34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
B rooke had advertised in the local paper, online, with mailed postcards, and on social media. She and her mom had hung a banner out front announcing the grand opening. Still, she worried no one would show up.
Those fears did not come to fruition. There had been a line at the door when she arrived thirty minutes before opening. The place had a constant flow of traffic. Her mom was ringing up book purchases at a steady pace and the café was filled with patrons sitting and enjoying their beverages and baked goods, and flipping through the books they’d already bought while the line remained at least ten deep.
It was a huge success.
Brooke couldn’t be more proud. And relieved.
She’d done it. She’d opened not one, but two businesses despite the hardships in her life right now.
The thing with the push and the car and seeing Adam yesterday…that was still fresh in her mind. But she didn’t let it deter her from greeting her invited guests at six o’clock for the party she’d planned to celebrate the opening. Customers were welcome to join in.
Mindy Sue rushed her with Julie right behind her. “Look at this place! It’s amazing!” Mindy Sue wrapped her in a hug. “You did it, Brooke. You own your own businesses. And that children’s section…I want to play in that cute little fort and sit and read in the boat. And the teen section…all those fantasy novels and romances! Now that I’m out of college, I’m going to start reading for pleasure again. I can’t wait to pick out some books.”
Brooke pulled out two tote bags with the bookstore logo printed on them and held them up. “I thought I’d get you and Julie started. Romantasy for you, Mindy Sue. Super sexy romance and paranormal for you, Julie.”
They squealed, hugged her again, then took their loot.
“I’m still buying more books,” Julie announced, heading toward the cookbook aisle because she also loved to cook and bake.
Mindy Sue bumped shoulders with her. “Super sexy stepbrother hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”
“Don’t call him that.”
“Oh, come on, he’s like every taboo romance we ever read. You’ve been lusting after him forever. And now…that man is yours.”
Brooke held up the ring.
Mindy Sue’s eyes went wide. “How did I miss that pink sunset sparkler? When did this happen? Why don’t I know?”
Brooke told her how Cody had proposed and got another huge congratulatory hug. “You two were meant for each other. But something seems off with you. Aren’t you happy?”
“Ecstatic. But something happened yesterday. Someone pushed me off the curb and I nearly got run over by a car.”
Mindy Sue’s eyes went wide with shock. “What? No way. Did they catch whoever did it?”
“No. But…” She bit her bottom lip, not wanting to share the rest and have her friend look at her like she was crazy.
“What?” Mindy Sue stepped closer.
“Please don’t think I’m nuts.”
“Never.”
“I saw Adam in the crowd right after it happened.”
Mindy Sue gasped. “What? No.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “That’s not possible. He’s locked up. Right?” Mindy Sue glanced around at the crowd.
Brooke held Mindy Sue’s forearm. “I hope so.”
The shock came back. “What does that mean?”
“Cody and your father have been trying to get confirmation on that, but the hospital is citing patient confidentiality and the governor won’t answer their calls. They think the governor may be trying to get him out of the country.”
“But he promised you.” Indignation filled her eyes and words. “If he does that, it voids the NDA.” Mindy Sue knew all her secrets.
Brooke shrugged. “Maybe he thinks I won’t come forward in order to preserve my privacy, but there is no way I’ll let him go free and hurt someone else.”
“What are you going to do?”
“If we can’t get confirmation tomorrow, I’ll have no choice but to give the governor an ultimatum. Either he confirms Adam is locked up with proof, or I go to the police.”
“Shit. That will blow up your whole life in a whole fucking shitstorm kind of way.”
She shrugged it off like it didn’t mean what it really meant. “I know. But what else can I do?”
“Be careful, Brooke. Threatening the governor could have dire consequences.”
Brooke shivered with the thought.
Mindy Sue glanced around the room. “What if it wasn’t Adam? What if it’s someone else?”
She let that roll off her. “Who else could it be?”
Cody finished his conversation with a couple of his buddies he’d invited and walked toward them.
“What about the scorned ex?” Mindy Sue whispered.
“She’s stopped texting him,” Brooke said under her breath as Cody snuggled up to her side, wrapping his arms around her from behind as he kissed her on the head.
“I’m so happy you and Julie made it tonight.” Cody smiled at Mindy Sue, oblivious to their more serious talk.
“Julie and I wouldn’t miss it. And congratulations on the engagement. I’m so happy for both of you.”
Cody released Brooke to hug Mindy Sue. “I’m so lucky she said yes.”
“No luck necessary,” Julie said as she joined us. “Brooke was only ever in love with you. No one else stood a chance. And there’s always been something special about your relationship. ‘Inevitable’ comes to mind.”
Cody kissed Brooke. Soft and quick. “She had my heart the second we met. Just in a different way until it grew into what we have now.”
“You two really are the perfect couple,” Julie announced. “I wish you had a brother.” She and Jeremiah had amicably decided to go their separate ways after graduation.
Tony joined their group with an autobiography about one of his favorite rock gods. “I paid for this,” he mentioned to Brooke before turning to Mindy Sue. “Can I add this to your bag?”
“Absolutely.” Mindy Sue dropped it into the bag.
“What did you get?” Tony asked her.
“My very awesome friend gave me a couple of romantasy books.”
Tony grinned and hooked his arm around Mindy Sue. “So, inspiration for later. Lucky me.”
Everyone laughed at Tony’s comment as he pulled Mindy Sue into his arms for a steamy kiss.
She swatted his shoulder. “Save that for later, when we’re alone.”
“Can’t wait,” he shot back.
Cody leaned into her ear. “Me either.”
Susanne and two of the café staff walked in carrying trays of champagne-filled glasses.
All of her guests and customers took glasses as Cody led her toward the front of the assembled group. Then he took one step away to give her space to give her speech.
Brooke took in a breath and addressed the assembled group of friends, family, and neighbors. “Thank you for coming today. The bookstore and café have been a dream in the making for many months. It started with the idea of carrying on my stepfather’s kindness in sharing. He believed in helping his neighbors and building up his community. I wasn’t sure where to start, until I heard about the bookstore possibly closing. I always loved coming here as a kid. Books were a way to travel to other places, learn new things, and a way to set my troubles aside for a little while and immerse myself in someone else’s life.”
She glanced at Cody, then Mindy Sue, Julie, and her mother watching her, all of them so proud of her. “Some of you know the last seven months have been difficult. Tragic. I lost someone I loved very much.” She brushed away a tear. “And then the love of my life helped me heal, helped me open this place, proposed, and loved me with everything he has. This place wouldn’t have been possible without you, Cody.” She held up her glass to him. “You believed in me. I will never forget that. I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
There were several sighs and aws from the crowd. A few tears, too. From her friends and mom especially.
“I want to thank all of you for coming tonight, for supporting me. Especially you, Mom. Doing this together…it’s been everything I needed and more.” She turned her attention back to the crowd. “Please, enjoy the bookshop, and café. I hope I see you here often. I hope these places mean something to you and it’s where you come to escape and find each other when you need a good book or a friend to hang out with. I appreciate each and every one of you. I’m so grateful to have you all in my life.”
“To Brooke,” Cody toasted, holding up his glass.
“To Brooke,” everyone echoed.
Brooke sipped her champagne with everyone else before she noticed something in the back. Smoke! Oh God! A fire!
She dropped her glass and ran for her back office.
Cody called out to her. “Brooke?”
The blast and whoosh of a fire extinguisher went off, confusing her. Who was back here?
Maybe someone else had seen or smelled the smoke and rushed to help.
She skidded to a halt in the hallway when she spotted Adam, in the same hoodie and jeans from yesterday, coming out of the office and stopping in the open back door.
“Brooke,” Cody called again, this time closer.
Adam’s eyes went wide when he spotted Cody, and he ran.
Cody spun her around. “Stay back, sweetheart, it could still be burning.”
She turned back to the open back door, and then spotted the fire extinguisher on the floor just inside her office.
Cody rushed past her into the office.
Tony came up behind her with Mindy Sue, her mother, and Julie behind him. “Fire department is on their way. I told everyone else to evacuate out the front.”
“The fire is out,” Brooke said, trying to see around Cody.
He turned and tried to make her back out of the office. “The damage is minor.”
“Let me see.”
“There’s nothing to see.” Cody blocked her view by staying really close to her. His height and the width of his shoulders made it so all she could see was him.
“Cody. Stop. It’s my office. Let me see.”
He cupped her face. “I don’t want you to see it.”
“What did Adam do?”
Cody’s eyes went wide. “What?” He must have been too focused on getting to her to see Adam dashing out the door.
“Adam. I saw him just before you came up behind me. What did he do?”
Cody seemed frozen for a moment before he slowly shifted sideways and let her see the smashed picture frame on her charred desk and the ashes of what remained of the picture of her and Cody kissing with her hand on his cheek, her diamond engagement ring sparkling.
Her mother had taken the picture the morning they’d come home from her creek-side retreat where he’d proposed.
There were a bunch of other wadded-up papers all over the desk and floor.
“This doesn’t make sense.” She looked at everything and still couldn’t come up with what Adam intended to do.
“He torched the picture of us and could have burned down the whole fucking place.” Cody seethed.
“And then he put the fire out before it really got started?” She gripped Cody’s arm. “That makes no sense. Even more strange…he was wearing the same clothes as when he pushed me into the street. Why do that, then put out this fire? What’s he trying to do?”
Cody pulled her into a hug. “I don’t know. But we’ll figure it out.” He took her hand and walked her out of the office and down the hall to gather with their friends as the fire department pulled up outside. “I’m taking you home. I can’t protect you here. Too many people. Too much going on.”
“We have to deal with all of this.”
“We’ll give our statements, then Susanne can lock up. I need to get you somewhere safe. Please, Brooke.”
She stepped in close and put her hand on his cheek, her thumb resting on his bottom lip. “I’m safe, right here with you. With all the firemen and cops right outside. Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“You don’t know that. He was here. In your store. That’s too fucking close.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I want to take you home. Now.”
She appreciated his protective streak. “Let’s deal with this first. I will stay right by your side the whole time. I promise.”
The firemen poured into her store.
She pointed them to the back.
Cody walked her out front and to the first police officer they found.
“Hi. I’m Brooke Banks. This is my store. I saw the person who I believe set the fire.”
It took forty-five minutes for her to tell the officer what happened, repeat it to the fireman for his report, and to hand over the surveillance video from the hidden camera in her office and by the cash register, along with the two very obvious cameras that overlooked the store. The police would see whatever Adam had been doing in her store.
She didn’t want to see his face again.