A few hours after Joe left, Summer turned over to her back in her bed. Eyes still closed, she stretched, and decided she felt delicious. Thanks to Joe.

She opened her eyes, then gasped.

“Sorry, darling,” Tina said. She and Camille stood over the bed with twin worried expressions. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Summer drew a breath and shoved her hair out of her face. “You’d better have caffeine.”

“Yes. And food too.”

They gathered in Summer’s tiny kitchen at the even tinier table.

“Tell us everything,” Tina said, and pushed a croissant toward Summer.

Camille didn’t say a word, just poured tea.

Socks, who’d come with them, wound around their feet, purring, waiting for falling crumbs.

Summer tucked her feet beneath her and tried to smell the tea to see which healing potion Camille was feeding her, but could smell nothing but herself and the smoke still in her skin and nose.

And Joe. She smelled Joe.

“Talk,” Tina said.

“Yeah.” She didn’t suppose Tina meant the part where Joe had put his talented fingers and mouth on her, or how he’d drawn her out of herself, so far out that it would have terrified her if she hadn’t sensed he’d been just as swept away.

Who’d have thought Joe Walker would have grown up to be such a passionate, demanding, giving, incredibly magnificent lover?

“Summer? Can you tell us?”

She shrugged off the memories of Joe and tried to figure out where to start with the fire, but the thought of saying it all out loud made her heart pound heavily. “Well…I was closing up, and had to go downstairs to turn off the lights. The beanbag was there, looking comfy, and…” And I felt so alone. “I sat down for a minute. I guess I fell asleep.” And woke to the smothering feeling of choking on smoke. Her chest tightened.

Oh, damn.

“Oh, darling.” Tina got up and stood behind her, stroking her hair, rubbing her shoulders. “I’m so sorry you had to go through this again. It’s not right.”

Her mother’s grip on the teapot became white knuckled. “She doesn’t remember the first fire.”

“I remember more of it,” Summer admitted.

Camille’s eyes widened. “You do?”

“Some.”

Camille looked as if maybe she wanted to say more but instead she pinched her lips together.

Tina didn’t share her restraint. “What do you remember?”

“Opening the door. Hearing—” Overcome by the memory, she dropped her face into her hands.

Tina made a sound of sympathy and stroked Summer’s hair. “Oh, darling, I’m sorry. Don’t think about it anymore, okay? Let’s just stick with this fire.”