Page 1 of Burn With Me

Prologue

Amelia

Quickening my pace, I race up the last few steps to the door of the townhouse. With shaking hands, I struggle to get the key in and finally manage to unlock the door after the third try.

Leo will be home soon, and he’s never happy when dinner isn’t ready for him by the time he walks through the door. The worst part is that I don’t even know what I want to cook tonight, and god forbid I order takeout.

I don’t know how we got here, but I know this isn’t a normal relationship. I hate myself a little more each day because I won’t just end it, but it’s comfortable at this point.

As I start mentally preparing the meal, I think about my life and the plan I started for my future. I need to have my ducks in a row because my life is so entwined with Leo’s.

I should make a list of what I need to do to help me focus.

I walk over to my container plants and grab some fresh tomatoes, wondering if I have what it takes to start the aquaponics farm I’ve been dreaming of. Self-doubt kicks in with the thought.

Do I even have what it takes to start a business?

It doesn’t help when you’re told over and over that you can’t make a living farming. Or that you aren’t good enough to follow through with anything, let alone start a business.

While the sauce is simmering, I pull out my tablet to look at the plans I’ve come up with. I have my whole aquaponic farm fully planned out, from building plans to how I would execute it, the best mediums to use for each plant, and which fish is best for each section. Growing produce and flowers has always been my passion, and because of this, I took more biology classes than needed for my psychology degree just so I could learn everything I could about it.

It’ll be fully sustainable and able to provide produce to restaurants and other businesses wherever I decide to end up.

During my research, I found a new grant in New Mexico that’s trying to bring start-up businesses to the state, and agriculture is listed as a category they’re accepting applications for.

To hell with it. I’m going to start filling out the application.

I won’t know if they approve it for almost a year. So that gives me plenty of time to figure out my next steps.

After I prepare the garlic bread and start to boil the water for the pasta, the door opens, and Leo walks in, immediately taking his jacket off and draping it across the couch as he walks by.

I tense as I realize I didn’t shut the tablet down before Leo makes his way up behind me.

“Looking at all your unrealistic plans, Amelia? Where are you going to build that in the city where our lives are?”

This is the same fight we have every time he finds me looking at my plans.

“It’s not unrealistic, Leo. It’s possible even in the city. I just don’t want it to happen here,” I respond, voicing this out loud for the first time.

I hate it here. He knows it. I only came to DC because I got a fantastic scholarship for college.

Leo stops pulling things out of his pocket to put in the bowl in the hallway and slowly turns. Alarm bells go off in my head.

While Leo has never been physically abusive, he’s very much the kind of man who wants it his way or the highway, and everyone has to fit into his life exactly how he wants it. There is no negotiating with him.

“What do you mean you don’t want it to happen here, Amelia? My career is here. We’re not going to go to some backwoods town and deal with hicks or boring crimes. Our life is here, end of story,” Leo says as he narrows his eyes, daring me to argue.

“Your career is here, Leo, but I’m not happy here. You know this. Hell, everyone knows this. I got an email earlier about a great grant for people willing to start a new business in New Mexico. I’d like to explore the possibility of this.” I snap my mouth closed, unsure where this word vomit is coming from.

“New Mexico!?” Leo roars, and my eyes go big.

Shit, I’ve never seen him this angry, mostly because I never talk back. I’ve learned it’s easier to go with whatever he wants, but I don’t want to do that anymore.

“Unless I’m relocated, I’m not leaving this city. This is where I’m building my career, and you agreed to support me. The promotion I’m eligible for is coming up soon, and I will not let some pipe dream of yours ruin my life. You’re not smart enough to start a business. You can’t even fund it because I sure as fuck won’t help you financially. You never see anything through. You’ll fixate on it for a couple of months, then get bored and move on.” He’s in my face, and damn, are his words cutting deep.

Maybe it’s my fault. I’ve never really talked about how serious I am about this, and he just thinks it’s one of my ADHD fixations.

“I have an image to uphold, Amelia, and you will not ruin this for me. Do you understand?”

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