Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Night had fallen by the time the fire crew had the blaze out and the wrecker had shown up.
Most everyone had gone home, leaving just the police, me, and Meg standing on the street.
There was an eerie stillness as I watched the complicated rigging system being attached to the heap of metal.
Bright floodlights illuminated the street, casting a strange blue glow that felt surreal.
Meg pushed something into my hand, and I couldn’t help but smile as the smell wafted toward my nose.
“Coffee? I really shouldn’t,” I said, as the hazelnut smell battled with my willpower.
“It’s decaf,” she said. “With enough sugar to send you into pre-diabetes. You look like you’ve been through the wringer.”
I snorted and took a sip of the coffee, closing my eyes in appreciation. Millie leaned over from her spot on my shoulders and sniffed the cup.
“You mean after I threatened a famous author in front of everyone, after someone had attempted to murder him? You might call that a wringer, I guess.”
Meg rolled her eyes.
“You didn’t threaten him. The man is an ass. No one took what you said seriously. I’m just glad he finally stopped recording. Did you see him trying to get an interview with Naomi? I thought Jo was going to punch him.”
“I would pay money to see that. And no, I’ve been avoiding him ever since I blew up. Gosh, I feel terrible. I don’t know why I snapped like that.”
Meg patted my back.
“You just said what all of us were thinking. At least he finally went to his hotel. Gosh, I thought he would never leave.”
“Me too. Ghoulish man.”
“Do you want to stay with us tonight, honey?” Meg asked. “I sent Drew home to get the spare bedroom ready, just in case.”
I looked at my building and winced. The floodlights were harsh against the brickwork, showcasing all the damage that had been done.
I hadn’t even considered that I wouldn’t be able to go home after this.
My shoulders slumped. All I wanted to do was hop in the shower, wash this horrible day away, and get into my jammies.
“She’s got a place,” Rob said as he walked over. He leaned over to place a kiss on my head. “If you want it, that is. I don’t want to tell you what to do.”
I blushed. I hadn’t even considered staying with Rob. Whenever we were together, it was always at my shop or in my apartment. I’d only seen his house twice.
“Oh, well, I’d love to...”
“That’s settled,” he said. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight tonight. No offense, Meg.”
She grinned.
“None taken. I almost forgot you actually have a home, Rob. You’re always here.”
At least I wasn’t the only one who thought that way. She gave me a wink before checking her watch and yawning.
“It’s getting late. I’d better go home. If you need anything, Olivia...”
“I’ll wait until tomorrow after you’ve had a good night’s sleep. You’ve been up since before dawn, Meg. Thank you for the coffee, and well, everything. Drew, too.”
“That’s what friends are for,” she said, ruffling Millie’s fur. “Take good care of her, Rob. I want the full pampering treatment for her tonight. She’s been through it.”
“The cat or Olivia?” Rob asked, a grin lighting his face.
“Both. See you later.”
She yawned again and shuffled off toward the cafe. I sighed, turning back to look at the wreckage as it dangled three feet in the air. They were slowly lifting it onto a flatbed truck.
“I can give you my keys if you want to head to my house now. I’ll be here for a while, Livie.”
He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, concern clear in his eyes. I shook my head.
“No. I’ll wait. Do you think it’s safe if I go upstairs? I need to grab a few things for Millie. And myself, too.”
He frowned but nodded.
“Be careful, Livie. I can come with you. The engineers aren’t sure about the structural integrity of the brick after that blast. It packed a wallop.”
My throat felt tight as I nodded. I’d put everything I owned into buying this shop, with its lovely apartment upstairs. And I could lose it all, just like that.
“I was hoping... Well, let’s just hope for the best. That’s what insurance is for, right?”
The brave face I put on was in danger of cracking as Millie nosed my ear, her voice a comfort.
“It will be okay, Olivia,” she whispered softly. “Have faith.”
I bit my lip as tears sprang into my eyes. Rob raised an eyebrow, and I shook my head, forcing myself to smile. It was shaky, but it was there.
“I’m fine. It’s just... I’m glad no one was seriously hurt. It could have been much worse.”
He sobered as the wreck settled onto the trailer with a crash.
“We’re very lucky. The fire marshal says that, from what he can tell, the explosives used were calculated. Whoever did this had only one person in their sights.”
“Jackson Moorehead. Oh, that reminds me. Evelyn said something about Marcie learning about a supposed stalker?”
He took my hand and led me into the bookstore. I tried not to look at the soggy heaps of books lying by the window. The beautiful wooden shelves that were black with soot and waterlogged.
“He mentioned it, too. I got his statement.”
I unlocked the door, and we headed up the stairs. The smell of smoke greeted me. Even up here. I wanted to sit in a heap and sob, but this wasn’t the right time. I needed to pack Millie’s things and put together a bag for myself.
“At least there’s no water damage up here,” Rob said, his eyes trained on my face. “I know it’s awful, love. We’ll make it as good as new.”
My smile went a little shaky around the edges as I nodded.
“I know. I’ll be right back.”
Millie scuttled down my back and headed straight for her bowls in the kitchen. I felt like a terrible cat mom as I realized the poor thing hadn’t eaten since this morning.
“I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” I said, rushing to the cupboard to grab her a can of her favorite food.
She rubbed against my leg, placing one tiny foot on mine as I scooped the food into her bowl. Millie dove in, and I grabbed a few more cans to take with me. Suddenly, my nerves stood at attention as I realized what I was doing.
I was going to spend the night at Rob’s house. It felt a little odd, this strange mix of giddiness mixed with sadness at the reason behind all of this upheaval. I shook it off and headed for the bedroom to grab a change of clothes.
By the time I got an overnight bag put together for myself and another one for Millie, I found them both in the living room.
“There! I think I got everything. Oh! I should bring her scratching post. She loves that thing.”
Rob stood and beat me to it, his smile soft and warm.
“She’s lucky to have you, Olivia. And so am I. When I heard about the blast...”
He trailed off, and his eyes grew serious as he put the scratching post down and cupped my cheek in his hand.
“I still can’t believe you’re okay. Hearing your voice unlocked something inside of me,” he continued, stroking my face with his thumb. “You’re precious, Olivia Sutton. Never forget that.”
He kissed me then, just a featherlight brush of the lips, but it felt like more. It felt like forever.
Words failed me as we rested our foreheads together for a moment. My breath shuddered out of me as the rest of the tension from this awful day melted away.
“Thank you, Rob. I just can’t believe... Oh shoot, I’m going to have to get plywood to cover that window. I totally forgot about that. I can’t believe it happened again.”
He chuckled and stepped back.
“I already called Freddie before we headed up here. He’s probably already here putting it up.”
“You’ve thought of everything,” I said as our eyes locked. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Same. Ready to go?”
I nodded and bent to pick up Millie. She nestled into my chest, her breath light on my neck as Rob grabbed the bags and headed down the stairs. I paused at the top, looking at the little apartment that had become my home. I hated to leave. I hated the fact that I had to.
I trudged down, and sure enough, Freddie Hatch Jr. stood on the other side of the window, waving as he positioned plywood in place to cover the gaping hole. Timber Falls was a good place, chock-full of good people who took care of each other.
Rob held the door for me, and I hurried over to Freddie’s side.
“Thank you so much, Freddie. I appreciate you coming out at night to do this. Just let me know what I owe you.”
He scoffed around the screws he was holding in his mouth.
“Don’t worry about it, Olivia. I saved this piece from the last time this happened. Heard about the blast, Chief. Any suspects yet?”
I turned to see Rob standing next to me, his face drawn into a frown. He shook his head.
“Not yet. The arson team will be going over what’s left of the car through the night. Hopefully, by morning, they’ll have some leads for us. Mr. Moorehead had a few leads for us, and Trevor’s going through those.”
“Just crazy that something like this could happen in our little town,” Freddie said, taking the screws out of his mouth. “You just never know. I’m glad you’re okay, Olivia. At least no one was seriously hurt.”
Memories of Naomi’s blood-spattered face floated before me, and I had to hold back the anger that swelled in my chest.
“That’s true. We should be glad for that.”
Rob stroked my back with a gentle touch that grounded me, dispersing a little of the rage I still felt. The last piece of plywood went up, blocking my store from view. Tomorrow, I’d have to clean up the mess. But tonight, I just wanted to forget about it for a little while.
“Well, that’s that,” Freddie said. “I’ve already got a new window ordered up for you. It should be here in a few days. Luckily, that’s a pretty standard size, so the company we work with in Denver had one nearby. We’ll get it installed for you, Olivia, and it will be like this never happened.”
If only that were true. But I nodded and thanked him before following Rob to my car. He loaded the bags into the backseat and held my door open for me.
“See you at the house, Livie,” he said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
His lips brushed mine, and I rolled the window up as he walked away. Spring was here, but the nights were still cold. Cold enough that I shook a little as I started my car. I flipped on the heat and turned to look at Millie before backing out of my spot.
“What a day.”
I headed down the street and realized that this would be my last chance tonight to talk to my cat. We’d been around people all day, and there was something I needed to ask her. Something important.
“Millie, right before the blast, you turned to look out the window. Did you hear something?”
Her green eyes were full of sorrow as she nodded.
“I heard a clicking noise, but I didn’t know what it was. I sensed... something. I really let you down, Olivia. I’m sorry.”
I nearly slammed on the brakes. It was a good thing I didn’t, or Rob would have rear-ended me.
“What? You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”
“But other people were. I could have stopped it... I could have... I should have done something.”
I glanced at her before looking back at the road. I knew little about her abilities as a Guardian cat. She didn’t like to share too much about her role. But I knew one thing.
“Could you have stopped the blast? Disarmed the bomb or whatever it was?”
“No,” she said after a moment. “I can halt living things, like that dog in the park. But I can’t stop fate.”
Silence fell as I considered what she’d just said. Fate.
“Well, then you shouldn’t apologize for something out of your control,” I said finally. “And I guess fate will happen no matter how hard we try to escape it.”
Her little face was sad as our eyes met again.
“No. There’s no escaping it. Whatever is supposed to happen will happen. No matter how hard we try.”
I reached for her, and she leaned into the contact, her whiskers brushing my hand.
I stroked her little head as I made the turn that would take me to Rob’s house.
There was something in her voice that made me think we hadn’t seen an end to the trouble that Moorehead brought to this town.
I didn’t like that feeling. Not one bit.