Sunglasses on, I pulled out of the gas station. I grinned stupidly as I replayed the kiss. I knew Mace wanted more. Henry screamed as I turned on the main road.
"Henry, you can't keep yelling every time I turn," I scolded him.
"Fire!" Henry said.
"A fire truck?"
"No!Fire!"
I took off my sunglasses. Thick black smoke was billowing out of the trunk of the car.
"Oh my God! Fire! Fire!" I yelled. Someone honked as I swerved the car off to the side of the road.
Quick as a monkey, Henry unbuckled himself from his car seat and climbed to the front of the car over the center console.
"Why is it on fire?" I yelled, coughing as I dragged Henry out of the car. "Crap, my purse!" I lunged back and grabbed it while Henry yelled. I jumped back in the nick of time as flames shot up out of the back of the car.
"Call the fire department!" Henry said, jumping up and down.
"It seems like someone already did." Sirens blared in the distance, and people were stopping to take videos of Mace's burning car.
"We're going to be on TV!" Henry said happily.
"That's just great. I can't have one good day without a car spontaneously combusting."
A compact silver car pulled up, and a kind-looking brunette jumped out. "Are you all right?" she asked in concern.
"Just a little singed," I said. The woman pulled us away from the car as it popped and sparks shot out.
"Look, a fire truck! It's a fire truck!" Henry exclaimed in excitement as the large red truck pulled up alongside the burning car.
"I was going to ask if he was okay, but he doesn't seem any worse for wear," the brunette said dryly.
"This is the best day ever," Henry said, his eyes sparkling. We watched as the firemen hustled out of the truck and started dousing the flames with water.
One of the men sauntered over to us.
"Meg," he greeted the brunette. He peered at me and pulled the kerchief off his face. "Hey, aren't you the girl who burned down Svensson PharmaTech?" The fireman started chuckling.
"I didn't burn it down," I huffed. "The microwave spontaneously combusted."
"We have to stop meeting like this," Cliff said and winked at me.
"She's already taken," Henry announced then coughed.
"You should come away from the flames," Meg said. "Those battery-powered cars can just explode."
"We should block off the street," Cliff agreed.
"Wait," I said. Meg and the fireman looked at me. "It's a battery-powered car?"
Cliff nodded. "I'm surprised that it just randomly caught on fire. Normally they're a bit safer than that."
"Funny how those things happen." I felt faint, and I didn't think it was from the smoke.
"What's that leaking out from under it?" Meg asked, pointing to the back of the car. "Is it melting?"
I coughed dramatically. "I think I need to get out of this smoke."
