Her chin trembled, and for the first time since I’d known her, I saw her in a completely new light. Normally, Lila was full of light. She was witty and funny. This version of her was scared and almost fragile. My chest cracked open at the sight of it.
“Alright,” she whispered finally.
I exhaled slowly, giving in to the urge to pull her into my arms right there in front of everyone. I shrugged off my jacket, wrapped it around her shoulders, and tucked her close to me until her shivering subsided. “Come on, sugar.”
Wade clapped my shoulder. “I’ll take statements from neighbors. Lila, I’ll come up tomorrow. You get her out of here.”
I nodded once. Then I guided her away from the blaze, my hand steady at the small of her back, a silent promise she wasn’t facing this alone. As I opened the truck door and helped her climb inside, her eyes met mine again. Raw, searching. I had no idea how to explain it, but in that moment, I knew one thing for sure.
Whoever was trying to hurt her would go through me first.
And if they tried, I’d make damn sure they regretted it.
My wipers thumped a steady rhythm, but it didn’t cover the sound of Lila’s uneven breaths. She sat rigid in the passenger seat, swallowed by my jacket, staring out at the blur of headlights on wet pavement. This was a side of her I hadn’t seen before. Normally, she was all sass and laughter. The Lila I knew was confident and shared that brightness with the world. It hurt to see her shaken.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked, trying to focus on the road, but my eyes kept darting over to her.
“Not yet.” She shook her head, her voice breaking a little.
“Okay, sugar. Want to tell me about next month’s bookclub ideas?” I suggested. It was a tactic Levi had used to help me when I was scared. He’d distract me by asking about other things that I was interested in and let me talk about those instead of focusing so much on the bad.
“You’ll keep it a secret? Because normally I just tell Mia, but I have so many good ideas for next month.”
“Pinky promise.” I held out a hand to her and was rewarded with a dazzling, if not sooty smile, before she hooked her pinky to mine. Then she was off explaining all her ideas for next month.
I gripped the wheel tighter. My own heart still pounded like I’d sprinted the whole way here. Seeing her alive, wrapped in smoke, had been a relief so sharp it felt like pain. If something had happened to her… I shoved the thought down.
When the farmhouse came into view at the top of the ridge, the sight hit me in the chest the way it always did. Time had gnawed at the place, but it still stood. Stubborn. Resilient. I loved that. It made me feel as though it was something I could count on. Now, seeing Lila’s house on fire, I realized how quickly it could be taken away and how unmoored she must feel.
The cottage had been the one place where she’d grown up with her grandmother, and now part of it was gone. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would process that, especially given that it was deliberate. Someone meant to hurt her by doing it.
Shoving the truck into park, the headlights swept across the wet yard. Lila made no move to get out until I rounded the hood and opened her door. She looked up withglassy eyes, and for a second, she seemed smaller than I’d ever seen her.
“Come on,” I said gently, holding out a hand.
She hesitated, then slid her hand into mine. Warm. Fragile. She didn’t let go until we reached the porch.
Chloe opened the door immediately, her hair in a ponytail, her scrubs wrinkled as if she’d just come from a shift. She froze when she saw us, eyes widening. “East. You didn’t say what was wrong when you texted.”
“Fire,” I said bluntly. “At Lila’s cottage. She’s staying here tonight. Whole back porch went up.”
Chloe gasped and pulled her into a hug. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Lila’s voice was muffled in Chloe’s shoulder. “I’m okay. Just shaken.” She sniffled a little. “It’s just a house,” she said, as if trying to convince herself. “It’s just stuff. I actually think the majority of the house is probably fine.”
The commotion must have carried down the hall because Maggie’s voice floated from the living room. “What’s going on?”
“Inside,” I cut in, steering Lila forward. “She doesn’t need to be standing out in the rain.” Chloe frowned at me, which told me I was being more of a dick than usual.
“Mom woke up when I came in,” Chloe added softly as I came inside. “I told her you had a call from Wade.”
“Sorry to call you out so late. I appreciate you coming.” I gave her a squeeze. That was one of the things I loved about our family. We’d learned to count on each other.
“No problem, East. You know that.” Chloe shot Lila a worried look. “Was it bad?” she whispered.
“We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure.” Which was the truth. It had been hard to tell. It looked like it started in the back near the mudroom and the back porch, but the kitchen might have been affected as well. Smoke and water damage were a bear, though, so we’d just have to wait and see in the morning.
The warmth of the farmhouse hit us instantly, woodsmoke and Maggie’s lavender hand cream. Maggie sat in her recliner, quilt tucked around her legs, her crutches parked nearby. Her expression softened when she saw Lila, but her eyes snapped to me like she knew something was wrong.
