It didn’t take long. A couple minutes, tops.
When it was finally out, Becket opened the window closest to the stove.
“Pearl must have left some food in there,” Sky whispered, almost to herself. “She’s done it before.”
He turned to look at her. She was pale. Too pale.
He stepped close. “Are you okay?”
She looked up at him, and for the first time, there was no animosity in her eyes. No anger. Just…fear?
He gripped her upper arms, scared she was going to pass out. “Hey. It’s out. You’re safe.”
She nodded quickly. “I know, I just…I don’t like fires.”
“Have you had a bad experience?”
Her eyes flared, her lips parting. But then she blinked and sidled away. “Sorry. I’m being silly. I’ll see you out.”
Becket didn’t move right away. Because he’d seen that look in other people before. People who’d been touched by fire. People who’d felt the violence of the flames.
CHAPTER4
“Tony mentioned you this morning.”
Sky almost rolled her eyes. There were so many ways she could respond to her dad’s comment. But her coffee was good, The Tea House was busy—there was no reason to start an argument with either of her parents. “And what did he say?”
“That he was looking forward to the next date.”
Her fingers tightened around her mug.
Sometimes she needed to remind herself that her father meant well. He loved his church, and in his mind, if she ended up with someone who shared the same faith as him, she was in good hands.
What he failed to realize was that she was a grown-ass woman who could make her own decisions. Granted, not all those decisions were good ones, but they were hers.
She sipped her coffee, taking a second to find some calm. “And did you tell him there won’t be another date?”
She knew she was setting herself up for disappointment. She shouldn’t be disappointed. Because she also knew what was coming.
Her mother quietly sipped her coffee while her father leaned forward, his bushy white brows creasing. “I told him that you were thinking about it, because that would be the smart thing for you to do.”
Smart? Had her father used that word just to push her buttons? “I am quite capable of making my ownsmartdecisions. Thank you, Dad.”
Her father opened his mouth to respond, but her mom touched his arm and got in first. “Darling, we just love Tony.”
“I know that.”
“And we think you could love Tony, too, if you gave him a chance.”
“Ihavegiven him a chance. I’m not interested.”
Her father’s frown deepened while her mother kept pushing. “But, honey—”
“Mom…Dad. I came to have coffee with you both. I know that Tony is staying with you, but I would prefer to talk about howyou’redoing. We can talk about food or health or how your fishing trip went yesterday, Dad. I could tell you what I’m wearing to the fundraiser, and you can tell me why I should wear something else.”
“Skylar—”
Her mother grabbed her dad’s hand to once again silence him before she spoke. “We’re doing well. Your father caught three brown trout yesterday. We’re glad you invited us here. We love the coffee and the company, although it’s still odd to me that we come to a tea house for coffee and pie.”
