Page 186 of Smoke and Fire
She grinned. “I’m glad you came over. I’m closing in an hour and I’m starving. I bet you are too?”
“Always.”
“Great! We can go to dinner then. Will that work?”
“Sure.”
I stuck my hands in my pockets, suddenly awkward. I had no computer to hide behind, and didn’t have any apps on my phone. What was I supposed to do while she worked? Retreating back to my place until she left made the most sense, but that wasn’t what I wanted.
Not at all.
“You can stay.” She gazed around. “With the forest and the reservoir closed now, hardly anyone is up here. I’ve spent most days reading.”
I grinned. “Oh yeah? The books are good?”
I made myself ask it before I found a reason to back out. The delighted smile that illuminated her face made it totally worth it.
“Fantastic.”
She drummed her fingers together, then gestured to a stack of books on the floor behind the counter, out of sight from any customers. I stood up and peered over the top. Jess’s books.
My books.
Her grin spread as she grabbed a book off the top and slammed it on the counter between us.
“Now that you’re stuck here with me, I have you all to myself.”
The sound came out like a threat, but I wanted it as a promise. If I had Dahlia all to myself, the things I wanted to do to her—
She continued, breaking apart my escalating thoughts.
“Because I just . . . I have so many questions. Let’s start with book one.”
“WHAT?”I cried forty-five minues later. “No. Just . . . no.”
Dahlia’s jaw dropped. “You have to be kidding me? You’ve totally set it up for them to be together.”
“How?”
“Stacey and Amina are beautiful together. They’ll be such a cute couple, and I’ve already figured out their relationship name! Stamina! Like stah-mee-nah, right? Besides, Stacey is pregnant and she’s going to need some support.” Dahlia waved a dismissive hand. “Amina loves her. The two of them will be the cutest mamas ever.”
I sat on a chair near the cash register, sprawled back. A coffee mug that had been regularly refilled waited half full next to me. My body buzzed with the extra caffeine, or maybe just the onslaught of Dahlia.
Dahlia stood behind the counter after finishing with a drive-through order, a glass of iced orange juice at her fingertips. Ten of Jess’s books lay open on the counter, butterflied open to her favorite spots. She’d been grilling me on the stories behindthe stories for almost an hour now. I’d never had so much fun with my books.
“I concede your point,” I said, palms spread. “I just hadn’t thought of it.”
She laughed. “I mean, you need more ideas, right? There it is.”
“Not for long.”
Her eyes bugged out of her head. “What?” she cried. “Why wouldn’t you need more ideas? You’re not stopping soon, are you?”
My response stalled, tripping over itself. How did I explain this to her without explainingeverythingto her? Inessa, Dad, the burden of their care that loomed over me like a living thing. The sheer cost of taking care of both of them would have boggled anyone’s mind. Never would I jeopardize my ability to provide for them, but . . . I wasn’t sure I could keep all of this to myself anymore either.
She straightened, clearly concerned by my silence.
“Not yet,” I said with a conciliatory hand in the air. “Jess is not my forever. Romance novels are fun and pay the bills but . . . I’m not in love with this career path. I can do it for now, but I don’t want it to be my whole life. Honestly, I’m not sure I want any single career to be my whole life. Why choose just one?”
