Why the hell did that sound so—personal?
Intimate.
“Really?” I whispered, clearing my throat as I tried to get my head straight.
She nodded once, holding my gaze as if she had a magnet in her eyes that drew mine in until I couldn’t manage to look away. “You’re the warmth of this cold town, Marigold.” The sound of my full name on her lips was intoxicating. If I wasn’t in the middle of a crisis, I might have melted for the sexy woman with her effortless dominance that made me want to fold and follow directions like a good girl. “This won’t break you.”
I scoffed, forcing myself to look away as one of her co-workers swept water off the floor with a push squeegee. “You have more faith in me than I do at the moment.”
“That’s okay,” She leaned up off the hearth, watching her people clear out of the building. “I’m willing to share it with you.”
“Thanks,” I glanced at the door longingly, but I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell of leaving the building until I could breathe easily again. I’d work through the fear.
“Off the record,” She said, taking a couple of steps toward me until she stood in my bubble, and lowered her voice, “Sprinklers like these rarely malfunction on their own. Not like this.”
I blinked, looking around for some clue as to what would have made them go off then. “But there wasn’t a fire, right?”
“Correct.” She raised one dark brow at me, “I think something tripped them. But there’s no proof anywhere to be found.”
“Meaning,” I leaned in, hanging on what she was saying. “You thinksomeonetripped them.”
Rhea’s eyes met mine, dark and sure. “Could be. But I can’t prove it. Not yet. But if I were you, I wouldn’t chalk this up to bad luck.”
A shiver ran through me, sharp and cold. I wrapped my arms around myself as she walked out the front door, leaving me in the wreckage of my bakery while the weight of her words sank in.
Who would want to sabotage Honey & Hearth?
The sun was just burningthe fog off the edge of the horizon as I walked out of the fire station towards my Jeep. It was the end of March and by no means warm out yet, but there was something about the sun in early springtime, it felt warmer.
It felt new and therapeutic as it heated my face. I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, letting it cover as much of myskin as possible. I desperately needed a tropical vacation to fill my Vitamin D deficiency.
My crew was filing out around me, yawning and joking about pancakes and sleeping after our shift. We were off for the next two days, and it was funny to see the priorities each of us had in the face of some days off.
“You’re not heading home, are you?” Thomas asked with a grin as he threw his gear bag into the bed of his truck parked next to me.
He was a good guy, nice and loyal as the day was long, but after seeing him all buddy-buddy with Tanner Brooks the other day, I watched him more skeptically.
I shrugged, untying the braid from my hair and shaking it free so it would dry. “What gave me away?”
“Maybe the way you’ve been watching the clock since we wrapped up the sprinkler mess at Honey & Hearth,” he shot back. “Dalton’s got a sweet tooth.”
“Sweet tooth, my ass,” Martinez added, carrying his bag over his shoulder. “More like a girl crush.”
I rolled my eyes, unbothered, and let them talk their trash. Confidence wasn’t arrogance. I knew who I was, what I wanted, and I wasn’t about to feel bad about it.
Men just couldn’t grasp that though.
“Leave Dalton be,” Elliot Hayes, the only sane one at the station, said as he tossed his bag into his truck bed. “Goldie could use some good, honest help to get everything cleaned up. God knows most of you should be there mopping up the mess too, considering you all eat there day in and day out. She’s the only reason most of you bachelors eat three square meals a day.”
“Sorry, we can’t all have two happy spouses at home to take care of us,” Martinez sassed, and Hayes waved him off. “Some of us don’t like cooking for just one.”
“Yeah, well,” Elliot said with a smirk as he climbed up into his truck and rolled the window down. “You’re not going to get someone to share your life with if you keep spending all your energy to razz others who are looking for happiness. That kind of karma comes back to bite you.” He waved with a pointed look at me before pulling away, “Now if you don’t mind, my husband and wife are waiting for me with waffles and bacon for breakfast.”
“Lucky bastard,” Thomas grinned, getting into his truck.
“Hmm.” I hummed, climbing up into my lifted Jeep, letting his words dance through my mind. Maybe he was right, perhaps spending my energy to find happiness, something I thought I was until the last few months, would help karma work in my favor.
I tried not to notice how, more often lately, I longed for a sense of partnership with someone outside of the fire station. Someone at home, waiting for me every day. I’d always been good at being alone and independent. Actually, I thrived on not answering to anyone, coming and going as I pleased.
