Page 2 of Almost True
“I’ve got your accommodation set for the first month or two,” Chief Rhodes says. “It’s nothing fancy, but I’ve got an old campervan behind my place. Rent free. Only problem is, you can’t stay there once it starts snowing.”
“That’s fine.”
It will be something to keep me busy—searching for a place to stay once I can afford it. Most of the crew here is only working for the summer, but I intend to win myself a year-roundposition. At least until I can sort my shit out and go back to living in the real world as a functioning human being.
“You said you’ve done firefighting before, but you’ll want to leave all your assumptions about the job back in the lower forty-eight. We do respond to calls around Copper Creek, but that’s maybe twice a year. The rest of the time we’re doing wildlands firefighting, which is a whole different animal.”
I nod, trying to look eager rather than worried about this. It’s not the physical nature of the work that I’m concerned about, or the firefighting itself, but the fact that I don’t know how I’ll respond in a crisis. I used to have a good head for those sorts of things, and now I don’t. Not at all.
“Now, we’ve just gotten off a long commitment, so we’ve got a week off before we can be called in again. We’ll be doing intensive training during that time, trying to get you up to scratch, because we’re on standby for a big fire in the Brooks Range.”
“Great,” I say, trying to put enough enthusiasm in my voice that it doesn’t sound sarcastic.
Chief Rhodes claps me on the back. “No more talk of business now! It’s the solstice, and that means you have a solemn duty to get drunk.” He shoves a lukewarm beer into my hand.
Chapter 2
Dex
I’m good at this, I’ve realized—joking around, laughing, hanging out with the guys as if nothing’s wrong, when in reality I’m stressing the fuck out. It was fine before, when we were out in the wilderness fighting that beast of a fire, but now that we’re back in Copper Creek, everything I don’t want to think about is right here in my face.
And if I’m this good at pretending, does it mean there’s something wrong with me? Am I a psychopath or something? Or am I just really good at compartmentalizing?
I’m standing close enough that the heat from the bonfire is searing my face, sparks popping from the gnarled dead tree that we finally got burning. I lost track of the conversation a while ago, but I’m still nodding along and grinning as if Garret’s story is the greatest thing I’ve heard all day.
Out of the corner of my eye, I’m watching Uncle Rhodes, waiting for a chance to catch him in a good mood. I was just about to approach him when the fucking new guy showed up out of nowhere and ambushed him, and now I’m sizing up the new guy as well.
He’s around my age, late twenties maybe, and he’s a bit scrawnier than the typical firefighter. Apparently he’s done this before, but I find that hard to believe.
Also, I doubt he’s had a shower in weeks. He’s got dark hair hanging lank all around his face, and I bet he’d be good-looking if he bothered to wash away the grime. Not that I’m into guys or anything, but he’s got the cheekbones and the dark, intense stare that girls love. The bad boy look.
Shit. Now he’s looking at me.
Before he starts thinking I’m a creep, I make my excuses and stump over to Uncle Rhodes. Might as well get this over with now.
“Hey,” I greet Uncle Rhodes—aka the fire chief, aka the reason my ass isn’t unemployed and living on the streets right now—and give the new guy a nod too.
“Hey, Dex! This is Korren. The one who’ll be living in my campervan, remember?”
Shit. I had kind of been counting on that for myself.
“Yeah, ’course,” I lie, summoning up a tight smile for new-guy Korren.
“I’ve got a bed set up for you in my place for now,” Uncle Rhodes says. “I’m not sure how long it’ll work out for us all, but it’s something. At least until you find something better.”
What the hell does that mean? He’s paying me next to nothing this summer, since I fucked up and he’s giving me a chance to prove I’ve turned things around. The deal was he’d cover my food and lodging for now—pretending I’m a real firefighter—until I’m trained up and he can trust me enough to give me a proper job. But that means there’s no way I’ll afford a rental. Especially not in tourist season, when half the accommodation in town is rented out to visitors.
“How come you qualify for handouts from the fire chief, huh?” I growl at Korren.
He reddens, and a defensive look comes over his face, like he’s got something to prove. “I—”
“Lay off, Dex. We’re desperate for staff, and Korren is a career firefighter who’s planning to stay on after the summer season. Unlike most of our crew. So I’m doing him a favor until he gets himself settled in, all right?”
Meaningof coursethe new guy is more deserving, because he’s trained and isn’t an untrustworthy shit like me.
Also, that means my chances of getting to live in the campervan are next to zero, because Korren’s going to be competing for a rental in the same market as the rest of us. The guys who came in May are fine, because there’s a handful of run-down houses and a couple apartments set aside for seasonal workers, but they fill up right at the beginning of summer.
In other words, I’ll be sharing a room with two of Uncle Rhodes’ four kids for the next three months.
