Page 23 of Life After Levi

Damien: Sweet dreams, Em. Miriam and Dale have me staying out at the farm, so I gave up my motel room.

I don’t reply, sleep already trying to claim me. Instead, as my breathing slows and the sandman does his thing, I smile because that sounds just like something the two of them would do.

* * *

“There’s a lot of downtime,”Irwin, the fire department captain says as he enters the kitchen where Shane and I are cooking breakfast. “But that’s not a bad thing, necessarily. It lets us catch our second wind and ensures that we have the equipment at peak performance.”

“Rig’s already fully stocked and gassed up,” I reply.

Thankfully, no calls came in overnight, so when I woke up, the first thing I did was take a hot shower, then change into a clean uniform. Shane had already gone through and restocked the rig, then we took it out to fill up before we picked up the stuff to make breakfast, as they were out of a few items. As I stir the sausage gravy, the timer for the biscuits goes off. Without missing a beat, I grab the potholder and pull them out, then turn off the oven. Shane’s making pancakes on the griddle, and we’ve already got a mound of sausage links and bacon cooked, as well as a huge bowl of scrambled eggs.

“Damn, we’re hiring her for sure,” Irwin states as he piles his plate high. “We even have fresh fruitandorange juice? Did y’all talk to my wife or something? She’s been on me to eat better.”

I giggle while shaking my head. “No, sir. I’m just used to eating healthy. In fact, I’m pretty sure I can talk Miriam into providing farm fresh eggs for the fire department.”

“So, how much you want for pay?” Irwin asks.

“Whatever the going rate is, sir,” I reply. Granted, I still have this last twenty-four hours to go, but inside, I’m jumping up and down because it sounds like I’ll have a job. It helps, too, that I get along with everyone here; I feel like their equal, not a red-headed stepchild. But I guess that’s small town living for you. Some of them know me because of Levi, of course, as well as Miriam and Dale. None of them have given me shit for Levinia; instead, Shane asks how her chicken is doing, while another of the overnighters, Tobias, wants to see the video of her swimming from one end of the pool to the other without a breath.

Shane snickers then adds, “She should get a bump just for the farm fresh eggs alone. Plus, everything we’re eating today is from scratch, so while most would think it’s not very healthy, it is because it doesn’t have all the extra crap that processed food has.”

Different men come through and fix plates, while I start cleaning up the dirty dishes. “Leave them,” Shane directs. “We need to eat and be ready. Whoever doesn’t go out on the next call will clean the kitchen. If they don’t, Irwin makes them wash all the trucks and our rig.”

“Everyone pulls their weight,” Irwin replies. “Plus, y’all cooked and typically, those who make it don’t clean it.”

“Fair enough,” I state, fixing my own plate. “But whether or not I get the job, I’ll check with Miriam regarding the eggs, because they really are better for you than those dehydrated eggs y’all have been using.”

When I saw those, I told Shane wehadto hit up the grocery store. There was no way I was cooking with that crap in a cardboard container. They don’t know it, but I’m about to rock their world if I get the job, because thanks to Mom and Miriam, I’ve got healthy yet hearty recipes I’m willing to make.

“Miriam’s something else,” Irwin mumbles around a mouthful of eggs. At my look, he chews, then swallows and continues. “Went to school with her and Dale. She’s a good woman, that’s for sure, but she doesn’t take any guff off of anyone.”

I laugh and say, “You’re right about that!”

“Heard an old friend of Levi’s is in town,” Tobias interjects, glancing my way to see my reaction.

“Yeah, his best friend during his time in the service, Damien. He was medically discharged after an incident and is finally back in the States. He brought stuff that Levi had in the off-base apartment they had for Miriam and Dale, as well as me.”

“That had to be difficult,” Shane says, glaring at Tobias.

“Yes and no. I knewofDamien, of course, but because he was overseas on a mission, he couldn’t abandon his post and come back for Levi’s funeral. He’s a really nice guy, still healing from his injuries. Right now, he’s out at the farm giving Dale a hand.”

“Girl, you know good and well that Miriam and Dale are probably matchmaking right now,” Irwin retorts, smirking at me.

Seems like I’m today’s recipient of their inquisition. “Most likely. They want me and Levinia to be happy, of course. Not saying it won’t happen, but I literally only met the guy a few days ago, y’all. Let’s not set off wedding bells just yet, okay?”

“Alright, y’all, let’s get this cleaned up. Emerie, can you come to my office?” Irwin asks as everyone starts to stand and clear the table.

I sedately follow behind him because getting called to the captain’s office isn’t something I’ve ever experienced outside of my interview that landed me this internship, and once I’m inside, he closes the door, motions for me to sit down then he heads for his leather chair stationed behind his desk. Once we’re both seated, he looks at me and says, “I wasn’t kidding about that job offer, Emerie. You’ve done well on your ride alongs and are a team player, which is something we need around here. All the crews you’ve worked with have raved about your knowledge and skills, as well as your willingness to learn new things.”

“You were serious?” I ask, flabbergasted, as I let out the breath that I did not realize I was holding.

“As a heart attack,” he confirms. “The starting salary is sixty thousand a year, plus of course, benefits, which include health insurance, life insurance, and short as well as long term disability. I won’t presume to tell you what to do in regard to your finances, but I highly suggest you obtain the disability insurance. While it doesn’t happen often, the possibility always exists that you could get injured while on the job and depending on the severity of your injury, it would mean you still get paid.”

“I need to put my notice in for my dispatching job,” I murmur as my thoughts swirl in my head.

“You’ll have time for that because we have to wait until you receive your actual licensure and certification, but in the meantime, I want you to think about it and let me know as soon as possible, okay?” he questions.

“I’ll tentatively say yes,” I reply, “but before I start, I won a contest my bank had and I’m planning a vacation of sorts with Levinia to a water park.”

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