Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
ELLA
T he fire had eaten most of the carriage house by the time the fire truck arrived. I could attest to that because I’d had an unenviable front row seat to the whole thing. I was still having a hard time swallowing how close I came to dying. When I heard Rhett’s voice drift through the smoke, I thought it was my imagination, my mind conjuring the one voice I longed to hear.
It took less than half an hour for the blaze to be doused, Rhett and I to recuperate enough from the smoke to be able to breathe without coughing, and the police to arrest Christine for attempted murder. Her greed and obsession with Rhett had led her to destroy the cushy, posh existence that waited for her, even after the divorce. I managed to flash her a wink and smile as they walked her past. Even then she was putting on big crocodile tears for the police and insisting she was the victim in all this. Not sure how she was going to spin that with the lawyers, but I was sure she’d give it her best.
Rhett carried in a cup of cocoa, my first request once the coughing had subsided and my throat no longer burned with the acrid taste of smoke. There was a knock on the door as he handed me the cup. “That will be your sister, Aria.”
Aria had called me while I was still being treated by paramedics for minor burns and smoke inhalation. She’d seen the fire from her place and wanted to make sure I was all right. I kept the most shocking details to myself at the time, letting her know it was the carriage house and I’d breathed in a little too much smoke. She planned to come right up to the site, but I told her to wait until the emergency crews were finished.
I stayed on the couch, tucked in a blanket and cradling my cup of cocoa. A flurry of familiar voices rolled in from the entryway. It wasn’t just Aria. It was all my sisters. I put down the cocoa and hurried out to meet them. We had our usual exuberant round of hugs as if we hadn’t seen each other in ages.
Layla stopped, put her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. “Not nearly as bad as I expected.”
“Were you expecting ghosts and paintings with eyes that followed you around the room?” I asked.
Layla shrugged. “Well, let’s face it, we all came up here with our friends in hopes that a ghostly spirit would float out of the chimney or a pair of yellow eyes might stare down at us from a dusty window.”
Isla raised a brow at her. “You really did hang out with some weird friends.”
Aria was scrutinizing my face. I’d washed off the soot, but my sister knew when something was up. “All right, details and none of the phony fluff I was getting earlier. What happened?”
I’d planned on keeping the most harrowing part of the story to myself, but I’d forgotten about Aria’s big sister sixth sense. Suddenly, everyone fell quiet and all eyes were on me.
“The carriage house burned down,” I said plainly. “You can probably see that for yourself. It’s in ruins. Just a pile of rubble and …”
Aria crossed her arms sternly.
“Fine. There might be a little more to the story.” I looked at Rhett. He shrugged, letting me know it was up to me to decide what to tell them. Aria was a walking polygraph machine when it came to the four of us. She could sense a lie a mile away and through a brick wall and if the liar was wearing an astronaut’s suit.
“So, it turned out Rhett’s ex, Christine, is—uh how can I put this delicately?”
“Nuts,” Rhett said. “She’s completely nuts, and now she’s on her way to jail for attempted murder.”
There was a round of gasps, and my sisters all moved closer to me. It was like an instinctual reaction whenever one of us was in danger or faced possible harm. Layla came and wrapped her arm around mine. I kissed her cheek.
“I’m here. Nothing happened. As you can see, I’m fine.” I looked over at Rhett. “And that is because a certain strong, brave hero forced his way into the carriage house and?—”
Layla perked up. “Oh my gosh—did it happen? Did you get carried out of danger in the arms of the hero?”
I nodded. “Sure did. Only wish one of you had been around to film it.” I tapped my temple. “But it’s all stored up here … forever.” I smiled at Rhett.
Layla pouted. “It happened and none of us were here to see it.”
Ava cleared her throat and walked over to hug me. “I think the important thing is that Ella is fine.” She looked at Rhett. “The Lovely sisters are forever in your debt.”
Rhett rubbed his chin. “Forever, eh? As in, home-baked cookies whenever I want?”
Isla laughed. “Yes, home-baked cookies on speed dial. Just ask and you shall receive.”
“Let’s all go to dinner to celebrate,” Layla suggested.
“Uh, not sure if the correct term is celebrate ,” Aria said. “And I think Rhett and Ella need some quiet time to process this whole thing.” Aria winked at me.
“I do appreciate all of you coming up here to check on me, but Aria’s right. It’s been a long night. A little peace and quiet would do both of us a lot of good.”
Layla was the only one to walk out reluctantly. I took Rhett’s hand on the way back to the sofa. “Scarlett O’Hara’s got nothing on me. I don’t think Rhett ever carried her out of a burning building.”
“Don’t think so but …” Rhett pulled me around to face him. He pushed a strand of hair off my face, and the warmth of his fingers remained as he smiled down at me. “‘You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how.’”
I laughed. “You’ve used that line a lot, haven’t you?”
He shrugged. “There have to be some perks to being saddled with a name like Rhett. But you’re the only person I’ve said it to where I really meant it.”
He pulled me closer, and pressed his mouth over mine.