Page 10 of Courageous Yearnings

“Listen, it’s okay to be overwhelmed sometimes or even scared. Today was rough with Alec’s fall. This is a tough job, and it takes a team to pull it off on a daily basis…”

“I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“Don’t apologize, Lance. Do you think I haven’t had a breakdown before in my chief’s office?” he offered quietly, and Lance looked up in surprise.

“I’m not having a breakdown,” he denied quickly and saw the other man’s little smirk. “I’m not. I just didn’t think anyone would listen or care – and I wasn’t expecting any of this.”

“Well, I guess I need to do a better job explaining my position, then,” Reese said quietly. “My job is to make sure you come home at the end of every shift, and as a former firefighter – I take that very personally. I’m not perfect, always learning, but if you don’t tell me when something is bothering you, how am I supposed to fix it?”

“You won’t tell anyone?”

“No. Everything said here is in confidence and if you need to talk, my door is always open.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, I’ve already got something in the works – but do you think you can hold on a few more days until I get things hammered out and I’m ready to unveil my plan?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Oh, and I have something for you,” the chief said quickly, snapping his fingers… and tossed something tiny onto his desk. Immediately, Lance yelped, jumping bodily into the chair he had just been sitting in and was now crouching… only to see it was a tiny stuffed mouse – and Reese was grinning like an idiot.

“That’s not funny!”

“Oh, it actually is – I assure you, it’s hysterical.”

“You guys are seriously messed up…”

“Probably,” Reese laughed and dropped the tiny plastic mouse back into his desk drawer before reaching for something else… and Lance braced himself. “Relax, Cortes. Someone dropped off a filter for you.”

“Blythe was here? She came by already? What’d she say? Did she leave her number or…”

“Whoa, calm down there. Are you dating the woman?”

“Noooo!” he blurted out emphatically and hesitated. “Did she tell you we were dating?”

“No. Not at all. In fact, I asked her if she wanted to leave you a message, and she said ‘no,’… so what is going on?” Reese asked openly in confusion. “You’re not dating, not leaving messages, but acting like you are interested. Why don’t you just ask the woman out?”

“Uh, hard pass.”

“Is she not your type?”

“Oh, she’s definitely my type, but she’s drama.”

“Why?”

“She’s needy.”

“How so?”

“She wants to go on dates, do dumb chitty-chatty stuff, mentioned relationships and junk… and no offense, but at twenty-seven – I still wanna have a little fun.”

“You are talking to a man who didn’t get married until he was forty-five,” Reese grinned. “I understand.”

“I’m gonna collect my money from Alec!” Lance announced excitedly, fist-pumping the air. “I bet him fifty bucks you were… a… never mind.”

“Oh no – please do finish your thoughts.”

“Well, I told him I figured you to be a player with the ladies…”

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