Kindling Flames: Flying Sparks (The Ancient Fire Series Book 2) by Julie Wetzel

until I could find a new place.” Before her best friend could comment, she continued, “What I really need is clothing.”
    “Ooh! A shopping trip!” Vanessa squealed into the phone. “Are you up for that?”
    “Oh yeah. I think spending some money will do me good,” Vicky answered. She found shopping to be very therapeutic.
    Vanessa giggled. “Cool. I’ll call the girls and be over to pick you up as soon as I can squeeze out of here.”
    Vicky knew it was late enough that Vanessa and Beth would be able to get out of work right away. It was Maggie that they might have to wait on.
    “So where does Tall, Dark, and Handsome live?”
    Vicky rolled her eyes. “Have you ever heard of the Touraine Building downtown?” she asked.
    “No,” Vanessa answered. “Do you have an address?”
    “Um… no, but I can get one.” Vicky stood up from the couch and unplugged her phone. It chirped to let her know that the battery was low. “My phone hasn’t been plugged in since the fire, so if I lose you, I’ll call back.” Vanessa agreed, and Vicky went to find Darien.
    She found him still in his room, folding the clothing back into the box. “What’s the address here?” she asked him, and he rattled off a number and street name. Vicky repeated it to her friend.
    Vanessa gave a long whistle as she pulled the address up on her computer.
    Thanking Darien, Vicky returned to her couch and plugged her phone back in.
    “How in the heck did he get an apartment in that section of town?” Vanessa hissed into the phone.
    Vicky was surprised at her friend’s stupidity. “Well, he does own his own company.”
    Vanessa giggled. “We’ll just have to come over and see how well he’s keeping you,” she teased again.
    “Let me ask if it’s okay first.” Vicky wasn’t sure if she was allowed to have people over. “This is his home, after all.” She could hear Vanessa’s unhappy huff, but her friend agreed. “I’m going to take a bath now. Give me a call when you get everyone together.”
    The two friends hung up, and Vicky went to run the water for her bath, leaving the details to Vanessa. Vanessa always planed everything for the group. She loved making sure all the particulars were covered. In fact, she had already planned most of Vicky’s wedding—the only things missing were the right guy and a date.
    Vicky looked around the white marble bathroom accented with the same greens as the bedroom. Darien really did have an amazing home. Her eyes drifted over the wall-sized mirror over the sink to the built-in tub and shower. This room was twice the size of the bathroom in her old apartment. She marveled at it as she turned on the water.
    Standing at the counter in front of the mirror, she looked at the bandage sticking out of the top of her dress. The burn on her neck had been healing well when she’d left the hospital, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what Darien had done. He said he was going to take care of her wounds, but what did that mean?
    Vicky carefully pulled the bandage off her neck. There was a light, silvery sheen of freshly healed skin, but no real scar. Encouraged by this, she pulled the bandage off her arm. A bald spot marked where the burn was, but the skin looked to be fresh and new. In a few days, she would never know there had been a burn there.
    Vicky pulled the wrap off her hand and let out a surprised noise. The circular burn on the palm of her hand was as red and raw as if she had just dropped the coin. Vicky wiggled her hand, thinking about the spot, before pulling off her dress to check out the burn on her leg. This one had been the worst of them all, but it had healed nicely, too.
    Stripping out of the rest of her clothing, she slipped into the steaming tub. She let out a contented sigh as the liquid heated her skin. Sponge baths held nothing to a tub filled with hot, soapy water.
    ***
    “Do you have any bandages?” Vicky asked as she walked into the family room. Darien was digging