Page 48 of Smoke and Fire
Instead, I managed a bright smile. “Girls retreat over a romance novel!” I cried. “Sounds amazing.”
“We’re all reading it on our phones the moment it arrives at midnight. We’re going to stay up with sugary food and talk about our favorite Jess book. Mine is thirteen, of course,Change is a Monster." Her nose scrunched up. "Really didn't like book four,Lust is a Darkening Hellscape,at all. But that seems normal enough! Anyway, can't wait to hear what you think. I'll be around for the next week or more.”
I smiled because there was nothing for me to say.
She pointed to the table where she’d set her stuff. “Mind if I sit down for a while? I need to plan some of the party.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Make yourself comfortable. There is a fire raging in the forest north of here,” I added. Maybe that would deter her. “It’s going to be out of control soon, a source of mine says. Just so you know in case you need to alter travel plans. I'm sure the hotel would accommodate any changes.”
She dug through her purse as she chewed through a bite of cake pop, clearly not caring about the inherent warning as she pulled out her phone.
“Okay, sounds good.”
Her attention refocused on her screen.
And all my hopes for an easy job plummeted.
THAT NIGHT,I paced back and forth outside the RV. A dry wind stirred hair off my shoulders as I spun for the two-hundredth time while waiting for Bastian to text me already.
I’d sent a somewhat frantic video recounting The Situation, as I dubbed it. Then I followed it with a GIF of a monkey darting away from a woman chasing it in high heels. To seal my emotions, a second GIF of a woman low-level losing it came next, followed by a man surrounded by peaceful mountains. The wordnamasteflashed across the bottom.
Perhaps I'd gone overboard.
To the north, the plume had doubled as the day progressed. A mushroom-like cloud billowed above it, marring the northwest sky with a dingy scar. It lingered in the upper atmosphere in bleak promise. A hint of burning wood lingered in the air.
Just in case, I left the news on inside the trailer where I could just overhear the headlines.
Of course, the one night that I neededBastian to respond quickly, he hadn’t.
Frustrated, I shoved my phone back into my shorts pocket and snatched the seventh book off the step. I couldn’t stop reading. Even if I wanted to stop, I wouldn’t. The books were too drawing, and it made perfect sense to me whyhe had women attempting to find Jess and out her. Bastian had serioustalent for writing lovers that longed for romance but didn’t know how to find it.
There were still thirteen books to go, with book twenty being the biggest cliffhanger of all, according to online forums. I’d never read this fast in my life, and it still felt too slow. I couldn’t read as quickly as my desire to hear his stories.
Would I feel the same way about Bastian in real life?
A picture ran through my mind. Bastian cuddled up at my side, playing with my hair, unraveling a story out loud. I’d be snuggled in, probably finding the perfect GIF on my phone to punctuate his drama. I blinked the image away, startled that it had appeared at all. This twitterpation was out of hand.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
I yanked it out.
Sione:Word is out that they’re about to issue voluntary evacuations to the north of the Pineville area. That’s you, cuz. You HAD to pick the trailer park up in the mountains, not the one on the lake bed.
My stomach clenched.
Dahlia:What does voluntary evacuation mean?
Sione:Means you leave if you want, and danger is coming. But it’s not on the doorstep.
Dahlia:Should I take the RV somewhere else if that happens?
Sione:Let's see what they say. You’re probably still safe for a while. But we’ll need to pay attention.
His answer didn’t help me feel any better, however.
Dahlia:What about Adventura?
Sione:Mark wants to wait until we get the official announcement. There’s a highway between us and the fire, so we’re good.
