“I’m fine.”
Then I look around me to find chaos.Some of the people I was trying to push back are lying or sitting down, appearing injured by debris from the blast.When I look back at the auto shop, almost the entire front of the building is gone.
Chapter2
Bess
I carryanother tray of sandwiches into the coffee shop which, at the moment, looks more like a field hospital than a business.
Not the type of morning rush we were expecting.
I was in my office when I heard the first sirens right outside Strange Brew.Emmet, another of my employees, was just walking up to the shop when I stepped out to investigate.He was able to tell me it appeared Clem’s auto shop was on fire, and when I poked my head out the front door, I could see vehicles and people congregating down the street.
The explosion came just as I turned to tell Emmet we should open a bit early.The blast rattled the large front windows in their frames, and shook me in my boots.
The first walking wounded—mostly minor cuts from flying debris—showed up moments later.While Emmet—with Carson’s help—started working on coffee for everyone, I hauled out my first aid kit and began cleaning wounds and applying bandages.
It’s been almost an hour and I’m still not sure what happened out there, but I know it wasn’t good.Almost the entire street is now blocked off by emergency vehicles, and the acrid smell of smoke is thick in the air.
Dana—who is a nurse practitioner—showed up a while ago and jumped into action taking over medical aid, which left my hands free to slip into the kitchen and get some sandwiches made for folks coming in from the chaos outside.
“Hey, you.What’s happening out there?”I ask Savvy, our sheriff and my good friend, when she walks in the door.
“It’s a mess.Clem’s place is a total loss, and the fire department is busting ass to keep the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings.We’ve got two firefighters injured in the blast, who were transported to the hospital, so they had to call in assistance from neighboring towns.Hell, my own second-in-command got caught in the blast, so I’ve had to get extra staff out there myself.They’re redirecting traffic and making sure the public stays safe, but it’s nuts out there.”
I barely hear anything after she mentions Hugo and grab her arm.
“He got hurt?”
She shoots me a sympathetic look.
“Hugo’s fine.Or, he will be if he’d stop being so dang stubborn and gets himself checked out.He’s walking and talking,” she clarifies.“And I’ve got KC keeping an eye on him.”Then she adds, “Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried, I was curious, that’s all.”
My quickly uttered excuse doesn’t appear to impress Savvy, who flashes a quick smile.
“Sure thing,” she mutters under her breath, before continuing in a normal tone of voice, “I popped in to see if I could grab some coffee for my guys.Most of us got called straight out of bed and didn’t have a chance to pick something up before getting to the scene.”
“Of course.I’ve got some cardboard carafes.I’ll put something together and will get someone to help me carry it over.Where do you want it?”
“My cruiser.I’m parked in front of the real estate office.I’ll leave the gate open, just leave it in there.”
I give her a thumbs-up and watch as she stalks back outside.All business, even with one hand covering her small, burgeoning baby bump protectively as she rushes back to the scene.
I’m happy for her—I am.She deserves it all; her full-circle love story with Nate, the surprise pregnancy.My friend has had enough hardship in her life, and it’s about time things turn around for her.I don’t begrudge her any of it.
Still, every so often, I feel an unwelcome pang of jealousy.It’s not pretty, I don’t like what it says about me and shove the feeling down the moment it rears its ugly head, but it’s hard to snuff out completely.It’s usually followed with the bitter realization a happy ending like that is simply not in the cards for me.Fate already took that out of my hands a long time ago.
Ten minutes later, I get Emmet to help me carry two large cardboard containers with coffee, a box of extra sandwiches, and a basket with cups, sugar, and creamers.
The first person I see, sitting on the curb behind Savvy’s cruiser, is Hugo Alexander, his head in his hands.When I get closer, I notice a dark stain on his collar and down the back of his shirt.
“Jesus, Hugo!”I burst out, setting down the box and basket I’m holding before rushing to his side.“You’re bleeding.”
He lifts his head and turns to me.
“I’m fine,” he says immediately.
