Page 140 of Catching Sparks

The croissant I ate in the café hasn’t tried to fight its way back up, and I consider that another win. I’m feeling hopeful that that’s a good sign. I need to go home soon, but that’s a step I’m not quite ready to take yet.

“How long is Brody back for?” I ask Anna.

She sips her coffee over the rim of her cup. “He has a meeting in Calgary tomorrow, but after that, he’ll be here until August when his tour starts up.”

My eyes bulge as I swing my head to stare at her, trying not to trip over the cracks in the sidewalk. “Tour? What tour?”

“Nothing was finalized until yesterday,” she says, her cheeks pink. “We knew it was coming. The first one did so well they’ve expanded the number of cities this time around. We’ll be gone for three months and back before Christmas.”

“Three months? You expect me to make it three months without you?” I ask. It’s not surprising in the slightest that Anna’s decided to go with Brody. I would have done the same damn thing if that was my man.

I fight off a flinch.

“That’s what I said,” Bryce says.

Anna waves us off. “You made it decades without me before I moved here, in case you forgot.”

The swinging sign above BB becomes clearer with every step, and excitement swells inside me for the first time all week. I’m not dressed for any pole time today. Instead, I left the house in a pair of jeans shorts that would rip without a doubt if I attempted a single move on the pole.

The June heat came out of nowhere, though, and with each step I take, my thighs begin to chafe. Between that and my sweaty feet in my boots, I’m debating whether or not I should have been trusted to dress myself today.

I take a sip of my latte and toss my worries into space. “Whatever. What’s going to happen with the salon while you’re gone?”

“I was actually considering asking Rory to help. She mentioned not having much luck job searching, and honestly, I just need someone to keep an eye out. Make sure nobody leaves a straightener on one night and burns the place down or something, you know?”

“I could do that for you,” Bryce volunteers.

Anna flashes her an appreciative smile. “I know. But she’s looking for the work, anyway. It might be good for her.”

We reach the entrance to the studio, and I step in front of them to slip my key in the lock. “That’s still two months away, though. Surely she’ll have another job by then.”

The key slides in, but as I go to turn it, there’s no resistance. Pulling the key out, I look over my shoulder at Anna and Bryce.

“It’s already unlocked. Did one of you check on the place and forget to lock up?”

They shake their heads, and Bryce’s expression tightens as her protective side sparks. Nerves twirl in my stomach as I grab the handle and push the door open.

The last thing I expect to see when I step inside the studio is the familiar scowl of my landlord and the man in a pair of navy overalls and a tool box in his hand standing beside him. I freeze just inside the doorway, taking in the sight.

“Hello, Poppy,” Ralph says, his tone speaking volumes to how unimpressed he is to be here right now. It only confuses me more.

“Hi. What are you doing here?”

The man who I assume to be some sort of repairman slips away from my landlord and into the backroom, where the hot water tank rests. My confusion grows.

“Getting your hot water fixed,” he says sharply.

“I thought you weren’t concerned with it,” Bryce sasses from behind me.

Ralph ignores her, staring at me. “Yes, well, it seems Ms. Huntsly has been sharing her concerns with others. I came to the conclusion that it was in my best interest to get it taken care of before that concern grew troublesome.”

“It’s a hot water tank, not a damn full studio renovation,” Anna mutters, but I don’t react to her sarcasm.

Suddenly, I want to turn and run away before everyone can see me break down again. I don’t, somehow keeping my composure long enough to ask another question.

“When did you decide to get it fixed?”

Every second it takes him to answer makes my heart beat that much quicker. I fist my hands at my sides to keep them from shaking.

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