Page 96 of Burning For You

“How hungry are you? Or just distracted. Everyone knows to behave,” his mother said.

Ash laughed. “Gale never behaves. Neither does Clay.”

“I’m sure Clay already had a talk with you. He’ll back off now.”

His mother always seemed to have her finger on every pulse. “I’d like to keep the fire talk down, if you can help. It’s been quiet and maybe it’s been nice.”

Nice for the two of them to not worry about it. Not run out at every alarm.

Did Skye get a few other articles written in the past two weeks? Yep, she had, but only one had been printed.

She even admitted that she wasn’t chasing anything.

As if she had learned her lesson.

Or maybe she’d been truthful all along and was only doing this for her book and now that she started it, she had what she needed.

Guess they’d have to talk about that some more too.

Gale and Rory came in a second later. Exactly who he wanted to talk to.

“Where is Skye?” Gale asked, looking around. “We got here early thinking we’d beat the others.”

Meredith and Clay were home and cleaning up after the wedding. Just next door so they’d come over last minute. Reenie went home to shower and change and he expected her and Ford to be here any minute.

His mother had already said Blaze was on the way with Arden and Gracie.

“She’s coming now. I was here for the wedding. Listen. I didn’t tell her who you were, Rory. I mean, your pen name. She’s a big fan and wants to write. She might recognize you.”

“That will stroke my ego if she does.”

Gale nudged his arm with her elbow. “Your ego gets stroked every night with me.”

He put his hands to his ears. “I don’t want to hear those things.”

“Why, Ash?” his mother asked. “Sounds like words that might have come out of your mouth a time or two.”

Great, they were starting to bust his ass already. “I’ve outgrown it all. And you should too, Gale.”

His sister snorted. “I don’t think so. Not around family. Has Skye written anything yet? Do you know?”

“I’m sure she has, but she hasn’t told me. I just know she has a book she’s been wanting to write. Crime fiction, kind of like her past. That’s why she’s doing the freelance reporting thing. She wanted to get some inspiration.”

“I guess I could see that,” Gale said. “Though I’d think she’d stay away from the fire part of crime and yet she dove right in. You don’t think that’s odd?”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“Gale,” his mother said. “Keep your opinions to yourself.”

“No,” Ash said. “I want to know what she is thinking.”

“I’m playing devil’s advocate here. Nothing more.”

“You do it all the time. Now shouldn’t be any different. Just spit it out.”

“Do you think she needs that adrenaline rush or going to the fires to be able to put it on paper? Like if she’s not seeing it in person, she gets, what is it, writer’s block, Rory?”

His face shrank back. He hadn’t thought of that.