Page 63 of His Tenth Dance

“You too.” He turned to the toppings table and added condiments to his and Granddad’s burgers, then lettuce, tomato, and bacon to his, with those same things, plus onions, to his grandfather’s.

He put avocadoes on his burger, and set the bun on top, looking up to find Kristie.

She stood with Gemma, Samantha, and Karly—a counselor, a horseback riding instructor, and one of Mission’s cowhands—easily chatting with them. Her hair glinted in the firelight like spun gold, and she tipped her head back and laughed.

He filled his granddad’s plate with sides of barbecue potato chips, baked beans, and a cob of fire-roasted corn and took it over to him.

“Something to drink, Granddad?”

“I’ve got something.” He nudged the travel mug at his feet, and Mission suspected he had coffee in that.

He returned to the throng, stepping into Kristie and leaning his hand on her waist as he asked, “What do you want on your burger?”

She faced him. “I’ll come do it.”

He stepped back as Kris said something to her friends and then came with him. He observed as she put on ketchup and mustard but no mayo, then added tomato and lettuce, but nothing else.

“Spying?” she asked as she joined him at the table with all the sides—some of which they’d already tried.

“Observing,” he clarified. “Then, next time, I’ll know how to make your burger without interrupting you.”

“You didn’t interrupt anything important.”

Still, Mission thought. Now he knew.

With their plates full, they retook their places on the bench and ate. Mission finished and looked over to his granddad and knew immediately he was done for the night.

“Finished?” he took his grandfather’s empty plate and got up to put it in the flames with his.

He loved an outdoor fire, with food cooked over it. The breeze shifted, and a wave of complaints moved through the group as the smoke did too.

Mission didn’t love smoke in his face, but he did love the scent of it. He took a long breath and sent a prayer up to heaven for his granddad’s health.

Then he faced him and Kris again. “I’ll drive you home,” he told his grandfather, though the real bonfire hadn’t even been built up yet.

Granddad would argue if he didn’t want to go—if he wasn’t truly tired—but he didn’t. He groaned as he got to his feet, and he said, “Let me go say good-bye to Matt and Boone and say thank you to Hunt.”

“All right,” Mission said, and he watched his grandfather shuffle off through the gravel.

He sat down next to Kristie again. “I’ll only be gone for about forty-five minutes,” he said. “Did you want to come?”

“Do you want me to come?”

Irritation fired through Mission, but he bit it back. “I want you to do what you want.”

“You’ll be back for the bonfire and fireworks, right?”

Mission glanced at his phone and found that the bonfire would begin in about ten minutes. “Plenty of time to enjoy the bonfire—and the desserts—before the fireworks,” he said.

She looped her arm through his and leaned into his shoulder. “Then I’ll stay here. I’ll have to ride in the back, and that’s weird.”

Mission chuckled. “People ride in the backseat, Kris. You won’t have to stay in the back on the way home.”

“You take him,” she said. “I need more of that sweet pea salad, and I have to figure out how Molly made those Rice Krispie treats, because they’re magical.”

Mission hadn’t seen Molly at all tonight, and he wasn’t surprised. He’d seen Hunt run into the house several times, and Jane and Opal seemed to be going back and forth regularly as well.

“All right.” He turned toward Kristie and kissed her. “I’ll be back soon, then.”

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