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He kisses me firmly, cupping my jaw. “Teasing.”
I roll my eyes.
“You love me.”
“I like you. See you tomorrow,” I say.
“Until tomorrow.”
One more kiss, and I watch him drive away. The separation hurts more than it should as his truck disappears down the hill into the woods. I wait until I can’t hear the engine any longer before getting on with my day.
I turn and head up the front stairs, the early morning light promising a beautiful day. I have one more day to enjoy thisinternship until Frye comes back and fires my ass, so I may as well go wake up Esme and?—
I stop short when I reach the front door.
There, in the foyer, is Frye.
From the look on his face, he’s seen and overheard everything that just occurred.
“You’re back early,” I blurt.
“My spies are everywhere. But with your performance yesterday and already this morning, I don’t need spies. The speed at which you fail to do the simple tasks, one after another, is truly breathtaking.”
I wince under his stern gaze. “Missing dinner, followed by a missed appointment this morning. Entertaining gentleman callers in your room…”
As he lists off my transgressions, the decibel of his voice grows from a standard lecture to shouting. “Stealing food from the kitchen!”
“I wasn’t stealing! I do live here, you know. I’m allowed to eat,” I protest.
“That burrito was for Esme.”
“You really came home early from your trip because of this? These are hardly crimes.” I’m just going to pretend she didn’t steal my car. After all, it was only for a few blocks.
“But giving out the code to the gate is a crime against this house. Pack your things, young lady.”
The last time someone called me “young lady” with anger in their voice, I thought about kicking them in the gonads. It might feel good to kick this guy in the gonads. But I think we’ve escalated things enough.
“Yes, sir,” I say meekly because I still hope to fix this situation and finish this internship, though it’s a long shot at this point.
Judging by his not following me to my room to ask me to stay, I don’t think Frye is bluffing.
Trudging up the stairs and staring at my feet, I don’t see Esme hovering on the landing until I hear her firm pronouncement.
“You’re not firing anybody, Frye. Not today.”
ten
Rowan
I’m hosing down Engine 1 when Sagan pays me a visit.
He walks in through the open bay door and nods when he spots me at the back of the garage.
Since I came back to work, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Briar. I wonder if she’s doing OK.
I texted her earlier, but she hasn’t replied yet. The concern was making me stir crazy, which is why I decided to wash the fire engine.
“What’s up?”
