Free Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2) by Chantel Rhondeau

“My dad gave me some disturbing news about him and my mom, but it’s not important.”
    Her eyebrows drew together and she shook her head slightly. “Of course it’s important. What happened?”
    It had been so long since Frankie felt he had someone he could confide in that he couldn’t resist. Maybe Cassie’s problems with this threat were bigger than a divorce, but she cared about him and wanted him to share his problems.
    “My mom filed for divorce. She and my dad are both dating, and she’s pretty much stopped going to church.” He shrugged. “Maybe that seems like small potatoes compared to the flowers today, but I’m worried about her.”
    Cassie closed her hand over the top of his, this time not pulling away. “It’s not small potatoes. You should call her, just to check in. When’s the last time you guys talked?”
    “It’s been a while,” he admitted. “I haven’t wanted to deal with her, so I’ve been avoiding. I had no clue she was actually living near my sister now, and even less clue that she and Dad had split. I’ve been a bad son.”
    “You’ve had other things to deal with.”
    Maybe that was true, but that didn’t excuse him from checking out and ignoring the people who had always been there for him. His family might not agree about every little detail of his life, but he loved them all fiercely. It just drove home the fear he’d had running around in his head ever since the accident.
    His mom believed so much in God and nagged about the depravity of sinners. Perhaps getting caught in that fire was his punishment for being a shitty son, a cocky player with the women, and overall a man who didn’t think about much beyond the glory of being a fireman and when he was going to get laid again. He deserved what he got because he’d been such an asshole. Maybe that was the reason he’d never fully recover.
    “What are you thinking?” Cassie asked. “I don’t like that look on your face.”
    He shook his head, realizing his smile had slipped. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call my mom sometime soon.”
    If she wanted to press the issue further, Cassie was smart enough to know it wouldn’t get her anywhere. She simply squeezed his hand once before getting up and clearing away the plates.
    “I wish I could help with that,” he called to her back as she stepped into the kitchen. “Doesn’t seem fair that you did all the work.”
    She set the dishes on the counter, scraping leftover food into the garbage disposal before opening the dishwasher and loading them inside it. “You and your dad set up all the security. I think we’re even.”
    Cassie returned to the table, pulling out her cell phone before sitting down. “I did research while I cooked, however. I don’t know if it was a good idea or not, but remember the lady at the shop said she thought the person who ordered the flowers was a stripper?”
    Not exactly a road Frankie wanted to explore. If this had happened two years ago, he’d known all the strippers in town and wasn’t exactly a favored customer given some of his bad behaviors. He wondered if Bambi and Candy were still working at Guy’s Nite Out. He’d hate to run into either of them. Last time he saw Bambi, she’d gotten her friends to beat the shit out of him in the alley behind the club.
    “I’ve been thinking about that too,” Frankie said. “I’m not sure going in and talking to every exotic dancer is going to get us anywhere. The lady might have been wrong.”
    “I agree. That’s why I did some research.” She tapped on her phone, bringing up the picture gallery. “I went to the websites of both clubs in town and looked for performers who fit the description. Maybe Tammy could look at these pictures and pick out the right woman for us?”
    Although he tried to swipe the screen sideways to show him the next picture on the phone, his scarred flesh couldn’t make the touch screen work.
    Without comment, Cassie flipped it to the