“Oh no.”
I gasp as I spin around, my eyes snapping to the kiln.
The rusted metal bottom fell out. Flames are tumbling down.
The cheerful music keeps playing, oblivious that my worst nightmare is occurring in real time.
My studio, my happy place, my floor…
…is on fire.
CHAPTER THREE
Ethan
“Ican’t believe I’m stuck here during Fight Night,” Doug whines as he sulks around the fire station like a kid grounded on prom night.
I don’t look up from my book. Bubba is sprawled across my legs on his back, looking and feeling like a sack of warm potatoes. He’s snoring with his paws twitching in the air, probably dreaming of something, but all he does is nap, so he’s probably dreaming of taking a different nap. I don’t have the heart to move him even though my right leg is cramping up.
Doug stops at the punching bag and shadow boxes, barely tapping the bag with his knuckles.
“You think James already won?” he asks.
“Probably,” I say, turning a page I didn’t actually read. I sigh as I turn it back and start over at the top.
Doug starts pacing again, his eyes darting to the door. “You think Lincoln remembered to place my bet?”
“Yes.”
“You think he’ll forget the twenty-five percent thing?”
“Not a chance.”
Doug groans and drags a hand down his face. “This is bullshit.”
Bubba lets out a louder snore, like he agrees.
“Let’s go drive around,” Doug says, heading to the window. “It’s a beautiful night. I bet a lot of girls are out.”
“We’re on duty.”
“It will only take a minute.”
I just ignore him.
He huffs out a frustrated breath. “What are you even reading?”
“At the moment, nothing. Because you keep talking to me.”
“I never understood people that read,” he says. “Why read when you can do literallyanythingelse?”
“It’s relaxing, it’s fun, it makes you smarter.”
He scoffs. “I’m smart enough, thanks. I’m smart enough to know that reading is stupid.”
“We’re stuck here all night,” I say, rubbing Bubba’s chest. “Try to sit down and relax.”
He pulls out a chair, but he doesn’t sit down. Instead he tilts it onto one leg and spins it. “You think girls will come and see me in May like they’re coming to see you?”
