Page 94 of Third Time Lucky

She speeds through the prints, pulling one from the stack before handing them back to me. ‘Proceed,’ she says.

‘Which one did you take?’

‘I’ll tell you when this is over,’ she answers, holding the photo.

When I toss the photos into the fire, they flutter like a deck of cards landing in random places. The glossy paper catches quickly, curling at the edges as the proof of the most humiliating day of my life is consumed.

Madi’s eyes glitter with mischief as she holds the one photo close to her chest, a secret smile playing on her lips.

‘That’s it,’ I say, staring into the flames – a sense of finality washing over me as remnants of my past life turn to ash.

Madi turns to me, her eyes reflecting the fire’s flickering light.

‘How do you feel?’

‘Like Mitzi’s a genius and now I want to know what she’s burned.’

Madi laughs.

My phone dings in my hoodie pocket.

‘Ooh, who is it?’

His words create a bubble of desire inside me.

Asher

Hope the burning of Brandon’s soul is going safely.

Call me later, gorgeous. I’ll wait up.

My heart swells in a way that makes me suck in a breath.

Madi reads the text over my shoulder.

I told him we were doing that earlier – burning Brandon’s soul – if he even has one. I thought maybe it would scare him from getting involved with me, but here he is, checking in, complimenting me and requesting a call anytime. I am smitten.

‘My God, he’s exactly your type of cute. Clearly, this worked,’ Madi motions at the dying fire.

He is my type of cute, and it’s doing something to my insides that I can’t explain.

‘Here,’ she says, handing me the photo she kept. ‘Anytime you feel like you can’t do something – look at this and remember you are a badass who laid a guy out with a single hit in front of everyone he knows and a magazine to boot.’

I take the photo from her – one I’ve never seen because after I got the package, I hid it away in the top of my closet and forgot they existed. No way was I looking. My heart couldn’t bear it. I probably shouldn’t take the bait now, but of course, I’m going to. And I laugh at what I see: me punching Brandon, with fury all over my face – perfectly manicured nails and wearing a ten-thousand-dollar dress.

A smile grows on my face. I am a badass. Never again will I make a mistake as big as Brandon. Every single thing Asher makes me feel is something new to me, which tells me I’m on the right track.

‘Thank you,’ I say to Madi.

Like the good friend she is, she pulls me in for a hug, and I stare at the photo over her shoulder. This thing is getting framed and going somewhere important.

I am so glad she kept this.

‘Pics or it didn’t happen?’ she asks, holding her phone up.

‘Yes,’ I say gleefully.

We press our cheeks together, me proudly holding the photo on display, fire blazing behind us, and Jayson hose in his hand, directed at the fire, watching like we’ve snapped. Madi clicks a photo, then sends it to me.

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