Read Bring Me Fire for Free Online Page B

the end of the counter to wait for her drink, browsing through an issue of the Bay Guardian . She heard a familiar voice ordering a triple-shot skim milk latte at the other end of the bar and she glanced up. Right as she did, Ashley looked over at her, their eyes meeting. Sky smiled and gave a little wave.
    " Hi, Ashley," she said. She was still upset about getting fired but she didn’t want to be rude. San Francisco, though a city, had a small-town feel and it was easy to run into the same people over and over again, especially if it was someone that you didn’t want to see. And the art scene out here was even smaller. She wanted Ashley to know she could still be cordial.
    Ashley’s mouth set into a thin line, and she held Sky’s gaze for a moment but didn’t say anything. Sky thought maybe she hadn’t heard her, so she started to put the newspaper down and walk over, but Ashley abruptly turned and walked off to the other end of the counter. Sky stopped, mid-step, aware of the girl behind the counter watching the entire thing.
    "Okay," she said aloud, heat rising in her face. It was almost like going out to the middle of the gym floor, asking someone to dance, and being rejected, even if that person you asked to dance wasn’t someone you particularly cared for all that much. "That’s great." The girl quickly looked away to the next customer in line. The barista called Sky’s name and put her latte up. Sky grabbed the cup and hurried out of the coffee shop, hoping she’d never have to run into Ashley again, even though she knew the likelihood of that was very slim.
    Climbing into Conner’s Audi felt like entering a safe zone, and Sky breathed a sigh of relief as they sped across the Bay Bridge and up into the Oakland Hills.
    "Don’t stress, sweets," Conner said. "You’re going to be fine. Though I totally understand how normal it is to be nervous your first day on the job. Today I’m mostly going to be giving you a tour of the place. It’ll be a walk in the park."
    " Surprisingly enough, I’m not really stressing about that at the moment," Sky said.
    " Oh, yeah? Do tell, then." Conner pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head and looked at her, eyebrow raised. "It might still be insanely early for some of us, but I do love my gossip first thing in the morning."
    " I just ran into my old boss."
    " Ahhh. The awkward first ex-boss run in. I hate that shit. It’s worse than doing the walk of shame from Russian Hill all the way back to the Castro because you lost your wallet and you’re still too buzzed to drive. Not that I’m speaking from personal experience, of course."
    Sky laughed. "No, of course not."
    " So was it terrible? Cringe-inducing? Was there a big scene?"
"No, not really. It was actually very anti-climatic."
    Conner shuddered. "The anti-climax. That’s the worst. No, thank you."
    " I tried to say hi and she basically stared at me for a second and then turned and walked in the other direction."
    " Ouch."
    " Whatever. I mean, it’s not that big of a deal, I just thought if we could at least be civil to each other then maybe things wouldn’t be awkward if we ended up running into each other again, which I’m sure we will."
    " Some people like to keep things as awkward as possible. Plus, she’s probably pissed that you got a new job."
    " How would she know?"
    " She might not. Yet, anyway. But word travels fast. And anyone who’s anyone in the art world knows that Josh has a collection to die for, and when she does find out, it’s going to drive her batshit crazy. I all but guarantee it. So, looking at it that way, you have won."
    Sky sighed. "I’m not trying to win anything." And she wasn’t. It didn’t particularly make her feel better that Ashley might be upset that she had gotten a better job, that she was now having a chance to work with a coveted art collection. She knew she’d never be friends with Ashley, but she didn’t understand why they couldn’t at least be polite to each