Page 8 of When It Burns

“Okay, okay girls. Calm down. Let’s get it together,” I call, unable to contain my smile. “That was awesome and I am so proud of y’all! We still have a lot of work to do this season, but I couldn’t be more proud of the progress y’all have made so far. Grab some water and we’re gonna run it again.”

The girls run off to the bleachers across the gym, but Maggie doesn’t move. “Oh my gosh that was crazy!” she exclaims with a big smile on her face. Maggie is seventeen, but she carries herself with the maturity of someone who’s been forced to grow up faster than she should’ve. Her mother died her first year on the squad due to breast cancer. She fought for two years and went through several major surgeries, but every time the doctors thought they helped her beat the disease, more would show up. She’d been at practice when her dad showed up to tell her that her mother had lost her battle. She’d taken one look at his broken expression, and ran to me and fell in my arms in tears. Ever since that day, she’s come to me for advice, and I try to be the best mentor I can be for her. She is incredibly sweet and talented, and I am holding out hope that I can help her get a cheerleading scholarship to Crestview University.

“I am so proud of you,” I tell her, my smile matching hers. “You’ve worked so hard, and I can’t believe how far you’ve come!”

“Thank you, Miss Caroline. I couldn’t do any of it without you and Miss Hannah. Do you think we have a real chance for regionals this year?” she asks with so much hope and excitement that I can’t help but feel the same way.

“I think this could be our year,” I tell her and she nods.

“Okay well then I think we have some work to get back to,” she states, returning to her competitive mindset. As she walks back over to the rest of the squad, I hear my phone ping and look down to check it. I see a text from Will and roll my eyes at his insane protective nature.

Will: Theo is at practice and when I asked him what he was going to do to make up for yesterday, he said you’re having dinner at his house tonight. What the hell Caroline?

Me: What? I met his sister at Maracas last night. Hannah and I are going to their house for dinner.

Will: I don’t like it. He’s new to town, and no one knows anything about him. I don’t like the idea of you being alone with him.

Me: I’m not gonna be alone. Hannah is coming.

Will: Really? You and I both know that she will be at least thirty minutes late. I’d feel better if I was there just in case.

Me: You can’t just invite yourself over to the new fire chief’s house because you think he’ll hurt my feelings.

Will: Watch me.

Blowing out a frustrated sigh, I put my phone down. Hannah gives me a look and immediately asks, “What’s wrong?”

“Will is being a total drama queen and thinks that he needs to be at dinner tonight. He doesn’t trust the new guy,” I say with annoyance.

Hannah rolls her eyes at me. “Great. He does have a tendency to be a bit dramatic, but usually only when it’s related to you. And honestly, it’s probably not the worst idea in the world. I just wish he wasn’t such a dick to me,” she says, blinking innocently.

“He’s not a dick. You just intentionally push all his buttons. And both of you are used to being the loudest person in the room,” I say with a laugh.

“Whatever,” she says indignantly. “Are we gonna get back to practice or what?”

“Okay girls, let’s run it again,” I shout. If nothing else, tonight should be interesting.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THEO

“Did you remember sour cream for the potatoes?” I ask Margaret while opening the fridge.

“Yes! It’s behind the bottle of wine,” she replies.

“Got it.” I move the bottle of Moscato and grab the container I’d been searching for.

“We have ten minutes until they’re supposed to be here. Caroline said she and Will are on the way, and Hannah is finishing up with something for her grandfather. Have you started the grill?” Margaret yells at me from her bedroom where she’s getting ready. I know this night is about me attempting to make up for some of my behavior, but I know she also needs to feel like she has a place here in this new town. I came home to the kitchen overflowing with fresh bread, three different types of cookies, a charcuterie board, along with pasta salad, and a garden salad.

“Yep, it’s ready to go when they get here!” When Margaret suggested this get-together, I had thought it was just an excuse for her to cook a ton of food. But after Will told me at practice that he didn’t trust me yet to be alone with Caroline and Hannah, I knew tonight was going to be more than I’d bargained for. And while I wanted to hate Will for not trusting me, I didn’t. I was new to town and had come on as an aggressive asshole yesterday. I know he still doesn’t care for me, but he’s trying because the mayor had played the politics card with him.

I pace the house as Bear pads out of Margaret’s room and throws himself in the middle of the floor with a yawn. Rolling my eyes at his antics, I grab one of his toys and throw it. He makes no move to get it and blows out a sigh at me. I’ve had Bear for two years, and I don’t know if I’ve seen him excited about anything. He’s a low-energy dog, but I love him anyway.

“They’re here,” Margaret yells back at me. “Get the door, please. I am finishing my makeup now.”

“Got it,” I mutter as I hear a knock on the door.

I walk to the alcove by the front door and pull it open to see Caroline and Will standing on the porch. Caroline is carrying a small wrapped box with a smile on her face, while Will scowls at me immediately.

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