Chapter 26
There is something about candles that will always make me happy.
They’re such a frivolous item, just a bunch of wax you melt to make a place smell good, and yet they can change your entire mood. A candle can turn a room into somewhere cozy and homey, make your house feel like Christmas during the holiday season, and transform a backyard into this summer oasis.
Out of all my various tasks managing Lily, unpacking the new candle shipments is one of my favorites. The boxes always smell so good, and taking out each individual glass jar or container and placing them on shelves gives me such satisfaction. It’s such a little thing, but it clicks with something in my soul.
I just placed a blueberry pie scented candle on one of the shelves when my phone dings. I take it out to see a picture of Evan and his dad pop up. He’s been visiting daily between restaurant services just to check in on his father. I smile at the goofy look on his face and remember the kiss he laid on me before I left for work this morning.
Thomas went home a couple days after his heart attack, and the entire Ashton family has been in and out of their childhood home to care for him. At this point, he’s yelling at all of us to get out of his house when we come over to cook, clean, or keep him company, and it’s reassuring that he’s returned to his grumpy, lovable self.
The medical emergency was a big reality check to him, and to Evan as well. That night, as he held me in his bed, he talked in a low voice about how terrified he was to lose his father. It’s the most open we’ve been with each other in weeks, and after he asked me on a real date, it feels like our whole relationship is moving in a direction I hadn’t bargained for.
I thought I shut the door on that, both with timing, words, and our inability to connect on the two. But it seems that where I’m still scared and nervous to jump into something right now, Evan is being brave enough for the both of us.
Just in the past few days, we’ve made more strides than we have in our whole time of being roommates. We sit at the dinner table, talk about real things, and don’t just fumble around in the dark. Though, there is plenty of sex. Hot sex, at that.
But it’s more now. Last night, Evan finally broached the topic of my debt and what real plans of action I’m putting in place. We talked about my conversation with his mom, and I am slowly opening up to the idea of letting Warren help me. Even thinking about it brings me such relief that I can relax my financial anxiety for half a second.
As I walk around the store, straightening items and accounting for what needs to be restocked, my mind wanders. That is why I don’t turn right away when the bell over the door rings—not until I hear that voice.
“Just you in here today, then?”
A chill shoots down my spine, and my body goes rigid because that voice is the one haunting my nightmares.
When I turn, the tall, thin man from the driveway is standing just feet from me, a creepy smile painting his lips. I want to run, but my feet are frozen to the floor. There is still some daylight outside, but it’s fading fast, and I am alone in here. An idea clicks into place that he must have been watching me, tracking me.
My eyes shift to the front door, and he wags a finger at me. “Don’t even think about it. I locked it, so we won’t be interrupted during our little chat.”
Fear pings around in my skull, and I can’t think straight when it comes to escaping. “There are security cameras in here.”
He shrugs. “I’m not doing anything wrong.”
His boot steps sound like gunshots to my ears as he traipses around Lily, picking up items and sniffing at others. His presence makes me want to scream, but I know that would be worse.
“The month I gave you is almost up. Hope you’ve got my money.” He leers at me from a mere foot away.
“What you’re doing is illegal.” Not that I’ve gone to anyone like the police to do a thing about it.
A wicked smile is directed at me, and he turns to his right. “Looks like a nice piece. How much does this one cost?”
What the bookie holds is a solid gold globe of the world, sculpted by a local artist. It’s a pretty piece and one of our most expensive, but I’m not about to tell him that.
“Would be a pity to throw this at that pretty face. Maybe I’ll just dent the back of your skull instead.”
My stomach lurches into my throat, white-hot chills breaking out all over my skin, and I stumble as I try to back away. That makes him laugh; he’s laughing at my fear, and I know I need to get out of here.
“I think I’ll take this with me, just as an insurance policy. When I come back, you better have my money.” The or else is left off, but I know it’s there.
He walks out almost as silently as he walked in, and I collapse. My legs give out, fear and hysteria overtaking my body until I’m shaking on the floor like a discarded leaf.
With my hands uncooperative and trembling, I pick up my cell and call Warren.
“I need you at the store. Right now.”
I don’t realize I’m in tears until he arrives mere minutes later, a winded sound coming from him when he asks what’s wrong.
“We’re not doing this anymore. This thing where you hide and try to handle everything on your own. Put up barricades, protest, I don’t care. I’ll mow them all down. You’re done going at it alone.”
Warren’s voice shakes with authority and fear as he paces the short length behind his desk.
Leona, Alana, and Warren pulled me into his office at Hope Pizza after they locked up Lily. I was in such shock that I could barely walk, and they guided me through the back door and into a chair before making sure I drank some water. After that, I recounted the entire story to them, trying to detach myself from how scared out of my mind I was with that thin, tall man almost assaulting me.
“You can’t fix everything,” I tell him, and he sends me a glare so lethal that I think it might melt my face off.
“I swear, August, if you don’t cut this bullshit, I’m going to?—”
“You’ll what?” My shock and fear are wearing off, and the anger is coming in. I’m just directing it at the wrong person. “He came after me! What good is you guys getting involved going to do?”
“If you hadn’t realized, this family pretty much runs this town!” Warren throws his hands up. “I don’t say that lightly, you know that, but give us a little more credit, Auggy. We have influence. We have people we can call to figure this out. And I have a hell of a lot of money to get you out of anything. So just stop it!”
This is Warren’s last straw currently breaking, and I’m nervous, as I’ve never seen him so pushed over the edge.
“Babe, calm down.” Alana soothes him as she hugs him around the middle.
He relaxes just a smidge, leaning into his wife. “I’m sorry. I just … August, if anything ever happened to you …”
I nod, tears in my eyes, and he detaches from Alana to walk toward me.
“What is going on?” Evan walks into Warren’s office. “I can hear you yelling from the kitchen, and that’s not normal. We’ve got customers out there.”
He doesn’t round the corner fully because when he does and can finally see me sitting in the chair, his face goes white as a sheet.
“What the hell happened?” He rushes to me, taking me in his arms for everyone in the room to see before Warren can hold me.
“Someone came into Lily and threatened her.” Alana watches closely for his reaction.
“Was this about the gambling debt?” He takes my face in his hands and wipes away an errant tear.
Without thinking, because all I want is his comfort soaking into me, I bury my face in his neck. For a moment, the world vanishes, and a sense of calm flows over me.
“You knew about the debt?! And didn’t mention it to me? What the fuck, Evan?” Warren curses, a rare occurrence for him.
But Evan ignores him, still clutching me to him as he barks commands.
“Out. Get everyone out. The restaurant is closed.”
“What? No. You don’t need to—” Quickly, I rear back, trying to look into his eyes.
“You are scared out of your mind, and someone threatened you. I’m not going back into the kitchen to make people their goddamn dinner. If you don’t think this is way more important to me, then you’re delusional.” Evan looks me straight in the eye but speaks to his mother. “Tell everyone we’re sorry, but there has been a family emergency, and the restaurant is closing. All bills are comped, and they can come back for a free pizza on us sometime this week.”
The authority in his voice and to-the-point direction are filling the black hole inside me with a little bit of hope. He’ll figure this out for me. I can count on him.
“Good thinking, sweetheart.” Leona passes him, laying a hand on his shoulder, and the look of pride in her eyes is so sweet I could cry some more.
Once she’s out of the office, Evan guides me to a chair, sits first, and pulls me onto his lap.
“Are you okay?” he whispers to me as if Alana and Warren aren’t still in this room.
Gulping, I shrug. “I’m better than I was. Spooked, though. And scared. I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
A second passes and Evan smooths a thumb across my jaw. “You said we.”
Holy crap, I did. I just said we, not I. That’s the first time I’ve done that in … well, maybe ever.
I shrug again. “I need help.”
“Oh, thank God.” Warren sighs with relief behind my back.
“The first thing we’re going to do is go over to the police station. The new chief is very receptive, and you’re going to give him a full rundown of everything you two know thus far. Then I’m going to pull the security tapes from Lily and send them over. With any luck, they’ll know who this guy is.” Alana claps her hands together like that is going to set the plan in motion.
“And you,” Warren points at me, “are going to let me pay for anything and everything I want to. Any debt you have? That’s my problem now, you got it? You are my family, we’re of the same cloth, and I’m tired of not stepping up to force you to let me help.”
Gulping again because I’m swallowing a lot of hard truths tonight, I nod. “Okay.”
In a way, it feels good to let someone else take over. To put my trust in the hands of people who I’m ninety-nine percent sure are not going to break it. I’ve never leaned on anyone like this, and there is a scary hopefulness that fills me as I do so.
Leona comes back into the office. “All of the customers have left. No one seemed upset, and they all wished us well and hoped everything was okay.”
“Evan, why don’t you drive August to the police station? Follow us in your car and then we can all go in together,” Warren suggests, and I know it took a lot for him not to drive me himself. Perhaps it’s even a blessing on what Evan and I have, not that I’ve discussed it with anyone in his family yet.
“I’m scared.” My voice is quiet as I cling to Evan.
“I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere,” he promises.
His words and actions fill me with enough courage to rise from his lap and make my way to the station, where we’ll hopefully get some more help I haven’t been asking for.