Page 9 of The Great Maple Mistake (Love in Maplewood #8)

I have all eyes on me, but the ones I feel the most intensely are Alex’s.

I glance over, and he’s moving closer. We smile, and I get that good sort of whooshing feeling in my stomach, like I’m on a roller coaster.

I try to focus on the presentation as I haul my turnout gear from my duffle.

“We call our personal protective clothes and equipment our turnout gear. When I put my gear on, I don’t take off my other clothes.

” I pull at the shoulder of my T-shirt and gesture to my navy blue uniform pants.

“My gear goes over it.” I reach for the pants, stepping into them with my boots still on, pulling the suspenders over my shoulders.

“The pants come first.” I secure the Velcro flap in the front and clip the belt in place, then tighten the suspenders.

“Next is the coat.” I swing it over my shoulders and slip my arms inside.

“It’s heavy like a winter coat, and it’s made of lots of layers that protect us from the heat when we’re fighting a fire.

” I pull the balaclava over my head and tuck it into my coat, then do up a few of the clasps at the front, not bothering with all of them for this demonstration.

“Now this is the odd-looking part.” I haul the oxygen tanks up and slip my arms through the straps.

“It looks a bit like a backpack, but it’s actually bottles of clean, fresh air, so I don’t have to breathe in the smoke at a fire.

” I glance at the chief. “Chief’s gonna take over the explanation, because now I’m going to pull on my mask.

This is what I breathe through to get the clean air from the bottles on my back.

Now, the mask is a little scary, but don’t be afraid.

It’s just me in here.” I pull the mask over my head and position it over my face, pulling the straps so it’s tight, then pull the balaclava up over my head.

“Firefighter Cody is gonna put on his helmet next.” I grab my helmet and put it on, then screw the oxygen valve onto the front of the mask with a hiss.

“Hear that hiss, kids? That means the clean air is getting to Cody. And now you can hear him breathe.” I inhale deeply, and it makes another hissing sound.

One of the kids pushes up onto their knees and points at me. “He sounds like Darth Vader!”

I grin and glance at Alex, who is biting his lip again, still trying not to laugh. But the chief takes the kid seriously. “He does, but firefighter Cody’s a good guy, and he’s there to help you in a fire.”

Yuro steps forward, addressing the kids. “If we’re fast asleep in our beds, and we wake up to fire in our homes, and someone dressed like this is in our room, we’ll know it’s okay to go with them. They are safe.”

“That’s right. Firefighters are friends.” Chief gestures for me to come over. “Firefighter Cody is going to sit with us. And if you want to check out his gear, or ask questions, you can do that.”

I take off my breathing apparatus and carefully walk toward the kids, moving a bit slowly so I don’t scare the little ones.

Kneeling down next to the chief, I smile.

“Anyone want to feel how thick my coat is? It keeps me safe from the heat.” Like floodgates have opened, I’m swarmed by little people.

Hands brush over my arms, and one kid even knocks on my helmet. “Anyone have any questions?”

A little kid, about eight or so, with a riot of blond curls and big green eyes, shoots their hand into the air but doesn’t wait to be called on. “How many fires have you gone to?”

“Lots. I’ve been a firefighter since I was a senior in high school. I started out as a volunteer and kept at it through college. When I graduated, I decided I wanted to do this as my job, so I did.”

“What if you have to go poop when you’re at a fire?” I didn’t see who asked, but I think it’s the kid with the toy firefighter helmet. The rest of the kids laugh, and I glance at Chief, who shakes his head like he’s not surprised.

“Well, we try to go when we’re at the firehouse, but when there’s a fire, you can’t stop to use the restroom. So unless it’s an emergency, you hold it until you get back to the firehouse.”

“But what if it’s a ‘mergency?” Aha! It was the kid with the fire helmet.

I shrug. “It hasn’t happened to me, but I suppose someone could go to a local business or a nearby house, if they had to go that badly.”

The child with the fire truck toy puts a hand to my cheek and turns my head so he’s looking directly into my eyes. “What happens if the fire truck catches on fire and then you catch on fire?”

His gaze is so intent that I’m not even tempted to laugh.

“We park a safe distance away, and if the fire gets too close anyway, then we move the fire truck. We also get lots of training so we can stay safe when we’re fighting the fire.

” He stares into my eyes for a full fifteen seconds without blinking and then nods and moves back.

I glance at the chief, a bit unnerved by the exchange.

The kid in the Seattle Riptide jersey jumps up and down. “Do you get to slide down the fire pole?”

That gets the kids going again, and before I can answer, the questions come at me fast and furious. “Do you guys dance on the fire pole? I saw someone on Instagram do that.”

“What happens if there’s a fire on another planet?”

“What do you do if someone is covered in spiders?”

“Have you ever saved a kitten from a tree?”

“Do you live at home with your family?”

“Can I drive the fire truck?”

“Do you guys have a fire dog?”

In my attempt to focus on each question, I somehow forget Alex is here until his laughter bubbles out of his chest, and our eyes meet over the kids’ heads.

I can’t help grinning in response. Thankfully, Yuro saves me.

“Okay, kids, Firefighter Cody will answer two more questions, and then we’re going to have to say thank you and goodbye.

He and the chief need to go back to the firehouse in case there’s a fire.

” They turn toward me, a sympathetic smile on their face.

“Pick whichever questions you’d like to answer. ”

I try to remember what the kids asked. “I’ve never had to rescue an animal from a tree.

They mostly know how to get down since they got up there.

But I have had to rescue pets from burning homes, and that made me feel really good that I could save someone’s pet.

” I try to remember what else they asked.

“We do have a fire dog, and her name is Enya. I found out that it’s an Irish name that means little fire.

She’s a yellow lab, and she’s three years old.

” I look at Yuro. “If it’s okay, I’ll answer one or two more, since the answers are kind of easy.

” They nod, so I keep going. “So someone asked about driving the fire truck. The answer is you can drive the truck if you’re legally allowed to drive, you pass your test for driving the fire truck, and you become a Driver Engineer.

So if you do all that, then yeah, you can drive the fire truck.

And I think the last question is do I live at home with my family.

And the answer is sometimes. See, we have to live at the station when we’re on duty, in case there’s a fire.

That way, we can get to the fire fast. But if we’re not on duty, then we can go home and live with our families.

I live with my Aunt Viv when I’m not at the station. ” I glance at Yuro, and they take over.

“Okay, Saplings, what do we say to Chief Brennan and Firefighter Cody?”

The entire group takes a collective breath and singsongs, “Thank you, Chief Brennan and Firefighter Cody.”

I push to my feet. “Thanks for having us, everyone.”

Chief Brennan stands as well, then pulls firefighter badge stickers from his pocket and passes them out to each of the kids. “You’re all honorary firefighters today. That means you can wear this badge, and you should go home and teach your families what you learned. Okay?”

They all nod, and most of them remember to say thank you when Chief hands them a sticker.

Yuro gathers the kids into a group. “Okay, we’re going to go into the library and pick a book.

You have twenty minutes and then your rides will be here to pick you up.

” They turn back to us. “Thank you, Chief Brennan and Cody. We had a great time learning about fire safety.” They lead the kids out of the room, and I start to take off my gear.

Chief grabs his duffle and holds out his hand to Alex. “Good to see you. If you have any pictures you think would be good on the station’s website, we’d love to have them.”

“Good to see you too, Chief.” Alex shakes his hand. “And absolutely. I’m sure I’ll have some that will be perfect.”

The chief looks my way and nods toward the door. “I’m going to run this out to the car and then check in with the station. Take your time.”

Alex, who is watching me intently, smiles and leans against the meeting table. “So, great job answering the kids’ questions. I’m not sure I could have kept a straight face in that situation.”

I grin. “Kids are fun. They’re just curious and are still learning how stuff works, so you have to cut them a break.

It’s cool.” Alex smiles and our eyes meet and hold.

It’s like the air between us supercharges, and my heartbeat thunders in my chest. I reach for the clips on my coat and try to calm down.

“So, I was wondering, if maybe, sometime you’d like to go out with me? ”

Alex’s eyes widen, and he straightens up. “Oh.” For a moment I think maybe he’s going to say no, but then he gives me that absolutely heart-melting smile of his. “You mean on a date?” When I nod, he does too. “Yes. I’d love to.”

My relief is instantaneous. I thought he might be interested in being more than friendly, but I’ve been known to misread the situation a time or two.

I’m a big guy, so it’s always worked out fine, but it’s made me cautious.

Not all guys are cool with being asked out, if they’re not into other guys.

“Great. Um, I’m still learning my way around the area, so do you have any suggestions for things to do? ”

He considers for a moment. “Why don’t we keep it simple? How about dinner at Red’s? And if that goes well, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t, we can go for a walk or head to the tavern and play some pool or darts.”

I drop the fire pants to the floor and step out of the legs. “That sounds perfect. Does Friday work for you? I could pick you up. Maybe around seven?”

Alex’s gaze goes all soft, and he nods. “Seven’s great.”

Stuffing the rest of my gear into my duffle, I sling the bag over my shoulder and gesture to the doorway.

“I should go. Can I walk you to your car?” He gives me an odd look, like maybe I’ve said something wrong.

I shrug. “I like being around you. I’m trying to draw it out.

But if you’d rather not, I can hang back for a bit and let you go alone. ”

He shakes his head, eyebrows raised. Maybe in surprise? “No. I’d like it if you walked me to my car.”

“Okay.” I gesture toward the door. “After you.” His sweet smile makes me feel like I’m floating on air, and I can’t wait for Friday to get here.