I swallowed. “And then the fire happened.”
Jasper’s expression finally sobered. “Two days later.”
Rhea’s voice was low as she looked at Tanner, “We knew it wasn’t an accident.”
“I think,” Jasper said carefully, “that this isn’t the first time those men have been seen in town. And it wasn’t the first time they had been told no.”
Tanner exhaled sharply. “They were mapping. But Goldie and the Millers didn’t play along.”
“But they’ve never come to me like that!” I shook my head, trying to figure it all out, “Not until after the flood.”
“Not directly,” Rhea replied. “But they tried to buy the building out from under you to start with. And failed because of a paperwork delay on the town’s part, and then it was too late.”
“Exactly,” Jasper said, “And I think they’re not asking anymore. I think they’ve changed tactics and are trying to force people out. Good, honest, hardworking people.”
I felt cold all over, “Has anyone else heard this?”
“Oh, honey,” Jasper said gently, “everyone’s heard pieces. They just haven’t put them together yet.”
Rhea nodded once. “Then we'll help them.”
Tanner took a deep breath, letting it out evenly. “This sounds like the perfect time to call a town meeting.”
Jasper’s smile returned, sharp and delighted. “Oh, Ilovea public reckoning.”
I squared my shoulders. “We tell them everything. Every foul bit of it.”
“And,” Jasper added sweetly, “I come with receipts.” He pulled something out of his pocket, and Rhea took it from him and read it. “Business cards. From when they were at the Millers' and the other night when they approached you outside the bakery.”
Tanner whistled, impressed as he relaxed onto the couch. “Of course you do.”
Jasper preened at his compliment. “Never underestimate a man with good hair and a deliciously unhealthy thirst for drama.”
Rhea smirked, glancing away from us back at him. “You’re trouble. But I like it.”
“I preferinvaluable,” Jasper said. “Now, who’s ready to blow the lid off Cedar Bluff?”
I’d stoodin front of a lot of rooms in my life. Briefings with a dozen bigwig commanders. Courtrooms filled with lawyers and judges. Living rooms bursting with grief from families finding out the worst news in the world about loved ones.
None of them made my pulse kick quite like the Cedar Bluff community hall did that night, though.
Rumors spun around the town like a brush fire in the middle of a dry summer about us—Rhea, Goldie, and I being a triad. Rhea had confirmed to her crew that we were all together, and that was all it took. Someone told someone else, who mentioned it over coffee, who overheard it at the grocery store cash-out lane.
And we were out.
I wasn’t embarrassed, or even upset that people knew we were in a poly relationship.
But I felt the way they looked at us differently than they had a few weeks ago. I felt the way they thought about us differently. Good or bad, attention wasn’t my favorite. I wouldn’t take it back though, not after the last few days with Goldie and Rhea, building something strong.
Something important.
Goldie stood to my left, chin high, hands folded tight as if she were bracing herself for impact. Rhea was on my right, solid and calm, her presence a quiet kind of authority. Together we lookedintentional. Like something people should pay attention to.
And they did.
We didn’t give much info on the announcement of the meeting, just that what we had to share affected every single resident in Cedar Bluff, and it was enough because the room was full. Folding chairs scraped as people shifted, murmurs rippling through the crowd.
The Millers sat in the front row, shoulders squared and ready. Travis Hayes and his husband Elliot leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, faces carved with agreement before a word was even said, thanks to Eli’s involvement as Fire Investigator.
