Before Today

by Leeanna Morgan

  Her mom stood beside her. “It might seem like it now, but depending on what’s damaged, it might not be as bad as it looks.”

  “If you can go inside,” her dad said, “bring your insurance details out with you. We’ll let the company know what’s happened and they can tell us what we need to do next.”

  “Brooke!” Mabel Allen rushed toward her. “Oh, my dear. This is so terrible. I couldn’t believe it when Mr. Simpson ran into our store and told us what was happening. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m a little shocked, but okay. Thanks for calling me.”

  “You’re welcome. But I wish it had been better news. If you need somewhere to stay, you can spend a few nights with Alan and me.”

  “Thank you, but Levi has invited us to stay with him at Zac’s house. Mabel, this is my mom and dad.”

  Mabel smiled at Brooke’s parents. “It’s nice to meet you. If anyone needs anything, just let me know. Allan and I are only a few doors away.”

  Brooke hugged her neighbor. “Thank you.”

  Deputy Fire Chief Sutherland reappeared with another firefighter. “You can go inside,” he said, “but only take the bare essentials. When you’re ready, let me know. Jessica will go into the building with you.”

  Brooke was thankful she wouldn’t have to wait to go inside. “Would you mind if I collected my things now?”

  “That’s fine.” The deputy fire chief looked at the firefighter beside him. “Jessica, could you find a jacket and helmet for Brooke to wear?”

  “Sure. I’ll be back soon.”

  While Jessica was gone, her boss described what Brooke would see when she went inside. She hoped her imagination made it seem worse than it was.

  “Stay close to Jessica,” the senior firefighter reminded her. “Even though most of the fire damage is in the first-floor kitchen, there’s a lot of water damage on all three levels. Don’t be worried about what you see. Most of it won’t take long to fix.”

  Brooke’s hand found Levi’s. “When will the fire marshal’s investigation be finished?”

  “It usually takes four or five days to receive the report. Once their investigation is complete, the police will review the findings, then pass the information on to your insurance company. I’m assuming you’re insured?”

  “I am.”

  “That’s good. You’d be surprised by the number of people who think insuring their property is a waste of time.”

  Jessica handed Brooke a jacket. “This might be a little big, but it will keep you dry.” She helped Brooke into the jacket, then gave her a helmet. “When we’re inside, tell me where you want to go. I’ll lead the way.”

  Brooke’s mom and dad hugged her before she went into the building.

  “Be safe,” Levi whispered as he kissed her cheek. “I’ll talk to the firefighters and see what needs to happen to secure the building.”

  “Thank you. I won’t be long.”

  “Remember your laptop,” her mom said. “And if your clothes are wet, bring them out anyway. We can put them through Zac’s washing machine and dryer.”

  Brooke almost smiled. It was so like her mom to think about the practical things that needed to happen. “I’ll bring them with me. Bye.”

  With the strap of the fire helmet securely fastened under her chin, Brooke followed Jessica into her store.

  It was heartbreaking to see the damage. Her once beautiful building looked as though a bomb had hit it. Some of the stained glass windows were broken and water had soaked through everything.

  She took a deep breath and nearly choked on the pungent smell of burned wood. It clogged her lungs, made her eyes water, and left her feeling as though nothing would ever be the same again.

  “Where would you like to go?” Jessica asked.

  “Can we take a quick look in the commercial kitchen, then go upstairs to my apartment? Everything I need is in there.”

  “Okay. Stay close to me.”

  Brooke followed Jessica across the room. It was hard to find anything positive in what had happened, but she needed a sliver of hope to cling onto. She remembered what her parents and Levi had said. No one was injured and the buildings either side of hers were okay. And most importantly, her insurance company would pay for most of the damage to be fixed.

  What she didn’t know was how she was going to keep her business operating. Even though there was a fire, her mortgage and the loan from her parents still needed to be paid.

  Hopefully, once she could figure out a way to solve that problem, she would be a step closer to getting her life back on track.

  As Brooke walked through the commercial kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief. The fire damage in this part of the building was a lot less than she’d imagined. You could see where the flames had shot across the far wall and ceiling but, apart from the equipment being wet, everything else looked okay.

  Jessica touched the edge of one of the refrigerators. “When you have access to the building, don’t use any of the appliances until they’ve been checked by an electrician.”

  “I won’t. Did the fire spread to other parts of my building?”

  “Most of the fire was contained to the area around the kitchen in your apartment. The attic floor is burned and there’s more smoke and water damage on the next two levels.”

  As they climbed the stairs, the smell of charred wood and wet building materials made Brooke’s stomach churn. Nothing had been spared in the race to keep the building from going up in flames. Water dripped from the walls and puddled under her feet. And there was soot everywhere. It coated the furniture, walls, and floors in a thick black layer, making it difficult to tell what was burned and what needed a good clean.

  When she saw her kitchen, her heart ached. She’d spent hours in the small alcove, fixing holes, plastering, and painting over the original canary yellow walls. It had been a labor of love and she’d enjoyed every minute.

  The walls that used to reflect the early morning sunshine were now a soggy, dirty mess. But thanks to the Sapphire Bay Volunteer Fire Brigade, Brooke still had a building.

  She pointed to the opposite side of the room. “My bedroom is through there.”

  Jessica carefully crossed the room.

  When Brooke saw the buckets stacked in the living room, she nearly cried. The water that fell from the ceiling after it rained was nothing compared to the damage the fire hoses had caused.

  As she stopped in the middle of her bedroom doorway, Brooke caught her breath. This room wasn’t any better than the rest of her apartment. It was enough to make her wonder if she would ever be able to live here again.

  “Would you like a hand to pack a few things?” Jessica asked.

  Brooke shook her head. “It won’t take me long.” She found a backpack and began filling it with clothes from her dresser. As she took underwear, socks, and a few T-shirts from the drawers, she remembered what her mom had said. After a good wash or two, most of the clothes would be okay to wear. If they weren’t, she could drive to Polson and buy what she needed.

  She threw two pairs of jeans, another pair of shoes, and a dress into the bag. Before she left, she squeezed a well-loved Teddy bear into one of the pockets. Mr. Franklin had sat on her bed since she was five years old and she wasn’t leaving him behind.

  “Is there anything else you need?” Jessica asked.

  “Just my laptop.” Brooke opened the top drawer of another dresser and took out her laptop. Its carry case was waterproof, but she had no idea if the laptop was okay. “My passport is in the living room with…”

  Brooke’s gaze landed on her closet. Oh, no.

  She bit her bottom lip and rushed across the room. When she’d turned twenty-one, her mom had given her an album filled with photos of her childhood. She prayed it was okay, that the smoke and water hadn’t damaged the photos of her nana and granddad, of her mom and dad as they’d proudly smiled for the camera beside their only child.

  When Brooke saw the bright red cover, she hugged it to
her chest. It had been buried under so many things that it was still dry.

  “Photos?” Jessica asked.

  Brooke nodded, too choked up to say anything.

  “It’s good you found them. Let’s get your passport. Would you like me to hold the laptop?”

  Brooke handed Jessica the laptop case and slung the backpack over her shoulders.

  As she walked out of her bedroom, she glanced through a broken window at the street below. The lights on the fire truck were shining like beacons, bouncing off the buildings as if it were the Fourth of July. “How long will the fire department be here?”

  “At least another couple of hours,” Jessica replied. “It depends on how quickly we extinguish the hot spots.”

  In the living room, Brooke opened a cupboard and found her passport and insurance papers. “Do many fires restart after you’ve put them out?”

  Jessica shrugged. “It depends on a lot of factors. If it’s a windy day, the embers can roar to life when you least expect it. If we leave too early, the fire can smolder in the ashes, just like someone’s open fire at home. That’s why the thermal imaging camera is important. It tells us what’s happening in the building’s walls and floors before it’s too late.”

  As Brooke left the living room, she ran her hand along a cabinet she’d painstakingly stripped back to bare wood and polished. The top was burned, but the sides were still there, holding the shelves of old-fashioned cups and saucers she’d collected.

  Hot tears filled her eyes when she realized her nana’s favorite apron had been burned in the fire. She’d kept it on a coat hook in the kitchen to remind herself of the wonderful times she’d spent in her grandparents’ house.

  Now it was gone, and everything Brooke had worked so hard for could be gone, too.

  Jessica touched her arm. “Are you ready to go downstairs?”

  After taking one last look around her apartment, Brooke nodded. If she didn’t leave now, she’d burst into tears.

  Levi’s Harley roared into Zac’s driveway, followed closely by Brooke and her parents’ cars.

  While Brooke had been collecting her clothes and papers from the apartment, her mom and dad had checked out of their bed and breakfast.

  Levi had talked to the police and the fire department before organizing a contractor to remove any broken windows from the building. After the jagged glass was gone, they’d cover the exposed areas with board.

  He would have secured the building himself, but he needed to make sure Brooke was okay. Spending another couple of hours working on the building wouldn’t help her or her parents.

  When everyone was ready, they’d driven away from Sapphire Bay.

  With a relieved sigh, Levi stopped in front of Zac’s garage. Before they’d left town, Brooke’s pale face had worried him. He knew how much her business meant to her, how much she was looking forward to making it even more successful.

  There was no reason why her sales couldn’t continue to grow, but he wasn’t sure she saw it that way.

  He took off his helmet and walked across to Brooke’s car. “You can park in the garage. There’s plenty of room.”

  “I’ll leave my car outside for now,” she said softly. “I might need to drive back to Sapphire Bay to talk to the police. I’ll see where Dad wants to park.”

  Levi watched her talk to her parents, then helped collect everything out of her car. “The laundry room is in the garage. We can wash your clothes straightaway.”

  “That’s a good idea.” Brooke followed him inside. “Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

  “You’re welcome.” He took the backpack out of her trembling hands and emptied the clothes into the washing machine. “Hopefully, everything will be smelling like a meadow of lavender by tonight.”

  Brooke frowned.

  He picked up a container of liquid detergent. “That’s what the packaging says.”

  A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “That’s better than smelling like a fire. If it doesn’t work, I might have to borrow one of your T-shirts.”

  Levi wrapped his arms around Brooke’s shoulders. “You can borrow as many clothes as you like, but they’re probably a few sizes too big.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Brooke held onto him, slowly relaxing against his chest.

  Karl stopped outside the doorway. He looked at Brooke but didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.

  Levi had seen the same helpless expression on many fathers’ faces in the refugee camp. A Band-Aid wouldn’t fix what was wrong then, and it wouldn’t help now. All they could do was make sure Brooke was safe and loved. Because, at the end of the day, that’s all that mattered.

  Virginia joined her husband. She glanced at Brooke before holding her husband’s hand. “This is an amazing property. Flathead Lake looks incredible from here.”

  Brooke wiped her eyes. “I told Mom and Dad about the view, but they didn’t believe me.”

  “Wait until you see the lake from inside the house. It’s even more breathtaking.” He turned on the washing machine, then held Brooke’s hand as he led the way inside. Her skin was cold and clammy. “Do you need a sweater?”

  Brooke shook her head. “I’m okay.”

  He glanced at her parents. Virginia nodded, letting him know that she would watch Brooke, too.

  Levi waited until everyone was standing in the hallway. Karl had wheeled two suitcases in from their car, and Virginia had a smaller bag in her hand. “You can sleep in any of the rooms on the next floor. If you need more towels and blankets, they’re in the linen closet on the landing. If there’s anything else you need, just ask.”

  “Don’t go to any bother for us,” Virginia said. “We don’t want to make a nuisance of ourselves.”

  “You aren’t a bother. While you’re getting settled, I’ll turn on the coffeepot.” Levi opened a door on their right. “This is the elevator. It’s the easiest way to get upstairs.”

  Before Karl stepped inside, he looked at the vaulted ceiling and the staircase that hugged the wall. “Your friend has designed a wonderful home,” he murmured.

  “I agree. One day, Zac will move back to Sapphire Bay. But it might not happen for a few years.” Levi helped Brooke’s parents load the suitcases into the elevator. “When you’re ready to come downstairs, I’ll be in the kitchen. It’s at the end of the hallway.”

  “I’ll go with Mom and Dad,” Brooke said. “I want to wash the smell of the fire off my hands.”

  Karl made room for his daughter, then pushed the button for the second floor. “We’ll see you soon.”

  Levi waited for the door to close before heading into the kitchen. At least Brooke’s building was being secured and, hopefully, nothing more would happen. Now all he had to do was make sure she got plenty of rest. Tomorrow would be a big day.

  Brooke took her laptop out of its bag and turned it on. Until now, she had no idea whether the waterproof bag had done its job or if she would be buying a new computer.

  With a sigh of relief, the normal login details appeared. She typed in her password and opened her emails. Somehow, most of her friends had heard about the fire. She just hoped Megan was too busy enjoying Disney World to check Facebook or read the local newspaper online.

  William and Megan had taken Nora to Florida for their honeymoon. With William’s erratic work hours and the number of cake orders coming through for Megan, they wanted to spend the next ten days enjoying their time as a family. The fire would only upset Megan, and that was the last thing Brooke wanted to do.

  She looked up as someone knocked on the bedroom door.

  Her mom smiled. “Are you busy?”

  Brooke shook her head. “Not really. I wanted to see if my laptop was still working. It is.”

  Virginia sat on the end of the bed. “Sometimes I feel like a dinosaur. I can still remember when we didn’t have computers, or the Internet, or any social media that everyone takes for granted today.”

  “I couldn’t operate my business
without technology, but I know what you mean. Each day there’s something new on the market that promises to make my life easier. I’m not sure any computer program has managed to do that, yet.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  Brooke closed her laptop. “A little overwhelmed. I keep trying to work out how the fire might have started. Before we went on the steamboat cruise, I checked the kitchen. All of my appliances were unplugged. The whole building was rewired ten years ago, so I don’t think that would be at fault. I just hope someone didn’t deliberately start the fire.”

  Virginia patted Brooke’s hand. “The fire marshal will let us know how it started. In the meantime, we can call the insurance company and let them know what’s happened. I’m sure they have a process in place for situations like this.”

  “It’s not only the insurance side of things I’m worried about. I’d confirmed a lot of orders for this week. I don’t want to let anyone down.”

  “Your customers will understand. They won’t expect you to provide them with candy after your building caught fire.”

  “I still feel terrible.”

  Her mom sighed. “Can you make the candy somewhere else?”

  Brooke had been thinking about other options. When she’d decided to start a confectionery business, she’d converted the garage in her first house into a commercial kitchen. She would have relocated back there, but the family who was renting her house were using it for storage. As a last resort, she could ask them if it was okay to use the old kitchen, but it would take a lot to bring it up to the hygiene standards she needed.

  Even if she used the garage, she’d have to take half the appliances out of Sweet Treats. If the water from the fire hoses had damaged the motors, she would be worse off than if she used an existing kitchen.

  “One of the cafés in town might be happy for me to share their kitchen, but they’ve got a business to run, too. The only way I can see it being successful is if I work when the café isn’t busy.”

  “It’s worth a try.”

  Brooke nodded. “After I’ve had a drink, I’ll make some calls. It would be good to find a kitchen I could use for more than a couple of weeks. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to repair my building.”