Page 16 of Three Rules I'd Never Break

“Roasting a Peep sounds interesting.” I stuck a pink Peep on the end of my skewer and hovered it over the firepit.

Tessa stood next to me, roasting a jumbo marshmallow.

When my sweet treat was perfectly toasted, I pulled the skewer back from the fire and tugged the Peep off the end. I promptly dropped it onto the stone wall surrounding the firepit. Too hot.

After licking my fingers to get them to stop burning, I leaned down over the Peep and blew on it, cooling it off before attempting to hold it again. After a few puffs, I had to back away from the flames. Being right next to it had my cheek on fire. Not literally.

Standing upright, I popped the Peep into my mouth. Between the crunch of the melted sugar and the creaminess of the gooey marshmallow, I was in heaven.

Something made a sizzling sound next to my ear, but before I could figure out what caused the noise, ice-cold liquid cascaded over my hair and down the front of my shirt.

I yelped as the cold permeated my skin. If this was someone’s idea of a joke, I didn’t think it was funny.

“Oh my gosh, Delaney, are you okay?” Cami ran up next to me.

Tessa propped her hands on her hips. “Eli, what in the world?”

He set the empty pitcher on the table. “Her hair...” Forking his fingers through his hair, he stared at the ground.

I wiped my face, and the pieces started to fit together. “My hair was on fire, wasn’t it?”

He glanced at me as he nodded, then dropped his gaze back to the concrete patio. Why was he making such an effort not to look at me? Was my drowned rat look that horrible?

Tessa stepped closer to me and pointed at the front of my shirt. One look, and I understood why Eli was searching out other places to fix his gaze. The pretty things that no one was supposed to see were now visible through the wet white shirt.

I pulled on my flannel and buttoned it all the way to the top. Always prepared.

Eli opened the back door and looked over his shoulder at me. The apology etched on his face spoke louder than any command he’d ever given.

Haley handed me a towel. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Really.” When I looked back toward Eli, he was gone.

She shook her head. “Why did he use the lemonade? It’s gonna be sticky.”

“I’ll be all right.”

“Eli should’ve let one of the firemen handle it.” Cami laughed. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell him that I said that.”

“He put the fire out.” I needed to thank him for that.

He’d also kind of started one with that smoldering gaze. Or maybe it was just hot near the fire.

“Want me to run you home? Didn’t you ride with Eli?” Haley pointed toward the door.

How anyone knew that was beyond me because there wasn’t a soul in the front yard when Eli had pulled up. When Cami saw us, I’d been on the sidewalk.

“I don’t mind walking.” I said a quick goodbye before slipping out the front door.

Hurrying up the street, I kept my keys in my hand, ready for anything.

How long had Eli been gone? Was he on duty yet?

I arrived at Main Street and looked both ways before running across. Not only was I not in the mood to walk all the way to the end of the block for a crosswalk, but I also hoped Eli was on duty and watching. He wouldn’t be able to ignore my jaywalking.

Back inside my tiny apartment, I locked the door and turned off the alarm before shedding my wet clothes. I needed a shower. And this time I carried my keys with me into the bathroom.

Chapter 7

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