Page 7 of Courageous Devotions

“Well,” he began, getting out a sheet of paper and scribbling before him. Obviously, the older man had thought this out quite a bit because he could see notes, hash marks, and other scribbles on a paper just below Reese’s elbow. “I have an engineer who has requested moving to our firehouse from another station – and I have two capable people who have requested the position of captain for the truck to give us a full team.”

“Who’s the other person?”

“Lance.”

“I quit.”

Reese barked out a laugh and shook his head.

“I’m teasing you… and I know,” he chuckled. “Lance actually requested you be moved back on the line with him.”

“He did?”

“Yeah, something about ‘he’s not scared of Chuck-E-Cheese’ – whatever that means…”

Colton chuckled, knowing Lance was referring to rats and mice again. That man was utterly afraid of rodents, which made him giggle. He put a little stuffed one in his bunk once, and the younger man has stripped his bed ever since.

“How would you feel about Justin Dailey taking over as captain – and that does not leave this room, Colton,” Reese warned sternly, pointing at him.

“Justin… from the other truck? Won’t that put them short of a person?”

“Chase isn’t going anywhere and is after my position. I don’t plan on quitting or retiring anytime soon, so we are both where we need to be. Andy is asking for an engineer position, but I think he would do better staying with a team that has an experienced engineer who moved to captain…”

“Chase,” he finished, staring at the paper that Reese was slowly drawing an arc on. “So we move Andy up to engineer to take Justin’s spot. Chase can coach Andy. We bring in an engineer that Justin can coach – and Justin becomes your captain because he has a team of three linemen that he can trust to have each other’s backs.”

“I see.”

“It’s not personal, but the best decision for the truck and the team. Don’t you agree?”

“When am I going to get my chance?”

“When you are ready to give up the front lines and take more of a mentor, teaching role. I believe you are close but not there yet… and it’s not skill. You have that in spades, Colton, but rather, you still crave the excitement and the fight – and I respect that. I would rather have you mad at me now for this choice rather than lose you because you were no longer satisfied with your job or lost interest in being a firefighter.”

They sat there looking at each other – when Reese finally spoke again.

“No one is saying you aren’t capable, but your heart is still out there fighting and rushing into the fire. Even in your personal life, you like the thrill and then end it when it fades. Being a part of something greater takes sacrifice, dedication, and devotion – and while I believe you are ready in your mind, your heart isn’t ready yet.”

“Thank you, sir,” Colton said abruptly, getting to his feet because that comment stung deeper than the other man realized. The last woman he’d had a serious relationship with was Eris and that had been only a few years ago. “When is this happening?”

“I’m making the announcement at the Christmas party next week.”

“I see.”

“Please do not say a word. I still need to confirm the transfer for Chad to your truck and our station.”

“I won’t. May I be excused?”

“Of course.”

Colton walked out of the office and felt eyes on him, trying to ignore all of them to prevent him from dealing with the questions – and the shame of being passed over. Oh, he agreed with Reese’s assessment of him, the team, and the decision; but it still hurt.

He also didn’t need the thoughts of Eris brought up again – he was having a hard enough time burying her memory as it was! He shoved on the front door angrily, taking pleasure in the sound of the slam against the building as he stormed out in frustration. This was not how he intended to finish his rotation, but maybe spending the next three days at home stewing was just what he needed.

Going home, he ignored everything and turned off the ringer on his phone. Word would spread that he’d stayed late this morning to talk to Reese, and whether the chief realized it or not – they’d set a perpetual clock into motion by their meeting. Something was going to have to give… and quickly.

Walking straight to the fridge, he nearly tripped over his sneakers and yanked open the door, grimacing. He was not eating three-day-old leftover fried chicken. Sighing, he went to his ‘go-to’ and yanked open the vegetable drawer that held several packages of lunch meat instead. Pulling out several, a slice of Kraft cheese, and yanking out the mayo, he screwed open the lid and smelled it warily.

Still good.

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