Free Fireflies From Heaven by Rebecca Julia Lauren

Amber with a look in his eyes that I knew meant he was falling hard
for her,” Isabelle had said. “When they were sixteen they were a couple, and I
was sure nothing would ever break them up.”
    But they had broken
up.   Amber had fallen for another
guy and Reed had made love to Ellie.   Was that too much for Reed and Amber to overcome?   I fell asleep pondering the answer.

 
 
 
    “Have you been
avoiding me?”
    Startled, I
glanced up at Isabelle, who’d taken the vacant seat across from me at Rachel’s,
our favorite coffee house.
    “What?   No, of course not,” I replied too quickly,
feeling guilty for not being honest with her about Reed.
    “Sheesh, relax.
I was only joking.” Isabelle looked at me as if she thought I might have had too
much coffee. “You should reconsider a second cup,” she added jokingly, nodding
at my large sized coffee.
    “Sorry, I’ve
just been swamped with work.”
    “Hey, I talked
to Reed this morning and he mentioned that he had the best nurse in the entire
city,” Isabelle said, smiling.
    “Thanks.   I was going to call you last night, but I
went to visit Dad.”
    “Don’t sweat it.
I’ve been busy myself.   Are we still
on for this weekend?”
    “Absolutely.
Girls night out, I can’t wait.”
    Isabelle hugged
me and before she left and I breathed a sigh of relief.   I was making a big deal out of
nothing.   It wouldn’t be the end of
the world if Isabelle found out I’d slept with Reed or even if she found out
that I was still harboring feelings for him, but it might put her in a
difficult position since she was Amber’s friend.
    I made a quick
stop by the VNT office to turn in paperwork before heading out to see Reed. It
was early and I didn’t run into anyone, which was good because I wasn’t in the
mood to hear Sandy talk about giving Reed a bath.   I knew she wasn’t serious, but I was
still jealous. I didn’t want to hear about another woman seeing, or having her
hands on, Reed’s naked body.   Groaning in frustration, I reached for my coffee and told myself to stop
acting ridiculous.
    A half an hour
later, I arrived at Reed’s picturesque home. He was sitting on the front porch
with his laptop when I pulled up.   After our meeting yesterday, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Reed and
I walked cautiously towards him, curious and excited about what would happen
between us today. He lifted his dark head and smiled and my stomach did a slow
flip.
    “You came back.”
His deep leisurely drawl that sounded oh-so-sexy and made me want things I
couldn’t have.   Reed started to
stand, but I shook my head and took a chair next to the patio sofa where he
sat.  
    He was wearing
a t-shirt, this one black with ARMY written on the front and gray sweats and he
was sexier than any other man I’d ever seen.   Apparently, I had a thing for men in
t-shirts and sweats. No, I just had a thing for Reed.
    “You didn’t
think I would?” My voice actually shook.
    He closed the
laptop, set it on the table to his left and focused his attention on me.   “I thought you’d come back.   You’ve got mettle, and I am your
patient.”
    “Right.   You are. I hope I didn’t interrupt
anything,” I told him, nodding at his laptop.
      “I’m taking some college courses online,
but it’s nothing that can’t wait. I have a lot of time on my hands,” he said
with a smile.
    “That’s
great.   I mean, not that you have a
lot of time to kill, but taking college classes is good.   Anything interesting?”
    “I’m finishing
up some basic courses. Next semester I’ll start classes in my major.”
    Intrigued, I
asked, “What’s that?”
    “Mechanical
Engineering.”
    “Wow. That’s
impressive.”
    Reed shrugged.
“According to the army I have a knack for making things work, and it’s
something I’m interested in.   Do you
want to go inside or can we do this here?” he asked, apparently ready to get
down to business.
    “Here is fine.”
I pulled