Page 29 of An Ex Affair

“Frank! Danny!” I called out as I stepped into the fire station and saw them leaning against the counter eating an early lunch. I held up my camera. “I need to get pictures of you.”

They shot me winks and smiles, all too happy to be my subjects. I felt, more than heard, the grumble coming from Colson directly behind me. I got started, taking pictures of the guys holding equipment around the station. I even got Chief wrangled into the pictures and got a smile out of him. I figured all the ladies my age and up would appreciate that picture more than the rest.

Colson followed me around everywhere, acting as my bodyguard, giving everyone a dirty look if they got too friendly with me. When all the guys were looking over my shoulder in fear instead of smiling at my camera, I had to ask Colson to get my other lens from his truck. I didn’t have another lens but it kept him busy for ten minutes while I got perfectly flirty pictures we’d use for social media leading up to the fundraiser.

The guys were called out and left in a hurry, sirens blazing. It was a sight to behold, watching them in action. I snappedpictures left and right, figuring they might make it onto social media too. Colson, who was off for the next three days, stood in the empty bay after they left and stared at me.

“No pictures of me for social media?”

I held up my camera, hoping my cheeks weren’t giving me away. I’d purposely not gotten any of Colson. I didn’t particularly like the idea of using his sexy picture as bait to get more women out to the fundraiser. It would be bad enough having to see him shirtless taking pictures with them. “Nah. I got enough of the younger guys.”

Colson grabbed his impressive chest. “Damn, woman. Hurt a guy with that age card.”

I grinned, enjoying being back in a place where we could tease each other. “Come on, old man. Let’s plan out where the photo ops will be.”

With his hand on my lower back, we stepped outside and went around to the back of the station where there was considerable land for everything we wanted to do. Colson pointed and explained what he already had planned. It was good. If a little limited.

“What if we did all that, but added in a penned area here for the petting zoo?” I pointed to the far left. “And then add in a small stage. We could ask around and see if we can get a band to play? Set up a few food trucks? Make this an all-day shindig for the whole family, not just lusty females?”

Colson stared at me, swiping at his ridiculous mustache. “That’s a lot.”

“Fuck yeah it is.” I turned to him, excitement over a project running through my veins for the first time in a long time. “Let’s not half-ass this, Wolfe. Let’s put Blueball on the map. We have the hottest firefighters, hands down. Way hotter than Hell.”

Colson’s smug grin made me crack up. “Well, that’s true.” He looked around at the grounds, envisioning all the things I’d laidout. When he turned back to me, I could see the same excitement reflected in his eyes. “Let’s full-ass this.”

I whooped and high-fived him, making him laugh. “Let’s get to the hardware store!”

He shook his head, still laughing as we walked to his truck. “You say that like it’s your own personal Nordstroms.”

He wasn’t wrong. We ended up leaving the hardware store several hundred dollars poorer and with a full truck bed. Carl had even ordered in some of my personal brand of fleur-de-lis board and batten, which I planned to buy for that renovation Em was doing on the coast. Not that I’d made a decision about staying here and taking the job, but that option was looking better and better every day.

We dropped everything off at the station and then ran back to the carriage house to get Colson’s tools. Mine were somewhere in a container, making its way to Blueball. Colson’s were a bit dirty and not as state of the art as mine, but they’d do the job. We worked like a well-oiled team, measuring, cutting, and building each of the photo backdrops. By the time the crew came back, we also had two sides of the petting zoo fence up and functional. The guys stayed with us outside, all talking about the stations and who was looking forward to what.

I’d had an idea the other day, but hadn’t brought it up to Colson, knowing he’d veto my idea before I’d fully gotten it out of my mouth. Instead, I waited until Joey had Colson preoccupied with the plans for the band’s stage. Captain was eyeing the petting zoo area with concern.

“Hey, Captain.”

He turned and nodded hello. “You’re magic with a circular saw, Tully.”

I grinned. “It’s my favorite power tool.” I stepped a little closer so I could keep my voice down. “I had an idea for another station that I think will bring in a ton of money.”

“I’m all ears,” Captain said cautiously.

“Okay, so what if we did a little auction? Citizens can bid on each firefighter and win, say, an hour with them. Maybe it’s just someone to talk to for an hour? Or haul branches off their property for an hour? Or play darts? Who knows! The possibilities are endless!”

Chief frowned at me, but he didn’t immediately say no either.

The no came from behind me. In Colson’s loud, irritated voice.

“Hell, no. You want people to bid on firefighters for a date?”

I spun around to find a furious Colson. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at me.

“Not a date. An hour. Tops. Manual labor. A friend to chat with. Maybe a fire safety class for a family. I don’t know. But no, not a date.”

The guys had come over, hearing Colson’s outburst. Frank nudged Danny. “The ladies are going to go crazy over me.”

“Have you seen my biceps recently? I’ve been working out, man. They won’t even see you when I get up on that stage,” Danny responded.

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