Page 23 of Fanning the Flames


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Way to go babe!

“They stayed on budget without us,” Sadie said, showing Perry.

He peered at the screen through his glasses. “How can I have a social life when I’m too busy parenting those overgrown teenagers?”

She giggled despite herself. “Cut them some slack. They’ve had to learn how to live in the real world.”

Perry clearly wanted to say something. He picked up his deep burgundy wine instead.

“How are you adjusting?” She genuinely wanted to know. “You lived for a while not in that life. With college and stuff. Was that different than it is now? Was it harder?”

He paused for a long moment. “It was stressful. You’re always worried someone will find out about your powers.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“I don’t understand why those two are always trying to hide theirs. Accepting who you are—no, embracing it—is the way to go.”

“That’s definitely been my experience,” Sadie said. “But like, living in the city and dyeing my hair red. Not being a Supervillain.”

He paused again, considering her.

“It must make it hard to date.” She snorted. “I know how hard it was for Joan to be honest with me.”

“The truth inevitably comes out in the end,” he said. Something in his voice…

Something told her Perry once nursed a broken heart, and it had never fully healed. Joanie thought a past hurt was what had made him so guarded with people.

Another incoming text buzzed. A photo of Joan and Mark in a parking lot with Tenia and Morris from Cajun Soul.

Look who we ran into!

Love it! Say hi from me

It had to be hard for Joan to pretend everything was ordinary—going shopping, chatting with friendly food truck folks, all while masking her abilities.

“Do you genuinely want to own a café?” Perry asked.

“I do.”

“You have the opportunity, but you’re constantly dodging it.”

Her heartbeat swelled into an anxious pounding. “It’s not that I don’t want to.” A ball of nerves clogged her throat. “I just…”

“If you say you embrace who you are, and this is who you are…”

Tears pooled in her eyes. Damn it, she had to tell someone. Get it off her chest. “I’m afraid I’ll fail,” she whispered.

“You might,” Perry said. “Most new businesses do.”

“But if I fail…” She cleared the lump from her throat. “Then everything everyone says about me will be true. ‘Oh, Sadie followed another one of her wild whims and crashed and burned. She can’t hack it and should just work for someone else.’”

“You think that’s what people will say?”

“Yes. Nobody ever trusts me to make good decisions.”

“It’s not a wild whim if you have investors and a solid business plan,” Perry said.

Her tears gathered in strength. “Then I’m lettingyoudown.”