Page 51 of A Surefire Love
Anson’s team had only cleared five. “Can anyone beat nine?”
Nolan and Blaze shook their heads.
“Since Dylan’s team is from Branching Out, Sydney, Ray, and I will face the firing squad. I’ll let the kids know.” He moved toward the classroom.
“You can’t justtellthem.” Blaze caught his arm, fingers lighting sparks down his biceps.
Nolan grinned. “Definitely gotta make them work for it.”
“Or at least announce it with a bit of flair.” Blaze scanned the group, but no one offered ideas. “Okay, what if someone runs to the store for different pie fixings, instead of just using whipped cream? We’ll set out empty plates. Whoever weannounce first can add one ingredient. Then, every time we announce a new high score, that team can add another ingredient. At the end, the winning team gets to throw the pies.”
Sydney and Ray exchanged hesitant glances.
Blaze’s flair would excite the students, but she didn’t have to endure the outcome. “Those will be quite the pies.”
“I can make you ponchos out of garbage bags.” She directed the offer at Sydney and Ray. Turning back to Anson, her gaze dipped to his T-shirt. “To protect your clothes.”
“I’ll run for supplies.” Nolan backed toward the door.
“Of course you two are eager,” Ray said. “You’re not getting pied.”
Blaze grinned and shrugged. Apparently that settled it for everyone else. Sydney and Ray carried a table outside for pie building. Blaze disappeared into the janitor’s closet.
Anson tracked her path. Following her would allow for a private conversation, but it could also ignite a firestorm of rumors. He’d wait.
Blaze hadto hand it to Anson. For a man who didn’t want a pie in the face, he hammed up putting on his garbage bag until the kids roared with laughter. Though it was covered now, Blaze couldn’t help thinking of the T-shirt underneath.
Except when an event printed custom shirts, Blaze had never seen him in a graphic T. Until today. For her.
Her amazement over his choice bubbled up in the form of smiles and laughter and even a little extra energy—a relief because nothing else had reversed the energy black hole created by the prescription.
Once the pies were made, one of Dylan’s friends slung a cherry-apple-whipped-cream-chocolate-pudding concoction at Ray. The wet plop elicited a round of cheers.
Dylan claimed Anson as his target, but before he threw his pie, the kids conferred. By their urgent tones, they disagreed about something. One of the boys pointed at Sydney.
Sydney also wore her garbage bag like a champ, but then Blaze had never spotted an ounce of negativity from the woman. Would that change if she knew the story behind Anson’s shirt?
With his part of the ceremony over, Ray crossed to Blaze, who had the water bucket. She dunked a rag, wrung it out, and passed it to him.
Finally, Dylan announced the problem. “No one wants to pie a girl.”
“It’s okay, guys.” Sydney smiled. “I signed up for this.”
She hadn’t, exactly. This had been Blaze’s idea.
Anson stepped forward. “Throw the last two at me.”
Now that was a sacrifice. Did he still harbor feelings for Sydney?
Dylan dove on the offer. He grabbed both pies and lobbed them at Anson.
The first hit his chest. The second splattered on his face. The kids jumped and squealed with delight as the fillings flew in every direction, including onto Sydney. The plates slid, smearing cream and fruit from Anson’s face to the bottom of the garbage bag before tumbling to his shoes and rolling away. As students high-fived Dylan, Anson wiped his eyes.
Blaze moved forward with damp rags, giving Anson one first.
Sydney thumbed the smear of whipped cream from her cheek, tasted it, then shrugged away Blaze’s offer. “He needs it more than I do.” She tipped her head toward Anson, then walked off.
Anson pulled the garbage bag over his head, arching his body away from it. His T-shirt stuck to the bag, revealing a couple inches of skin around the waist of a man who spent his free time working out. Blaze’s arm tensed, and her fingers dug into the rag. Shereallyought to look away. He tugged the hem into place as he dunked the soiled plastic in the nearby trash can.
