He waited for her to unlock the door.
She stepped inside first.The front room was mainly untouched, but the smell of smoke was strong.
"The investigation isn't finished, but it looks like it started in the kitchen.Your appliances use a lot of electricity.I suspect it was too much for the current electrical system and overloaded the breaker.But I'm not the expert."
In the kitchen, the most damage was on the wall behind the ovens.But the entire kitchen would need to be renovated, and the ovens would need to be replaced.
"Why didn't anyone say anything when we opened?"
Maddox frowned."When did you open the bakery?Was it before or after Eve and Natasha bought the town?"
"It was a few months before."
"Odds are the old owners weren't worried about it.They wanted a bakery to help sell the town and weren't concerned about potential issues."
"We'll submit the insurance claim and get to work right away," I said.
"You have to wait for the investigation to be finished."
"How long will that take?"Reina asked.
"As long as foul play isn't suspected, a few days.If there's an issue, it could take longer."
Reina looked at me."How long will the renovations take?"
"I don't know the extent of the damage yet."I didn't want to tell her a shorter timeline and then have to amend it later.I found it was best to give worst-case scenarios and adjust when things changed.
"I'm going to have to find a commercial kitchen to rent.I don't want to have to cancel any orders."
"I'm sure Eve will want you up and running as soon as possible."I'd already examined my calendar and texted Cooper about my upcoming schedule.
"I know it looks bad.But this is just property damage.The important thing is that you're okay," Maddox said.
Reina nodded."Can I grab some of my things from upstairs?"
"Go ahead.You won't be able to live here for a while.It will need to be repaired and inspected before you can return,” Maddox said.
Reina nodded and then left the room.I should probably go with her, but I wanted to talk to Maddox alone.
"What do you think happened?"I asked him.
"It looks like an electrical fire.These old buildings can't handle large appliances.I suspect the original owners never performed an inspection when she renovated the kitchen."
I bit off a curse."That sucks for Reina."
"She wouldn't have known."Maddox moved around the space.
"We were focused on the plumbing issues."Some of the shop owners were worried about their stores flooding, but now we had electrical-fire risk to contend with.
"You can only put out so many fires at once."Then he cracked a smile."No pun intended."
I didn't have it in me to find this amusing."I hate this for Reina.This is her dream.I don't want Tom to know about this."
Maddox shrugged."I don't have any plans to tell him.But you never know with a town like this.Word spreads quickly."
Who did Tom keep in contact with besides me and Reina?I wasn't sure.His parents might find out, but they'd know not to worry him."I'll take care of Tom."
"You said she's staying with you?"
