Page 58 of Fire and Icing

“Never better.”

I start to say more, but she’s obviously not eager to tell me whatever’s going on, if anything, so I drop it.

“Did you like the book?” I ask once we’re buckled in and heading out the parking lot onto Mill Street.

“I did. I love a good suspense. That plot twist!”

“I know!”

The rest of the drive is filled with our usual pre-book-club opinions about the book of the month.

Maybe I was just reading into things. I’ve been off-kilter ever since Dustin and I bumped into one another in Gran’s house—a detail I have yet to share with Syd, or anyone.

The rest of our friends are already inside when we arrive.

“The cookies are here!” Winona shouts when Syd flings the front door to the book shop open.

“And us,” Syd says with a wide smile. “We’re here.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Winona teases. “Hand them over.”

She gives both of us big hugs and then she deftly removes the container of cookies from Syd’s hand, talking to the box saying, “Come to mama.”

Cass is standing at the back of the room. “I heard you’re talking to that new fireman.” She lifts her brow and smiles as if she just won the county fair.

Her voice carries across the hum of conversation. Everyone stops chatting at once. It’s so quiet you could hear a fly change its mind.

“Talking to him?” Daisy says. “I heard they’re dating.”

Carli glances at me, looking sheepish. I think she’s going to spill some beans. She doesn’t. Her best friend is Cody’s sister, so she has a deeper connection to the firemen than the rest of my friends. I wonder what she’s heard.

“Rumor has it you had dinner at the bakery the other night—just the two of you,” Cass addresses me, but announces to the group. “He picked up Gino’s and brought it to her after the shop was closed. So romantic.”

“Oh my goodness!” I finally exclaim through their chatter. “Do none of you have jobs?”

Winona laughs her easy laugh. “Of course we have jobs. But we need hobbies.”

“Gossip and being busybodies?” I tease.

She nods with the sweetest smile on her face. “They’re the oldest hobbies in the world. Besides, you can hardly blame us. You two are adorable. I saw you at Baker from Another Mother when he was ordering the other day. The way he was looking at you made me weak in the knees.”

“Vanessa came into the bookshop the other day,” Daisy says. “I tried to disappear into the stock room, but she moves so quickly!”

“Tell me about it,” Syd mutters. “If only she’d good and truly move—far, far away, and do that quickly.”

I chuckle.

“She said you two are in some contest?” Daisy says.

“Yeah. It’s a baking thing. Are we going to discuss this book?” I hold my copy up in the air. “Or are we going to talk about Dustin all night?”

I glance around at each of my friends, making eye contact with one after the other to drive my point home.

Almost in unison, a chorus of “Dustin!” rises up.

“Seriously?” I shake my head. “Y’all.”

“Okay. Okay, everybody. Let’s give Emberleigh a break,” Cass suggests. “We can discuss the book.”

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