Page 35 of Burning Truth

“They were,” he admitted, but he still seemed lost, his eyes dark with memory.

Reaching out, she rested a hand on his arm. The muscles beneath the skin were strung tight with tension, like he was holding himself back. Or holding something in.

“Hey,” she said, swinging in front of him. She cupped his neck in her hands and smiled up at him. His eyes weren’t really seeing her, though. “Maybe we can stop for some ice cream on the way home.”

When he still didn’t move, she went up on tiptoe to press her mouth to his. It took several long seconds, but finally, he seemed to come back to the now, and his lips moved beneath her own. When he drew back, she could see the awareness of his surroundings in his eyes. “Sorry about that,” he murmured. “I rarely get swept under like that.”

“No worries,” she said, smiling at him. “Now, you promised me ice cream.”

Severn blinked. “I did? When?”

“Just now. You blinked, which I took to mean yes when I suggested it.”

Severn chuckled, and Addie grinned. That was the first time she’d ever heard him chuckle, and she really liked the sound.

“Okay, ice cream it is. Let me finish this email.”

Addie let him finish his work and followed him down the stairs. Gabbie had gone home, the lights off in her office. Morgan was still downstairs, but she was packing up her bag. They left the building together, Severn locking the building and setting the alarm.

“This is the same alarm you have,” Severn told her as they climbed into his truck.

“Oh, really?”

He nodded. “I’m surprised you didn’t have one already.”

“Yeah, it was probably time,” she said. “A couple of the news anchors lived in gated communities with guards, because they’d had issues with people following them home. Do you have an alarm?”

“No,” he said, voice short. “But I live in a building that has monitoring.”

“Hm.”

“Where are we getting ice cream?” he asked her, giving her an odd look.

“Johnson’s in Italian village,” she said immediately, and he put the truck into drive.

Severn seemed okay after his little break, so she wasn’t going to say anything to point it out. She talked about downtown, and how much she loved the area. Severn talked about the culture shock between Ohio and California. And as they pulled into the shopping area, they kept talking about inconsequential things. It was good conversation, though. At that moment, they didn’t have any worries about the arsonist, and they both needed to keep it lighthearted.

Addie ordered a double scoop in a bowl, with chocolate fudge and sea salt caramel, and Severn went for a classic vanilla bean with hot fudge. They found a small table outside the ice cream shop, tucked away under a red-and-white striped umbrella. The late afternoon sun was starting to dip, casting long shadows over the street. Addie dug into her ice cream, savoring the rich taste and the contrast between the sweetness and the salt.

Severn watched her for a moment, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You really enjoy your ice cream,” he said, spoon poised halfway to his own mouth.

Addie grinned, not the least bit embarrassed. “Life’s too short not to enjoy the small things, right? Plus, this place makes the best fudge sauce. How’s yours?”

Severn took a deliberate bite, letting the ice cream melt on his tongue before he answered. “It’s good. Better than I remember.” His tone was casual, but his eyes were thoughtful, as if his mind were still half in the past.

Addie reached across the table and gently tapped the back of his hand with her spoon. “Earth to Severn. You’re supposed to be enjoying this, not using it as another distraction.”

He snapped back to the present and gave her a sheepish look. “Right. Sorry. I guess I’m not used to downtime.” He took another bite of his ice cream, and this time, he seemed to really enjoy it.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just people-watching and eating. The late afternoon crowd was a mix of families, couples, and a few joggers taking advantage of the cooling temperature. A street performer set up nearby, strumming a guitar and singing a soulful rendition of an old rock song. Addie found herself tapping her foot to the rhythm.

“You ever think about taking a break?” Severn asked suddenly, breaking the silence. His eyes were focused on her, serious and searching.

Addie paused, her spoon halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

“From the news. From everything. Just... taking a step back. Maybe not dealing with arsonists and stalkers for a while.”

She swallowed, feeling the question settle in her mind. It was something she’d thought about, especially in the last few weeks, with everything that had been happening. The idea of leaving the chaos behind, even temporarily, was tempting. But then she thought about the stories, the people she helped by telling them, the impact she made. She sighed. “I don’t know if I could do that, even if I wanted to. This job, it’s... it’s really grown on me. I’d feel like I was abandoning something important. Plus, I kind of like to eat on a regular basis.”

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