Page 102 of Whispers and Wildfire

CHAPTER 24

Melanie

Beingat work on Monday wasn’t the least bit disconcerting. I’d picked Luke up, since he still couldn’t drive. We’d made small talk and gone our separate ways once we arrived. It was like nothing had happened over the weekend.

And really, nothing had.

Everything was fine.

Okay, so I’d opened up to Luke and told him my traumatic tale. It wasn’t like it was a big secret. If it had happened locally—not several states away—the entire town would have known the story. I didn’t keep it from people, necessarily. I just didn’t like talking about it.

And fine, I’d cried. On his chest. I almost never cried, so I couldn’t pretend that was nothing. But it didn’t have to be something big or important. Sleep deprivation could heighten anyone’s emotions. I wasn’t immune to that.

I’d been upset, I’d freaked out over the unlocked door, and a few tears had been shed. It was all a big, fat nothing.

Or it was to him. That was clear. He’d barely looked at me all day.

Instead of getting worked up about it, I sat at the front desk, trying to focus on my job. Because I didn’t know what there was to get worked up about. What did I want from him? It wasn’t like he was ignoring or avoiding me. It was a normal day.

The problem was, I didn’t feel normal. Not after the other night.

I’d gone to bed with the memory of his arms around me. His embrace had felt so good, I wasn’t even embarrassed that I’d cried. I kind of wanted to do it again to see if he’d hug me the same way.

Which was ridiculous.

Wasn’t it?

And he’d given me the look—a look I remembered all too well. One that sent shivers down my spine and made my lips tingle with anticipation.

He’d been thinking about kissing me.

To my relief—or disappointment, I was very confused—he hadn’t. Not then, when we’d been sitting on the couch together. Not later, when we’d watched a movie. And not at the end of the night, when I’d dropped him off at his place.

No more heat in his eyes. No more longing glances.

I finished sorting a stack of invoices and tapped them to line up their edges. It was just as well. I didn’t want Luke to kiss me. We’d been down that road and it hadn’t ended well. If he wanted to move on like we hadn’t shared a moment over the weekend, it was for the best.

But if that were true, why was I so furious?

He walked into the lobby, and with barely a glance at me, grabbed the invoices. Without a single word, he turned and left, disappearing through the door that led to his office.

My mouth dropped open. How dare he waltz over to my desk like I was just a random employee. Like I was nothing to him.

I closed my mouth and forced myself to take a deep breaththrough my nose. I was getting carried away. He wasn’t acting any different from how he always acted at work. He probably had a million things on his mind.

It was fine. I tucked my hair behind my ear. Completely fine.

But an angry blaze still burned hot in my chest.

I needed to get out for a few minutes, otherwise I was going to burst like a firecracker. I decided to take a quick walk to Nature’s Basket Grocery. I knew myself—sometimes I wasn’t angry, I just needed a snack. The weather was oppressively hot, but I didn’t care. A little sweat down my back would be better than having a meltdown the next time Luke walked by my desk. I forwarded the phone to voicemail, grabbed my purse, and left.

A wave of heat hit me as soon as I walked out the door. Hoping I’d remembered to put on deodorant that morning, I headed up the sidewalk to the grocery store.

I was in a mood where nothing sounded good, so I wandered aimlessly up and down the aisles for a few minutes. Eventually, I picked up a bag of dried apple chips and a cup of cubed cheese from the deli.

There was only one cashier available, so I got in the short line. A moment or two later, it was my turn. I checked out, tucked my snack and receipt into my purse, and left.

I’d hardly been in the store for ten minutes, but it seemed hotter outside on the walk back to the garage. I pushed open the front door, eagerly anticipating the air-conditioning that awaited me inside.

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