Page 96 of Fire and Icing

We thank him, and the cameras turn off.

Our bags are already packed. Staff placed them in the foyer of the estate while we were in our interview, so after we say our goodbyes, we hop into Dustin’s truck and head back to Waterford.

The first ten or twenty minutes, we ride in silence. Dustin looks over at me occasionally, testing the water to see if it’s warm enough to jump in. We’re exhausted, relieved, and the air is thick with all we’ve experienced together over the past five days.

I click on the radio, purposely selecting a country station.

He looks over at me, raises one eyebrow, and tilts his head.

“What?” I ask.

“You control the sound system, Firecracker.”

“I’m getting used to that, you know?”

“That’s how I like it.”

I sit back in my seat. “May I?” I point to the dashboard.

“Go for it.”

I pop my feet up on the dash and ride along, trying to understand what Dustin hears in this genre of music. Fields and properties stretch out around us. I have the strangest urge to freeze time right here and now. I’m more at ease than I’ve been all week, Dustin’s behind the wheel of his truck and we’re not expected anywhere. I’ve got a Tennessee rural road stretching out ahead of me, grass and trees wherever I look.

“You look happy,” Dustin says, looking over at me.

“I am. We did what we went to do. And I’m just … relaxed.”

“Good. I like when you relax,” he smiles over at me.

I want to hold his hand, or pull over and kiss him in the middle of nowhere—but I’ve already let my heart get carried away once.

Those urges will pass. Once I’m back to work, in my usual routine, I’ll distract myself. He won’t be around every corner, sharing my room, the shoulder I lean on, the one wrapping his arm around me when I feel wobbly.

If only he were more stable. If I knew he’d stay, I’d throw in all my chips and gamble. He’s the one who’s worth risking it all for if any man is.

“You hesitated when they asked about your plans in our exit interview,” I say.

I want to know what his plans are. I probably want to know what Dustin wants in his future more than I want to know anything else in the world right now.

“I didn’t know how honest to be. Plans are personal. That interview will be televised.”

“I get that.”

“How about you?” he asks. “What are your plans?”

The interviewer specifically asked about our relationship. I don’t get the feeling we’re talking about us right now.

“My plans are pretty boring.”

“Nothing about you is boring.” His eyes are on the road as if he didn’t just pay me the highest compliment anyone has ever given me.

“I feel a little boring,” I admit. “My plans? I’ll make sure the bakery is financially stable. Get my house back. Bake for the people of Waterford. That’s pretty much it.”

“No traveling?” he asks.

“I can’t take time off that often.”

“If there was an amazing baker in town who was trustworthy enough to cover your time off …”

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