Ignite (31 page)

After I’d scrubbed my face for the thousandth time to try and get the rest of the black off from last night, Dean persuaded me to leave it and come downstairs to meet Kenzie and Luke. He said that if we didn’t hurry, Kenzie was going to get other ideas about what was taking us so long and we’d have even more to deny. He knew her too well.

We entered the ballroom, which now served as the most elegant breakfast hall I’d ever seen. I was glad I had brought a second day dress to wear, because I didn’t think they would have let me stay in just my pajamas. Dean gripped my hand and helped steer me toward Kenzie and Luke as I tried to avoid eye contact with anyone at all because we were catching some stares.

We sat down across from them at the table they had saved for four. Dean pulled my chair out as Kenzie beamed at us. He looked at Luke, who nodded his head toward the buffet table, and they both took off to get food for all of us. He kissed my forehead and asked if there was anything specific I wanted.

I shook my head and looked back at Kenzie, who actually choked on her mimosa.

As soon as they were out of earshot, she started badgering me.

“So,” she said, leaning across the table. “How was it?”

“How was what?” I knew where she was going, but I was going to play dumb.

Kenzie rolled her yes.

“Come on, Dean Powell doesn’t
not
hook up with girls.”

I winced.

“Well,” I said, taking a sip of my mimosa. “We didn’t
hook up
, so I guess that’s a first.”

She narrowed her eyes.

“Lauren Lindsay, don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not,” I told her truthfully. “He hasn’t even kissed me yet.”

Her mouth flew open.

“Seriously? What is wrong with that boy? If I wasn’t madly in love with Luke, I’d be kissing you. You’re that hot.”

I blushed.

“Thanks, I think.”

“No but seriously,” she said. “This is huge. I think the fact that he hasn’t means more than if he had kissed you by now.”

I nodded and took a sip of my drink.

“That’s what he said, but somehow it still makes me feel really insecure that he’s probably kissed hundreds of girls, but he won’t kiss me.”

“Lauren,” she said as she reached across the table to take my hand. “This is so cute. He’s trying to make a statement and show you how much you’re not like the other girls he’s had in his life.”

“I hope so,” I said. “But it’s getting a little weird. He’s dropped the
L
word and he hasn’t even kissed me yet.”

“Oh my god!” Kenzie almost shouted and I had to quiet her when a few people looked at us.

I didn’t have time to explain because Luke and Dean appeared, each with two heaping plates in their hands.

“Oh thanks honey,” Kenzie said as Luke sat down next to her. “I just
love
you
so
much.” She kissed him for a straight minute, and I looked at Dean like we needed to call the fire department.

I knew she was trying to make one of us say it to the other, but we weren’t at that point yet. I liked that it was just something for us.

After Kenzie was finished having her way with a very surprised Luke at the breakfast table, conversation resumed normally.

“So,” Kenzie said, eyeing me. “Lauren, are you going to transfer then?”

I shrugged.

“I haven’t really gotten there yet. I need to look into it. I don’t even know if my credits will transfer over right, or what classes I would need to graduate. I postponed this semester though, so I won’t be graduating until next December at the earliest.”

She clapped her hands in delight.

“You should come shadow some of my classes!” She said excitedly. “And I know Luke wouldn’t mind. Dean would be thrilled, right?”

They both nodded.

“In fact,” she continued. “You definitely need to go to Dean’s nutrition class.”

I looked at him questioningly.

“Nutrition?”

He nodded.

“He’s a teaching assistant,” Kenzie jumped it. “It’s why half the girls in the class even enroll every semester. They’ll all be depressed when he graduates and the class won’t be half as visually fascinating.”

Dean gave her a look. “You know that’s not true.”

She rolled her eyes. “It definitely is.” Then she looked at me. “You’ll see for yourself and then you can tell him it is, in fact, true.”

I wasn’t sure I really wanted to see for myself, but I was interested in seeing that class.

“Great!” she said. “It’s settled then. Classes start next week, so you can tag along, Lauren.”

Kenzie finished the rest of her plate.

“Well, we’ll see you two later,” she said, pushing her chair back and suggestively looking at Luke. They left quickly and Kenzie winked at me.

“What was up with her?” I asked. “She was in a good mood.”

Dean shrugged and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

“Kenzie loves the Snow Ball. It’s like her favorite night of the year, and since I didn’t get thrown out this time or hurt one of her friends, this is probably the best year so far.”

I yawned and only just managed to cover my mouth with my hand.

“Why am I so tired all the time?” I asked. “Ever since the avalanche I feel like I sleep way more than a normal person should.”

He shrugged.

“Maybe my rugged sexuality is just that exhausting.”

I punched him in the arm and he pretended like it hurt.

“Ow.” He looked at his watch. “Well, check out time is in an hour so we can’t exactly stay here. Let’s just go to my place and crash.”

I nodded, stifling another yawn. That sounded perfect.

“What about the kids?”

“Jenny texted me earlier and everything is code green over there.”

“Good,” I said, feeling better about being selfish for a little bit longer.

We went upstairs, grabbed both of our bags, and checked out. Before I knew it, I was falling asleep in the Range Rover on the way home. I woke up when Dean carried me inside. He set me down on one of the massive couch-like chairs in his living room.

“Thanks,” I murmured as I cuddled up next to him.

He pulled me closer and I knew I was home.

I woke up to a deep sigh.

“Shh, you’re going to wake them up.”

“Well what are we going to do, just let them sleep forever? She’s sick. It’s more than we can deal with.”

“This is so awkward. I told you I didn’t want to have to do this again.”

“I didn’t know there was going to
be
a next time, okay?”

It was a moment before my brain registered that Jenny and Callie were standing over me whispering. It was another moment before I realized Dean was sleeping next to me, which was why they were hesitant to wake us.

I sighed and rubbed my face, and then moved a hand behind me to shake Dean awake.

He looked around and smiled at me, but then realized we weren’t alone.

“What’s up guys?” he said clearly not wanting to wake up to this any more than they wanted to wake us up. He buried his head in the cushion behind us while I stretched.

Callie crossed her arms.

“Emma’s sick,” Jenny said.

We both shot up.

“Why are you both here?” Dean asked accusingly. “Who’s with Emma?”

“Chill,” Callie said, waving her hands. “We just left for like two seconds. Chase is there with my cell phone.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Let’s go.”

We all sprinted back to Emma and Chase.

Dean grilled them. “What’s she sick with?”

Jenny shrugged.

“She has a fever and she just says she’s really tired.”

My stomach fell when we walked into the room and saw Chase sitting next to Emma’s bed. I made sure Chase was okay while Dean immediately felt Emma’s forehead. He gave me a look and ran downstairs, presumably to get a thermometer.

“How long has she been like this?” I asked Callie and Jenny.

“I don’t know, just since this morning. We thought she was just tired, but then we got worried when she just kept sleeping and she didn’t want to eat or drink anything. When she started crying for you and Dean and Mom, we had to find you.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled, brushing Emma’s hair back from her face. It was clinging to her hot skin.

Dean came back into the room and took her temperature.

When it beeped, it read one hundred and five.

“We’re going to the hospital now,” Dean said to me. “Can you get the car?”

I nodded and he handed me the keys to the Range Rover. I ran down the street and called Jed on my way. He didn’t pick up, so I left a message saying he should meet us at the hospital. I wasn’t officially their guardian, so I didn’t know what the protocol would be to sign Emma in. Callie was her oldest blood relative, but she wasn’t yet eighteen.

I pulled the car up in front of the house, and they all piled in. Dean was carrying Emma, who was wrapped up in a bundle of blankets.

“I don’t know the way,” I said nervously.

“Just drive,” Dean said seriously. “I’ll tell you where to turn.”

MY HEART HURT for Emma. She was doing better, but I felt terrible that we’d neglected her for so long while she was sick just to go to a fancy party.

Dean rubbed my arm reassuringly.

“She’s going to be fine.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But we were at a ball, she’s more important.”

“She
is
more important,” he agreed. “But how were we supposed to know this would happen?”

I bit my lip.

“I’m just afraid this is an indication of how my guardianship will be.”

He shook his head.

“We’re in this together, you’re not alone.”

I smiled, but it faded quickly when Jed walked into the room. His eyes immediately went to Dean’s hand on my arm when he noticed how close we were standing.

“How is she?” he asked after a moment of obvious observation.

“Better,” I said. “She’s just a little dehydrated.”

“Good,” he said. Then he looked to Dean. “Mr. Powell, can I speak with you outside?”

Again? What was it with these talks?

Dean nodded, but my eyes narrowed. This had better not be my uncle’s attempt to try to scare him off. I doubted it would work, even if it was, and smiled to myself at the thought.

I sat in the chair beside Emma’s bed and reached out for her little hand. They had her hooked up by so many wires and oxygen tubes that I felt terrible. It was just a simple flu, but her little body wasn’t equipped to handle it.

Her golden hair was spread out over the pillow like a halo and her eyelids fluttered now and then and I wondered what she was dreaming about.

A few minutes later, Dean and Jed reentered the room.

“Hey,” Dean said softly. “I’m going to take everyone back to the house. Call me when you need me to come back for you.”

It felt strange that he was leaving, but that was for the best. We didn’t all need to be stranded here, adding to the stress of the situation.

“I’m not leaving until she leaves with me,” I told him, and he smiled.

“I know.”

He kissed me on the forehead and Jed kept his face neutral, which surprised me.

“Bye.”

“Bye,” I said breathlessly, my eyes trained on my uncle.

Dean and Jed nodded to one another before Jed moved into the room with Emma and me.