First Degree Burns Read online

  “Richard said he’s going to call them and Lil to find out when a good time for them would be. I told him you still have school, but you only have a couple of weeks left. He felt that should be good notice for all of them.”

  She nodded. “I’ll call Beth and see if she can make it.”

  “Good. I need to check my equipment. Your mother might have thrown it out.” He laughed.

  “That sounds like something Mommy would do. Let me know if you need to go shopping. I’m going to have to take Danny, anyway.”

  He blinked. “Danny’s really going to go?”

  “Yeah, she’s looking forward to it.”

  Scratching his chin and irritating his olive skin enough to turn it a slight red, he turned his attention back to his briefcase for a moment, securing the leather case shut. “She doesn’t seem like the type. Are you sure she’s not going because you asked her?”

  “Well, I’m sure that is a reason she’s going, but she seems very curious about camping.”

  He nodded. “Okay, remember how serious everyone takes it. You might want to prepare her for that.”

  “I know, Daddy.” She wouldn’t let Danny go without preparing her, to make sure she didn’t make a fool out of herself. She didn’t want Danny to feel uncomfortable or become the butt of a joke that might turn her off camping. “Do you think Mommy will join us?”

  Raymond snorted and chuckled while shaking his head. Kate had never gone on a family camping trip as far as Nicole knew. Her mother wasn't the camping type, but Nicole often wished every now and then her mother would do something out of the norm. After all, she might have fun.

  “Maybe you should ask her, just in case.” Nicole flashed a hopeful smile and batted her eyes at him, wanting to get her father to give in.

  In return, he rolled his eyes. “I could get down on my hands and knees and beg her, but she still wouldn’t go.”

  “She’ll be lonely without you for three or four days, though.” Her parents, though they were somewhat different from each other, still loved each other quite a bit, and she knew they preferred not to be apart for days at a time.

  “She’ll find something to occupy her time. She always did when we used to go when you were younger.”

  Nicole nodded, because he was right. I wonder what Mommy used to do when we left. She felt like it involved anywhere away from dirt. What’s Mommy going to do when we leave now? It’ll probably involve a spa. Or so she hoped. She didn’t want her mother to work the whole time that they were gone off having fun.

  “She’ll probably go stay with her parents,” Raymond said, as if he could read her mind.

  “Is that what she used to do?” I guess that makes sense. Her mother enjoyed being around her parents.

  “Most of the time. If not spending time with her family, she worked. You know how your mom is. She’ll be fine for a few days. Now, if we were both gone a week or something, she’d go crazy.” He chuckled a bit, but his face looked soft. She wondered if her face softened like that when she talked about Danny.

  She tittered, too. “I guess. As long as Mommy has something to do.”

  “Like I said, she’ll be fine.” Raymond waved the matter away and picked up his briefcase. “The last person you need to worry about is your mother. She doesn’t become a mess, she fixes messes.”

  Nicole smiled and nodded because he was quite right. Her father grabbed his jacket from a nearby hook and left while she returned to her office. She did some work until Danny called.

  “Hey, Chem,” Danny greeted her, a smile in her voice.

  “Hey, baby. How’s your day going?”

  “The same as always. I had to scold our little man. He tore pages out of my song pad, but other than that, everything’s the same as always.”

  “He tore the pages out of your song pad? Were you able to save them?” Nicole frowned, picturing their usually well-behaved, white shepherd happily yanking the pages from the simple legal pad that collected Danny’s musical musings.

  “Oh, yeah. He didn’t chew them. He tore them out. Some of them are wet and have small tears, but I can figure out what was there and if I don’t, it’ll come to me. How are you doing? Is everything fine?”

  “Everything’s fine. I spoke with my father about the camping trip. He called his brother, and Uncle Richard is ready to go. He’ll call his kids to find out when they can go, and I have to call my cousin, Beth, to see if she wants to tag along. We’ll probably go once school is over for me.”

  “That’s a good plan. Were you able to get a summer class like you wanted? I don’t want you to miss class because of the trip.”

  Nicole smiled. She’s always thinking of me. “It’s all right. There’s plenty of time. I couldn’t get a class, because they weren’t offered late enough. It’s fine. I’ll try for the other summer session and if nothing comes of that, there’s always the fall semester. I’m doing well.”

  “I have no doubt that you are. Do you want anything special for dinner? I’m about to take the horrible Haydn out of his crate and maybe do a little shopping.”

  “I can pick up dinner. You shouldn’t have to cook every day. Every now and then, let me treat you to some takeout,” Nicole said with a light laugh. She could do more, but Danny seemed to like her housewife status. But, Nicole knew, every now and then, anyone would need a break.

  “Oh, treat me?” Danny sounded delighted. It sent a shiver down Nicole’s spine. Not too long ago, Danny actually would have felt a bit troubled by the offer. Danny had admitted it used to bother her when Nicole tried to take care of her, but she was gradually accepting it. This was one of the things that made their relationship so much stronger than it had been. All she could do was thank the fact that they spent time together, talked more often, and just opened up.

  “So, what kind of takeout should I pick up?”

  “Surprise me,” Danny chirped.

  “So, I should enter the house nude?” Nicole teased.

  “That damn sure would surprise me! I’ll take more surprises like that, actually.”

  Nicole tittered. “Yes, well, it won’t happen, my love. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s happening right now in my fantasies.”

  Nicole laughed. “That’s the only place it will be happening, Danny. I promise you that.”

  “What? This could be a good time to role-play or something.”

  Nicole had to work very hard not to laugh at that. She didn’t want to encourage Danny. She enjoyed role-playing, even though it took some getting used to. That was something else they had learned in the last few months. She was certain that exploring their sexual fantasies had helped bring them closer. But, she didn’t consider it role-playing to walk in the house naked with food in her hands. Besides, she’d never do something intimate with the chance of her neighbors seeing her.

  “I’m hanging up now, baby.”

  “Love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Nicole disconnected the call. She checked the time and decided to call her cousin Beth. Once upon a time, it never would’ve occurred to her to call anyone except a client while she was at work, but Danny had changed that, too. Danny had changed so much of her thinking, in a positive way. She could only hope she had done the same. She shook that thought away as her cousin answered the phone. “Hey, Beth, I was wondering if you wanted to revive our old camping tradition…”

  Chapter Three

  “SO, THE TRIP IS all set. Everyone I told you about is going to come. We’ll meet at my uncle’s house. We need to go shopping,” Nicole said to Dane, as she flopped down onto the sofa.

  Dane bounced a little when Nicole landed next to her. Dane had the end of a rope toy Haydn liked, pulling it slightly as he clamped down with a strong jaw, growling while trying to yank it from her. She felt it was a good way to keep him busy while Nicole had been on the phone for the better part of the afternoon, setting up the trip.

  “Shopping? What for?” Dane gave Haydn a good yank, picking him up in the air. He gr
owled a bit, but kept on fighting with her.

  “For camping equipment, love. What did you think; we would show up in the woods and sleep on the ground?” Nicole smiled.

  Dane chuckled. “No, because that means I wouldn’t be able to share a sleeping bag with you, which would be a crime against nature, in my opinion. Do we really need more than that?”

  “I would like a tent suitable to protect us from the elements while we try to get some sleep.” The green of Nicole's eyes shined like the emeralds they were colored after. She was highly amused by this exchange for some reason.

  “Guess a tent would be nice. Didn’t think about that.” Dane scratched her forehead a bit with her free hand. “You know, I have no idea what we need for camping.” She gave the dog another yank. Haydn growled some more and tugged harder.

  Nicole leaned over and kissed the side of her head. “I know you don’t, which is why you’re going to come with me. You should learn, in case you like camping and we start making a thing out of this. You’ll know what to get and how to prepare.”

  Dane nodded. It was good logic. She suspected she’d enjoy camping. She had no problem with sleeping and living outdoors, having done it a few times in her life with relatively no supplies at all. She’d like to continue going on trips with Nicole. Their trips had partially saved their relationship after a rough spot involving Dane’s family, if they could be called that.

  It was through their trips she had learned to finally allow Nicole to be there for her. It used to annoy her when Nicole tried to do things for her, things she knew shouldn’t bother her, but this was her first real relationship. Nicole had warned her there’d be bumps and mistakes, but now she was sure they’d survive those things. They had more to learn about each other, but they’d make it.

  “Danny, baby, you listening to me?” Nicole asked, waving a hand in front of Dane’s face.

  Blinking, Dane shook her head. “No, sorry. What did you say?”

  “I wanted to know if you want to go today or some other time?”

  Dane thought about it before giving a firm yank to the rope in Haydn’s mouth. “Can you get Mina to watch Haydn on such short notice?”

  Nicole made a face and reached for her phone. She called Mina, and Dane turned her attention completely back to Haydn. He was growling and shook his head, giving it his all to take the rope from her. She chuckled and pulled a bit again, lifting his front paws off of the floor. More growls escaped him, as he tried to back up and gain some traction. She gave him a little slack, letting him think he was winning. She pulled again and scooped him up in her arms, petting him and praising him as if he had done something worthwhile. He barked, letting go of the rope, and then nuzzled her, rubbing his wet nose against her neck.

  “We’ll have to go tomorrow. Mina wasn’t free today,” Nicole said, putting her phone down again.

  Dane smiled. “No problem. We get to chill today, and we’ll go shopping tomorrow. We can watch a movie or something right now.”

  There was a nod, and Nicole retrieved the remote for the television. She found something to watch and curled up against Dane. Haydn settled down at the bottom of the couch, wanting to share in the movie with them. Sometimes, Dane wondered if he could actually tell what was going on in a movie. He often sat quietly through them when he settled in and whimpered at sad parts or barked at certain scenes, depending on what was going on.

  Dane really didn’t pay much attention to what was going on in the movie, especially after she noticed Nicole had fallen asleep against her. Leaning down, she kissed Nicole’s forehead and adjusted the redhead to make sure Nicole was comfortable. Nicole didn’t stir as Dane moved her across her lap.

  She caressed Nicole’s shoulder and lost herself within the touch. Nicole’s skin was always so soft and relaxing. Her mind wandered, camping at the forefront. What’s it like to camp? She tried to imagine it as something different than being homeless, but only the setting changed. She’d slept in parks on many different occasions.

  Thinking about the trip they’d soon take and the trips that they had already taken, Dane’s mind drifted to their relationship once more. She was certain they were stronger than ever, moving to some level she had never known existed until they reached it. She thought on this and considered what she’d have to do to ‘be better.’

  She had promised Nicole that she would propose when she was better, but now she believed she had no idea what that meant. She believed she had no idea what any of this meant. It caused a nervous flutter in her belly.

  I have no freaking clue what I’m doing. Dread bubbled in her belly, weighing her down like hot iron. It felt like her stomach fell into her feet. But, then again, I haven’t had a clue as to what I was doing since I showed up on her doorstep, not that I knew it was her doorstep.

  Taking several deep breaths, Dane kept herself from panicking, but she was now very aware she needed to figure out how she’d be better. She believed their relationship would keep progressing and she needed to keep up or she’d be left behind, then she’d be left by Nicole. She needed to figure out what she’d need to do to get herself in a position where she felt comfortable asking Nicole to spend the rest of her life with her. She supposed she’d have to do some soul searching.

  Maybe if I talk to Crow, she can help me figure it out. Of course, as far as she knew, Crow hadn’t had a relationship that lasted longer than a year. Dane had definitely passed Crow in the lasting relationship department. But, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know what I should do to be good enough to ask Nicole to marry me. If nothing else, she could recommend a book or something. Crow working at a bookstore could come in handy.

  Beyond that, Dane considered some of the things she was already aware of. She knew eventually she’d have to get comfortable with the idea of having kids. She was already sure Nicole wanted at least one, even if she tried to act like she didn’t or she could do without. So, if nothing else, Dane had to work past her issues with her own childhood. She frowned at that. I wonder if that means I’ll have to talk to my mother. Just saying the words left a bad taste in her mouth.

  The very thought of talking to Christine Wolfe made Dane want to forget everything. Her mother continued to push to try to better their relationship, and calling it a relationship was exaggerating. The woman had gone as far as giving Dane a small trust fund, more than likely trying to bribe forgiveness out of Dane or buy affection from her. To hell with that bullshit.

  Dane still couldn’t bring herself to forgive the woman who silently stood by as she was beaten and abused by her father and two siblings. Even when her mother suggested they start over, she found she couldn’t pretend her mother hadn’t ignored her for most of her life. Even when her mother showed her something no one else in their family had seen–Christine’s father’s grave–Dane found she couldn’t bond with the woman. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

  Did I ever bond with her? Dane scratched her chin in thought. She had called Christine her mother, but only because she had felt like it upset her. When Christine seemed interested in accepting the title, if not the job, Dane stopped using it. Her mother was Christine to her and what she felt for Christine was on the same level she felt for her siblings, including Adam. There was no familial bond, nothing that made her feel connected to them beyond pain and suffering, which wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on.

  But, the idea of family brought her back to the notion of children with Nicole. A child would connect them, make them a ‘real’ family. Am I ready for that? Will I ever be ready for that? If not, I might as well say goodbye to my angel now, and I’m damn sure I’m not ready for that.

  She really didn’t want to engage in such heavy thinking, especially when she had already figured out that she’d probably have to give in to the kid thing. Nicole wanted and deserved a child, and Dane would do anything for her beloved. Of course, to get there, she still had to figure out how she could ‘be better,’ to get to the point of proposing to Nicole. I do want to propose to yo
u, Angel. Want to spend the rest of my life worshiping you, being worthy of you, but how do I get to that point? Dane ran her fingers through Nicole’s wavy auburn mane.

  Right now, she knew she was the best she had ever been in her life, and she still felt unworthy of Nicole. Nicole’s father and Nicole’s mother’s side of the family had accepted her, and she was about to meet Raymond’s side. No one had ever given her so much, shared so much with her, and she felt like she never had anything to give back. The most she could share with Nicole was music, which was her whole world, but didn’t feel like enough.

  Music could reach inside of a person and draw out emotions, but it couldn’t offer physical comfort. Music couldn’t hold, hug, or respond. While music had carried her throughout life, it couldn’t compare to the amount of family and care Nicole had bestowed upon her.

  Dane really wished she at least had a tradition to share with Nicole. She had no traditions, no family, and barely had any real friends, except for Crow. She had nothing to offer. Sighing, she glanced down at Nicole and smiled.

  “Well, she knew I didn’t have any of that when she got involved with me. Maybe my music was enough, is enough. Maybe I’m worrying about nothing,” Dane muttered.

  “You’re talking to yourself, love?” Nicole mumbled, yawning a bit as she stretched out in Dane’s lap.

  “Just thinking aloud.”

  “About what?” Nicole shifted her body a bit, making herself comfortable against Dane, who enjoyed the press. She didn’t bother to open her eyes for the conversation, but she smiled a bit, as if she was quite happy where she was.

  Everything. “The trip.”

  “It’ll be fine. You’ll have a good time.” Nicole patted her thigh to soothe her.

  A small smile settled on Dane’s face. “I’m sure I will. Think your family will like me?”

  There was another soft pat to her thigh. “They’ll adore you, like I do. My uncle will like you just like my dad does.”

  “Your dad doesn’t like me that much.” Dane was certain that if the right young man came along, Raymond would do his best to get Nicole to go out with him without any thought to Dane. Hmm…maybe that’s what I mean when I say ‘be better.’ I need to be like what Raymond and Kathleen would approve of as far as Nicole dating. That’s definitely a step up from where I used to be, anyway. But, I don’t want to change into something that Nicole doesn’t want.