‘Oh?’ I bite the inside of my cheek and force my gaze to remain steady as I ask, trying not to betray any flicker of hope.
‘Well, initially I thought that something else, something more satisfying, was waiting for me elsewhere… but now I don’t think so. And that’s all down to you.’
‘Really, James? You mean that?’
‘Oh yes. What I’m looking for isn’t so far away anymore. Is that okay to say? Not too overpowering?’
I turn to study him, but he pulls back, and I put my hand on his chest to make sure he doesn’t go any further.
‘No, don’t move away,’ I whisper.
His pulse quickens underneath my fingertips, his heart pounding against my palm like a drum in the night. He looks deep into my eyes and reaches for my face, lightly running his hands along my cheeks and cupping them gently.
Our lips meet, and the world around us fades away.
There’s a future for us. And it’s already begun.
CHAPTER 46
THE BLAZE
The fact that James is staying and our future is wide open feels too good to be true. We celebrate with a bottle of wine, then head to bed excitedly, eventually surrendering ourselves to sleep after deep, hungry kisses.
An alarm blares in the quiet night, and I jolt awake. Everything feels warmer than usual, and a faint orange glow from outside casts shadows around the room. I sniff cautiously; the sharp, familiar smell of smoke fills my nostrils. There’s an ominous crackling coming from something close by.
Panicking, I shake James awake.
His confused eyes struggle to focus on me. ‘What is it? Is everything okay?’
‘No! We need to leave now,’ I say urgently, my voice trembling with fear. ‘Can’t you smell the smoke? We have to get out of here!’
His eyes fly open, a mix of sleep and disbelief clouding them, then he jumps up as the severity of what’s happening dawns on us. James acts quickly, throwing on his clothes at lightning speed, and I rush to do the same, my limbs shaking with terror.
Our house is on fire – the heat and crackle of the flames licking the walls. I feel it in my lungs, on my skin. Everywherewe look around us is an inferno, an unstoppable force devouring every inch in its path.
‘We need to get out now!’ he yells over the roaring blaze, fiery sparks soaring around us. We both run for the door, our hands clasped together as if we’re clinging to a lifeline. The heat from the fire slams against us as we escape down the stairs. Sparks fly and embers dance in the air like a deadly light show. Our vision is blurred by sooty tears as we stumble through the front door and out into the night.
Exhausted, James and I collapse onto the grass. We’re unharmed. Dense clouds of smoke billow over our heads, and in their tendrils, we see what was a beautiful home engulfed by a rage of orange and yellow flames. The flames lick up each beam and post hungrily, devouring anything in their path. We breathe in deep gulps of clean air, watching as our beloved Lake House slowly burns as the fire sirens wail in our direction.
James pulls me close, pressing his face into my hair and whispering softly, ‘It’ll be okay,’ as if he’s convincing himself as much as me.
A droplet of water hits my arm, then another lands on my chin. Then another and another until sheets of rain come thick and fast, as the heavens open up with a thunderous roar, drenching The Lake House with heavy rainfall.
Maybe there’ll be something left to salvage.
CHAPTER 47
THE CAR
I wrap the blanket tighter around me as I sit on the dewy grass, the smell of burned wood and smoke hanging heavy in the air. The firefighters continue to work on dousing the last of the flames. Dom arrives and sits beside me, the dogs nestled at our feet, their eyes wide with worry. The juxtaposition between our current situation and our past happiness from the renovations makes my head spin. It’s a shocking sight to behold. The fire had started in the barn and quickly spread to the rest of the house due to the wind. The fire brigade’s efforts were too late for the barn, which has been reduced to ash and rubble. The house was salvageable. Salvageable being a very subjective term.
‘Thank God you’re all right, Daisy,’ says Jonathan, who runs towards us. ‘I came as fast as I could.’ He spreads his arms and I run into them, tears streaming down my face.
‘I’m sorry to have to tell you this,’Sergeant Brennan says solemnly as she walks towards us, ‘but we’ve taken a statement from two boys, Liam and Finn Quinn. It sounds like a small vehicle was seen leaving the scene early this morning.’
‘Oh no,’ I say, my voice trembling. ‘Were the boys around? In the barn? Are they hurt?’ I clutch at James. ‘Dear God, please tell me they’re okay.’
Sergeant Brennan nods. ‘They’re fine,’ she says. ‘The boys had been camping by the lake. They were woken up by the dogs barking and stuck their heads out of the tent to see what was going on, and that’s when they saw the car driving away. They didn’t know a fire had been started.’
