Page 71 of Fireworks Flame
“And what’s your issue with squirrels?”
He grimaces. “They remind me of rats.”
“Gross.”
“Exactly.”
On impulse, I turn toward the animal shelter in town. “I can change your mind.”
“About cats? Trust me, you can’t,” he says confidently. “But if you want to try your powers of persuasion, feel free. If it helps, I can tell you that I’m easily influenced by naked body parts.”
“Do you really think I’m going to use my breasts to convince you to like cats?”
“Maybe?” He grins. “I like to imagine breasts could appear at any time. It gets me out the door in the morning.”
I roll my eyes, and ten minutes later, we’re sitting on a concrete floor, surrounded by cats. The air reeks of litter and pet food, and the meows compete with the barking of dogs fromanother room. A tiny white kitten is nestled against Deiss’s chest, but it’s the big ball of fur batting at the hem of my skirt that’s making us laugh.
“Have you wronged her in some way we’re unaware of?” Deiss asks. “Is that why she’s waging war on you?”
“I think your friends were right,” I say. “She’s just an asshole.”
“You love her, though.” He pets the kitten, his hand larger than her body, and I can tell by the softness in his eyes that he feels it, too.
“I do.” I scoop the feral little cat up and press my cheek into her fur. For a moment, she stills, but then she wriggles around and swipes at my face. “She’s perfect.”
“I’m naming mine Baby Squirrel,” he says, peering down at the tiny purring creature. “What are you naming yours?”
“Fluff Daddy.” I put her in my lap, and she tries to bite my finger. “If she were nicer, I’d do as she asked and call her F. Diddy.”
“Way to assert your dominance,” Deiss says. “It’s important to establish yourself as the alpha.”
“I think that’s dogs.” I squint at him. “And if that’s what you’re trying to do, you’ll need to try a lot harder. Baby Squirrel clearly has you wrapped around her little finger.”
“I can’t help it,” he says. “She’s so sweet.”
I resist the urge to inform him I was just thinking the same thing about him.
—
Deiss slips hishand around mine as we leave the car for the house I grew up in. It’s early afternoon. Clouds have slippedover the sun, turning the day hazy. The lawn is more dirt than grass, and the grass that has survived is brittle and yellowed. The house itself seems smaller than I remember it, likely because I’m viewing it through Deiss’s eyes. Before we reach the door, my mom throws it open, cheerleader-clapping with excitement. She looks beautiful, if a little faded. Her makeup has been so well applied, I can’t see the lines around her eyes until she’s close enough to wrap her arms around me.
She smells like expensive perfume and cheap bleach, a dead giveaway she’s deep-cleaned the house in anticipation of my arrival. And I didn’t even tell her Deiss was coming. I wonder how she’d feel if she knew I was sleeping on a fold-out couch in his guest room. Hopefully, she’d focus on the fact that I have someone who cares about me enough to take me in rather than fretting over how far off course my life has gone. I’ll never know, though, because Deiss has agreed it’s my secret to tell. It’s not that I think she’d judge me for being robbed. I’m just not ready to discuss it.
“I know you!” My mom lets go of me and hugs Deiss with the same enthusiasm she’s just released me from. “You’re Liv’s friend Lucas. I’ve seen so many pictures of you!”
“Assembled in her room?” Deiss winks cheekily at me over her shoulder. “Like a shrine?”
“She’s talking about magazines,” I say. “You know how they’ll attach a picture to all thoseWatch Out for This Kind of Guyarticles? Your face is usually at the top of them.”
“She’s teasing, of course,” Mom says. “In pictures she texts to show me how much fun she’s having in the big city. With you and Phoebe—such great style that one has! And that beautiful boy Mac, and that glamour girl with all the pretty jewelry. So many years, and it’s always the same little group.”
“We would’ve made other friends if we could,” Deiss says. “But nobody else can tolerate us.”
“It’s a miracle we found each other,” I say with a smirk over Mom’s murmured disagreement.
Deiss’s eyes soften, and he shifts toward me, his hand pressing into mine for a sweet moment. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tellyou.”
CHAPTER 22
