“It’s Leslie…” she says, and that’s enough to make it make sense. I didn’t know the woman before Saturday, and I still don’t, actually. But finding out that she’s part of Shandi’s gang has given me enough information about her.
The kids begin arriving a few moments later, and before long, the room is packed with kids and their moms, grandparents, or nannies. A few of the kids are wearing clothes with fire trucks on them. One little boy is wearing a full-on firefighter costume. I won’t lie, it’s kind of the cutest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I’m starting to feel a little more relaxed, but then Joey walks in behind his mom. My heart sinks, thinking that this is going to be the longest hour of my life. Joey walks to the rug and sits with his legs crossed out in front of him. He’s calm and quiet, two things I’ve never seen from him, except for when he was asleep.
“See, he’s a normal kid…most of the time,” Hannah says with a nudge to my side. I roll my eyes and look to the side, trying to hide the smile on my face.
Hannah walks to the front of the room to get started. “Okay, kids. You remember last week we said Mrs. Millie won’t be here today because she’s on a trip with her new husband, Mr. Jameson. But we have some other friends here to help us with story time today!” I watch her in fascination as she talks to the kids in a sweet, excited voice. Her excitement is infectious, and all of the kids look around the room to get a look at me and the guys. She beckons me, Chris, and Jake over to her side, and she introduces us to the kids. They all cheer for us like we’re superheroes, and I guess in a kid’s eyes we sort of are. I remember being a kid and thinking firefighters were gods among men. It’s why I wanted to be a firefighter.
Jake goes over basic fire safety; I show them the different pieces of gear that we wear when fighting a fire, putting each piece on to show them what a firefighter looks like with all the gear on; and Chris reads the story that Hannah has chosen. He reads each character with different voices, and the kids all laugh when he reads the mom in a high-pitched voice that does not fit his burly frame at all.
The kids sit quietly throughout most of it, so I’m a little embarrassed that Hannah saw how worked up I had gotten over everything. When Chris finishes reading the book, he announces to the kids that the three of us are going to race to put on all of our gear. The kids cheer excitedly as we place our gear side by side and get into position.
When we’re ready, Hannah counts to three and yells, “Go!” All three of us begin rushing to get into our turnouts. I’m in between Chris and Jake, so I make my movements extra dramatic to slow them down. I smack Chris in the face “accidentally” as I get my jacket on. Jake gets tripped as I adjust my pants. The kids laugh and shout “cheater” at me, but it’s all in good fun. Chris and Jake are acting put out, but it’s not convincing at all, since they’re laughing. I glance over at Hannah and see she’s covering her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh.
Chris is about to win, so I knock his helmet out of his hands. Jake sticks his foot out just as I’m stepping forward to pick up my helmet. I trip and crash to the floor to thunderous applause and laughter from everyone else in the room, including Hannah. What a traitor. I’m lying on my side as Chris is declared the official champion, and I make a show out of pouting about my loss.
Hannah holds out her hand to help me up, so I pull off my glove and take her hand in mine. It’s soft and smooth, and the contact sends a spark down my spine. I stand up and begin taking my gear off while the kids swarm Chris, telling him he’s the best firefighter in the entire world. He’s puffing his chest out and putting on a show for them all. Gosh, the man looks ridiculous, but the moms and nannies are eating it up. A grandma looks like she’s about to swoon.
Hannah flickers the lights a few times to get everyone calmed down, and then we’re all ushered outside to see the fire truck. The kids follow behind Hannah like little soldiers. Their hands are folded neatly behind their backs, and they all puff out their cheeks with air. “It keeps them quiet in a fun, silly way,” Hannah explains as I walk beside her, turning to watch the kids curiously. Gertrude sits at her desk, watching us over the rims of her tiny glasses. A boy glances in her direction before snapping his head forward and whimpering. Now I see what has truly instilled such blind obedience in them.
We make it out of the front doors, and all of the kids breathe a huge sigh of relief before dashing forward to the fire truck. I rush forward to stop a few from climbing on it.
The kids ooh and ahh like it’s the most amazing thing they’ve ever seen. I have the coolest job—the hero worship doesn’t lie. Jake climbs into the truck to show the kids around and make sure they don’t touch anything they shouldn’t, I stand beside the truck and let the kids know when it’s their turn to climb up, and Chris talks to the kids while they’re waiting for their turn.
I watch as Hannah joins Chris in conversation with the kids. She’s so good with them. She always makes sure to get down on their level, and she looks right in their eyes as they’re talking to her. I’ve never seen anyone give a child their undivided attention the way she does. She laughs at something a little boy is saying to her, and then she gives him a hug.
“Why are you smiling like that?” the little girl at the front of the line asks me out of the blue. I clear my throat and ask, “What do you mean? I’ve always been told I have a great smile.”
“You look a little silly, but that’s just my opinion,” she says with a shrug of her tiny shoulders. She flips her messy ponytail off her shoulder as she watches me, waiting for an answer.
“It’s your turn,” I say and help her onto the truck. I don’t really know if Jake is ready for her, but I need to get rid of her. She’s a little too honest for my liking. I don’t need four-year-olds calling me out like that.
I look over at Hannah again to see her talking to Chris, and my hackles are immediately up. They’re standing entirely too close to each other. What? Has Chris suddenly developed a hearing problem, so he has to stand all up in Hannah’s personal space to know what she’s saying?
I inch a little bit closer to try to hear their conversation. I accidentally bump into the little boy at the front of the line and knock him over, which, in turn, knocks the next little boy over, and before I even know what’s happening, it becomes a whole domino effect. There are shouts of surprise ringing out all over the place. I cover my face with my hand for a moment and then rush to help kids up. Mothers give me the side-eye, and I’m once again kicking myself for my ineptitude. A little girl starts crying as her mom helps her up from the ground, because her dress got dirty. Honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with her dress, but what do I know?
Once all the kids are off the ground, Hannah and Chris begin chatting again. I watch him for a moment. He talks to the kids so easily, and he hasn’t once caused bodily harm to any of them. I’ve just managed to single-handedly injure all twenty of them without even trying. He’s not scared of them at all, while I’m absolutely petrified. Gosh, I hate him. I move closer—this time making sure there are no children in my path—to listen to what they’re saying.
“So, you and Seth aren’t dating?” Chris asks. Why does his voice sound so relieved? Does this fool think he has a chance with Hannah? No way would she ever go out with Chris.
“No. It’s just a silly rumor,” she says. Silly? Why is it silly? Does she really find the idea of dating me so ridiculous? I’m a cool guy. I don’t have a temper, I’m pretty easygoing, I respect women’s wishes… What’s wrong with dating me?
“Okay, cool. So, can I take you out sometime?” he asks her, and my entire body convulses. He cannot ask out Hannah. My Hannah. He’s not nearly good enough for her. He’s an absolute dork. He’s way too into Star Wars—his apartment is covered in Star Wars paraphernalia. He has to know that’s not going to land him a girlfriend. I wrongly assumed Star Wars was his one true love.
To my utter shock and dismay, Hannah glances at me before telling this loser that she’ll go on a date with him. I grind my teeth together to keep from inserting myself into their conversation. My hands are clenched so firmly at my side that I think my fingernails have torn into the skin on my palms. I continue eavesdropping as they make plans for him to pick her up at 7:00 tomorrow evening. Why so late? Doesn’t he know she has to work the next day? Chris and I were friends before this, but that’s over. If he wants an enemy, he’s got himself one.
By now, all of the kids have had their turn on the fire truck, and parents are starting to take them home, so I abandon my post and march over to them. “Hannanah, can I talk to you?” I ask.
Chris is still standing there with a stupid grin on his face, so I stare him down until he gets the hint to leave. He rolls his eyes and walks over to the truck to talk with Jake.
“You cannot go out with that guy,” I say as soon as he’s gone.
She crosses her arms and asks, “And why not? I thought y’all were friends.”
“We are…we were. I’ve been to his house before,” I whisper.
“Were? What at his house has made that past tense? Did he have dead bodies stuffed in a deep freezer?”
“Well, no. That’s not really what I meant.” Gosh, I don’t want her to date the guy, but he’s not a serial killer. I don’t want the FBI to show up and search his house.