Hot Like Fire Read Online Free PDF

of the dishes for their dinner.
    "I like going to Uncle Kahron and Auntie Bianca's,"
Kadina said.

    Garcelle's eyes shifted momentarily up to the
rearview mirror. "Hershey, right?"
    Kadina nodded. "I love that lazy dog. She always
lays her head on my lap and then falls asleep. I
don't mind that, until she farts in her sleep. Whoo.
Talk about rotten eggs and stinky feet."
    Garcelle laughed. "That bad, huh?"
    "Worst."
    In just one short week, Gacelle had fallen even
harder for the little girl with long ponytails and a
toothy smile. "Remind me to stay upwind of Hershey," she quipped as she parked her Cabrio in
front of the house.
    "I will," Kadina promised, with a giggle.
    Garcelle lifted the box holding the containers of
food from the cracked backseat. "Do you want to go
horseback riding now while I work?" she asked as
they climbed the stairs together.
    Kadina held up her latest Cheetah Girls book. "I'll
just read and wait for you to get done. That cool?"
    "That's cool with me."
    They walked into the house, and the coolness of
the central air felt good after the sweltering Carolina summer heat. "I wonder if Uncle Kahron likes
all the changes Auntie Bianca made around here?"
Kadina asked.
    Garcelle hoisted the box higher as they moved
into the kitchen. "It looks much better, so he
should love it," she said as she began to place the
containers in the fridge.
    The masculine decor of dark tones, large leather
furnishings, and even larger electronics had been
replaced with a more contemporary and comfortable style. It was a good mix of colors and textures so that a woman, man, or family could be comfortable in their surroundings.

    Kadina settled onto the new window seat at the
rear of the kitchen, but she never opened the book
she held in her hand. Instead, her eyes were focused out the window. "Aunt Bianca is good for
Uncle Kahron," she said suddenly.
    "Seems that way," Garcelle told her as she emptied the container of beef stew into a large pot on
the stove.
    "She makes him happy."
    Garcelle stirred the stew as she looked over her
shoulder at Kadina. "Yes. Being in love can make
someone very, very happy."
    "So if my dad fell in love, would that make him
happy again?" Kadina asked, her voice barely above
a whisper.
    Garcelle bit her bottom lip as she turned the
burner on low and placed the lid on the pot. She
went to sit beside Kadina on the window seat. "I
don't think that your dad is unhappy. He's just
grieving. And that takes time, you know? You can
tell that he loved your mother very much."
    "Would it be wrong for him to love someone else?"
    "Well, I think this is something you should talk
about with your dad, sweetheart." Garcelle reached
over to pat her hand comfortingly before she rose
and walked back over to the sink to wash out the
now-empty container.
    "Garcelle?"
    Garcelle turned the water off in the sink and
turned to face Kadina.
    Kadina shifted her gaze from the window to Garcelle. "Is it wrong for me to want him to love someone else?"

    "No, no, baby, it's not wrong at all," Garcelle told
her. "When my mother died, I was much older than
you, but as much I missed her and as much as I knew
my father missed her, too, I knew she wouldn't want
him to spend the rest of his life alone. I bet your
mother feels the same way. In fact, I believe she has
the power from heaven to send just the right woman
to him."
    "Really?" Kadina asked in obvious doubt.
    "Oh yes, honey. So, no dipping your little nose all
up in your daddy's love life." Garcelle winked at her
playfully to lighten the mood.
    "You sure? 'Cause I think you might be just what my
daddy needs," Kadina told her, with confidence, as
she rose and crossed her slender arms over her chest.
    Garcelle tossed her head and laughed until tears
formed in her almond-shaped eyes. "Me?" she
balked. "Oh no, baby. Nothing doing. Trust me.
Your daddy and me? You are hilarious."
    Kadina strolled across the kitchen. "Don't you
think