him under control.” Boyd pivoted his knee off the young man’s neck and the captain jerked Darryl onto his feet.
Graci-Ella sat on an empty chair next to Boyd. “Thanks for staying.”
The captain had Darryl by the scruff of the neck. “State your apology, Weir.”
His glance shot daggers at Boyd before he glanced at Graci-Ella. “I’m sorry for calling you a bitch. Can I still be in the calendar?”
“It is my choice who does and who doesn’t go into the calendar. I’m focusing on the heroes of this unit. Neither your behavior nor your remarks strike me as especially heroic.” She exhaled a sigh. “Look, I’m doing this project on my time, for free.” She stared him down. “What hours I spend here, I have to make up for on my regular job. I’m a lawyer. Believe me, I have no problem with saying no to someone with anger management issues.”
His face reddened with rage before he turned and ran his fist into the side of the refrigerator, cursing and throwing a tantrum. The captain ordered Wolf and Quinn to take Darryl to the equipment room to scrub down the fire trucks until he worked off some steam. They each grabbed an arm and dragged Darryl down the steps to the garage area.
“This is what happens when you get stuck with the Fire Chief’s nephew. I’m going to have to walk through burning coals to fire his ass. But it looks like I’m going to have to call the boss this morning and explain how unsuitable the kid is. He’s plain spoiled. Zero self-control Graci-Ella, I apologize for his behavior. I really do.” The captain strode into his office.
She smiled at Boyd, and his mind damn near went blank for a minute. Her pen tapped against her paper. “I’ve decided to use everyone’s nickname instead of their real names. I think it’ll add a bit of humor and charm to the calendar. Plus, it’ll help keep all the men more anonymous.” She placed her warm hand on his wrist. “That should also help alleviate any remaining concerns you might be harboring about the project.”
She leaned toward him and he got a stronger whiff of her perfume. Holy hell, I want to run my nose all over her body.
Boyd shook his head a couple times to clear out the sensual fog. “I thought I made it plain. Guess I didn’t. You’ve got my mind all mixed up. I’m in on the calendar project. I gotta admit it was a hard decision to make. As I’ve told you, by their lifestyle, I think my ex-wife’s new love is selling or running some kind of a drug operation. I’ve got a private investigator on that aspect of her life. She can live it any way she wants. My main concern is how it could affect Matty.” He winced. “Sorry, he doesn’t like for me to call him that anymore. He says it’s ‘babyfied.’”
She laughed, low and sultry. God, can this woman get any sexier? “Sounds like he’s growing up, Dad.”
“I still slip and fall back into old habits.”
His cell phone rang a loud beat. “Sorry, that’s Aunt Jinny’s ring.” He slipped his cell from his pocket. “Yeah. Okay, I’m on my way.” He disconnected the call. “It’s my son.” Boyd charged out of the dining room and the tap-tap of high heels followed him as he knocked on Captain Steele’s door.
“Yeah? Come in.”
Boyd pushed open the door. “Captain. Aunt Jinny just called. Matt’s having such a hard time breathing, his lips are turning blue. I’m taking him to the emergency room.”
“Kid needs oxygen now, Tiny.” The captain spied Ivy Jo, part of one of the EMT teams, walking by and yelled for her and Jace to take an ambulance to pick-up Matt. Tiny jogged behind them to the apparatus storage area. Since the required equipment was always kept in the vehicles, all they had to do was open the garage door, hop in and haul ass.
Graci-Ella was impressed with how quickly an ambulance could hit the streets, siren blaring. Captain Steele walked her to the coffee pot and poured them both a cup. “He’s got his hands full with his little boy, doesn’t he? He’s been telling me bits and pieces as we talk and grow closer.”
The station chief poured some creamer into his coffee. “Yeah, the kid’s a charmer. Well behaved thanks to Tiny teaching him manners and telling him bad behavior is unacceptable.” The captain grinned and elbowed her. “But don’t let that fool you. That child has six-feet-eight of macho male wrapped around his little finger.”
She took another sip of her coffee, surprised at how good it was. “Lucky kid.” She glanced at the captain, and they both laughed.
“I’m glad to see he’s taken an interest in you. His first wife burned him pretty bad. The weekends he doesn’t have Matt, Tiny usually hangs out with some of the guys here at the squad. Basketball, beach volleyball or riding Harleys. Be nice for him to have someone special to join in the fun.”
“I’ve never ridden a Harley or any type of motorcycle for that matter.”
“I bet if you’d ask, he’d take you for a ride.” The captain smiled as he raised his cup to his lips.
She shook her open hand in an erasing manner. “No. No. If he wants me to have it, he’ll give it to me.” Oh God, tell me the heat I’m feeling on my face is not something he can see because I wouldn’t mind Tiny giving me a good ride—motorcycle not mandatory. I’m awful. Just awful!
The captain chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry to leave you, but I have to fill out paperwork on the use of the ambulance since we didn’t get a nine-one-one request for it. Call me when you want to start taking pictures of the men. I’m quite pleased with the idea. I’m proud of my group of firemen and firewomen.” He glanced at the dent in the refrigerator. “Well, except for one, who I’ve been ordered to give one more chance. I’m not in the best of moods over the Fire Chief’s orders.”
“A decision like that could prove dangerous. I think the guy’s unstable.” She glanced at the large clock on the wall. “I better head into the office. Thank you for agreeing to all this.”
“No problem. I’ve seen too many people lose everything in a fire or hurricane. The local food bank helps a lot of families.”
Hurrying down the hallway to her office, the rolled carpet draped over one arm and her new desk lamp under her other, she was surprised to see the furniture she’d picked out yesterday setting outside her door. She placed the lamp and rug on top of the desk before walking into her cheery yellow office.
“Wow, what a difference over that dreary beige!” She glanced at Jo-Jo, standing on a rung of a short ladder and installing her fan. The window was open to allow fresh air in to dispel the paint vapors. “I had no clue you could get all this done so quickly. It looks fabulous so far.”
“You picking out a darker shade for the end wall with the window gives the optical illusion of a longer room. Good choice. We’ll clean the floor and move in your furniture. Then you can start organizing stuff the way you want it. By the end of the day, no one will recognize this ole closet.”
Jo-Jo was right. While he mopped the tile floor, she hurried out to her car to bring in the pictures she wanted hung and her plants. She helped him carry in the desk furniture and place the rug before bringing in the leather club chairs.
Jo-Jo slipped the hammer from his tool belt. “Now, show Ol’ Jo-Jo where you want these pictures. On the section of wall at either end of the long, narrow window, she wanted framed prints of two of her favorite Monet paintings—Irises and Wooded Scene. On the wall beside
