Page 17 of Tempting Fire

“Don’t tell me what to do! I haven’t seen you in two years, you don’t get to barge in and try to take over,” she yelled the words into the back of the sofa.

“If you’re mad at me, you’re going to have to look at me.”

His tone was reasonable. It turned up the heat of her temper.

“No I don’t. See, quit bossing me around!” She whipped around to glare at him. “Zarek Andrew Post you are an asshole! You don’t understand a goddamn thing. You can’t waltz in here and think you know what’s best for me. I know what I need. I need to be left alone.”

“Being left alone isn’t cutting it. You need counseling. You need help.”

“If I needed help, you’d be the last fucking person on earth I’d run to, you turned your back on all of us lowly Tennessee types years ago.”

Oh God, was she crying? She was. She swiped at her eyes so she could see him clearly. He just sat there and took what she was dishing out.

“Are you done yet?”

She was breathing so hard, and her head hurt. If it weren’t for those two things she could have gone on for hours.

“Can’t you see this won’t work. Let me go back to my house. You’ve done your charity work. I’m all squeaky clean, I’ll open the windows and clean the house. You can go back to your high-class life in Dallas and be the mighty fireman. I’m all better now. Are you happy?”

“I’m happy that you’re yelling and seem a little more like my Chloe, but hearing that you think I’ve abandoned you for some exciting life in the city hurts.”

“Well didn’t you?”

***

Zarek watched her with a practiced eye. Her breathing was shallow, the pulse in her neck was going twice as fast as it should, and beads of perspiration dotted her forehead. He needed to get her to calm down. He needed a diversion.

“How’s Drake? You told me about the big reunion, it was pretty dramatic, but how’s he doing now?”

She looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Seriously, we’re in the middle of a fight and you’re asking about my big brother?”

“If I suggested you calm down, I figured you might hit me. You’re not in the correct head space to listen to why I moved to Dallas, so that was out.”

“What do you mean I’m not in the correct headspace? My headspace is fine!” she shouted.

“I rest my case,” he said keeping a straight face. “So how is Drake. I remember you had a lot of dreams built up about him. You and your sisters, thought he could walk on water.”

She scowled at him. “You know he was special. Think about all the money he sent to us. It wasn’t his fault that he was forced to leave Tennessee and join the military when he was eighteen. He was framed. He did more for me and my sisters than anybody could have ever asked.”

“That’s what I mean, you had him built on a pedestal. What was it like when he came home in February. Did he live up to your expectations?”

A dreamy expression crossed Chloe’s face, then it tightened and he knew she was thinking about her shitty parents who were both now in prison.

“Concentrate on Drake, Chloe.”

She blew out a breath.

“I fucking hate my parents.”

“There’s a lot of that going around. But you and your siblings are something else. Knowing where you came from, the mountain you had to climb, makes it all the more amazing.”

“Drake fell in love with a kindergarten teacher. It took him less than a week to sweep her off her feet. That’s how Trenda tells it. Evie says that Karen swept Drake of his feet.”

Zarek snorted. “Does it really matter who does the sweeping?”

“I’m just glad that Drake is getting his happily-ever-after. As long as the baby is okay. The doctors say that if she stays on bed rest, everything should be fine.”