Page 20 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Is that what we were doing?”

“Fuck you, Jared,” Kendrick yelled at my retreating back. “I don’t even know why I’m friends with you.”

Laughing, I headed to Apparatus Bay Support to clean out my supplies and make sure all the equipment was ready for the next emergency call. I was sorting through my equipment when Sergeant Green walked in. He was a tall, impressive man with a thick silver mustache that matched his silver hair. I had a huge amount of respect for the kind of man he was, but more importantly, I had gratitude for him taking a chance on me when no one else would.

“Jared,” Sarge said, coming forward when he spotted me.

“Evening, Sarge,” I greeted. “How’s your wife?”

“She’s nagging me to retire,” he said in his deep, clear voice.

“Retire?” I said. “You’re much too young.”

Sarge narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m pushing sixty and don’t pretend you didn’t know that.”

“You’re not actually thinking about it, are you?” I asked.

“I’ve been doing this job for thirty-six years,” Sarge said, and he sounded tired. “Retiring doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I have grandkids I want to see grow up.”

I looked at Sarge, and I saw the kind of man I wanted to be. Seeing as how I didn’t have any real role models growing up, he was the first person I had to look up to and learn from. He was strong, brave, and decisive. He had fought in the thick of things for twenty-eight years before being promoted to chief. And with everything he did around the fire station, he had still done his best for his wife and their two children, both of whom were older than I was.

“Sarge,” I said, looking at him as my mentor for more than just the job. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

He looked a little surprised, but he nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Well… I was wondering if you ever found it difficult to balance this job with your family?”

Sarge listened intently and then nodded. “You met a girl, didn’t you?”

I smiled. “It’s not near anywhere serious,” I said. “We’re purely friends. It’s just that… I don’t really want to take it any further if there’s no room in my life for a relationship.”

“That’s crazy. You can’t put your life on hold for anything—not even this job. You just have to learn to balance it.”

“How?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“By sleeping less,” Sarge replied, with an amused smile. “Family is a big commitment, Jared, and so is this job. You’d be taking a lot on if you decide to one day start a family, and not every woman can deal with that.

“My advice to you is this: pick a woman who understands this job. Pick a woman who respects you for your service and respects what you do for the community. That’s the girl you need to marry.”

“You’re getting a little ahead of me, Sarge,” I said. “I’m not even close to thinking about marriage just yet. I’ve just met this girl, and as I said, we’re strictly friends at the moment.”

“But obviously, that’s not all you want to be.”

“Well…”

“What’s holding you back?” he asked. “This job?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “And the fact that her brother also happens to be my friend.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “I’d be breaking a rule, wouldn’t I?”

Sarge shrugged. “Depends on the friendship,” he said. “And depends on the friend.”

“I’m just not sure what I should do at the moment.”

Sarge clapped me on the back. “It depends on how strongly you feel about this girl,” he told me. “Some women are worth breaking friendships for.”

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