Page 82 of Dandelions and Smoke

“Whose idea was it to have the people who choose to run into burning fires run into an ice-cold lake instead?” Angela mutters, water droplets dripping off of her as she stomps to the rig without stopping.

The entire town gathers now at the shoreline, cheering as more brave souls willingly throw themselves into water cold enough to question their sanity. I’m about to join Angela on the rig when a second, larger towel drapes over my shoulders.

“There you go,” Jasenia says from over my shoulder, sending a chill sliding down me that’s not related to the plunge.

“Uh, thanks.” My lips press into a fine line as I eye her skeptically, wondering what her play here is.

My muscles only relax as Scout’s voice interrupts my deciphering.

“Daddy, up. Up.”

I pick him up, squeezing him tight when he lets out a little yelp.

“Daddy, hair’s wet.”

Picking up the corner of my towel, he helps dry it off.

“Thank you,” I laugh.

“I was thinking if you’re not busy, we could get some lunch,” Jasenia says, so casually that I’m caught off guard.

“Chief.” My name slices through the air like a blade out of Tris’s mouth as she and Ainsley walk over.

Turning her attention to Tris, Jasenia stretches out her hand toward her, the perfect picture of poised courtesy, but, having been with her for over a decade, I notice the way her shoulders straighten. I adjust Scout on my hip and clench my jaw.

“Hi, I’m Jasenia, Chief’s wife,” she says to Tris with an unwavering smile.

Wrong. Thing. To. Say.

Tris blinks twice, and her whole expression transforms. The smile that slowly creeps across her face is icier than the water I just escaped, sending a chill radiating from her that’s impossible to miss.

“No.” Tris clicks her tongue, unimpressed as she looks Jasenia blatantly up and down. “You’re the woman who kept her son away from his father for over a year,” she corrects with a venomous strike, leaving Jasenia stunned and her hand hanging. “Who also happens to be the ex-wife of my best friend’s boyfriend.”

Tris has a talent for saying exactly what everyone else is thinking, except that if she’s the one who needs to say it, we won’t be hearing the sugar-coated version.

Ainsley must sense my concern over the direction this is going because she quickly clears her throat and gives a half-hearted smile Jasenia’s way.

“Nice to meet you.” Ainsley laughs awkwardly, like this is some big misunderstanding or joke, as she takes Jasenia’s still-hanging hand and shakes it.

It makes no difference, though. Jasenia and Tris are locked in a battle of wills, and it won’t go well if someone doesn’t act fast. Neither of these women knows how to back down when provoked or feeling threatened. I catch Levi’s gaze and jerk my head quickly to Tris. Having been on the receiving end of her fury for months when Tris would sooner punch him than kiss him, he quickly recognizes what’s happening.

Simultaneously, Levi reaches Tris as I hand Scout back to Jasenia. The brief interruption works, and whatever Levi says does too because Ainsley and Tris turn from us and go their separate way. I know that none of my friends are fans of Jasenia after everything she’s put me through, but leave it to Tris to ignite the fire. I don’t blame Tris for her hostility. It means she cares enough to speak up, but Jasenia has never been one to let things go.

Turning her attention back to me, Jasenia straightens her jacket and kisses Scout on the head. I brace, ready for the backlash, the kind of reaction that I’m used to coming from her, the berating, belittling, and finger-pointing.

But it doesn’t come.

Instead, she acts as though the last three minutes never happened.

“She seems lovely,” she says sarcastically but with a levity that surprises me. “I was thinking we could go to The Harvest Cellar. It’s been ages since I’ve had their French Onion Soup.”

I school my features, refusing to let her see how much her reaction unsettles me. If she wants to move past this, I’m more than willing to let her. Pulling my towel tighter around me, I glance over to find my crew getting ready to head back to the station. We only have temporary coverage for the plunge, which means some of us are back on duty as soon as we thaw out and trade our swim trunks for much-needed warmer clothes.

I don’t want to go to lunch with Jasenia, but saying no isn’t as simple as it should be. Every interaction feels like walking a tightrope, one wrong step away from losing the opportunities she’s been giving me to see Scout. Unless I push for my lawyer to take action, I can’t afford to give her a reason to make things harder.

“Chief!” Angela’s voice cuts through the large crowd before she reaches me. “Linda asked if a couple of us could come back here to do photos with the crowd and hand out hot chocolate.”

A wave of relief has my shoulders dropping as I find my excuse. Beside me, Jasenia releases a loud breath, the sound exposing the cracks in her calm, collected facade. Still, I need to be careful with how I get out of this.