Page 28 of Embers in the Dark

She looks mighty proud. This interaction is the first since the attack where I see the old pieces of Baylee coming through. She’s busting my balls just like she used to, and I honestly don’t mind. But I won’t tell her that, I’ll let her think it bothers me.

“Okay, let me have it. Go ahead, ask me what you need to ask.” I keep my eyes on the road.

“Obviously, I need to know when this started? I mean, come on Tucker, you don’t come off as the smutty romance reader type,” she explains.

“That’s a bit judgy.” I sneak a glance over.

“You needing to find a way to connect to the ladies?” She pouts.

“I have no problem in that department, thank you very much.” I cough, making this conversation a bit uncomfortable.

“Okay, then what is it?” she pushes.

“Fine, I’m in a book club, alright?”

“What? Are you joking? Is it at the firehouse?” She laughs.

“No, it’s with my friends Abby and Kennedy,” I tell her.

“Hold on, didn’t you go on a date with Abby? Isn’t she with Clay? So, what? Now you’re friends with someone you dated? And she’s with one of the guys you work with? What a weird love triangle.” She scrunches her nose.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” I wave my hand at her. “It’s definitely not a love triangle. That would be weird.” I shiver. “Abby and I were never romantic. Gross.”

“I think she’d be offended if you referred to her as gross.” She looks at me like I’m a chauvinistic pig.

“Um, no she wouldn’t, I can promise you that. There was never anything romantic between us. She and I never saw one another like that. That date was sort of fake. From the second it started we were instant friends, and the rest is history. We connected with a deep-seated interest in reality-dating shows and now we have a smutty book club. Plus, I love her daughter. She’s one of my best friends. Kennedy still scares me more than anything, but she’s growing on me. Clay and River have become great people in my life. I’ve formed a little family around me outside of my actual family. It’s become an incredible support for me.” I can’t help the smile that formsas I talk about the new part of my life I’ve built in the last year.

Silence falls over us and once I reach a traffic light, I look over to find Baylee staring at me.

“What?” I feel uncomfortable with her gaze on me.

“So, that date—it wasn’t anything?” she asks.

“No, it wasn’t anything. It was just two friends going out,” I explain.

“I see.” Her face goes to stone and she moves her body forward and any lightness we had built feels like ice.

“Bay, did I say something to offend you?” I ask her.

“It’s green,” she answers.

“Huh?” I ask in confusion.

The car behind me blares its horn and it’s then I realize the light has changed to green.

I start to move through traffic again.

“Baylee, what did I say to upset you?” I ask again.

“I texted you,” she says, just above a whisper.

“What’s that?” I heard her, but I don’t know what to say, so I need to buy time. I’m being a chickenshit.

We arrive at the university and she points to where she’d like to be dropped off.

“I can get you closer if you’d like,” I tell her.

“No, I want to get out.” She doesn’t even look at me.

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