“We’ll get through this together. Once this nightmare is over, we’ll figure out what comes next.” I tried to reassure him, but my words seemed to have little effect. He continued staring at the inferno, his eyes glassy and unseeing. When I reached out again, he accepted my embrace, almost collapsing into my arms.
“Everything I’ve worked for, Teddy,” Shiloh whispered, his voice cracking. “Gone, just like that.”
“Hey, look at me,” I said gently, tilting his chin up to meet my gaze, despite the flickering light playing tricks on my vision. “We’ll rebuild, okay? You’re not going through this alone. I promise.”
It felt important that I keep reminding him he wasn’t on his own anymore. He searched my eyes for a moment, and then nodded slowly. I could tell he wanted to believe me, but the weight of his loss still hung heavy around him.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice thick with emotion as he leaned into me, his body trembling with a mixture of shock and grief. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling the heat of his body against mine, and wished with all my heart that I could take away his pain.
I held him tight as we watched his bakery reduced to ashes, unable to tear our eyes away from the destruction before us. In that moment, it felt like nothing would ever be the same again. But no matter what, I knew I wouldn’t let Shiloh face it alone.
The acrid scent of burning wood and sugar filled the air, making it hard to breathe. Shiloh trembled against me as the fire roared, consuming his bakery, his life’s work.
“Teddy,” Shiloh choked out, tears streaming down his face, “I can’t... I don’t know what to do.”
His voice cracked, and my heart shattered for him. I tightened my hold on him, trying to offer whatever comfort I could while we watched his dreams disintegrate before our eyes. He’d been uttering these same words for what felt like hours. And judging by the color of the sky, it might have been that long.
“Together, remember?” I kissed the side of his head.
Jasper and Waylon had been sitting with us since minutes after I got here. They’d been out for the night but decided at the last minute to drive home. I wasn’t sure why, but I was grateful they were here with us. “I’m so sorry, Shiloh.”
Jasper slid down the wall, flanking Shiloh’s other side. Waylon busied himself answering cell phones that seemed to ring non-stop. Theirs because they lived right across from the business district, Shiloh’s for obvious reasons, and mine because people were nosy as fuck. It was probably good that I didn’t have my phone because I’d have told someone where they could stick it.
“What am I going to do now?” Shiloh leaned against his friend’s shoulder. Jasper looked over Shiloh’s head and nodded for me to take a break.
I took the opportunity to get up and join Waylon in the living room for a few. The sight across the street somehow seemed even bleaker now that the entire building wasn’t engulfed in flames. Now, it was a pile of rubble. The heat of the fire had been no match for the aging brick walls.
I rubbed my eyes, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle in. Between the smoke, lack of sleep, and emotional fatigue, my eyelids felt like sandpaper.
“How’s he holding up?” Waylon asked quietly, looking over at me with concern. He sipped a mug of coffee, pointing to the fresh pot in case I wanted some. I took him up on the offer.
When I thought about the first time Shiloh called me out on drinking my coffee black to make his life easier, another wave of emotion hit me. There were so many of our fucking firsts that were now buried in the ashes of the building across the street. I sure as fuck hoped that wasn’t some sort of omen.
“He’s struggling, but I think having a place to collapse other than the curb is helping a little,” I replied, my voice hoarse from the smoke and emotion. “I just wish there was more we could do.”
Waylon nodded, understanding my frustration. “We all do. And where there’s something to be done, we’ll all be here for him, Teddy. Every step of the way. You know that, right?”
I smiled, grateful for their unwavering support. “I do, and I can’t thank you guys enough.”
I poured another cup of coffee, this one for Shiloh. I doubted he needed the caffeine to stay awake but I couldn’t think of anything else to do for him right then. I hated feeling so fucking helpless.
We stood in silence, watching the last of the flames flicker and die as the sun rose behind the quaint skyline of Harmony Grove. The firefighters had done their best, but it was clear that Shiloh’s Sweets was a total loss.
Shiloh finally broke the silence. “It’s gone...everything is gone…” His voice was thick with emotion. He closed his eyes briefly and bowed his head before regaining his composure. “I don’t know what to do now.”
I stepped forward and put my arm around him, silently offering comfort and support without words because I didn’t know what else to do.
Jasper came up behind Shiloh and squeezed my shoulder in an unspoken message of solidarity while Waylon moved to stand opposite us, forming a circle of support around Shiloh.
We each gave him our own form of reassurance until he was ready to talk again. When he did, he spoke slowly and with some trepidation as though he wasn’t sure if we’d be able to provide any solutions or help.
He shared his biggest worries—fear for the future of his business, concern about finding another location, worry about not being able to afford it all—and with each one I desperately tried to come up with a plan or something that could make things better even if just a little bit.
As the last of the firefighters rolled their hoses and headed back to the station, I guided Shiloh toward my truck. “Come on. They’re not going to let us anywhere near the building until the inspector goes through. Let’s get you home so we can clean up and pass out.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep.” The jaw-cracking yawn he couldn’t stifle betrayed his protest.
“Then we’ll just lay down after a hot shower.” As soon as his head hit the pillow, I was willing to bet he’d be sound asleep. It would likely be fitful as fuck, but it would be better than trying to stay awake. “Sleep while you can. There’s not much we can do today.”
