Having a place of her own was liberating. Jewel would keel over and die if she could see Reyna now as she stood at the stove in her underwear, gyrating to the R & B hit and singing the lyrics about dancing the night away. She switched off the stove and transferred the bacon and scrambled eggs to a plate the precise moment the toaster dinged. After pouring a glass of orange juice, Reyna sat at the counter and devoured her breakfast. As she licked jelly from the corner of her lips, thoughts of Tyson tainted its sweetness. The previous day’s events on the hill had rocked her world more than she cared to admit. In his anger Tyson had embarrassed her, but then with tenderness he’d comforted her without condemnation. His kiss had not only seared her lips, but had also warmed her soul. Reyna had been so discombobulated that before dinner back at Kevin’s house she’d offered to say grace. If the gesture had pleased Tyson, he didn’t show it and didn’t mention it on the ride home.
