it before you made them take it down, right?”

I share an awkward glance with Flores. “It was a live video, Mrs. Bloom, that other people have now copied and shared all over the place. It was everywhere before I could do anything about it.”

“Like glitter,” Yara adds with a slightly haunted look in her eyes.

“One of the videos I saw had over eight million views,” I say glumly.

I stopped looking at TikTok after that.

“Eight million. I say. And you feel violated,” Mrs. Bloom accurately assesses. I nod and sigh again.