Let Me Burn (Angel Sands 1)

“Sure. Go ahead.” Brooke was still eyeing Ember suspiciously.

Ember passed them three rings, then stepped back to allow Nicholas and Lucas access to the blocks. Ally leaned in, ignoring the counter between them, and whispered in Ember’s ears, “You’re a dark horse. No wonder you deleted the app.”

“Shut up,” Ember whispered from the corner of her mouth. Luckily Lucas and Nicholas were too busy concentrating to notice.

“He’s hot,” Ally said, her voice louder than Ember’s. She couldn’t help but wince. Even if Lucas didn’t hear, there was a good chance Ally would embarrass her anyway. “Is he single?”

“Yep.”

“Are you interested?”

“Why do you ask?” Ember whispered back. She felt like a teenager again. This was all so stupid, yet she couldn’t take her eyes off Lucas. Nicholas had climbed onto the step, and Lucas was behind him, his fingers gently curled around Nick’s wrist as he demonstrated the throwing movement.

“Because if you’re not interested, I could be.” Ally wiggled her eyebrows at Ember.

“Leave him alone.”

Ally’s grin widened, she was obviously pleased at Ember’s reaction. “Why? You want first dibs?”

Nicholas’ first ring landed squarely over the block. He and Lucas let out a whoop. Nick turned and high-fived Lucas, and Ember felt every inch of her body light up.

“No,” Ember said, still whispering to Ally, but her mind was telling her different. She had every

dib, and the thought of Ally trying to flirt with Lucas made her stomach turn.

Nicholas threw the second ring, and it clipped the top of the block, spinning around for a second before finally settling down in place. Strike two for Nick.

“We did it!” Nick shouted, giving Lucas another high five. “One more to go.”

“Well done, boys.” Ally grinned over at them, then looked back at Ember. “He’s good, right?”

Not once in her life had Ember ever felt jealous of her friend. Even with her long legs, enviable figure, and thick, luscious blond waves, Ally had never once felt like a threat to her. But when Lucas glanced at Ally and nodded, Ember felt her whole body tense up.

But then Lucas slid his gaze to hers, again, and their eyes connected. A slow smile broke out on his lips before he looked down at Nick. “You’ve got this one, buddy,” he said. “But the last one is always the hardest. You’re full of adrenaline, full of nerves. You need to keep a steady hand if you want to win.”

Nicholas looked up at him. “Yes, sir,” he said, nodding slowly. “Yes, I’ve got this.”

All of them were silent as Nicholas lined the ring up with the block, squinting his eyes as if to will it on its way. He flicked his wrist without releasing the ring – a practice, Ember assumed, then rolled his shoulders and shook his arm before launching the ring, letting it arch up into the air.

All four of the adults held their breath as the ring seemed to move in slow motion, rising up from where Nick released it at the counter, then down toward the three wooden blocks at the back of the booth. Ember pursed her lips together, willing the damn ring to land right where it needed to be, so that Nicholas could win one of those great big teddy bears.

It felt like minutes before it hit the corner of the block, and the wood slowed its descent. It teetered for a second, half on, half off the block, and all of them gasped as it stopped completely.

It was neither on nor off. Ember frowned, glancing at the printed rules fixed at the back of the stand. They said three rings on three blocks to win, no mention of what to do if only half the ring was on the wood.

“Did I win?” Nick asked, frowning at the ring.

“Should he throw again?” Brooke asked, biting her lip. “It’s not on the block, is it?”

“It’s half on,” Ally said. “That’s a definite win, right, Ember?”

Nick looked up at her, hope lighting his eyes. “Is it a win?” he asked her. “Do I get a teddy bear?”

Ember hesitated for a second. She’d learned during her six years of teaching that sometimes children would be disappointed. It wasn’t something you could avoid all the time, no matter how heart wrenching it was to see their sad faces. And yet to disappoint him at the Angel Day Fair, and at the beginning of it, felt almost illegal.

“Of course you won,” she said, grinning. “It’s touching the block so that means you win.” She made a note to herself to add an extra twenty dollars to the takings at the end from her own wallet, just in case she was interpreting the rules wrongly. “Here you go.” She lifted one of the teddy bears down from their hook on the ceiling of the station. “This is the best one. He’s got a smile as big as yours.”

Nick’s mouth dropped open. “He’s huge,” he said, trying to wrap his arms around the stuffed toy. “Look, Mom, we won!” He turned to Lucas, still holding the bear against his chest. “Thank you, I couldn’t have won him without you.”