by Jill Sanders
“I’m really never this emotional,” she said as she wiped her face dry.
Cade moved around the desk and knelt in front of her, then gently placed the bag of ice over her burning cheek.
“You deserve to be, currently,” he said softly.
His face was so close to hers that she had to blink in order for him to come into focus. Then she was mesmerized by the richness of his eyes. The worry she saw hidden there. Worry for her.
For a split second, she wondered why Cade didn’t remind her of Reggie, but then her eyes moved down to his lips and the desire to feel them against her own overpowered all other thoughts.
Her breath hitched; her heart jumped in her chest as he moved closer.
Just then her office door burst open and Darby and Carrie rushed in. She glanced over as Cade leaned back and dropped his hand, holding the ice bag away from her face. Her friends were standing just inside her office, gawking at them.
“We heard…” Darby started. “What happened. Are you okay? Why didn’t you call us?”
“How did you hear so quickly?” Raven asked, touching her now chilled cheek.
Her friends frowned at her.
“Didn’t the murder happen last night?” Carrie asked.
Raven’s mind cleared from the fog that had fallen over it due to Cade’s closeness. Right. The murder. She’d found her father’s close friend’s body last night.
“Right.” She nodded and stood up.
“You should have called us,” Darby said again. She rushed over to hug her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she said as both of her friends hugged her.
“Why is your cheek bright red?” Carrie asked when she leaned back. Her eyes moved to Cade.
“Don’t look at me,” he said with a shake of his head. “You can thank her aunt for that. I was helping.” He held up the ice bag.
“Boy, I know you’d never hurt our girl,” Carrie said with a head bobble. “You’re too afraid of us coming for you.” She motioned between her and Darby.
Cade smiled. “Damn straight.” He handed the ice to Raven. “Now that your friends are here, I’m going to run some errands. Will you be okay?”
“Yes,” she said, lifting the ice to her cheek. “Thank you for staying with me.”
“Any time,” he said, then he snapped his fingers. “Come on, Blue.”
“Oh!” Darby knelt down and gave Blue some attention. “I’ve missed you, Blue. Bring him by the diner again soon. I’ve always got a juicy bone for him.”
Cade smiled. “Will do.” He nodded before leaving.
“Girl.” Darby turned on her. “You’d better open a window, cuz it’s steamy in here.” Her friend waved her hand in front of her face, doing her best Carrie impersonation as Carrie laughed.
“You need some new jokes,” Carrie said, sitting on the edge of Raven’s desk. Her friend’s smile fell away. “Tell us what happened.”
For the next hour, she hung out in her office with her friends, filling them in on every detail about what had happened over the last twenty-four hours, ending with her aunt’s actions.
“So, your aunt and uncle are both down at the police station right now?” Darby asked.
They’d ordered coffee and some blueberry muffins from the kitchen and sat in the old leather sofa and chairs that sat across from the desk. She remembered the furniture from when her father used the office and had been surprised it was still in fairly good condition.
“The sheriff made a point to mention that my uncle wasn’t under arrest. That he was just down there for questioning,” Raven clarified.
“And he questioned you last night and this morning?” Carrie asked.
“Yes, well, I was the one who found Joe.” She felt a shiver race through her and closed her eyes while she tried to control her emotions.
“That’s it. You’re staying over at my place tonight,” Carrie said firmly. “Both of you are. We’ve needed a catch-up girls’ night since all this happened. Safety in numbers and all.”
“I…” Raven started but stopped when Carrie narrowed her eyes at her.
“Girl, you are not going to deny me. I…” She shook her head and grabbed Darby’s hand. “We,” she corrected, “are not going to let you stay in this massive place alone after someone’s been murdered here.”
“I’m hardly alone,” Raven said.
“How many other guests are staying on your floor?” Darby asked.
“None,” Raven answered, causing Darby’s eyebrows to lift.
“How many are staying in the same building as you?” Darby asked.
Raven sighed heavily. “None.”
“Then it’s settled.” Carrie glanced around. “Are you really going to work today? Or can we please play hooky and go shopping before girls’ night?”
Raven thought about the pile of paperwork and decided that her mind just wasn’t on it.
“Let’s go shopping,” she said to the joy of her friends.
Raven hadn’t known she’d needed the day with her friends until they were sitting at a restaurant in Redding overlooking the river and laughing while drinking a glass of wine.
“God, I needed this,” she said with a sigh. The tears leaking out of her eyes now were happy tears. “A day with you two. I’ve missed the both of you.”
“Well, you’re the one who has been so busy since you returned,” Darby pointed out.
“For good reason.” Carrie nudged Darby. “Look at all you’ve had to take on. I mean, who would have thought that over the years your uncle and Morgan Roche would be stealing from you.”
“Not really from me,” she corrected. “From the resort. Most of the money taken was earmarked for hiring employees, general maintenance and repairs, those kinds of things. My uncle never wavered on depositing my allotted funds in my account. I think he knew that if he did, I’d find out about the other money he was taking.”
“That makes sense.” Darby nodded.
“I’ll wager he never expected you to return,” Carrie added.
“I hadn’t planned on it,” she admitted out loud.
“What made you change your mind?” Darby asked.
“My gran. The night before she passed, we had a talk.” She took a sip of her wine and swallowed the pain of losing her grandmother. “She reminded me of my parents’ sacrifice to turn the resort around. How much it meant to them and, she reminded me, how much it meant to me.”
“I’m so sorry.” Carrie reached across and took Raven’s hand.
Raven nodded and smiled. “Once her estate was settled, I decided to come back and use my inheritance to fix the resort up once more.” She frowned. “I hadn’t expected to spend all my money. I had hoped to purchase a place of my own, but after seeing the state of things.” She shook her head and finished off the last of her grilled shrimp salad. “I’m going to be lucky to get everything on my list done.”
“It’s that bad?” Darby asked.
Raven shrugged. “Some items will just have to wait until next year.” She was determined to keep a positive attitude.
“So, you are for sure sticking around?” Carrie asked.
Raven tilted her head slightly and glanced out over the water. “Part of me misses the city life. But no.” She shook her head. “There’s nothing left for me in San Diego.”
“You’ve got us here,” Carrie added as she tipped her glass towards Raven.
“To the three amigas.” Darby held up her glass.
After lunch, the three of them hit every store in town. Well, okay, not every store, but by the time they headed back to Cannon Falls, her feet felt like they had.
She wanted to tell her friends that she was okay for the night, that they could drop her off, but part of her still didn’t want to be alone.
She was happily surprised when Cade texted her midday to ask her how things were going. She filled him in quickly on playing hooky and staying at Carrie’s for the night.
He replied that it was a good idea and t
o have fun.
She’d wanted to ask him if he’d heard anything else from his uncle but didn’t want to put a damper on her good mood.
Carrie parked in front of a small cottage home just inside town.
“Is this your place?” Raven asked eagerly.
“It is. I had it built with the insurance money. It’s small, because the money was tight, but it’s everything I need. Besides, I spend most of my time down at my office,” she answered with a shrug.
“I love it. It’s… perfect,” Raven said, getting out of the car and grabbing her overnight bag and the bags of items she’d purchased. She shouldn’t have spent the money, but she’d found a pair of boots and a couple of new tops she wanted.
“Dad and I are just there,” Darby added, pointing across the street and down a few homes. “The blue one.”
“Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t know where you guys lived.” She felt her heart skip at the realization that she hadn’t even thought about what had happened to her friends after the fire. She’d been so… lost. There hadn’t been room for anything other than her own pain.
“It’s okay.” Darby walked up and wrapped her arms around her. “We all bounced back. Some of us just took a little longer.”
Raven smiled down at her friend. “Did you get shorter?” she joked, earning a poke in the ribs from her friend.
“Does that joke ever get old?” Carrie chuckled as she unlocked her door. “Welcome to mi casa,” she motioned with a flourish.
Raven stepped into the home and smiled. Carrie had always been an artist at heart. Even if she did spend most of her time with her nose stuck in a book.
The vibrant colors that filled the small space somehow made the nine-hundred-square-foot home feel bigger.
“I spent months scouring through small home designs before settling on this one.”
“Settling?” Darby shook her head. “You designed this place yourself.”
“You did?” Raven asked, setting her bags down just inside the door.
“Yeah,” Carrie said with a smile. She took Raven’s hand. “Let me show you around.”
Raven had to admit, the place was so efficient, that she doubted she would feel like she was short of space if she lived there.
There were hidden cubbies and drawers everywhere, places to tuck away items and store them out of sight, keeping the main areas free from clutter.
As with the living area, Carrie’s bright color choices flowed throughout the entire home, bringing cheer and happiness into each space.
“Oh, and the best part is…” Carrie walked over to a wall in what she’d described as her home office and flipped what Raven assumed was a light switch. Suddenly, the wall slowly lowered, revealing a full-sized bed. “The guestroom,” Carrie added with a wave.
“Wow, how did you design all of this?” Raven asked.
“It was easy. I was tired of living in the small government trailer,” Carrie added with a shrug.
Raven sat on the edge of the bed and felt her shoulders sink. “I’m so sorry.”
“For?” Darby asked.
“Leaving you. Both of you. I should have… stayed in town. After.” She looked between her friends.
Darby and Carrie sat on either side of her and wrapped their arms around her.
“We all lost someone we loved. You just got hit with a double whammy,” Darby said softly. “Losing my mom was hard, but at least I had my dad to help me. You had no one.” Darby hugged her.
“Not to mention losing Reggie. You two were perfect for one another,” Carrie said, wrapping her arms around the both of them.
Raven felt a twinge of pain when she heard Reggie’s name. She must have tensed, because Carrie asked.
“What?” They both leaned back and looked at her.
“Reggie.” She shook her head. “I found out, just before…” She closed her eyes. “That he’d cheated on me.”
“What?” Darby gasped. “No way.” She shook her head.
“No, it’s true.” Raven sighed. “And so ten years ago. It shouldn’t matter…”
“But it does,” Carrie added, pushing a strand of Raven’s hair behind her ear. “We need more wine. Then you can tell us everything.” She jumped up from the bed.
Half an hour later, the three of them sat around Carrie’s kitchen table. A plate of brie, crackers, and some fruit sat in the middle, along with some assorted chocolates Carrie had pulled out and a bottle of red wine.
“So.” Carrie motioned to her. “You know everyone’s been dying to find out exactly what happen to you that day. How did you end up in the cave? Alone?”
Raven was thankful for the wine. Somehow, it, and knowing she was among friends, helped her get through her story.
“I don’t really know. It was the morning of my birthday.”
“Your seventeenth,” Darby added in.
“Right. Later that night, we were supposed to have my party at the resort. Mom had spent so much time decorating and planning it. I was excited but acted like I wasn’t. I couldn’t show my parents that I wanted the party. I was way too cool for that. I remember going to Redding with her and picking out the perfect dress.” She closed her eyes on the wave of pain, missing her mother. “Reggie had asked me to meet him at our spot at midnight so he could be the first one to tell me happy birthday.”
“Aww, that was sweet of him,” Carrie said.
“Yes.” Raven nodded and smiled, remembering all the sweet times she’d had with Reggie on the hill that overlooked the town. He’d taken her there after their first date. He’d spread out a blanket and the two of them had watched the moon rise. It was the first place she’d made love. The place where she’d first admitted to him that she loved him. It was her favorite spot. Or had been. “He said he had a special surprise for me and wanted to give it to me alone. We agreed to meet just before midnight.”
“You said you found out he cheated on you?” Darby asked.
“Right.” She took another sip of her wine. “I ran into… Julia Garza. She used to work as a waitress here all through high school.”
“I fired her a few days back.” Darby rolled her eyes. “Long and different story. Let’s just say that no one in town will hire her now. Not after the craziness she did.” Darby waved her hand. “Another story for another time. What did Julia say?”
Raven really wished Darby would continue but decided she could get the rest of the story out of her friend later.
“Julia told me she knew, firsthand, that Reggie had cheated on me at Venessa’s party the weekend before.”
“The one you didn’t go to?” Carrie asked.
“Yeah. I was in Redding with my mother, buying my birthday dress.” She glanced down at her fingers and took a deep breath.
“And you believed her?” Carrie asked.
“She showed me the picture she’d taken on her phone,” Raven answered.
“Of?” Darby asked.
“Reggie, kissing a girl.” She shrugged.
“Who was it?” Carrie asked.
“I don’t know. It was from behind; all I could see was it was Reggie and the girl had darker hair. It didn’t matter, at that point. I knew it was true. So, I went up there to meet him, knowing I was going to break it off.”
“Did you?” Darby asked.
“No, not really. I went there, met him, and he…” She closed her eyes and shook her head as the memory played over in her mind. She hadn’t realized tears were once again rolling down her face.
“It’s too hard,” Darby said, wrapping an arm around her. “You don’t have to tell us.”
“No, it’s okay. I think that once I do, somehow I’ll be lighter.” She smiled and hugged Darby back. She took a big gulp, finishing the glass of wine. “He had a picnic all laid out. A moonlight celebration. There was a single cupcake with a candle sitting in the middle of the blanket along with a bottle of champagne that he’d snuck out of his parents’ wine fridge. It was so romantic, but all I could think of was him, kiss
ing someone else.” She took a deep breath as Carrie poured her more wine. “So, I confronted him.” Closing her eyes, she replayed the next fateful moments in her head as she continued to tell her friends.
“Did you make out with someone else at Venessa’s party last weekend?” she’d asked him, not even taking the cupcake he offered her.
“Where’d you hear that?” Reggie asked. The single candle lit up his face, along with the bright full-moon and the camping lamp that was sitting in the middle of the blanket.
“Does it matter? Did you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. She’d worn shorts and a tank top, since summer was in full swing, even though school wasn’t set to end for another few days.
“I…” Reggie had frowned. “It’s not what you think.”
Reaching out, she took the cupcake and tossed it over his head before turning around and storming away. Reggie followed her for a little while, but then his voice dropped away. Then she heard his screams for her to run.
When she looked back, there was a wall of flames, and Reggie was nowhere to be found.
She ran, fumbling through the darkness, tripping over tree roots or rocks. Then she huddled in the dirt and gave in to the smoke. She didn’t remember crawling or making her way into the cave. Nor did she remember when Sean Stone found her later. She spent her entire seventeenth birthday unconscious, lying on the floor of a cave, while her family and so many others in town burned up and died in their beds.
“It was all my fault,” she said, burying her face into her hands.
“How?” Carrie asked her.
Raven wiped her eyes and blinked a few times, returning to the here and now.
“The cupcake. The candle.” She sighed. “Don’t you see… It started the fire. I started the fire. If I wouldn’t have thrown it.” She closed her eyes. “I killed everyone.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Both of her friends engulfed her in their arms.
“From what we understand, no one really knows how the fire started,” Darby said. “I heard it was a discarded campfire.”
“I heard it was lightning,” Carrie added with a shrug.
“For all we know, it could have been aliens,” Darby added dryly. “Fire kills. My mom’s gone and so are your parents,” she said to Raven. “But one thing is clear to at least us.” She waved between Carrie and herself. “We don’t blame you. We never have. We both know that you had nothing to do with their deaths.”