Page 46 of Fire and Icing

Not that I want him. Or that he’s so out of my league. I don’t even have a league anymore. But she doesn’t need to know that. Of all people, she does not need to know.

“Well, that’s highly interesting news,” Vanessa says.

The expression on her face makes me nervous. Her eyes narrow and focus on me like a snake’s just before pouncing on some unwitting prey.

“Can we get you a donut?” Syd offers. “On the house. You can consider it your consolation prize.”

“Consolation prize?”

“Everyone knows you want a fireman husband, Vanessa.”

“I’ll pass on the donut, Sydney.” Vanessa glances back and forth between the two of us. “I never said I wanted a fireman husband. But don’t you worry. What I want, I get.”

She turns on her heel and walks out.

“I used to like her,” I tell Syd as soon as the door shuts behind Vanessa.

I sink back, resting on the edge of the counter and releasing a long sigh.

“You like everyone,” Syd says. “Which is usually admirable. Today? Debatable.”

“I think she’s changed over the years.”

“Sharpened her claws is more like it. She was never nice.”

“Maybe. I guess so. Why do I feel bad for her right now?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“No. I don’t know why, but think about it. Walking around the town you grew up in, always outdressing everyone, picking fights instead of making friends, flirting with every man in a uniform and never ending up with one of them … it’s sad.”

“Well, now that you put it that way, I almost feel awful for defending you.” Syd pauses. “But, nope. No I don’t. She came in here to mess with you—on your turf.”

“Yeah. She did.” I push myself away from the counter when the bell over the door tinkles. “Thanks for always having my back.”

“I’ve got your back, your front, your top, your bottom …”

We both start to laugh. “Maybe not my bottom,” I say, looking up just in time to see a set of blue eyes dancing with mirth.

“What about your bottom?” Dustin asks without any shame.

Syd cracks up and unhelpfully walks through the swinging doors leading into the kitchen, leaving me alone with Dustin.

“Nothing. At all. It’s been a morning.”

“Bad?”

“Actually, it’s fine. I’m fine. It will all be fine.”

Dustin studies me. “You don’t look fine.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“I don’t mean that you look … I mean … You look great, as always. You just look like something’s bothering you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Syd pops her head out from the kitchen. “By nothing, she means Vanessa just popped by. It might have been better if a twister had torn the shop in two.”

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