Hot and Bothered

Brooks

I'm not easily impressed.

I've done a lot and I've seen a lot, and it usually takes something dramatic to catch my attention—good or bad.

And once I've settled on an opinion of you, it's even harder to sway it.

Anna is about the last person I ever expected to challenge that, but as I watch her bouncing around and playing with the kids in that Dalmatian suit with a megawatt smile on her face, I feel the slightest shift.

I expected her to flat out refuse the costume, but to her credit, she's fully committed and, with the little black whiskers and nose Linda painted on her face, she's damn cute. Annoyingly cute.

Not to mention she completely caught me off guard when she answered my question correctly this morning. I thought there was no way she'd go back and look at the material after missing class, but I was sorely mistaken.

As much as I hate to be wrong, maybe I am about Anna.

"So what did you have to promise that poor girl to get her in the Dalmation suit?" Tanner walks up behind me, slapping my shoulder. "Dinner date? Instagram shoutout?"

I let out a sharp laugh. "You're hilarious. That's Anna. The girl from the dormroom fire."

"The one you fought with?" Madden chuckles.

I nod. "That would be the one."

"Man, I'll never understand the magic spell you put on women." Riggs shakes his head. "It's the surfer dude vibes, right? I mean it has to be. Because it certainly can't be your personality."

"Watch it asshole," I chuckle, reaching out to slug him. "She's not here for me. The university is making her take the safety class because of the fire and she missed the other night. This is extra credit."

A shrill alarm cuts through the noise of the crowd, calling us to a nearby fire.

"Twenty-two let's go!" Tanner bellows, as the team heads to the trucks.

On my way, I run past Anna. "Hey, we've got to run to a call. Go ahead and head out. Consider us even."

"Oh, okay." She stutters, giving me a stiff wave.

Within seconds, we're all changed and on the trucks.

The call is close, only about three minutes away and we're first one scene once we arrive. I pull the engine to the front of an apartment building as the team piles out. There's smoke billowing out of the top floor and hordes of people are coming out of the front doors. The fire looks fairly contained where it's at and there isn't a huge amount of spread, and with any luck, we'll be able to get it out before it gets a chance.

"Coop, let's get a perimeter set." Tanner calls out. "Riggs, take Brooks and Madden with you and give me an initial search."

"Got it, Cap!"

Following Riggs, we move room to room to find anyone trapped inside. From top to bottom, everything is clear, and we make out way back outside after the sweep.

"Report?" Tanner asks.

"All floors are clear." Riggs takes his helmet off. "Firefighters and civilians all accounted for."

"Great. Let's get the cannons then."

With everyone outside, we can move to defense and attack the fire from the perimeter Coop and the rest of the guys set up around the scene. We get containment almost immediately, but it takes a while before the flames are out, and we've still got to mop up. The entire thing takes a few hours before we're finally headed back to the station. It's always a good day when calls go smooth like they did today.