“We all are, dear,” Isabel said.
“I don’t think you should stay here at your place. I think you should stay with Luna or me,” Milo said.
“Or me,” Isabel also offered, but she had two kids and her husband at home, and I would never want to put them in danger.
“It’s okay,” I told them. “I’m not staying here. The police helped set me up somewhere.”
It wasn’t a total lie. But Axel had insisted I not tell anyone, so I would hold to that as best I could. I just hoped they couldn’t see through my lie of omission.
“What did the police say exactly about this whole thing?” Nell asked.
“They said it’s likely someone who has been to my bakery before and knew where the cameras were because they knew how to avoid them all,” I informed them. “It’s going to make it harder for them to find the person who did this.”
“I think we know who did this, even if the cops won’t admit it,” Milo grumbled.
“Let the cops do their job, Milo,” Luna said.
“I would if they would take their heads out of their asses and just arrest Braden. There’s no way it’s anyone else,” he argued.
“Enough, you two,” I shot back, rubbing my forehead with my fingers as the beginnings of a headache formed.
Before I went any further, I had to ask. “Just out of curiosity, have any of you been in the riser room?”
“Thewhatroom?” Drake asked.
“The weird broom closet out back where all the pipes are,” Luna explained.
“Why would we go in there?” Nell asked.
“Never mind.” I didn’t feel like explaining because, at the same time, it meant I would practically be accusing one of them of being complicit in the fire, even indirectly.
“We can all work some extra shifts if you need to step back for a few days once we re-open,” Isabel told me.
“I appreciate it, but I’m okay,” I told them. “I’m going to work from Axel’s office for the next few days on paperwork so we can be ready to go next week.”
“That’s a good idea,” Isabel said. “I like that he is with you and you can be safe.”
“He’s done a bang-up job protecting so far,” Milo grumbled quietly, but I still heard it.
“Milo, shut the fuck up,” Luna snapped.
“Sorry. I’m just worried about you,” Milo said, looking chagrined.
“I know, and I really appreciate it. All of you,” I told them. “We just have to let the police do their job.”
“You can lean on us, you know.” Travis’s comment was gentle, but it was a reminder that I worked with wonderful people, and perhaps I needed to do a better job of not shutting them out.
“I will,” I assured him—and hopefully the others—as I put my hands on Milo’s and Isabel’s shoulders, since they were standing at each of my sides.“Getting Scandinavian Sweets back up and running is my top priority, and then I promise I will reach out if I need any of you.”
I turned to face Milo and Travis, smiled at them, and thanked them. “The insurance company will cover all our salaries and wages, so you all will still get paid for the hours you would have worked this week. Enjoy the next few days off, and hopefully we will be back to normal next Tuesday.”
I hugged everyone goodbye and made my way out to Axel. He was standing by his car, staring at his phone, but when I walked out, his eyes lifted and locked on to mine. I went straight to him, and whatever he saw on my face must’ve been enough—he pulled me into a big hug and held me there for a few moments. After that, we got into his car and headed to the Ranger Shield office for the day.
On Friday,we met with Terrance, who told me they were confident they would be finished up tomorrow. The inspectors were all set to come out first thing Monday morning to give the all-clear, and I was so happy to put this all behind me and re-open.
Axel had set me up at a desk next to Ruthie and Cat for the week, which was great, but those ladies were talkers. It made it hard to get things done, between conversations with them and returning calls to Terrence, my insurance company, and my bank because I wanted to see if I could defer my loan payment for this month because of the fire. What I hadn’t had time for the last few days was unwinding or decompressing—not the way I really wanted to.
I was looking forward to that tonight. I knew one way I could de-stress, and it involved Axel. I just needed to get him on board with my plan.
