Page 30 of Raging Fires

“I didn’t know that was possible.”

“Trust me,” Jake told him. “It is. It really is.”

***

Kelli regretted her words to Jake even before she reached the bar door. But she couldn’t go back; he’d be too mad to talk to her now. It wasn’t as if anything she’d said about Mike wasn’t true. But she shouldn’t have told him he didn’t have any friends because that had been harsh. And untrue because of course he had friends. People liked Jake. Probably even some of those leeches who hung around back then had liked him as well as his money and fame.

The rest of it had been accurate, but it was all just the same old arguments that they’d had a million times before. And, really, what was the point?

She walked through the kitchen and into the bar. Naomi turned around, surprised.

“Hi. I didn’t think I’d see you in here today. I thought you’d be busy moving in.”

“No. I can’t face it right now.” She sat down at the bar. “I had an argument with Jake.”

“Oh.” Naomi’s face turned understanding. “Because he stayed here in the bar drinking with Justin and Asa until three o’clock?”

“What? No. He did?”

Naomi nodded. “He and Justin were both crying in their beer—almost literally. Poor Asa; I don’t know how he stood it. He wasn’t even drunk; he’d just had a couple of beers earlier and he was drinking coffee while the other two bitched and moaned.” So Jake had had a hangover; that would explain some of his moodiness. “Asa finally drove the two of them home because I wasn’t going to stay here cleaning any longer.”

“Sorry. I should have helped you.”

“Come on. It was your wedding day.” She opened the small cooler and pulled out a bottle of water and plunked it down in front of Kelli. “Here. You should rehydrate after last night.”

“I wasn’t drunk,” Kelli protested. “I had two beers—well, two and a half.”

“Well, you seemed like it. You were so loose, and you looked like you were having fun.”

Kelli stared. “I never act like I’m having fun?”

“Not like that. All carefree and... I don’t know, bouncy. Here.” She whipped out her cell phone and went to the photos, holding it out to Kelli.

It was a picture of her and Jake, grinning like lunatics in their goofy t-shirts and her hair sticking out in all directions, the front strands standing straight up, courtesy of the soda and the Jeep’s blow dry. “Oh, my God. I look like I just got back from a water park.”

“Yeah, but with a cute guy,” Naomi said encouragingly. “Look at those abs below his teeny T-shirt.”

“He looks like he’s wearing a crop-top.”

“That’s what I’m saying. And you don’t look bad, just sort of like the girls in the old eighties movies.”

“That is not a compliment.” Kelli scrolled through the photos. There were photos of her and Jake jumping around on the dance floor and one of them sitting at the table with a bunch of others, laughing. Dancing with Tiny. Jake carefully waltzing—well, shuffling—with Aunt Lucy. There was even one of Princess Fleek snarling through the mesh of her dog carrier. Kelli let out a hoot. “There’s Joe O’Malley doing the Can Opener.”

“Yeah, I was afraid he was going to pull a muscle or something.”

“No, he’s more a menace to others. He’s the Firestarter.”

“From the barbeque story?” Naomi laughed.

“Yep, that’s the one. You’re right. I do look like I’m drunk.” This whole thing was funny. And somehow a little sad. She handed the phone back to Naomi.

Kelli went to the office and dove into paperwork, which kept her busy until the middle of the afternoon. She looked out the back door and was relieved to see that Jake’s SUV was sitting in front of the house. She had heard him peel out earlier and was afraid that he was so angry he was going to bail on her.

She stayed at the bar; it was probably better if they didn’t talk for a while. But finally the bar closed and she could find only so many little tasks to keep her there, so she locked the back door and walked across the parking lot to the house. With any luck, Jake would be asleep. The porch light was on—that was unexpectedly considerate of him given the angry way they’d parted—so she was able to see the lock to put the key into. She discovered that it was already unlocked—and he’d been lecturing her about safety.

Kelli slipped through the door, doing her best to be quiet, as she’d said she would. Her standing lamp was on, casting a mellow glow over the room. Jake was asleep on the couch in what looked like an uncomfortable position, half-sitting with his feet sprawled out on the floor and his head against the back of the sofa. Her entrance hadn’t woken him up; he’d always been able to sleep through anything.

Still, she closed the door softly behind her, then surveyed the room. The living room furniture was in place, the boxes moved to the edges of the room, and Jake had obviously unpacked some of the boxes, for several of them had been broken down and now leaned against the wall.