And above him, surrounded by a silver pressed tin ceiling, was a beautiful stained glass dome. Purple, blue, red, and green light filtered onto the floor, whispered across the furniture, and pooled at his feet. If he worked here, he’d spend every spare minute staring at the ceiling. But today, he kept moving.
Daniel’s office door was open, so he tapped on the wood and poked his head around the doorframe.
Daniel looked up from his computer. “Louisa said you’d arrived.”
“I should have known.” He looked over his shoulder before turning back to Daniel. “How’s Elizabeth?” he whispered.
“No different.” Daniel looked at the box in Blake’s hands.
“Don’t worry. There’s something in here for you, too.”
“Is it from the Co-op or Angel Wings Café?”
“Am I that predictable?”
Daniel snorted. “Only where Elizabeth’s concerned.”
Blake stepped into the office and closed the door. “I’ve been shopping at the Co-op. This, my friend, is coconut lime cake. It tastes like God’s gift to the human race. And what’s even better is that it’s dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free.”
“You’re joking?”
“Nope.” He handed Daniel a slice of cake. “I was lucky they hadn’t sold it. Now tell me about your sister.”
“Elizabeth’s overwhelmed. She had a melt-down last night that ended in tears.”
“Has she told you what’s wrong?”
Daniel ran his hand around the back of his neck. “It’s a combination of things. She’s more worried about Anton than she told us. I guess the fire was the last straw. Not having any of the clinic’s accommodation available for Christmas has upset her. And I don’t know how much sleep she’s getting, but it’s not much.”
A sick feeling settled in the pit of Blake’s stomach. “Has the insurance company accepted her claim?”
“As of this morning, she still hasn’t heard from them.”
“What about the rooms that weren’t damaged? Is Paul still renovating those?”
“He is, but it’s not as straightforward as slapping on some drywall and painting the walls. Each accommodation block needs fully functioning bathrooms. The main feed into the water and sewer pipes was destroyed in the fire. They need to be replaced before the accommodation blocks can be connected to them.”
Blake picked up the box. “It sounds like Elizabeth needs a slice of cake and a cup of chamomile tea.”
“I’ll make the tea, but you can carry it into her office. If we both walk in, she’ll think we’re ganging up on her.”
If Elizabeth was feeling overwhelmed, she would think that anyway. Blake opened the office door and followed Daniel into the staff kitchen. “How’s Sam?”
“Unflappable, quiet, and worried. We all are.”
He took the cup of tea that Daniel gave him. “Wish me luck.”
“You’ll need more than that,” Daniel muttered.
“That’s why I bought the cake.” And without thinking about what he’d say to Elizabeth, Blake headed toward her office.
Elizabeth sat on the floor, surrounded by thousands of fairy lights. She should have gone to Target or Walmart and bought new Christmas lights. But no, she’d hauled everything into town, determined to unravel the chaotic mess—even if it killed her.
“What are you doing?”
She jumped, dropping the lights she’d untangled. “What does it look like?”
Blake pressed his lips together. “It looks as though you’re trying to unravel lots of Christmas lights.”
“I thought I’d packed them away so well. But when I tried taking them out of the box, everything got tangled. Instead of stopping, I opened another box and started unraveling them. Before I knew it, the lights got mixed up and I can’t separate them.” She dropped her head to her chest to hide the tears in her eyes. For the last couple of days, all she’d wanted to do was cry. It wasn’t normal, but she didn’t know how to stop.
“Where’s Sam?”
“She’s helping one of Daniel’s staff with a programming error.”
Blake’s eyes narrowed.
“You don’t need to worry. This place is like Fort Knox. No one gets in or out without at least two people knowing about it.”
“It sounds as though I’ve come at the right time.” He placed a box and a steaming cup on the end of her desk.
She quickly wiped her eyes and sniffed. “Chamomile?”
“You can thank me later. Do you need a hand getting out of the lights?”
Elizabeth uncurled her legs. “I should be okay.” She picked up the string she’d dropped and carefully pushed away the rest of the bulbs.
“Here.” Blake’s hand appeared in front of her. “Hold my hand while you step out.”
She nearly told him she didn’t need help, until she tried to find an escape route. One wrong move and she’d crush the delicate lights. Instead of destroying them, she gripped his hand and jumped over the wires.
“Thanks.” Her skin tingled from where their hands touched. She’d missed Blake. Missed the way his eyes crinkled when he was trying to be serious, the way he could make a can of soup seem like a gourmet meal. But most of all she’d missed his quiet acceptance of her neurotic personality issues.
He handed her the cup of tea. “I brought cake, too.”
She saw the logo on the box. Despite feeling like someone who had fallen off a life raft and was lost at sea, she smiled. “Sam and I had lunch at the Co-op yesterday.”
“You’ll love this cake. It tastes like chocolate, but it’s packed full of everything except cocoa.” He lifted the lid and Elizabeth’s stomach gurgled.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t have breakfast.”
“It’s ten o’clock.”
Ignoring the scowl on his face wasn’t easy. “I’ve been busy.”
Blake’s eyebrows rose. “Untangling lights is not as important as eating.” He opened the box and held it out to her.
She chose a slice of cake and bit into the smoothest, most delicious morsel of tastiness she’d ever enjoyed. “Wow.”
“It’s dairy free, gluten free, grain free, and refined sugar free.”
Elizabeth savored another mouthful. “Thank you. It’s delicious.”
“Have you heard from the insurance company?”
She shook her head. “I called them this morning. They said they’d send me an email before midday. I thought if I decorated the staffroom it would stop me from checking the time every few minutes.”
“Is it working?”
“If I could untangle the lights, it might.” Elizabeth left her slice of cake on the desk. “You’ve been speaking to Daniel, haven’t you?”
“He’s worried about you. And don’t say you’re okay because I know you aren’t. You look as though you’ve lost weight.”
She took a deep breath. “I haven’t been hungry, that’s all.”
“Is it?”
“You promised not to interfere with my life.” She was so tired that she felt as though she was going to break into a thousand pieces.
“I also care about you.”
Elizabeth leaned against the desk. “I know you do.” And that was part of her biggest problem. She’d relied on Blake too much, especially since he’d moved to Bozeman.
“Do you remember what I said when you finished your radiation therapy?”
There was no way she could forget. Her chest had been covered in weeping blisters. The pain was worse than anything she’d ever felt. To help her get through each day, her oncologist had prescribed morphine. The side effects were almost as severe as the blisters. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t think, couldn’t sleep. When Blake had found her, she was curled in a ball—lonely, depressed, and exhausted. For the first time in her life, she’d wanted to die.
Tears stung her eyes. “You told me that a real friend is someone who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” And then he’d wrapped
his arms around her and held her so gently that she’d cried a lifetime’s worth of tears.
This time, Blake stayed where he was. “Would you like me to help with the clinic?”
She wiped her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“When did you last get a decent night’s sleep?”
“I can’t remember. When I close my eyes, all I see is Anton. I thought he was going to kill Sam.”
“You helped save her life. Anton won’t be getting out of prison for a long time.”
Elizabeth found a tissue and blew her nose. “Did Daniel tell you that Detective McCormick called?”
“No.”
“The police found the two people who lit the fire. The boys are brothers. They’re only twelve and fourteen years old.”
Blake frowned. “What will happen to them?”
“They’ve been sent to a youth detention facility. Their case will eventually be heard in the Youth Court.” Elizabeth closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she looked at Blake, tears rolled down her face. “I’ve seen what happens to children like them. The odds of them having a happy, healthy life aren’t great.”
“You can’t change what they did.”
“No, but I wanted my clinic to make a difference, to be a net that catches children and their families before something like this happens.”
“It can still be that net.”
Elizabeth bit her bottom lip. “It’s not going to happen. Paul has other commitments, the weather is getting worse, and I don’t know what’s happening with the insurance.”
“Let me help.”
“You have your own work to do.”
Blake held her hand. “That’s one of the best things about being the boss. I have other staff who can help me.”
“But it’s three weeks until Christmas. Your staff will want to spend time with their families and—”
Blake held one of his fingers to her lips. “Shh. I can reprioritize the projects I’m working on. We’re closed for two weeks over Christmas. There wouldn’t have been a lot of work happening, anyway. So, what do you think?” Blake’s hands cupped her face.
Elizabeth looked into his eyes and sighed. “Are you sure you haven’t got a white horse parked outside?”
Blake smiled. “I don’t think they park horses in Montana. How about we make a deal? If we work together, I won’t do anything without asking you first. If you’re not happy with how things are going, you can fire me.”
“Really?”
“Just once,” Blake warned. “It might hurt my pride if you fire me too often.”
“Will you make me chamomile tea and buy more of that yummy cake?”
His hands settled on her shoulders. “Only if you promise to eat at least three good meals a day.”
“I promise,” she said softly.
Relief softened Blake’s face. “Does that mean we have a deal?”
Elizabeth nodded. “I guess we do.”
“Can I hug my boss?”
“That’s the best idea you’ve had in a long time.” Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Blake’s waist and held on tight. He was her friend, her rock, and had found the best cake she’d ever tasted. Life didn’t get much better than that.
Chapter 16
The high-pitched squeal coming from Elizabeth’s office made Blake’s heart pound. He sprinted across the open-plan work area and charged into her office. “Are you all right?”
Elizabeth jumped out of her chair. “It’s been approved! The insurance company has covered the fire damage. I can go ahead with the renovation.”
Sam rushed into the office, stopping an inch behind Blake. “What’s happened?”
“The insurance company is covering the fire damage!” Elizabeth threw her arms around Sam and gave her a hug.
Blake watched the female bonding moment with a touch of envy.
Daniel appeared in the doorway. “There are no intruders and Elizabeth’s not afraid of mice. What did you do to my sister, Blake?”
“It wasn’t me.”
Elizabeth threw herself into her brother’s arms. “I can go ahead with the renovation! The insurance company has covered the damage.”
Daniel’s smile was more relieved than happy. “That’s good news. What happens next?”
“We can demolish the entrance to the clinic and start rebuilding.” Elizabeth handed Daniel a sheet of paper. “We’ve been working on an alternative solution. There’s a company in Great Falls who specialize in constructing prefabricated buildings.”
Daniel’s eyes widened. “You’re going to demolish the whole block and replace it with a prefab building?”
“Not quite,” Elizabeth said. “But close. Paul and I are visiting the company tomorrow. They can make a new entrance and office area in their factory. All we need to do is attach it to the concrete wall that separates the burned office area from the other rooms.”
Daniel studied the plans Elizabeth gave him. “I wouldn’t have thought of doing anything like that.”
“It was Blake’s idea. One of his clients did the same thing.”
The pride in Elizabeth’s voice made Blake stand a little taller. “A company I was working with wanted to build a new office block. It was the middle of winter and no one could guarantee when it would be finished. In the end, they chose a prefabricated building. It was more cost and time effective.”
Sam stood beside Daniel and looked at the plans. “The design is completely different to what was there.”
“The company suggested making more of a statement,” Elizabeth said. “I like it. It’s modern but will look good beside the other buildings in the street.”
Daniel rubbed his jaw. “What about City Planning? Have you spoken to them?”
Elizabeth nodded. “I saw them yesterday. They had a couple of suggestions but, overall, were happy with the design. It helps that I’m not the first person in Bozeman to replace part of a building with a prefabricated addition.”
Sam smiled. “For what it’s worth, I like it.”
Elizabeth looked at her brother.
“I like it, too,” Daniel said. “Rebuilding the entrance this way should be less stressful for everyone.”
“And a lot quicker.” Blake moved closer to Elizabeth. Her bottom lip was trembling and her eyes were filling with tears. He pulled a handful of tissues out of the box on her desk and handed them to her.
“Thanks. I get emotional when I’m tired.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist. “I hadn’t noticed.”
The lopsided smile she sent him made his heart break. Knowing the rebuild of the clinic could go ahead didn’t make Elizabeth any less exhausted. But hopefully, if the plan he was putting together worked, the clinic would be open before Christmas.
Elizabeth pulled the newspaper closer. The reporter she’d spoken with had managed to edit the article he’d written about the clinic. His new story included photos of the fire and a drawing of what the new entrance would look like.
“I was going to ask if you’d seen the article.” Blake stood in her office doorway with two cups in his hands. “Do you have time for a break?”
She closed the newspaper and moved it to one side of her desk. “I’ve always got time for chamomile tea.” It had been three days since she’d received the email from the insurance company. Three long days of finalizing the design of the addition, talking with the organizations who were helping to fund the clinic, and meeting with City Planning.
Sam had gone back to work at Fletcher Security and Elizabeth’s life was almost back to normal.
Blake handed her a cup of tea. “Careful. It’s hot.”
“Thanks. Have you spoken to Paul?”
“He’s taken so many calls from people wanting to help that he’s asked Jake Stanley, from the hardware store, to take messages.”
With two weeks left until Christmas, Blake and Paul had decided to ask the community for help. At first, Elizabeth hadn’t liked the idea. But Blake reminded her that when you’ve
helped create something, it’s easier to feel a deeper sense of ownership.
She blew on the top of her drink. “I’ve been speaking to the manager of the Gallatin Homeless Action Coalition. She has staff who can look after the accommodation. I’ll be able to concentrate on the legal aid clinic without worrying about the housing side of things. We’ve also organized a training schedule for new volunteers.”
“That’s great. It makes a lot of sense to work together.”
While she was focusing on the accommodation, Blake was promoting the clinic through social media. “I looked at the comments on Facebook. Everyone is so supportive.”
“It’s because the clinic is going to make a difference in a lot of people’s lives. Have you heard from Detective McCormick?”
Elizabeth nodded. “He’s asked me to write a victim impact statement for the Youth Court judge. He thinks it might make a difference to the boys who broke into the clinic.”
“A difference to their punishment or their attitude?”
“I want it to make a difference to their rehabilitation. Even good kids make bad choices. It might not be too late for them.”
Blake frowned. “You can’t fix everyone. They were living on the street because they didn’t want to stay with their foster family. When they broke into your building, they knew they were trespassing.”
“They were cold and alone,” Elizabeth insisted. “If they’re anything like the children I worked with in the Family Center, the could have lost their trust in adults a long time ago.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that they caused a huge amount of damage.”
“No, it doesn’t. I just don’t want the fire to define their lives. They need a chance to make things right before it’s too late.”
“What if it’s already too late?” Blake asked. “We don’t know anything about them except that they’re brothers who grew up in an abusive home.”
“Isn’t that enough? We have parents who loved us. We had a roof over our heads and we never went hungry. Someone cared about us, Blake. They made sure we went to school and respected other people. These boys haven’t had that.”
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