Burned (Smoke and Fire Series Book 1) by Suzanne Winslow

Author:Suzanne Winslow [Winslow, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781734680102
Publisher: MD Publishing
Published: 2020-07-13T18:30:00+00:00

16

The day after Christmas, Jenifer sat hunched over the side of her bed, sicker than she had felt in a long time. Strong winds howled outside her bedroom window. Heavy snowfall darkened the sky. Matt’s deep voice carried up from the bottom of the stairs. Her mother’s voice, soft and less distinct, was probably telling him to go up and say goodbye before he left for work.

Jenifer raised her head to see him smiling as he came into the room, like he was about to tease her for sleeping late. The smile quickly faded after their eyes met.

“Are you feeling okay?” He crouched in front of her, pressing his hand to her cheek. “You look pale.”

“I think I might’ve caught the stomach bug at school.”

“I didn’t notice you getting sick. When did it start?”

Her stomach roiled. For a second, she thought she would get sick again. “This morning. Right after I woke up.”

He stood and pulled back the blanket for her to lie down again. “Get some more sleep. I’ll tell your parents you’re sick. I’m sure they won’t mind keeping an eye on Robbie today.”

She crawled back into bed and curled up on her side, grateful her parents planned to be there a few more days. “How are you feeling?”

He sent her a sympathetic smile as he sat next to her. “Lucky.”

“Well, you better go before your luck runs out,” she said, turning her head when he tried to kiss her. “I don’t want you sick, too.”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her forehead. “It’s probably too late to worry about that.” He stood when Robbie came into the doorway ahead of her mother.

Robbie frowned when he looked at Matt’s uniform. “Are you going to work today?”

Matt opened his arms. “I am. But after that, I’ve got a couple of days off to hang out with you while you’re on vacation.”

Robbie stepped in between Matt’s knees and gave him a hug as her mother watched. “Are you going to sleep here, too?”

Her mother grinned at Matt.

Matt dropped his head on Robbie’s shoulder and gave him a hug. “You’re killing me, buddy.” He got up and put his hands on Robbie’s shoulders and pointed him toward the door. “Mommy’s sick. Let’s let her sleep.”

The small lines between her mother’s eyebrows creased. “What’s wrong?”

Jenifer made a weak shooing gesture. “Stomach bug. I don’t want you to get sick, too.”

“I have to go.” Matt leaned over and kissed the top of her head. “Call if you need me.”

By lunchtime, Jenifer was well enough to go downstairs to the kitchen and eat cereal. Her mother came up from the basement carrying an empty crate for Christmas decorations. The navy-blue sweater she wore was all dusty from the basement, and a price tag stuck to the back of her new jeans. The same height as Jenifer, she had brown eyes and short wavy hair streaked with gray. She set the crate on the floor next to the basement door. “I didn’t expect to see you down here.

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