Page 95 of Burning For You

“Really?” Clay asked. “I thought for sure you would have told her all the players before she showed up. That’s how you end up in the doghouse.”

Ash laughed and finished setting up the bar before they moved out to see if his mother needed help.

“If anyone knows what it’s like living in a doghouse, it’s you, but I told her who everyone’s significant others were. Just not that Rory is Rory Rene. She wants to be a writer too, and I didn’t know how she’d be if she knew beforehand.”

He asked her some of her favorite authors one night. Just a conversation. His way of picking without coming right out with a pitchfork.

Rory was in her top five. He didn’t know if she’d notice him by the picture on the back or not. Guess he’d find out.

Clay ignored his comment about the doghouse and glanced toward the barn doors, where the fall light spilled in. “Let’s get this set and get the day done.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

And when four rolled around, the bar was picked up and put back to normal. All clean and ready to go for the next event.

The tips weren’t as much and he hadn’t expected it. They didn’t do much work.

Hell, Clay could have handled it on his own, but it wasn’t as if he had much more to do today and had already committed to helping weeks ago.

Before his life got so complicated.

He pulled his phone out and sent Skye a text to leave now if she wanted. That he was done working.

She replied quickly she’d leave in five minutes.

When the barn doors were locked, he drove to the farmhouse and parked on the side, then went inside to the smell of a roast in the oven.

“How the hell do you manage to make everything you did hours ago and then this?”

There had been family-style plates of French toast, bacon, scrambled eggs, muffins, fruit, scones, and a few other things he had paid little attention to. Only what he’d snagged when he snuck back in the kitchen a few times.

“Because once the food was served, I cleaned up and left. Meredith and Reenie took care of the rest along with the servers. This was pretty mild anyway.”

“It seemed it,” he said.

He opened the fridge and got a bottle of iced tea. His mother knew what he drank when he wasn’t drinking alcohol.

And though he wasn’t working for a few days, he also didn’t really care if he had a beer or not tonight.

Maybe he wanted to make sure Skye knew he was telling the truth. That he didn’t drink much. He wasn’t out getting drunk and having parties when he wasn’t working.

That she didn’t need to worry that she was born to alcoholics and maybe she’d end up with someone who drank a lot also.

Just bits and pieces of things he’d picked up when they talked.

And even though they didn’t see each other every day, they did chat or text.

She was working, he was always working it seemed. Even on his days off, he’d sleep until noon the latest, then go help Corbin or Clay. He rarely had a day where he wasn’t working somewhere.

Seemed Skye was doing the same since she’d confessed she’d started her book.

The arsonist was being quiet. Nothing since the abandoned building. No emails either.

Almost two weeks at this point.

Maybe the person was running scared and moving on.

It was too much to hope, he was sure.