Chapter 1
There are worse things than having to parade half-naked in front of three hundred spectators.
Lindsay Pfeiffer composed a mental list while walking from the parking lot to the fairgrounds behind the historic Old Town Library. Unfortunately, she didn't have to think hard. To date, her career as a firefighter for the City of Glendale had been fraught with personal disasters.
Three weeks into her first rotation as a booter, the term used to designate rookies, she'd turned a valve the wrong way and sent enough pressure through the hose to blast her captain, Emilio Chavez, from one end of the concrete driveway to the other.
Only last month during a fire prevention assembly at an elementary grade school, a student asked her if menstruation ever interfered with her ability to do her job.
And then there was the time she lost control of the engine during training maneuvers and ran over a dozen orange cones, not to mention an entire family of practice dummies. The battalion chief had witnessed that particular debacle. He was here again today, and Lindsay fought a sinking feeling of déjá vu. She didn't need another mishap to distinguish herself. Especially when she was in the middle of testing for the position of engineer.
Probably none of the guys minded sitting on a narrow platform wearing only their swim trunks and a big fat grin. They enjoyed showing off their chests, unlike Lindsay, who had no chest to show off at all. Tall and athletically built, her streamlined silhouette lacked the necessary curves and angles to attract a man's attention. Muscles hardened by strenuous physical labor were great for carrying forty pounds of equipment, but did zero for her self-esteem.
If the battalion chief hadn't made an hour-long stint at 'Douse the Flame' dunking tank mandatory for all off-duty firefighters, Lindsay wouldn't be at the fair. She certainly wouldn't be there wearing a single square yard of neon yellow polyester beneath her clothing--one piece, Lindsay didn't do bikinis.
The thought of removing said clothing and exposing herself to a mob of strangers triggered a case of hives, and she scratched the back of her neck as she wound her way through a maze of tents which defied navigation. Her mouth watered as she passed a kettle corn vendor, but now was not the time to be picking kernels from her teeth.
"Hey, Lindsay!"
She stopped short at the familiar voice. Shading her eyes, she peered over a sea of bobbing heads. Patrons, dressed sparsely in order to enjoy the water-theme attractions, wandered about in chaotic disorder.
"Over here." Melodie Peterson waved, thrusting her entire chubby body into the gesture. The young secretary worked in Fire Administration and organized the various outreach programs sponsored by the department. Proceeds from 'Douse the Flame' were slated for Habitat for Humanity, a favorite charity of the battalion chief.
"Hi!" Lindsay waved back, less enthusiastically, and started toward Melodie. Despite the hot weather, the Summer Daze Festival had attracted a record crowd. Lindsay narrowly avoided being trampled.
"Excuse me."
A harried mother pushing an empty stroller with one hand while leading a toddler with the other cut in front of Lindsay. Her unconcerned youngster gobbled a fluffy pink confection, more of it sticking to his face than winding up in his tummy.
"You made it," Melodie said, grabbing Lindsay's arm and plucking her from the flowing stream of humankind. Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, Melodie propelled Lindsay behind the exhibit to a makeshift dressing room. "Dennis Bigelow bet Emilio Chavez ten bucks you wouldn't show. He said you were too chicken."
"I'm surprised Emilio sided with me."
"Oh, he's not still mad over that hose thing." Melodie dismissed Lindsay with an exasperated huff. "Will you just forget it?" She pulled the floral shower curtain aside. "You can change in here. You're early, so take your time. Matt still has ten minutes left on his shift."
Lindsay froze partway inside the dressing room. "Matt Callahan?"
"Yes, silly." An eye roll accompanied the mild chiding. "Do you know another Matt?"
"No."
But at that moment, Lindsay wished she did. It would make staring at his underwear much easier.
Boxers. Grey and white pinstriped. They were slung over the curved rod supporting the shower curtain, along with the rest of his clothes. Not quite what she'd pictured him wearing and to be honest, she frequently pictured Matt in various stages of undress. In her imagination, however, he wore something flashy, sexy, and sinfully snug. Maybe knowing the specifics of his intimate apparel would quash the fantasies she'd been having about him since they met at the academy two years earlier.
After all, she was dating Joey. And it didn't seem right to be seeing one man while secretly lusting after his roommate.
Lindsay glanced over her shoulder at Melodie and offered a weak smile. Her coworker enjoyed gossiping far too much for Lindsay to risk being the subject of yet another juicy story.
"I thought he was scheduled for Sunday." The fair lasted all weekend, and Lindsay had made sure to sign up for a different day than Matt.
"You know Matt. Always trading shifts with somebody."
"Yeah." Of all the rotten luck.
"I've got towels for you up front. You'll need several, trust me."
"Thanks. I'll be right out."
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