Eternal Flame (Eternal Flame #1) Read Free Page B

brother. She turned and paused as she looked at the black SUV, noticing it for the first time. She blinked a few times in confusion; then walked to the driver’s side of the car, knocking softly on the window.
    “Hello?”
    Ms. Austin averted her eyes and slowly rolled the window up.
    Cameron jumped at the gesture and stood back from the car, tilting her head. She knocked again softly. “Hello?”
    No one moved inside the car. They all looked ahead as if she could see them. But they knew she couldn’t. The windows were heavily tinted. Still, they felt uneasy and guilty about eavesdropping on a family dispute and didn’t want to let on that they’d heard anything.
    Cameron continued knocking. “Hello? Hello?”
    “What should we do Mom?” Joy asked.
    “Shh,” was her mother’s only reply.
    “Ma, what should we do?”
    Cameron was still standing there. “Is anyone in there? Are you the girls from the contest?”
    “What do ya’ll want to do?” Kristen asked, leaning up from the backseat. “We can’t just sit in here all day.”
    Joy looked at her and shrugged, then looked over at her mother. “What should we do Ma?”
    “I’m thinking!”
    “Should we let on that we saw what we down? That we heard what happened?”
    “Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear anything,” Kristen threw in.
    “That’s impossible. They were screaming like banshees.”
    “Hello?” Cameron was persistent if nothing else. The way she’d kept after Roman was proof by itself.
    “Ma, come on. We have to get out the car.”
    “Joy, why are you whispering?”
    “I don’t know. Why are you whispering?”
    “Why is your mom just sitting there?”
    “I don’t know. Mom, why are you just sitting there?”
    “Ah shit, this is ridiculous,” Joy’s mom grumbled as she unbuckled her seat beat. “We didn’t do a damn thing wrong. They’re the ones who should be embarrassed. Screaming, hollering and carrying on in the middle of the gotdamn afternoon like a couple of crazies.” She unlocked the doors and grabbed her purse. “Come on girls, let’s get out.”
    Ms. Austin pasted a fake, bright smile on her face and got out of the car. The girls soon followed, getting out and standing on wooden legs. Cameron greeted all three of them with a friendly smile. She was a beautiful woman with golden tanned skin, perfect teeth, and flawless hair. She was dressed in a pretty, yellow sundress and wearing open-toe sandals.
    “Hi!” she said. “Did you guys hear me knocking on the window?”
    “We were praying,” Ms. Austin told her. “We don’t like to be interrupted when we’re praying. It’s a necessary afternoon ritual for us.”
    Joy and Kristen peculiarly looked at one another but stayed silent. Obviously Joy’s mother didn’t give a damn about being struck down by the heavens in the middle of a beautiful sunny afternoon.
    “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cameron earnestly replied. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Are you the young ladies that won that contest?”
    “They are; I’m not.” Ms. Austin reached out to shake Cameron’s hand. “Hazel Austin.”
    “Nice to meet you Hazel. I’m Cameron. Roman’s sister.”
    “This is Joy and Kristen, the young ladies that won.”
    Cameron reached forward to hug the two young ladies. “Welcome! We’re so thrilled to have you here. You two are very lucky young ladies. Over 10,000 fans entered that contest.”
    “10,000?” Joy was flabbergasted. “Wow. I guess we really are lucky.”
    “I’ll say. A lot of fans were pissed off because they felt Idol magazine ran the contest sort of last minute and didn’t give some fans enough time to enter and get their letters in.”
    “Sore losers.”
    “Are you the one who won the date with Roman?”
    “No. Kristen is. I won the date with Damian.”
    “Well, a heartfelt congratulations to the both of you. You really are in for a fun-filled, memorable weekend.”
    Everyone was ignoring the pink elephant in the field. Everyone; that is,