Page 39 of Frosting and Flames

“Can I have another cookie?” Jae asks, her words half-garbled because she still has angel food cake in her mouth. “No, not the sugar one. The chocolate chip one.”

I fish around in the box of leftover baked goods that didn’t sell in time at the bakery, and hand it to her, smiling at the gleeful, greedy noise she makes as she bites into it.

“Oh my God, that’s so good,” she mumbles. “I’m getting fat from all these desserts you keep bringing over.”

I shake my head. I’d have trouble finding a spare inch to pinch on her waist. Her genetics must be top-notch because she doesn’t exercise. “You were the one who asked me to bring them.”

“Yeah, but…” She trails off, looking up at the ceiling. “Okay, I can’t think of an excuse.”

There’s a crash from somewhere else in the house, and then Josh yells, “Nabi, I told you not to jump up there.”

I glance at Jae, who seems unconcerned. “Should we be worried about that?”

She waves it off. “Him and the cat need to work out their differences on their own.”

Okay. I look back at the movie on the TV, but we haven’t really been paying attention. That’s what usually happens when I come over to her house, though. Not that I’m complaining. It’s nice to decompress over here after a stressful day at the bakery.

Although Nick did make it less stressful helping us with the dishes and cleaning up. He didn’t have to do that. Especially after getting off a twenty-four-hour shift. I can’t even imagine working that, let alone washing dishes for hours afterward.

And he said it was because he wanted to see me.

My heart does an unsteady flip, squeezing painfully in my chest for about the millionth time today.

He’d said it nonchalantly, probably intending it to only be a friendly thing, but the words still clung to me, refusing to let go.

I’m crazy, obviously. Finding meaning in insubstantial wisps of nothing.

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” Jae says, thankfully interrupting my train of thought. “I saw Kyle today.”

Ugh. She should have kept that to herself.

“He was at the store buying vegetables. Acting all normal, as if he isn’t the world’s biggest jerk.”

I inwardly smile at her unwavering support. It’s good to have someone in your corner.

“I’ve had enough of him,” I mutter, reaching for a brownie.

“What, because of the pancake breakfast?”

“No, he texted me the other day.”

“Ew, seriously? Was he allhey babe, it’s been a while but I miss what we had. Autumn hasn’t been putting out lately and I need—”

“Oh my God, stop.” I throw a couch pillow at her, and she laughs. “No, it was really weird. He asked why I was hanging out with Nick. It was the day Nick came over to talk about the fundraiser.”

Jae frowns. “What, like Kyle knew Nick had come over?”

I shrug. “I guess. He texted almost right after Nick had left. Like he was… spying on me or something.”

Shivers race up my arms and I brush them away, hating the creepy crawly sensation.

Jae sits up straighter. “He’s spying on you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it was a coincidence.”

“Was he parked outside your house?”

I throw my hands up. “I don’t know. I don’t have any answers for you.”

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