“My statement?” She spun around and looked at him. “You think I started the fire?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss anything pertaining to an ongoing investigation.”
A lump caught in her throat and tears sprung to her eyes, as if she’d stood in the center of the acrid smoke.
“You’re kicking me out?”
His head nodded before his words came out. “I can’t investigate the fire if I’m sleeping with the number one suspect.”
He looked pained, but his look was nothing compared to the pain in her chest.
“I didn’t start that fire.” She thought back to the night and knew she couldn’t have started anything. She’d never used her equipment. The only thing she touched was the broom and dustpan. “You have to believe me.”
He picked up her purse and handed it to her. “I have to do my job, and until the investigation is finished, we can’t be together.”
Riley’s immediate reaction was to fall to her knees and beg him, but she knew better. The look in his eyes reminded her of all the looks she’d received in her life. Somehow, her word wasn’t good enough. Never good enough.
She climbed in her SUV and headed back to her apartment. It was well after dark, and she had the early shift at the diner.
She slogged up the stairs, kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed fully dressed. She cried for all the injustices of the world. She cried for the homeless, the poor, the abused, but most of all she cried because once again she was alone in the world.
* * *
When her alarm went off, she dragged herself out of bed. Every muscle in her body ached. One look in the mirror told her no amount of makeup would hide the dark circles and bags under her eyes.
She’d tossed and turned all night. She’d dreamed of smoke and fire and destruction. The scars on her back ached at the memory. Her heart became an eviscerated, empty organ.
Each time she closed her eyes, she saw Luke and his look of pain. Somehow, what looked like loss last night morphed into a look of validation inside her mind. Like somehow what he thought of her initially had come true.
She did her best to make herself presentable and walked across the street to the diner.
Meg was already there, hunched over the back counter. She looked over her shoulder.
“You look like shit.”
“I feel worse than I look.”
Smoke rose from the toaster, and Meg let out a howl. Immediately, she rushed to the sink and ran her hand under ice cold water. “Damn toaster. Did you spin the dial again before you left yesterday?”
“I left before you.” Riley threw her purse in the back room and rushed out to get a clean bar-towel and ice. “Let me see that.”
“It’s bad.” She moved her hand from under the running water.
Riley gasped at the fully formed blister. “Damn, I’ve never seen anything blister so quickly.”
“It hurts like a mother.”
“Let me get the first aid kit.”
Inside were burn cream and bandages. Riley fixed up her friend’s hand and told her to take a seat while she waited on the early birds.
She moved around the restaurant pouring coffee and listening to whispers about the fire. She knew they were pointing fingers at her, but what could she say? She felt like she’d been set up from the beginning to take a fall. First, it was Luke, who’d basically told the world she was stupid and irresponsible with the gas tanks in her car.
Then it was Meg, who accused her of trying to burn down the diner and perpetuated the ‘Riley is a firebug’ rumor. Now her studio had caught fire, so she didn’t have much room to defend herself.
“You set the center on fire. Why did you do it?” Meg asked as Riley approached the counter.
“Oh my God, you, too?”
She lifted her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. “What am I supposed to think? It’s all the buzz around town.”
Riley tossed her towel to the counter. “I came here for a fresh start. I was seeking a place where I could be me. Where no one would judge me.” Her voice rose enough that people turned to look at her. “I thought I’d found my place. Somewhere I belonged.” She reached inside the swinging doors and grabbed her purse. She glanced at Ben cooking. “Tell Aunt Maisey thank you for everything, but it’s not going to work out.”
She stopped in front of Meg. “Because people say something doesn’t make it true. Everyone in town says awful things about you, but I made up my own mind. Turns out maybe my stepmother was right. She always said I had no sense.” She shrugged her purse to her shoulder and marched to the door. Before she opened it, she turned around and looked at everyone in the diner. In the corner sat Doc and Agatha. Tilden Cool sat at the counter opposite Meg. A few tourists and some locals she wasn’t on a first name basis with filled the other booths and tables. “As a statement of public record, I didn’t start the Guild Center on fire.” She swung the door open and walked right into Sheriff Cooper.
“I was coming to see you,” he said.
Riley gritted her teeth so hard, she was sure her molars would crack. “You want to put me in cuffs?”
Sheriff Aiden Cooper’s head snapped back like she’d slapped him. “No, I was coming to get your statement. Do I have a reason to put you in cuffs?”
Doc somehow made his way to her without her noticing.
“Now, listen here,” he said in his fatherly manner. “No one is going out of here in cuffs.”
He gave the sheriff a hard look. “Aiden, the girl's been through enough. The whole damn town has tried and convicted her, and we both know she’s not guilty of setting the fire on purpose.”
Riley suppressed a growl. “I didn’t set the fire on purpose or accidentally.” She pushed past the sheriff and walked across the street to his office. If he wanted to lock her up, fine.
“Riley, wait up,” the sheriff called after her.
“You don’t need to cuff me or Taser me, Sheriff. I’ve got no fight left in me.”
He caught up with her. “I don’t think you started the fire, but I need your statement.”
“You don’t?” It was the first spark of hope she had.
“No, and neither does Luke, but you have to understand he has a job to do. If he took your side, he would lose credibility.”
A stabbing pain pierced her heart. “It’s okay, Sheriff, you don’t need to defend him. I know he’s doing his job, but Jeez, for once in my life, it would have been nice to have someone choose me.”
She followed him into the station, where Mark Bancroft sat at his desk and Poppy Bancroft sat at hers. Behind her hung the beefcake calendar. She’d turned it to April of next year, which happened to be Mark’s month.
“Come on in and have a seat.” Sheriff Cooper pointed to the chair in front of his desk. He turned to Poppy and Mark. “I’d love a muffin and a coffee from the bakery.”
They hopped up and vacated the room.
“You didn’t have to kick them out. I don’t have anything to confess.” She saw the calendar on his desk. “Can I look at that?”
He slid it to her. She flipped from the back forward. December gave her a giggle despite the somber situation. Seeing Doc in a Santa suit with candy cane boxers and knee-high red and white striped socks was humorous. She flipped through the pages until she came to February, and her heart did a triple twisting somersault into the pit of her stomach.
“How come the ones you love hurt you the most?” She closed the calendar and put it back on his desk.
“It hurts because you love them.”
She set her hands on her lap and looked up with teary eyes. She fought to keep her emotions in check.
“What did you want to ask me, Sheriff?”
He took her statement. All she could tell him was she’d cleaned up the shop and walked out the back door. She hadn’t used any equipment that day that could start a fire. Her tanks were stored next to the wall. The spares she had were stored in the warehouse.
“What about
the propane torch you use for smaller items?”
“It was on the workbench. I haven’t used it since I arrived. I’ve had no need for it.” She thought it odd he’d asked about it, but then again, she knew he would need to be thorough. There would be an investigation for insurance purposes, as well as criminal negligence.
He finished his notes and smiled. “You’re free to go.”
“Am I? Do I need to stay in town?”
His brows lifted. “You planning on leaving?”
She nodded. “I learned long ago to listen to my gut, and it says I’m not welcome here.”
He shook his head. “I learned long ago to listen to my heart. It’s a far better gauge.” The chair legs scraped against the cement floor when he pushed, lifted from his chair, and walked around his desk. “You’re not under arrest, Riley, but I think you should stay around. You’d be surprised at what people are saying about you.”
She looked over her shoulder to the diner. “Oh, I’ve heard the whispers.”
“Then you haven’t been listening.” He walked her to the door. “Are you hearing what people are truly saying, or are you hearing what you expect them to say?”
She walked out of the office, wondering for the second time since she’d lived in Aspen Cove if she was losing her mind. Weeks ago, Luke had asked her something similar. Was she simply misinterpreting people’s actions?
She thought back to what she’d said to Meg; because people said one thing didn’t make it so. She had a lot to think about. Mainly what her next plan was. Maybe she’d be heading to Boise to see Baxter.
She walked at a snail’s pace to her apartment. As soon as she opened the back door, she was greeted by Katie and a hug.
“You okay?”
“Sure, I’m being accused of being an arsonist. Life sure isn’t dull in Aspen Cove.”
“I know you didn’t set that fire. No one else that matters believes it.”
“Meg thinks I did. She basically announced it to everyone within earshot of the diner.”
“Meg doesn’t matter.”
Katie pulled her into the back of the bakery and plucked several muffins, brownies, and cookies from cooling trays and plated them.
“You look exhausted. Take this upstairs and rest. It will all work out.”
She gave her friend a hug and walked upstairs with the goodies. It would all work out as soon as she could pack up her stuff and be gone.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Luke hated he had to push Riley away, but he needed to separate himself from his relationship so he could do his job. Without his paycheck, he couldn’t move forward with the relationship he wanted to have with her.
He knew she was a safety-first woman. He’d watched her in action this past month. Something didn’t sit right with the fire; he felt it in his gut, but he had to entertain the possibility that Riley had inadvertently left the flame going. She did say she was exhausted.
“I’m heading to the center to look around again,” Thomas said.
Luke pushed his chair from his desk. “I’ll go with you.”
“Nope.”
“What do you mean no?”
“Think about it. Think long and hard about where you need to be. I’m an asshole when it comes to women, but you’re worse. She needs you, man. Your job will be here. No one can fire you but Samantha, and you know she’s not going to do that. Make the right choice. I’ve got this. It’s what I do.”
Luke’s gut ached when Thomas mentioned choice, because he knew he’d screwed up. All Riley ever wanted was to be someone’s choice, and he’d let her down.
“I’m such an idiot.”
“Been telling you that for months.”
“This time, you’re right.”
Luke took off from the station at a run. He sprinted up the block to the back side of the bakery. When he got there, he rang the bell several times, but no one answered. He pounded on the back door until Katie answered.
“Have you seen Riley?” His voice was heavy with desperation.
Katie looked up the stairs. “Did you ring her bell?”
He nodded. “She didn’t answer.”
“Maybe she’s resting. She’s been through a lot.”
He knew she’d been through hell, and it was his responsibility to guide her back.
“I know, and I wasn’t there for her, but I want to be.”
Katie let out a heavy sigh. “How men have made it to the twenty-first century is a mystery to me.” She pointed up the stairs. “I can let you in this door, but she’ll have to let you in the next one.”
Luke rushed up the stairs and knocked. He waited a few minutes and knocked again.
“Who is it?” Riley's voice asked.
She knew it was him because he could see her shadow through the peephole.
“It’s Luke. Let me in.”
“Flowers and lots of groveling might work.” Katie went back into the bakery to leave him alone with the voice behind the door.
“What do you want?”
He wanted a lot of things, but mostly right now he wanted to hold her. “I want you. I choose you, Riley. I’m sorry I didn’t put you first.”
“What about your job?”
“This isn’t about my job, it’s about us.”
He could hear her whimpers through the wood.
“There is no us.”
“Open the door, Riley, and I’ll prove you wrong. The only thing that matters is us. I’ll sit on the step in front of your door until you do.”
He listened to the chain fall and the lock disengage. When she cracked open the door, he pushed it wider and pulled her into his arms.
“God, I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot. Loving you means putting you first, and I’m sorry I lost sight of what was important for a second. It took a bigger idiot to remind me of that.”
“Who?” She swiped at her tears and moved inside to where she’d been packing the milk crate full of her things. On top was the erector set she’d prized all her life.
“Thomas.”
She sniffled. “He told you to come here?”
“No, but he told me I was an asshole.”
She nodded. “Yes, you were.”
He pulled the erector set from the box and set it back on the shelf.
She picked it up and put it back in the box.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m packing.”
He glanced around and found her suitcase by the door. His throat turned dry. Ten minutes later, and she would have been gone.
“You were going to leave me without saying goodbye?”
She inhaled a shaky breath. “I was preparing to leave. I hadn’t made a solid plan yet.”
He pulled her into his arms. “Riley, you can’t leave me. I’m less without you.”
“You’re employed without me.”
"What’s the point of a job if I don’t have someone to talk to about it?”
She pressed her head into his chest. “It will pay for your fancy new house on the lake.”
“A house that will be missing its heart if you’re not there.”
She burst into tears. “I didn’t start the fire.”
“I know you didn’t, but someone did, and we have to figure it out.”
“You should go, then. I don’t want anyone talking badly about you. I’m bad for you.”
He lifted her chin. “You’re the only thing that’s good for me. Thomas is investigating and he’ll figure it out.”
“What if he doesn’t? I can’t stay here and have people whispering behind my back. No way I could live in a place where everyone thought I was guilty but got off because my boyfriend is the fire chief.”
He understood where she was coming from. He wouldn’t want to live with a cloud of doubt hovering above his head either.
He led her to the sofa and sat down, tugging her into his lap. “It will be okay. I know it here”—he touched his stomach—“and here.” He touched his heart.
“Y
ou pushed me away.”
“We’ve already established I’m an idiot.”
She curled into his lap, and he held her until she fell asleep.
Throughout the rest of the day, he exchanged texts with Thomas, who had found some clues he believed exonerated Riley, but he was tight-lipped about the details. All he would say was to meet him in the diner the next day, and to bring her.
When the sun set and dark of night blanketed the town, Luke took her to bed. While he would have loved to have made love to her, that’s not what she needed. She needed to know he was there for her through thick and thin. Even though he needed a nudge, he chose her above all else. It was the right thing to do. The only thing to do.
* * *
“Why do I have to go with you?” Riley shrugged on a T-shirt and tucked it into her jeans.
“I don’t know. Thomas asked both of us to be there.”
“People will stare at me.”
“Yes, but because you’re beautiful.”
“They’ll stare at you, too.”
He walked toward her with a swagger in his step. “Because I look like a troll and they want to know how I got so lucky.”
“Right.” She gave him an exaggerated eye-roll. “More likely because you’re hanging out with the town riff-raff.”
He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. “Once this is behind us, we’re going to have to work on your self-esteem problems. You had no problem standing your ground the day I met you. Why be a shrinking violet now?”
“I had nothing to lose the day I met you. I was trying on a new personality, so there was no risk.”
He laughed because she was adorable. Especially the way her hands tentatively touched his hips and then moved with confidence around to grip the globes of his ass.
“You weren’t trying on a new personality, you were letting yours go free. Your stepmother did a real job on reining you in. I bet it was because deep inside she knew you’d be a force to be reckoned with if you were ever allowed to use your voice.”
She stood taller and lifted her chin. “You think?”
He brushed his lips against hers. “I know, baby. I know.” He deepened the kiss until her fingers moved up to his back and dug into his muscles.
One Hundred Ways: An Aspen Cove Romance Page 17