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Prologue

Geri Angel, lifelong tomboy and female firefighter, had been mistaken for a lesbian due to her lack of interest in dating. Letting the incorrect portrayal roll off her back served to help attain one objective, and that was that guys left her alone. She’d just never found anyone worth the time it took to get to know them when she had her sights set on that one goal, and that was to become a firefighter, just like dear old dad.

In the fire academy, she was athletic and strong, and some of the men who were not as skilled as she was were intimidated. Her womanly figure was another conundrum, but she tamed it by minimal eating, taking in just enough calories to keep up with the demands of physical training, and a heavy-duty sports bra to hold down the girls. The first time she tried on the required uniform, her father, Gerald, looked at her critically.

“I’m trying to see you like your instructor might, and that button is ready to put out an eye if it pops. Mary, can’t you do something about Geraldine’s shirt?”

He pointed to the shirt straining across her bosom, the buttons threatening to give way. Mary Angel walked around to look and put her hand to her chin. “The next size up is way too big. I can add a snap right there that might help.”

Geri grunted when Mary poked her finger between her daughter’s breasts.

“You guys,” she snapped, pulling away from her mother’s intrusive jab. “I don’t think anyone will care about my stupid shirt when I’m climbing up a ladder.”

“Don’t kid yourself. Having a woman on the crew changes things. You don’t want to be a distraction.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said, biting her tongue.

“And if your boobs give way, there will be a mutiny,” Mary added.

Although San Diego and the surrounding area had a slightly higher than average percentage of female firefighters, she wondered if her father’s attitude that women were a distraction was common and what kept more females from entering the field.

Thankfully, she wasn’t the only girl in the freshman fire academy class that year. And the two others were equally curvaceous, so she didn’t stand out like she would have if she’d been alone. Geri avoided forming a bond with the two other women, further separating her from the rest of their classmates. It was a piece of advice she took from her father: stay in the background, listen to every word, and keep your mouth shut.

By graduation thebe seen and not heardmethod had worked for her, straining buttons and all. When it came time to find a job, she decided not to go to the city where her father worked, and he seemed relieved, albeit teasing.

“It’s better for you to make the success be your own instead of riding my coattails.”

Instead, she applied at a rural station about five miles from where she’d gone to high school, and, excitingly, she got the job. Chief Saint called her himself the Monday after graduation in early November.

“Geraldine? This is Charles Saint from Station #34. Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said, trying not to shout with joy.

“You’ll be our single hire for the year, so I’m afraid all the rookie games will fall on your shoulders.”

She smiled at the phone from a combination of excitement and anxiety. “Okay. I’ll be ready.”

He didn’t say she would be the first full-time female fire firefighter with the company. A female volunteer had preceded her but was no longer working with the crew.

“Just for your information, we have two female technicians.” EMTs.

“Okay, thank you, sir.”

“Bridget Saint is my niece. She’ll be a resource for you. We’re getting your space ready. It’s not ideal, but we’re working on the privacy issue.”

“Thank you, sir,” she repeated, beginning to feel like a parrot.

Antiquated firehouses were a known problem in the county, with little space to separate the sexes. This particular station had a communal shower room. He offered his private bathroom to her; if she didn’t feel comfortable using it, they’d let her go home to shower.

“I leave for home in the evening, and you’re welcome to stay in my office for the night. There’s a cot for you as well.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m fine using your office for the time being.”

The life of a rookie meant being the last to go to sleep at night and the first to get up. She wouldn’t be in the battalion chief’s office for more than five or six hours a night.

“We’re working on your schedule now. You can start next Monday, but it will mean you’ll probably be working through all the holidays since you’re the new guy. Girl.”

“That’s okay,” she said, figuring she’d be on duty over Thanksgiving and Christmas. It meant not going on the family ski trip to Big Bear. “I’m ready to work.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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