The love of my life….
It was on fire.
Firefighters had set up a perimeter and had warned me to stay back. Brandon had to hold me back to keep me from running in. I watched as flames fan and swirled higher and higher; the red blaze was licking over every square inch turned the brick outside black.
“I don’t understand what happened,” I looked to the crew.
They all seemed to offer sympathetic looks. Miguel, who had been avoiding me for a few days even stepped closer to offer me comfort which I took.
“I’m sorry boss,” he offered and wrapped his arms around me.
“It’s okay, thank you for being here,” I leaned into the friendly warmth of his body.
The day had gone to shit.
We watched for what seemed like hours; the firefighter dousing out the vicious heat with cannons of water. Eventually, it all seemed to come under control. When it was all said and done, Tainted Ink was no longer. Everything was gone.
“What happened?” I whispered to myself.
My eyes adjusted eventually and a firefighter headed over.
“Ma’am, were you the owner?”
“I was.”
He nodded, already scribbling on the paper. “I’m the Fire Marshall. Names Dean Smith. We can’t say for sure, but ma’am this looks like arson.”
“Wha…who would want to set my building on fire?”
He coked an eyebrow. “Well ma’am that’s what we’d like to know. “
“You think I did it? For what, insurance money?”
“Not my words, ma’am,” he spoke and made another note. “Where’s a number you can be reached at.”
By the time we were through speaking, I was shaking with absolute rage. Tears began to slide down my face as each one of the gang hugged me. I told them I would give them a call. Tainted Ink wasn’t dead, we just needed a new home. I would begin searching immediately.
Miguel was the only one to hang back with me.
“Let’s get something to eat.”
He suggested this in a friendly manner and I decided to take him up on the offer.
“I can drive both of us.”
“No, after we eat I’m going to have to visit the real estate office,” I told him.
“Okay, how about the Panera around the corner?”
I nodded and headed for my car parked across the street. Giving the skeleton of Tainted Ink one last sorrow-filled glance, I got in and headed for my destination. Even though it was pretty much around the corner, Miguel took a few moments. In that time, I called Lucien and told him what I was doing, minus the Miguel part. I knew that he would flip his shit.
“Okay, visit the real estate office, Simone, and straight home.”
“Oh, it’s home now?”
He growled on the other end. “Just get back here. This feels weird to me.”
I mocked him and said I’d be “home” in a bit.
