Page 31 of Wildfire
"Where at?"
"Slop Shop, where else?"
"I swear to God, that guy thinks he's going to get rich selling sloppy joes."
"To be fair, they had a three-car line in the drive-through."
"Good for him." I manage a weak smile. After two years of dating, I don't miss him at all, even though he was pretty good in the sack—or, I should say, the back seat. We almost always had to do it in his car because I lived with my dad, and he still lived with his parents while he built his sandwich empire.
"He asked me about you, of course. He said he'd heard you up and left while he was at an out-of-state funeral, and the guy had such a puppy dog look on his face. I felt bad and let it slip I was coming to see you."
"You what? He knows where I am?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He looked forlorn."
Some small part of me feels better because of it. I know it's mean, but it's nice to be wanted for more than just cooking and cleaning. Not that that wasn't the exact future Michael had in store for me if I'd walked down the aisle with him. He didn't want me to work as a carpenter once we married. Nope. It was his dream to have a stay-at-home wife. Something about his pride in being the provider.
"Michael will find some other woman to marry. Someone who wants to be his sloppy joe queen."
We both burst out laughing thinking about it, just as I hear Cole's truck in the driveway.
Zoe's eyes bulge before she whispers, "Is that Prince Charming coming back to his castle?"
My heart lurches for a moment as I nod. I don't know why, but I am nervous to introduce them. We bring our plates in from the deck, and I quickly check my hair in the bathroom before we walk over to his place. The door is open, and the band I am playing with is booming out of the stereo.
"Good taste in music," she mouthes.
"This is the band I'm playing with. Please say you'll stay long enough to hear me with them."
She loops her arm in mine. "I'll see what I can do."
Chapter Fifteen: Cole
I don't know what I expected when I met Renée's friend Zoe, but the cheerful brunette was not it. She has an ease that is counter to Renée's guarded nature. I wonder if they are close because their demeanors complement each other.
Zoe is whip-smart. She tells me about her business making lesson plans for teachers that she sells online as digital downloads. She says they are popular because they explain why kids will resonate with the particular lesson and even lay out the language they should use so that the kids will understand. She says that today's teachers don't have the same social and cultural references that the youth have because of the internet. Her business is geared toward making it easier for them to find common ground.
We chat for a little while before they return to the apartment with snacks I picked up today while I was out. As they step out, I catch Renée's eye. She lingers on the stoop, looking at me for a pregnant moment, and my knees grow weak.
Caleb started working on her car, so there's only one more week before she leaves. Maybe that's a good thing. I don't know if my heart can take her being here much longer.
My cell phone chirps a text alert as soon as they are gone.
Seth:I think I found something in the pictures you asked me to look over
Me:I'll be right down
I message Renée to let her know I am heading down to the station for a little while. Then, I grab my jacket and wallet and head out the door. The station is on the other side of town, down a road leading off Main. I park out front and find him in the office we share.
Seth is on duty tonight. The Sheriff suggested we have one of us on duty as much as possible until we get to the bottom of whatever is happening. This means we are both working a lot of extra hours.
"Look at these pictures, Chief. This is the one with the lighter you found with that logo on it. And now look here. See that little piece of something? I think that is part of the same logo. When you put them next to each other, they look the same, don't they?"
"They sure as hell do. What is this, a calling card or something?"
"I think we need to give these pictures to the Sheriff."
"Let's scan them and send them tonight. That way, he has them first thing in the morning."
