Mac was by far our best cook, but he was also the messiest. Pulling cleanup duty after him, meant hours in the kitchen.
“But if you do it, I won’t even call you a prick.”
“Fair enough.” He started for the station, inclining his head for me to follow. “You going to dinner at your parents’ on Sunday?”
Now it was my turn to groan. I had two voicemails and three unreturned texts from my mom. “I’m on duty.”
Calder was quiet as we walked inside. “I think if you showed up every week, she might get off your case a bit.”
“She has no reason to be on my case in the first place.” I sucked in a breath, air hissing through my teeth. “Sorry, I’m not trying to bite your head off.”
He caught my elbow, bringing me to a stop. “Are things getting worse?”
The heat of Calder’s hand seeped into my skin, even through my uniform jacket. “She’s been on edge ever since things happened with Everly.”
When someone had kidnapped my brother’s fiancée last year, it had brought back memories of Shiloh’s kidnapping for all of us. But we’d all made it through. Everly was safe, and so was Shiloh. I was empathetic to what my mom was going through but I couldn’t take her trying to control me anymore.
Calder dropped his hold on my arm. “Understandable.”
“I know it’s understandable. And I feel for her. But I’m also not going to let her micromanage my life because it’ll make her feel better.”
Calder’s lips pressed into a firm line. “I know Hayes had a talk with her, but I can try—”
“No,” I cut him off. “She’ll just blame me for turning you against her.”
“She wouldn’t.”
I raised my brows. “Really?”
He gave me a sheepish grin. “Or she might.”
I scoffed, but before I could get out a response, the siren sounded. We immediately started moving as dispatch relayed a call—car accident off one of the back roads outside of town.
Captain Murray appeared in the hallway as the rest of the squad hurried to don their gear. “You coming with?” Calder asked.
Cap jerked his chin. “Sounds like a bad one. I want to be there.”
If he didn’t come along, Calder would be in charge. But one of the things I admired most about Calder was that this kind of thing was never a power play for him. He would always accept all the help he could get.
Calder nodded in assent and then jogged towards the garage. I followed behind, catching sight of Jones just as he climbed behind the wheel. I hoisted myself up into the cab.
“You ready to rock and roll, Easton?”
I held my hand out for a knuckle bump. “You know it.”
It was always a thrill when the sirens went off. Even though it meant that something bad had happened, it also meant that we had the opportunity to help.
Jones flicked on our lights and sirens. We were usually out the bay doors before the two fire engines, but if we were headed to the scene of a blaze, we’d have to wait for backup. Something like a car accident, it depended. If there was no immediate danger, we could proceed and treat casualties. I hoped that was the case today.
I grabbed the bar above my head as Jones took a tight turn. He shot me a wink and a grin as he straightened us out.
“You enjoy that far too much.”
“Is it really a crime to love your job?”
“If it kills me, then yes, it is.”
He chuckled. “You never want me to have any fun.”