Page 16 of Feverburn

“I loveit! Can you put more faeries on this side?”

“Sure.”

Kaylee looked at the corner piled with empty cardboard boxes.“Thanks for getting so much unpacked while I was gone! And Ilovethe music you’re playing!”

I pointed to the display window I had set up.“We wanted to put the amethyst points in the windows, but I’m nervous the sun will bleach out the color. So I put up salt lamps and some hanging star lanterns. I figured they'd be eye-catching, especially at night.”I didn’t want to be bossy, but I had ideas.

“I like the way you think! Let’s get an iced coffee in me so I can help,”Kaylee said, walking with me to the bar.

Carson left shortly after, and we spent the rest of the day setting up the other displays. The next day, we held interviews. It was fun to see how each person rolled with our unhinged interview process like Kaylee giving them a tarot reading after I read their palm. And fielding questions like their basic astrology details, what crystal they wore most, and their favorite drag queen.

By early evening, Carson came over to the crystal side of the shop to warn us that the café tables hadwetpaint. As he left, Kaylee studied him crossing the street.“He really doesn’t say much, does he?”she asked with a squint.

Except when he’s talking to me,some pleased part of my brain chimed. Before I could play it cool, the truth fell out of my mouth.“I think he’s kinda cute, to be honest.”

Kaylee’s head whipped to look at me, her eyes wide.“Shut up!”Her face broke into a grin as she blinked slowly in consideration.“I mean, of course, he’s all tall, dark, and handsome. And he has thosegorgeousJackson Avery eyes.”She squinted back at Kouris Hardware.

“Huh?”

Her eyes swung back to mine.“He’s this hot doctor onGrey’s Anatomy. We’re putting that show on the list for our binge sessions.”

I smiled,“Deal.”

“I mean, I might be biased, but I think all Kouris men are handsome. And I know he was raised right. Wait! Did I ever tell you about the brother’slovetriangle?”

“No! What do you mean?”

“It was this girl named Whitney. She was working as a ranger here three summers ago. She fell while rock climbing and died. Harley found her.”

We both winced at her statement.“I had no clue. That’s so sad!”

“Yeah, super heartbreaking. I guess she was dating both brothers the whole summer. But they didn’t find out because they weren’t talking much.”

“So they didn’t find out until she passed away?”

“Exactly. It was super messy and traumatized the shit out of them. That’s why Harley was a hot hermit when I met him. He avoided town because of the rumors. That’s why Carson is so quiet. He’s avoiding talking to people because they might ask about it. It wasscandalous, like the peak gossip of the decade. I guess they brawled it out at Tilly’s. It took half the guys in this town to pull them apart.”

The mental image of Carson punching Harley in the face made my nipples harden. I took a deep breath, wondering what the fuck was wrong with me.

She gnawed at her bottom lip. “But I don’t know, Ro. I swear I had a vision of you and Dane before you moved here. And Carson is so serious. He’s known for being a grumpy ass around town. You’ve heard the way he answers my questions. The man is damn near mono-syllabic. You need some fun after what happened with Tyler.”

Iforceda smile, hoping it was convincing.“Oh, I just said he was cute to be nice. I’m not dating anyone. I came here for healing. And for some fun, like you said. Which reminds me, tell me about that Renaissance festival you found.”

She threw her hands up with a girlish squeal.“Girl! Get ready to get your tits corseted up to your chin because we are going!”

Chapter Seven

I was living on a torturous rotation of working my ass off at my store and skipping out for a couple of hours to paint the mural at Silver Springs while trying mybestnot to bend Rosie over the counter. She was fuckingintoxicating. She had a beautiful mind and a smart mouth. I fucking loved it. She was sweet one moment, feisty the next. The constant seesawing of flirtation was creating a buildup I couldn’t ignore. All I wanted was more time with her. I replayed all the stolen moments in my brain when I wasn’t by her side and wondered how long they’d be enough.

I was still trying to smooth things over from pissing her off about the whole Dane thing. I needed to show her I had her back. I wanted her to find her footing before I asked her out. She was new in town and busy opening a business. I could only imagine how stressful that would be.

Once Kaylee left, I turned around to chat her up. Today, she wore black flowy pants and atightwhite shirt with a scooped neckline, so herperfecttits jiggled with every movement. She didn’t have any tattoos on her chest or neck, but vines peeked out by her shoulders with her hair half up, showing off her neck and all those intricate earrings.

A serene smile flooded her face as she sorted through a small box of trinkets, picking up a pendant and stringing it on a long, silver chain.“When’s your birthday?” she asked.

“January 16th.”

Her lips twitched.“Ah, so you’re a Capricorn. That makes sense.”

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