Page 54 of Roaring Flames

“Do you know Grayson?” Minnie asks abruptly, her eyes narrowing.

The question takes me by surprise.

Does she smell Grayson on me?

What the fuck?

My theory of her being supernatural suddenly sounds more plausible.

“He’s my…friend.”

“Huh.” Annoyance paints itself across her face, her expression turning pinched. She rubs a hand over her brow as if to ward off a headache. “He’s dating my best friend, Sidney.”

“Minnie. Theater one. Now.” Silas points down the hallway, and Minnie blows out an irritated breath.

“Fine.” She once again rams her shoulder against mine—ow—and stomps towards the closet where Silas keeps cleaning equipment.

I watch her retreating back with a lump forming in my throat and a lead weight in my stomach.

“You good, kid?” Silas’s gruff voice sounds from directly behind me.

I glance at the large man over my shoulder to see him watching me cautiously, his eyes unreadable.

I force a smile. “Yup. Where do you want me today? Is Jake working?”

“Jake had to take off today.” Silas moves towards the soda machine and washes the nobs with a rag. “Basketball tryouts, apparently.”

“Football already done?”

Silas glances at me before refocusing on his task. “Nah. They have one or two more games. Maybe more if they keep winning. You going to any more games?”

I snort. “Maybe. But I won’t be standing on the sidelines this time around.”

“Smart idea.” His lips twitch in the beginnings of a smirk before they straighten out. “Why don’t you take the counter today? I’m going to be doing payroll. I’ll have Reid clean the theaters.”

A knot manifests in my chest and shimmies its way up my throat. “Reid’s here?”

Silas eyes me strangely. “Will that be a problem?”

I force myself to keep my expression blank. “No. Not at all. It’s fine.”

Silas continues to stare at me as if he doesn’t believe me but chooses not to comment further. However, the sudden twitching of his jaw commandeers my attention.

“If he’s giving you a hard time…”

“No, no, no. It’s fine.” I force my lips to curve upwards. “Everything is fine.”

Famous last words.

Twenty-One

IZZY

Idon’t see Reid during the first hour of my shift, but I know he’s here. I can sense him.

A strange heat permeates the air and burrows its way into my chest, finding a home there.

The theater isn’t overly busy, but there’s a steady stream of people entering and leaving. At one point, Silas comes out to work the register while I scoop popcorn and grab drinks.

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