Page 116 of Frosting and Flames

I nod, staying quiet. It’s only a minute drive to the station, but that seems infinitely too long at the moment. He must be worried out of his mind, afraid I’ll leave him.

Jae reaches over and places a hand on my knee, which is bouncing like crazy. “It’s going to be fine.”

The open bay is empty at the fire station, and when I rush inside, there’s no one there. I call out his name, but only silence greets me. I pace for a moment, chewing at my thumbnail. He must be on a call. That’s why he didn’t answer.

He’ll call me back when he’s done. There’s no way he wouldn’t. But how long will that be?

I return to Jae’s waiting car, restless with energy. She takes one look at me and her face falls.

“He’s not there?”

I shake my head. “Must be out on a call. Give me a second, okay?”

She nods and I step out of the car, walking a short distance away to call him again, wanting privacy.

As expected, it goes to voicemail, but I don’t hang up this time as it beeps at me to leave a message.

“Hi, Nick. I just found out about everything. The underwear. It wasn’t yours. I mean, obviously you know that.”

Oh, God. I’m rambling. This is why I didn’t leave a message earlier.

“I… I think Kyle broke into your house. Mrs. Montour saw him. He must have planted them. I don’t know why. I mean, Ido. He wanted to ruin things. And I…” I sniffle, trying to get my voice under control. “I let him.”

I suck in a breath, wiping my nose with my sleeve.

“I should have believed you, but I was scared. I hope you can forgive me. I’m so sorry.” My voice cracks, but I swallow hard, keeping at it. “You told me you loved me and I pushed you away. I didn’t say it back. I want to say it to you, if it’s not too late for that. In person.”

I tug at the ends of my ponytail as I pace up and down the sidewalk, my thoughts fragmented.

“I’m here at the station. You must be on a call. I… just call me when you can. Bye.”

I hang up and rejoin Jae, checking again that the ringer on my phone is turned all the way up. She’s tapping on the steering wheel with her thumb, her lips pursed.

“What is it?”

She doesn’t look over at me. “I’m thinking about what I’m going to do to Kyle. We could lure him into the bakery and lock him in the freezer. Only for a few hours. To think about what he’s done. Or boil him alive in your raspberry glaze. Sweet, sticky justice.”

I sigh, slumping against the seat. “Either sounds good.”

“We could take it further, too. I’ve got a shovel at the house. Sydney will be my alibi. You just say the word.”

I rub at my temples. “Kyle’s a problem for later. I need to make things right with Nick first.”

“Okay, you focus on Nick, and I’ll focus on Kyle.”

“That’s not what I—”

“He tried to ruin your relationship,” she continues, as if I said nothing. “What? Because he’s jealous you won’t get back together with him? Or because he’s mad he outed himself to Autumn? Grow up.”

Oh, I never told her the rest of what happened at the cookoff, with him and Nick. I do now, watching as she gets angrier the longer I go on.

“That fucker seriously has the nerve to blame you for Autumn being mad at him? After he—”

She cuts herself off, thumping her hand on the steering wheel. “I swear to God when I see him, I’ll wring his neck.”

Jae is five foot nothing, but I have no doubt of her conviction.

She lets out a growl of frustration. “Are you going to file a police report on him?”

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