Open Your Eyes by Delancey Stewart

Author:Delancey Stewart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Delancey Stewart

Chapter 19

SAM

I watched Miranda’s tail lights disappear down the village road and stood in the drizzling rain for a solid ten minutes staring after her.

What the hell had I gone and kissed her for? Now she was doing her very best to avoid even looking at me. The rest of the day had been almost perfect—if you didn’t count the threat of an all-consuming wildfire likely to destroy everything I’d ever known along with the homes and lives of everyone I loved. But I wasn’t counting that.

Despite the threat of total destruction, the biggest thing on my mind was Miranda. Her bright blue eyes. Her long blond hair. Her self-conscious smile and vivacious laugh. She was like a little slice of perfection I wanted to capture and keep for myself. Like a photo of something beautiful I wanted to be able to look at whenever I felt sad.

But the feeling wasn’t mutual.

Was it?

When I’d given in to everything my body was screaming at me to do and kissed her, it had felt right. It hadn’t been awkward or forced. Her arms had slid around my neck, the delicious feel of her skin on mine was like a brand seared into my soul. And she’d pressed herself into me and returned the kiss—the memory of it lit my entire body on fire and I had to work hard to keep certain things from responding too enthusiastically as I relived it in my mind. She had been right there. In the same place I was. The same state of mind. I hadn’t imagined it. I hadn’t forced her to kiss me.

Had I?

I shook my arms, loosening the knots forming in my neck and shoulders and turned slowly back toward the office, where Chance’s truck was still parked outside.

“Hey,” I called as I entered.

Chance glanced up from his desk and then cocked his head to the side. “What’s going on?”

“Oh, you know. Devastating wildfire threatening everything we love. The usual.”

“That’s not what I mean. You look weird.” He stood up from his desk and walked around it, crossing his arms. “Weirder than normal, I mean.”

“Ass.”

“Quit stalling.”

I hated that Chance had always been able to read me. “Just a rough day. Wrapping cabins with that foil that’ll probably just make the fire take five minutes longer to destroy them all.”

“So optimistic.”

“Where were you all day? I thought you’d come out and help.”

Chance nodded. “I was on my way, but Mr. George recruited me to take a bobcat back out to help clear some more debris. I’ll come out and help tomorrow. I don’t know if there’s any point.”

“Any point?” I stared at him incredulously. “Now who’s being optimistic?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. There’s so much shit on those hillsides it kind of seems inevitable that it will burn. If not in this fire, then in the one that comes next year or the year after. Maybe it’s time we start looking at plan B. Move Palmer officially to the valley and be done with it.

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