The Hunter Beside Me

24: Flames

Owen

Bash backed the truck up to the bonfire pit. Before he'd even stopped completely, Emory climbed into the bed to grab the bags of food, then hopped over the side with them. I waited until Bash parked to lower the tailgate and retrieve the chairs.

Emory reached into the sack of burgers, but Becks snatched the bag from him before he claimed one. "Hang on. Start the fire first, lazy butt."

His head fell forward, and he groaned as he slid a lighter from his pocket. Laughing, I held out my hand. "Toss it here; I'll get it going." I nudged Becks with my elbow. "Let the boy eat before he cries."

She handed him the bag. "Fine. But you pout like a baby."

"I'm starving! You guys took forever." Emory threw me the lighter, grabbed two burgers, and flopped in a chair.

Bash hefted the cooler from the truck and set it on the grass before taking out a beer, and leaving it by Emory's feet as he came to help me. Emory mumbled thanks with a mouth full of food and twisted the cap off the bottle.

I knelt and arranged the wood into a better shape. A giant pile would burn, but I'd have to mess with it continually to keep it going. Spending a few extra minutes now meant more time with Becks later.

Bash squatted and elbowed my side. "What took so long? Did you get lost?" He wiggled his eyebrows, making me chuckle.

"No. It took a while for them to get our order ready at Food."

"That's weird," Emory said as he ripped the wrapper off of his second burger. "Pam's usually fast if you only want burgers."

Becks huffed. "Pam wasn't there and Violet worries more about talking to guys like Owen than working."

"Damn, if I'd known she'd be there, I'd have gone to pick up the food." Emory smirked and took a swig of his drink.

Becks turned away with crossed arms to lean beside Lilla on the tailgate. She'd seemed a little pissed at Violet, but I thought we were okay. She didn't say anything about it on the drive back.

"She wasted her time," I said. "It's pretty clear who I'm interested in, and it's not her."

"I'm interested! She's hot as hell." Emory leaned over to set his bottle on the ground.

Becks scoffed. "Yeah, and your junk will be hot as hell if you get it too close to Violet. That's why I quit ordering delivery. I was afraid you'd catch something."

Lilla choked on a giggle and covered her mouth, turning it into a cough. Bash grinned at her and said, "Wait. Isn't Violet Pam's daughter? The girl we saw flirting with a mimic when we first got into town? They looked like they might be dating."

Becks crossed her arms. "Well, if they are, that didn't stop her from hitting on Owen."

"Yeah, that's her," I told Bash and tried to catch Becks' eye, but she was too busy examining her nails. "I'm sure she was hoping for a bigger tip." With the branches in place, I made an opening at the bottom and set a thin shred of the pine lighter in the middle.

Bash glanced from Becks to me. "Good luck, dude." He stood and went to the cooler to get drinks for him and Lilla. It was nice seeing them so mellow, and I'd be glad when Becks relaxed too.

With a sigh, I reached out to light the fire, and it caught instantly. I moved the limbs back into place, and soon, flames crawled through the pile.

"That's fast!" Becks smiled when I turned to face her.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you done being mad at me already?"

Becks rolled her eyes. "I wasn't mad at you to begin with. It was just aggravating watching her flirt with you like she didn't see me standing there." She stared at her foot and dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt.