"I like the sound of that," she said shakily.
"You're not going to let a little fire hold you back, are you?"One thing I remembered about Reina as a child was that she was always up for a challenge.
She rolled her shoulders."I hadn't planned on anything like this happening.I was just starting to turn a decent profit?—"
"You have everyone behind you.Eve.Natasha.Me."I'd seen the other shop owners rally around when Angelina's shop flooded and when Belle was planning to open the bookshop.
She squared her shoulders."I've got this."
The point was that she didn't have to do it by herself.She had a town of people who were behind her.But I had a feeling she preferred to be independent.Maybe it was because her parents moved away or that her brother was deployed.She was used to handling things on her own.But this time, she wouldn't have to.
I felt responsible for her, but not because I promised her brother.I was the one who was supposed to inspect the electrical in all the buildings, but I hadn't gotten to the bakery yet.I felt responsible for what happened.
"You want to grab another shower before we head out?"I asked her, rinsing my dish and stacking it in the dishwasher.
She moved close to me, hip checking me out of the way of the sink so she could rinse her plate."I can clean up after myself."
I held my palms up."Didn't say you couldn't."
"I can take care of myself too."She placed her dish in the machine and closed it.
"I know you can."
She rolled her eyes."If you knew that, you wouldn't have made any promises to my brother.You'd know that I was a grown ass adult."
"I think it's your brother that's struggling with that."I was very aware of how her wearing my sweatshirt made it appear as if she wasn't wearing anything underneath.Her legs looked impossibly long, and I wondered if her thighs would be soft to touch.
"I'm just saying that you shouldn't underestimate me," she murmured as she slowly backed out of the kitchen.
"I won't."I had a feeling she'd keep surprising me with her determination.
I'd have to recite the fact that she was my best friend's younger sister on repeat if I wanted to ensure I behaved myself.Maybe the damage wasn't bad, and she could move back into her place sooner than we thought.
It was clearly what she wanted, and I wouldn't' have to worry about crossing lines if she wasn't wearing my clothes and sleeping in my guest room.
We stood in front of the bakery.From this vantage point, it looked normal, other than the cardboard someone had placed in the windows so that people wouldn't sneak a peek inside.
Reina let out a shaky breath."It doesn't look so bad."
But I knew the reality of electrical fires.The firefighters might have contained the fire, but there would be damage, and it could be extensive."Let's wait for Maddox."
Maddox pulled up in his truck with the fire chief logo on the door.He got out and joined us on the sidewalk."Are you ready for this?"
"Is it bad?"Reina asked, her voice wavering.
I hated that she was going through this.Maybe I could have prevented this.Her shop would be my first priority going forward.
Maddox winced."You won't be able to live in the apartment for a while."
She bit her lip."Okay.But what about the bakery?"
For her, the bakery was more important than where she was living.
"It's going to need some work.You might want to look into renting a kitchen for a while."
She grimaced."It's that bad?"
"Let's check it out together."
