Page 74 of Light My Fire Three Times
“There’s nothing to spill,” I insist. “Honestly. There’s nothing?—”
“Liv.” She says my name like it’s both a threat and a hug. “You’re blushing.”
“I'm not,” I lie, because of course I am. My cheeks are basically a space heater at this point. “Look, Karl and I, we just avoid one another now. He doesn’t know that I overheard him, and I want it to stay that way.”
I squeeze my lips tightly closed. The last thing I want to do is mention Leo and show Ivy the actual mess I’ve made of everything. She has the triplets and Penny, too. She has her three men. She doesn’t need my drama, on top of that.
“Ivy, seriously. It’s nothing,” I try again, aiming for casual. “It’s good. I’m just waiting to go back home.”
She stares at me, mentally grabbing a chair and settling in for storytime. “Uh huh. So nothing explains why Dottie Langford just practically started humming ‘Here Comes the Bride.’”
I exhale, long and slow. “She’s… dramatic. You know how small towns are. One cup of coffee together and suddenly you’re picking china patterns.”
Ivy softens a little, which is worse somehow, because the kindness makes the guilt punch harder. “Liv… you like him? Still, despite everything. I think you like him.”
I groan and shove the stuffed penguin into the stroller like it’s responsible for my life imploding. “Can we not do this here? In the middle of Main Street? With Santa over there judging me?”
Ivy grins, but there’s concern behind it. “You can tell me, Liv. Come on, we’ve been through hell together. You know me, I won’t judge.”
My chest aches because she means it. And I don’t deserve her loyalty, not when I’m standing here lying through my teeth and wondering if the mess I’ve made is even fixable.
But if I start talking, I might mention Jesse too, and that would destroy everything.
I force a smile, even though it feels like it might crack my face in two.
“Later,” I promise. “For now, can we just… look at the Christmas lights and pretend my life isn’t a dumpster fire?”
She squeezes my arm. “Deal. But just so you know… I’m not letting this go.”
Of course she’s not. And honestly? Part of me doesn’t want her to.
But the other part, the part that’s drowning in secrets, wants to run until all of Coyote Glen is a dot in my rearview mirror.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Jesse
DECEMBER 5TH
The humof my truck is the only sound I’ve got for company on the way to Ivy’s.
Usually, these drives help me shake off the week. Thirty minutes to decompress before the chaos of dinner with my sister’s circus. But tonight? My phone hasn’t stopped lighting up bright as a damn Christmas tree in the cup holder.
Vanessa.
Again.
Another buzz. I glance down just long enough to see her name, that little preview flashing something I don’t want to read right now.We need to talk.
We had our talk. It didn’t go well. I don’t see any need to repeat that.
I flip the phone over, screen down, and grip the steering wheel tighter. I’ve gotten good at ignoring things I don’t want to deal with. Apparently, I’m a pro now. But this? This is a ticking bomb in my pocket.
I crank the volume on the radio, hoping classic rock can drown out the guilt clawing at the back of my skull. Doesn’twork. The lyrics blur together, and all I can hear is her voice in my head, all sharp edges and soft apologies from the last time we talked.
Stop it, Jesse. Not tonight.
Tonight’s for Ivy. For family. For one night, I don’t have to think about work or my wreck of a personal life.
