Sweet Burn by Anne Marsh Read Free Book Online Page A

wrapped her arms around Mimi in a hug. Help. Mimi had done plenty of things, but she ’ d never been a hugger. Still, she patted Faye carefully on the back and waited for the other woman to let go.
    “Me too?” It wasn ’ t too late to mention the sounds— truck backfiring , she told herself, even though she couldn ’ t quite believe it was true—but she didn ’ t want to spoil the other woman ’ s good mood. Or have to deal with the fifty thousand questions that would follow. Faye loved asking questions and it pretty much came with the territory since the other woman worked as a freelance photojournalist. As long as the sedan didn ’ t double back, she could tell someone tomorrow.
    “You ’ re bound to have all sorts of good ideas,” Faye said, finally letting go. She towed Mimi over towards the other women. Whatever they were doing, it involved a large tray of cupcakes and sparkling cider. Cupcakes she could handle. She accepted a purple-frosted cupcake on a napkin. Sugar was the perfect antidote to what had not just happened out there on Main Street, plus retreating now would be awkward.
    She sat.
    She ’ d make her escape in a few minutes.
    “So.” Faye looked at her expectantly. Shit. “You got any ideas for us?”
    “Why don ’ t you tell me how far you ’ ve gotten?” There. That was nicely ambiguous, if she did say so herself.
    “ Gia ’ s due at the end of the month, but we ’ d like to have the shower before she pops the baby out. We ’ ve got a preliminary list of games.” The speaker was one of the unfamiliar faces, but she sported a pair of fantastic shoes, all black leather and dominatrix laces.
    Wow. She hadn ’ t seen that one coming. She pulled the paper off her cupcake while she plotted next steps that included getting the hell out of the gallery. Baby showers were absolutely not her area of expertise.
    “If you ’ re looking for a party planner, I ’ m not your gal.”
    Giggling, Lily ran her through the games list. Mimi played a mean game of quarters and she ’ d been the undisputed queen of beer pong during her one semester of college, but guessing baby food flavors, estimating tummy widths with string, and naming nursery rhyme lyrics? Not so much. Or…
    “Bobbing for nipples?” She couldn ’ t have heard that last one right.
    Lily ’ s impish grin lit up her face. “We ’ re hoping to rope some of the guys into staying. Otherwise, Rio ’ s going to run for the hills.”
    “You can count on it.” She tried to imagine sexy, hard-bodied Rio Donovan attending a baby shower and fishing for plastic bottle tops in a tub of water. Nope. That mental image just wasn ’ t in her repertoire. Of course, she ’ d never imagined him as married and expecting, either. When they ’ d hooked up last year, they ’ d both been looking for some quick fun. Now he was not only tied down, but he was happy about it. She ’ d stayed put in Strong too long and it was past time for her to get going.
    “We ’ ve got candy games as well.” Laura Carpenter was a paramedic and the only woman driver in the Strong unit. She was blunt and earthy, and Mimi had always felt they were kindred spirits because Laura was another woman who got along better with guys than gals. The bar always got livelier when she came in, although she was usually the designated driver for the guys she worked with.
    “I ’ m afraid to ask,” she said dryly.
    “It ’ s better than the dirty diapers game,” someone muttered. Nope. Not asking.
    “It ’ s simple,” Faye said, passing Mimi a glass of sparkling cider. The cupcakes, however, didn ’ t make a second round. From the glow on the other woman ’ s face, Mimi wondered if she had some news of her own to share. “You match a pregnancy description with a candy.”
    She dutifully tried to imagine it and still drew a blank.
    Lily laughed, a happy sound rather than a mean one, like she was just glad someone else hadn ’ t gotten it. “You know, like