Free Finding Fire by Terry Odell

direction. She avoids his eyes. He shoves a lock of hair
away from his face. "She won't be kidnapped in this book, will she?
I can understand her reluctance to participate if she's going to
have to go through so much trauma again."
    It's a book. Only trouble
is interesting. I don't voice my thoughts,
however. "Of course not. Besides, readers wouldn't tolerate using
the same device in two books."
    "It's not that." Sarah twists her purse
strap some more. I wonder if I noticed the habit in her earlier
interviews or if it's something she's picked up from me. "I mean,
the first book was a romance, so we've already covered the basics.
First meet, first kiss, the sex…that awful black moment and we get
together at the end. I thought romance sequels were more like
spin-offs, with secondary characters taking center stage. Wouldn't
another book featuring me and Randy break the rules?"
    I try not to grimace.
"First of all, they're not rules . Think of them as reader expectations . And
I've figured a way around it. That's what I wanted to talk to you
about."
    "You're not going to give me amnesia or
anything, are you?" Sarah asks. "Too cliché, I think."
    I chuckle. "No, nothing like that. But what
do you think about a little separation?"
    "How long?" Randy says immediately. His
brown eyes, with those enticing hazel flecks, narrow.
    "Not long. Six weeks." I fix my gaze on
Randy. "I thought you might like some Violent Crimes Task Force
training. But it means you'll have to go to San Francisco."
    Sarah chews her lip and twirls a strand of
her hair. She's let it grow out some. It seems brighter, more
chestnut. Business must be picking up for her boutique. After a
moment, she says, "That's a distinct possibility."
    Randy doesn't look as positive. "Six weeks?
All in San Francisco?"
    "Afraid so," I say. "But think of the
reunion scene. Could be intense. I thought we'd open the book with
it."
    He nods, obviously suppressing a smile. "I
could deal with that." His cell rings and he gives me an apologetic
glance before he checks the display. "Sorry, I'll have to take this
call. It's my chief."
    "Not a problem," I say. "I think we've
covered the important points. I'll be in touch when it's time for
our next interview."
    "It's a plan." He lifts the phone to his
ear. "Detweiler." He exits, still talking on the phone, every inch
the cop.
    Sarah's lips compress to a thin line.
    This could be perfect.
    Sarah doesn't get up. "This might be a bad
idea," she says. "Did you see what just happened?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "He's in the middle of a meeting. He gets a
call and disappears. It's like I'm not even in the room. Not like
we might have dinner plans. Not like I'm taking off from my job
too. And I can guarantee that when we see each other again, he
won't mention the call. If I ask, he'll say it was nothing."
    "Maybe I can fix that," I say.
    Her eyes light up, glistening with their
stone-blue color, the color that Randy had found so compelling when
he met her. "You can?" She sits up straighter, her hands free of
the purse strap at last. "But nothing obvious, right? He'll know if
he's being manipulated."
    "Don't worry about a thing. Of course,
because your relationship was established in the previous book,
there will be more emphasis on the mystery this time."
    "That would be great. I've
always thought that I could be helpful, if only Randy would see me
as a partner. Not a cop but an equal. He still has that
white-knight thing you gave him in Finding
Sarah ."
    I jot more notes. "Point taken. But you have
to agree that your character has to develop slowly. It's commercial
fiction. I'm going to have to throw stuff at the two of you."
Little does she know what.
    "Can I take care of myself? Not get stuck
somewhere waiting for Randy to come to the rescue?"
    "No trouble at all, but I can't make you a
kick-ass heroine right off the bat. Readers won't buy it."
    "I have no desire to be kick-ass. I'm no
wimp, but I'm happy being Sarah, boutique owner."
    "You proved