Page 35 of Dueling Flames

After we all sat down, we begged for more details.

“How far along are you?”

“Have you picked names?”

“That’s why you’re not drinking.”

Chelsea smiled. “I’m twelve weeks, we don’t have names picked out, and of course that’s why I’m not drinking.”

Then she turned to me and grabbed my hands again. “I’m so sorry Lissa. I know I agreed to be your belayer for your competition, but I’ll be seven months pregnant. I don’t know if I can do it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Girl, that doesn’t matter. I can find someone else. You’re pregnant. You’re going to be a great mom, and I’m going to be an auntie and spoil your kid.”

Thorne

I wouldn’t be lucky today. Last shift had everyone on the go for almost twenty-four straight hours. And to be honest, I was finally ready to face the truth.

That was until I saw Lissa’s face. Eyes narrowed and looking directly at me. Her hair was in the highest, tightest ponytail I’ve ever seen on her. She walked like she had somewhere to go and that somewhere was obviously me.

I instinctively backed up and swallowed hard.

She grabbed my shirt sleeve. “We need to talk,” she said and practically dragged me downstairs into one of the storage rooms.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you.” I said it on instinct, and I regretted it instantly. I shook my head. “Yes. I am avoiding you.”

“Are you going to tell me why?”

“Are you going to tell me about your conversation with the captain?”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Yeah, two shifts ago. What did the captain want?”

“You’re mad because I talked to the captain?”

“Depends on what you talked about.” I felt like a child. I should have written everything down first.

“He wanted to talk to me about Trevor. He complained about me making him look bad. Which was your idea, so don’t deny it.”

“That’s it?” I couldn’t believe she left out the other part. Like she wasn’t getting a new partner.

“Yeah. That’s the important part. What about you? Why did you have breakfast with Milo? I thought you hated him.”

“I do hate him.”

She waved her hands in the air like she was waiting for something. “Yet breakfast. And you didn’t tell me you were having breakfast with your ex. You wouldn’t even talk to me so I could find out why.”

“That was…nothing. We had breakfast, and I left. Nothing more.”

“Nothing more? Then why are you avoiding me?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted a new partner? Huh? When we you going to tell me?”

She stared at me like she was trying to figure out what exactly I said. “What? I’m not getting a new partner.”

“But I heard you.”