Free QUEENIE BABY: On Assignment by Christina A. Burke Page B

me.  
    “I haven’t even started,” I said without any real energy.
    “Let’s call a truce.” He held up his hands.  
    I looked over at him. He was a good person, and we had practically grown up together. I had to give him a break. “Sure,” I said with a smile.
    “Good,” he said smiling back. “So Diana,” he said in a good-to-see-you-again voice, “what have you been doing with yourself over the last decade?”
    “Why Rick,” I said playing along, “according to my family, I’ve been living like a rock star. In reality I’m singing a couple of nights a week, writing songs in my spare time, and paying the bills by temping. How about you?” I asked.
    “Well, nice of you to ask, Diana,” he said. “Until six months ago I was a supervisor on an oil rig working four days a week in the Gulf of Mexico. My wife of two years, Jill, didn’t seem to mind the arrangement. It made it a lot easier for her to hook up with her boyfriend from the gym.”
    “Ouch!” I said sympathetically.
    “Yeah, that’s what her boyfriend said when I came home a day early and he tripped and fell on the way out of my house,” Rick said grimly.
    “Tripped, huh?” I said.
    “Oh, yeah, he was even clumsier than you,” he said with a smile.  
    “And your wife?”  
    “Took him to the hospital and filed for divorce,” he said matter-of-factly.
    “Any kids?” I asked. He shook his head no. “Wow, I’m sorry to hear that happened to you,” I said.  
    He nodded. “Well, you asked.”
    “How did you end up back here?”
    “My dad wanted to retire and asked me to come home and take over his contractor business. Seemed like a good idea to be around family again,” he said.
    “How’s it going?” I asked.
    “Getting better every day,” he replied and squeezed my arm. Before I could protest a blaze fifteen feet high erupted in front of us.  
    “Woohoo!” Dan hooted. “That there is a fire,” he announced, strutting around like rooster.
    “What is it with men and fire?” I asked Rick.
    “It’s dangerous,” he replied leaning over. “It can burn you or it can warm you—just like a woman,” he whispered in my ear sending warmth spreading in all directions.
    Intrigued by his response, I turned to him and said, “So men crave danger and are attracted to dangerous or unattainable women, right?”  
    “Sounds about right,” he agreed, adding, “not me, of course.”
    “No, of course not. But what happens when you attain the unattainable? When dangerous becomes everyday life? How do you adjust? Or does a man simply start looking for the next unattainable woman?”
    He thought about my questions for a moment. I watched the firelight play off his chiseled face. Finally, he said, “I don’t know about other men, but for me it’s not just about the chase.” He turned towards me. “It’s about this,” he said indicating the bonfire. “It’s about putting down roots, raising a family together, and going through the adventures of life together that replaces the excitement of danger.”
    I held his gaze, unsure of what to say. A few seconds ticked by and he looked back towards the fire. “This was supposed to be us,” he said sadly.
    I put my hand on his shoulder. “I have to go,” I said standing up. He didn’t try to stop me. But I could feel Rick’s eyes on me as I made my way over to my sister.
      “I have to go now,” I said to her.  
    She nodded. “Can you put Tiffany’s car seat in my car on your way out? Dan had it in his truck because he had her over at his mom’s house today. I don’t want to forget it in the morning rush.”  
    “Sure,” I replied. My sister was the great delegator. If you’re going that way, can you . . . ? If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you . . . ? I guess that’s how she managed her crazy life.  
    “The doors are unlocked,” she called as I walked back towards the bonfire to say goodbye to everyone.
    Granddaddy called me a party pooper for