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confident, but I could feel myself starting to wither under her scrutiny.
    “I must’ve misunderstood your mother when she told me you’d eventually be running the diner. A shame, really. It’s so nice to have a family business where everyone participates.” Janice remarked.
    Nice one. Both of her children worked in the family auto dealership chain, and she obviously couldn’t understand why I’d want to do anything else but perpetuate the future that had been so kindly provided for me. My parents were indulgent compared to the Dempseys when it came to choosing your own path. And when had she spoken to my mother?
    I pretended to be admiring the art displayed over the fireplace so I didn’t have to meet Janice’s eyes, and the conversation continued without me. I should’ve expected this tonight. She knew just enough about me to be curious, and also to inject little pockets of doubt and negativity into my future plans.
    Luckily, Chase’s parents saw someone else they needed to talk to and excused themselves. A few more distant acquaintances came by to congratulate Chase on his accomplishments before we were alone again.
    “This sucks. Let’s get out of here,” Chase whispered in my ear.
    “But this party is for you,” I protested responsibly. “Shouldn’t we stay?”
    He laughed. “Do you really want to?”
    I shook my head gratefully, he took my hand, and we snuck down the hallway to the cavernous TV room located in one wing of the ranch. I felt like I was in a time warp and we were still teenagers, escaping to the room farthest away from our parents to make out. Chase went behind the wet bar and pulled out a couple beers before joining me on the couch.
    He slid closer to kiss me, his lips warm and soft, and I found myself leaning into his kiss again, eagerly this time. His mouth captured mine gently, his tongue tasting me, and we kissed for long minutes on the couch, the only sound our breathing and rustling as we shifted together. I slid a hand around his back and traced my fingers over his shoulders, the muscles tensing under my touch. Chase responded by turning my head and placing my mouth exactly where he wanted it, a low groan in his throat.
    I was pleased to feel some of the same spark that used to exist between us. Not full-fledged fireworks but definitely something. I tried not to dwell on the fact that I was completely aware enough to analyze our make-out session instead of being wrapped up in the moment, but I figured there was plenty of time for passion to build. A few minutes later, Chase pulled back, smiling.
    “Okay, babe, we can’t get carried away, otherwise I’m gonna need a cold shower.” He laughed and draped an arm over my shoulder. “Wanna watch a movie or something?”
    I nodded, pleased that he wanted to take things slow, and he cracked open the beers then reached for the remote. After a few minutes of flipping through the channels, he settled on an Adam Sandler movie, and I let my mind wander.
    Being here with him was nice. No, it was more than nice. Nice was your grandma, or clean sheets, or a good parking spot. It was more than nice, but I wasn’t sure what.
    Dangerous. Sexy. Exciting. That’s what Beckett Fox was like. My mind flashed to the first time I saw him at the bus depot. I was irritated at myself for thinking of Fox when I should be focusing on Chase, but after rolling it around in my mind for a while, I decided it was out of my control and that I should satisfy my curiosity and be done with it. During the next commercial break, I took the plunge.
    “So, tell me a little more about your friend… known him long?” I asked in what I hoped was a casual voice.
    “Fox? I don’t know much about him, to be honest. I met him on a Hotshot crew in Washington. He ran us into the ground but he’s fair. That night – that night, after everything, his leg was in bad shape but he still made the saves, and most of us managed to get out of there and back to