Page 11 of Raging Fires

Thank God, all his stuff had come. Now, all he had to do was find the right box. That was easier said than done, but in the fourth box, labelled Miscellaneous, he found the wooden box that contained the weird little things he’d kept through the years: a pin from pee-wee football, tickets to the first football game Pops had taken him to, his first driver’s license, that old watch Pops had given him when he was a kid that he never wore because but couldn’t toss out, a thin blue ribbon that made him smile faintly as he ran it through his fingers. And a sparkling diamond ring.

He hesitated for a moment before he pulled out the ring and stuffed it in his pants’ pocket, then added his old wedding band, too He was going to be cutting it close, but there was still time to get to the bar.

He’d just pulled out onto the street when his cell rang. No Bluetooth in this classic, so he picked it up to answer, just like you weren’t supposed to. Did he live for danger or what?

“Jake!” It was Kelli’s voice, and she sounded frantic.

His heart jumped. “What? What’s wrong?” He could hear traffic noise in the background.

“My car died,” she said, and he relaxed a little. She was just angry, that’s all.

“Need a ride?” he asked smugly. He knew how much it burned her to have to call him for help.

“Yes.” He could practically hear her teeth grinding. “I’m at the McDonald’s on Thomas.”

“You stopped for a burger?”

“No, I did not stop for a burger.” Yeah, she was pissed. His lips twitched up at the corner. She went on, “Can you pick me up on your way to the Blue?”

“Gee, Kell… I don’t know. It’d make me late, and I have strict orders to be there on time.” She growled, and he laughed. “Yeah, hang on. I’ll be there in ten.”

He made a U-turn, still grinning, and headed the other way.

It took him a little longer than he’d said, which wasn’t his fault; he hadn’t known there was construction the way he came. His excuse was already in his mouth as he turned into the McDonald’s lot. Then he saw her, and everything left his head.

Damn, she looked hot. She wasn’t overdone, of course; that wasn’t Kelli’s style. But her skirt was just short enough to show off her legs, and the soft sleeveless top let you know what was beneath it without clinging tightly. Her heels weren’t sky high, but they had those thin straps that looked like they might snap beneath your fingers. She was… enticing. Especially if you knew what she looked like when she took off those clothes. Used to, he was the only one that did.

He frowned, his good humor leaving him, and stepped out of the car. “You’re still driving that old junker? You wouldn’t have to call me for help if you’d get a decent car.”

“You should talk,” she shot back, nodding toward his Jeep and taking off her sunglasses so she could zap him with the full force of her glare. “And I’m regretting calling you more and more by the minute.” Her mascara was smudged beneath her eyes, the lashes stuck together.

Had she been crying? Surely not. Why would you be in tears because your car wouldn’t start? Whatever Kelli was, she wasn’t the kind that was always crying all over you. Breaking something was more like her.

She was holding a cardboard take-out tray with two big drinks in it. He knew what they would be—Sprite for her, Coke for him—and somehow that thought made his chest tighten. Kelli leaned into his car to set down the drinks, then turned back to her car and reached in to pull out something from the other side, giving him an excellent view of her ass, which, he noted, was just as firm and round as it had been.

Apparently, his body reacted the same as it had back then, too, which annoyed the hell out of him. Jake got back into the car, and as soon as Kelli sat down, holding the jacket she had retrieved from her back seat, he slammed the Jeep into reverse and stepped on the gas.

Which sent the two large drinks sitting on the dashboard flying through the air. Before Jake could react, they were doused with soda. Kelli let out a shriek, and he stomped on the brake, stopping the car with a jolt. “What the hell! Why did you set the cups on the dashboard?”

“I didn’t know you were going to peel out before I could even fasten my seat belt,” she yelled back. “Look at this!” The drinks had hit her worse because the tray had been sitting on her side of the dash. Only his arm was wet, but the liquid had soaked her top and drenched her face and the front of her hair as well.

“Well, if you hadn’t set them on top of the fu—”

Kelli picked up the half-empty cup in her lap and threw it in his face. Cold liquid flooded down his front, and Jake’s words ended in a string of curses.

A car honked behind them, and someone shouted, “Hey! In or out, jerkwad!”

A customer walking to his car helpfully added, “Not a parking space, dude!”

Jake broke off his swearing monologue and pulled back into the empty space. Kelli shot out of the car and began sweeping ice and puddles of Coke from her clothes like they were sparks. “Damn it! Damn it! It’s all over my jacket, too.”

“Why the hell did you throw your soda at me?” Jake jumped out, too, wiping his face and pulling his wet shirt away from his chest.

“Because it was your fault, and you’re just sitting over there, laughing.”

“I was not laughing!”

“Okay, sitting there shouting at me, and not a drop on you. Look at this!” She brandished her jacket at him like a weapon, shaking it. “It’s ruined! I can’t go to the wedding like this!”