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“I’ll stay for that. But then I need to go. The landlord is coming to talk to us this afternoon.”
“About what?”
“I don’t know. He’s not a very nice man. A little…gruff.”
“Will Mathias be there with you?”
“Yes. He’s finishing your roof this morning.”
“Oh, good. It makes me nervous every time he’s up there.”
“He hasn’t fallen off a roof yet.”
When they got back to the room, Milo let the kids chatter for a moment before he held up his hand. “Okay, let’s bring it down just a little bit.” The kids quieted down. “Thank you.”
The door opened, and the noise level rose again. Abe walked in wearing his fire-retardant pants with suspenders over a black T-shirt with BFD on the chest. He was carrying a helmet, and the kids all gasped when they saw him.
Milo glanced at Wilda, who seemed impressed too. He went to Abe and shook his hand. “Always a grand entrance.”
Abe grinned. “Doing it for the kids, brother.” He nodded at Wilda. “Wilda, right?”
“Yes. This is so cool for the kids.”
Milo raised his hand again. “Okay, kids. This is Abe. He’s a volunteer with the Bridgeport Fire Department and, in a pinch, with the Fairfield Fire Department. When he’s not fighting fires, he’s tossing pizzas at Rocco’s.”
Abe sat on the corner of Milo’s desk. “Okay, who has questions?”
Henry raised his hand. “Do you have a Dalmatian?”
“Um…good question. No, I should probably look into that.”
Emma raised her hand. “Do you slide down a pole?”
Abe laughed. “Unfortunately, the fire station doesn’t have a pole. That would be really cool if it did.”
Abe continued answering questions, whether they made sense or not. Then they all went outside to see the fire truck he’d arrived in.
Milo walked up to him. “They let you drive this thing?”
Abe shrugged. “It may or may not have been approved by the captain.” He smiled at the kids. “Who wants to climb up here and get behind the wheel?”
While the kids were exploring the truck, Rachel came out and took several pictures. When Milo caught her taking pictures of Abe with no children around him, he nudged her.
“The pictures are for the kids, right?”
“All but that one.”
Wilda came over to them. “Maybe you could forward that one to me along with the one with Caleb, of course.”
Milo shook his head. “Seriously, ladies?”
Rachel put a hand on his arm. “No woman can resist a man in uniform. Especially one with those arms.”
“He has a wife and child.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t look.” She turned to Wilda. “No harm in looking, right?”
Wilda shrugged. “No. Doesn’t hurt at all.”
