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“Spoken like a true gentleman!” Bobby yelled and raised his beer to another deafening cheer.
I laughed and feigned throwing my bottle at him, and he slid in next to me while the others dispersed and quickly lost interest in his little charade.
“How’s Peter?” Bobby asked, dropping the act and returning to his more serious self.
“Doctors say he’ll be out tomorrow,” I replied. “He’s shaken up, but luckily nothing serious.”
“John and Samantha must be devastated.”
“I think they’re just happy that all three of them are alive.”
“Thanks to you,” Bobby nodded.
“Thanks to us,” I corrected. “You ran in there just as fast as I did, man.”
“I ran in there because I needed to make sure you didn’t kill yourself,” Bobby corrected. “A smart firefighter would have checked the upper floors from the outside. With a ladder. And more hands.”
I chuckled and took a long swig from my beer. “You sound just like the chief.”
“Wasn’t happy, I presume.”
“Was a few words away from calling my mother a cunt,” I smiled.
“Yeah, well, you deserve it.”
I laughed, mainly because he was right. Why the Chief tolerated my tendency for risk taking was beyond me. He was a tough bastard, and I was sure tha
t he was close to fed up with having to chew me out every time I came back from the field. I had spent an entire hour in his office, wincing at the way his booming voice made the windows rattle, but the fact that my recent recklessness was because of Peter Klein who had kept him from suspending me. The fact that I was saving people also played to my benefit.
“Heard it was a gas leak,” Bobby said.
I nodded. “I think they’ll be staying with Samantha’s parents until they figure out what to do next.”
“Ya need help driving them?”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “Samantha’s father was already at the hospital. They’ll probably spend the night and then head out once Peter’s good to go.”
“Yeah,” Bobby sighed. “It’s not like they have to pack or anything.”
“You have a fucked-up sense of humor.”
Bobby laughed, smacked me on the back and slid out of the booth, making his way to the bathrooms in the back.
I relaxed into my seat. It was a full house today, a large crowd gathered in front of the band, and groups of four or five scattered across the rest of the tables, voices mixed with the music and the sound of drinks being served. I scanned the bar, my eyes picking through the nineteen and twenty-year-olds squeezed together like sardines between the bar stools, drinking and laughing, enjoying themselves as if none of them had to wake up early for class. It was funny how Pub 32 managed to be crowded even during the weekdays.
I thought about playing a game of darts and was about to turn away when I caught sight of a petite blonde staring at me from across the bar. She was flanked by two of her friends, both obviously trying too hard to grab her attention. She wasn’t budging, though, and from the looks of it, was begging for a reason to leave. I met her gaze, held it for a few seconds, and then flashed her a smile.
She smiled back.
Looks like I’m not going home alone tonight.
“Caught something already?”
I turned just as Bobby slid back into the booth, his eyes searching the bar in the direction I had been looking.
“Blonde, ten o’clock,” I said.
Bobby’s eyebrows shot up. “I leave you for five minutes,” he said.
