Chapter 14

14

Sofia

"One, two, three. Eyes on me," I sing to my kids. From the carpet on the floor, they all turn to me. "Today is the start of an exciting week. We're going to learn about firemen and what they do, and on Friday we're going to visit one of our local fire stations."

The kids all start clapping and cheering. Their excited chatter makes me smile. They'll get to ride a school bus, which is exciting for them. I sent permission slips home last week and they were all returned. A couple of moms have volunteered to go with us.

I read them a story about firemen and what they do. The kids listen with rapt attention. I finish the story and then have Jodi and Daniel set pictures at everyone's seats. "Okay, everyone, take your seats." They all hop up and hustle toward their seats. "I thought we could color pictures to take to the fire station."

They get busy coloring. I move toward the back of the room. "Am I finally going to meet Rhett?" Jodi asks.

I blush but nod. "Yeah, I checked with him, and he said he'd be working." They have a bunch of fun stuff they do with the kids.

She claps, hops up and down, and squeals. "Ooh, I can't wait to see this hottie in person," Jodi teases, nudging my shoulder.

I roll my eyes but can't hide my smile. "Just don't embarrass me, okay?"

"Me? Never," Jodi replies with an exaggerated wink.

I shake my head fondly and turn my attention back to the kids. They're all so focused on their coloring, little tongues poking out in concentration. It's adorable.

The rest of the week flies by as we continue learning about firefighters. Speaking of firefighters, I haven't seen much of mine this week, which has sucked, but luckily his next forty-eight hours off are both Saturday and Sunday. Focusing back on the kids, they are so excited, asking a million questions. By Friday morning, they're practically vibrating with energy.

"Okay, class, remember to stay with your buddy and listen to the firefighters," I remind them as we line up to board the bus.

The ride to the fire station is filled with excited chatter. The bus pulls up to Fire Station 47 and the kids start cheering. I smile, their excitement is contagious. As we file off the bus, I see Rhett and some of the other firefighters waiting to greet us. My heart skips a beat when I see him in his uniform.

"Welcome, everyone!" Rhett calls out with a big smile. His eyes meet mine briefly and I feel a flutter in my stomach.

The kids gather around, staring up at the firefighters in awe. Rhett kneels down to their level. "Who's excited to learn about being a firefighter today?"

A chorus of "Me!" rings out as little hands shoot into the air. Rhett chuckles and stands back up.

"All right, let's start with a tour of the station," he begins, leading the way inside.

As we walk through, Rhett and the other firefighters show us all the different parts of the station. The kids are fascinated by everything, from the kitchen where the firefighters cook their meals to the big room with all the beds.

"This is where we sleep when we're on duty," Rhett explains. "We have to be ready to jump up and go at a moment's notice if there's an emergency."

The kids' eyes go wide at that. "Even in the middle of the night?" one little boy asks.

Rhett nods seriously. "Yep, even in the middle of the night. That's why it's so important for firefighters to get good rest when we can."

Next, we head to the garage area where all the trucks and equipment are kept. The kids gasp in awe at the big red fire engines.

"Who wants to sit in the driver's seat?" Rhett asks with a grin.

A chorus of "Me! Me!" erupts from the kids as they all jump up and down excitedly.

Rhett laughs. "Okay, we'll take turns. Form a line and you can each sit in the seat for a minute."

The kids scramble to line up. Rhett helps them one by one climb up into the driver's seat of the big fire engine. Their little faces light up with joy as they pretend to drive.

"Look, Miss Sofia, I'm driving the fire truck!" one little girl calls out to me.

I smile and wave at her. "I see you! You're doing a great job!"

As the kids take their turns, I can't help but watch Rhett. He's so good with them, patient and kind as he lifts each child up and shows them different parts of the engine. Another fireman is showing kids the other truck.

Once everyone has had a turn in the driver's seat, Rhett and Marchy gather the kids around again. "Now, who wants to see how fast we can put on all our gear?"

The kids cheer enthusiastically. Rhett and another firefighter demonstrate how they quickly don their protective equipment: boots, pants, coat, helmet, and air tank. The kids watch in amazement as they transform into fully geared-up firefighters in under a minute.

"Wow, that was so fast!" one little boy exclaims.

"We have to be quick," Rhett explains. "Every second counts when there's an emergency."

Next, they bring out some child-sized firefighter jackets and hats for the kids to try on. They have a blast putting on the gear and pretending to be firefighters themselves.

As I watch Rhett interact with the children, I begin to fall further for him. It exhilarates me, but also terrifies me. I keep waiting for him to realize he could do better than me. Nope, I told myself I wasn't going to do this.

We make eye contact, and I feel my cheeks heat up and give him a small smile. In return he winks at me.

The kids are eating cookies and drinking their juice boxes when Oscar comes trotting over to me. I squat down. "Well hey there, boy. You're so handsome." He licks my cheek and I laugh as I stand up.

The man who drives the trucks, Jamie, comes over and says hi before taking Oscar over to the kids. They chatter excitedly as the dog stands in front of the kids, wagging his tail. While the dog gets attention, Rhett comes walking over to me. He surprises me by quickly kissing my lips.

I blink up at him, and once I'm out of my stupor I smile at him. "You were really good. Thank you for making this fun for them." I grab the manila folder out of my bag. "The kids colored you all some pictures."

Rhett takes the folder from me and opens it. His smile is genuine as he thumbs through the pictures.

"Introduce me to your guy," Jodi urges as she comes walking over.

"Rhett, this is my good friend and classroom assistant, Jodi, and Jodi, this is Rhett, my uh… boyfriend?" I look at him, unsure if that was the right thing to say.

Rhett's smile widens as he looks at me. "Boyfriend sounds perfect to me," he confirms, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side, kissing my temple.

I feel a rush of warmth at his words and lean into him. Jodi is practically beaming as she shakes Rhett's hand.

"It's so nice to finally meet you!" she gushes. "Sofia has told me so much about you." Her voice is saccharine sweet as she talks to him.

I feel my cheeks heat up. "Jodi..." I warn quietly. Giving her the look, you know the one.

She just grins and continues chatting with Rhett, asking him questions about his work. I'm grateful when one of the kids calls for me, giving me an excuse to step away for a moment.

As I help little Zoe retie her shoe, I glance over to see Rhett and Jodi still talking animatedly. Rhett catches my eye, and winks.

As the field trip wraps up, the kids gather to say thank you to the firefighters. They're all chattering excitedly about their favorite parts of the day. They'll be talking about this for at least a couple of weeks.

"Thank you, Mr. Rhett!" several of them call out as we start to line up to board the bus.

Rhett kneels down to their level. "You're very welcome. I hope you all had fun today and learned a lot about being a firefighter."

"I want to be a firefighter when I grow up!" one little boy declares. Several others shout out they're going to do it too.

Rhett grins. "That's great! Maybe I'll work with you all someday."

As the kids file onto the bus, Rhett pulls me aside for a moment. "I had fun today," he says softly. "It was nice getting to see you in teacher mode."

I smile up at him. "I'm glad. The kids loved you."

"Plan on spending all weekend at my place," he tells me and excitement flows through me. I can't wait to spend time with him. Especially since I didn't see him at all this week.

"Okay. I'll pack a bag." I want to kiss him goodbye, but I'm not sure it's appropriate. "See you tomorrow," I tell him just before climbing the stairs into the bus.