by Alexa McLean
But, nevertheless, we returned to Maine and agreed to meet the private eye at a local coffee shop.
“Can I get you anything?” Brandi asked.
“Let me pay.”
“No.” She insisted. “You’ve done more than you should. At least let me buy you a coffee or something.”
“Why are you so stubborn?”
“Hey, you were the one who wanted to date me. You knew exactly what you were signing up for.” She spun on her heels and walked away. It was clear by the way she swung her hips from side to side that she was trying to torment me. It was certainly working. I wanted to take her by the ass and bend her over the table right then and there but of course that wasn’t very appropriate for the coffee house setting so I kept it confined in my pants.
A few minutes later, she returned with two coffee cups in her hands. I thought she was going to sit down but again she spun on her heels and teased me with those delicious hips of hers. Oh, she was definitely doing this on purpose.
When she reached the sugar station, she seemed to drop something and bent down to pick it up.
Sometimes, that woman could be as evil as the devil himself.
“I thought we could split a pastry. If I remember correctly, you’re a fan of apple turnovers.”
“Love them,” I answered, stomach already rumbling with anticipation. I snatched the pastry before she could get to it.
“Hey!” She protested.
I thought about paying her back for teasing me but I couldn’t bring myself to be that mean so instead I split the turnover in half. “Here,” I said. “No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
Before she could say anything in response, the private eye came marching through the door. He didn’t bother to order a coffee. With a purposeful gait, he joined us at the table and sat down. There was a grim look on his face. “The plan has failed.”
“What do you mean?” Brandi asked.
“As far as I can tell, Keith had nothing to do with the accident.” He went through his files. “I went through the liberty of searching through your father’s property while you were away and I found nothing of significant interest. If there was a blood feud between Keith and your father, I certainly would have found evidence to prove it.”
“But they hated each other,” Brandi interjected. “The whole town knows it.”
“That may be so but there was nothing in terms of solid evidence aside from that email I found stored away in his inbox.” The private eye rested his hands over his briefcase.
“You know, I find it extremely hard to believe that you found nothing.” I leveled my voice to make sure he knew the severity of what he was telling me. “How could you find an email detailing Keith’s threat and then not a single ounce of evidence elsewhere? It seems rather convenient if you ask me.” I leaned forward. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you had slacked off at your job while we were gone.”
“I’m going to pretend I did not hear you say that, sir.” He answered with a clipped tone. “I have been faithful to you and your firm for years. I think I deserve my fair share of trust.”
“You’re right,” I answered. “I just find this extremely hard to believe.”
“I will continue with the investigation but for the time being, there is nothing out of place. I would suggest that you return to business as usual.”
“Does that mean I can go back to running the diner?” Brandi chimed in.”
“Certainly.” He answered with a nod. “Do as you’d like. I’ll keep an eye on things from the perimeter.”
I TRIED TO CONVINCE Brandi to stay home but she was insistent on going back to the diner and explaining everything to her employees. I would have gone with her but I had business of my own to deal with.
There was only one problem. As soon as I sat down behind my desk, I couldn’t concentrate. My mind wandered back to Brandi’s comment about wanting kids. She wanted to start a life with me. I bit down on the back of my pen, drawing out a mental execution plan.
Before I could finalize that plan, Sally entered my office with a coffee cup in hand. “Your coffee, just as you asked, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“Is everything alright? You seem a little preoccupied.”
“Just thinking.”
“I’ve been thinking too, Mr. Gibbs.” She fidgeted a bit and it seemed like her palms were sweaty. “I enjoyed my time with you during dinner a few weeks back but I would like to keep things professional between us. I have found someone else.”
I nearly laughed. I had already forgotten about our disastrous dinner date. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”
“No hard feelings?”
“None at all,” I assured her. “I hope he treats you with the love and respect that you deserve.”
She was about to say something in response when my phone started to buzz. I held up my hand in apology. “I probably have to take this.”
“Of course.” With a nod of her head, she excused herself.
I waited until she was gone before snatching up the phone. It was the private eye. Hopefully, he had something important to tell me.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Come to the diner, quick! It’s on fire!”
I didn’t even bother to hang up the phone. It fell out of my hand as I rushed out of my office and towards my fastest car.
Chapter 21: Brandi
THIRTY MINUTES EARLIER.
The diner was business as usual. All my employees had understood my need to investigate the situation. So, they were more than happy to play along with anything I needed.
“Do you mind putting these cups in the dishwasher? They are getting a little grimy from being out here all the time.” I ordered one of the busboys who promptly took the tray from my hands and disappeared into the back.
“You know you had me worried the other day.” It was Simon who had just returned from another one of his driving trips. “Had me experiencing some serious withdrawals.”
I laughed. “The world just wouldn’t be the same without our famous Cuban sandwiches, right?”
“Absolutely.” He agreed. “They’re better than my mother’s cooking.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” I responded while refilling a sugar container with zero calorie sweetener. “All mothers are fantastic cooks, or so I hear.”
“Well, not my mother. She has this habit of burning everything to a crisp.”
“That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not.” He grumbled before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out his wallet. As always, he left behind a rather large tip.
I grabbed it off the counter and brought it into the back office. As I was opening up the safe, I felt this prickling sensation creep along the back of my neck.
And then suddenly, there was a blast.
It erupted through my office and had me slammed against a nearby wall. The air was driven from my lungs. I tried to get up but my entire body ached from the impact. Had I broken my spine? What was happening? What was that horrible buzzing noise?
The sprinkler system came into play, dousing everything with cold water but it wasn’t enough to stop the flames. They licked at the furniture and consumed the curtains.
I had to get out of here. Since my legs failed to corporate with me, I was forced to crawl. It was excruciating. The smoke was already thick, making it hard for me to breathe. I couched. Doing so shot a burning pain through my chest.
Hurry up. I told myself but I was ceased by fear. That moment of hesitation doomed me because just then a cabinet toppled over right on top of me. I groaned and tried desperately to push it off but to no avail.
My office was getting hotter and hotter. If this continued then I would be burned to a crisp just like Simon’s mom’s cooking.
Something warm pooled against the back of my head. Blood?
“Brandi!” Someone screamed.
I wanted to scream back but my lips were so dry it felt like they had been welded
together.
“Brandi! Where are you?” Wait. I knew that voice.
It was Reis!
A spark of hope flared up inside of me. Reis had come to my rescue but I feared it was already too late. The corners of my vision were becoming blurry. My head felt incredibly light and airy. Try as I might to hold on to my consciousness, I just could not do it.
Everything faded to black.
I DON’T KNOW AT WHAT point I woke up but eventually, I did. Blinking, I saw a room furnished in white. Overhead, the light was incredibly bright like it had every intention of making me blind.
Slowly, I started to stretch but that was a bad idea because my whole body burned.
Nearby, a beeping noise got louder and louder. That noise was followed by a stampede of footsteps. Then, all of a sudden, a bunch of unfamiliar faces appeared in my line of vision. Some of them wore smiles, others wore stern expressions.
“What...?” I started but I couldn’t think straight enough to finish my sentence.
“It’s alright.” Someone said in a soft, soothing voice. “You’ll be fine.”
Then I felt a slight pressure in my left hand. When I looked in that direction, there he was.
“Reis...”
“Hey, baby girl.” He said. “I’m glad to see you’re awake.” I could hear the relief in his voice. “You had me worried.”
“You went in... and saved me... didn’t you?” It was a task to say those words. My throat was drier than a dessert.
With the patience of an angel, Reis helped me to some water. He held the straw to my lips and even cleaned up my chin when I happened to drool a little. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment but Reis didn’t seem to mind.
“I thought I had lost you.” He admitted. “You weren’t responding to anything and when I finally got that cabinet off of you, you were so limp...”
“I’m sorry.”
He looked up. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t cause the fire.”
“But what did?”
“We’re looking into that. The fire department suspects it was a gas leak. They’ll probably have a word with you soon to see if they can’t get any more information.”
“Right,” I said. “And what about you? Were you injured playing Mr. Hero...?”
“Just a few burns here and there but that’s about it.”
“Thank God,” I whispered, glad that he had made it out of there alive. “You’re crazy for going in there yourself, you know.”
“I do but I couldn’t sit back and watch the girl of my dreams go up in flames. We still have the rest of our lives to look forward to.” He leaned down and kissed the back of my hand. “And I want to spend every moment of it with you.”
Chapter 22: Reis
A FEW WEEKS LATER.
Brandi was finally released from the hospital. She had a fractured femur from the accident and required crutches to get around. I would have been more than happy to carry her everywhere but she was way too stubborn to allow me to do such a thing. Besides, the doctor wasn’t very fond of the idea either.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get some real food first?” I said. “I hear the next town over –”
“No.” She interrupted. “I want to see the diner.”
“And there’s no way I can convince you otherwise, is there?”
“Nope.” She answered.
“You’re not going to like what you’re about to see.” With a sigh, I made a right turn and rode down Main St. until we arrived at the diner. Brandi didn’t even wait for me to turn off the engine before she got out and hopped through the parking lot.
“It’s nothing but a pile of burnt ash...” She said as her eyes welled up with tears. “It’s all gone...”
I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, knowing that she needed the support.
She sobbed against my chest but it didn’t take long for her to straighten her posture and wipe away her tears. There was no denying that Brandi was a strong woman. But sometimes I feared she was too strong. A person who does not expose their vulnerabilities is exposed to self-destruction.
“Brandi...” I whispered as I turned her face so she could look at me. “We can always rebuild this place and make it even better. Those booths were getting a little crusty anyway.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have the funds to rebuild.” She lowered her gaze and stared at her feet. “Before the fire, we were drowning and now with the insurance money we’ll probably break even. My father’s dream ends here.” Upset, she kicked a rock with her uninjured foot. “It just isn’t fair. He poured blood, sweat, and tears into this place only to have it washed away with one tragedy after another.” Her voice trembled. “And now good people are going to lose their jobs because I couldn’t get my act together. Worse than that, I have no way of providing them with a severance package. What will they do? How will they provide for their families?”
“Brandi. Look at me.” I took her by the shoulders. Her hands were balled into fists and her eyes were as watery as ever. “We can get through this. I know you do not want my money but what if I give you a loan –”
“No.” She said immediately. “I can’t accept your charity.”
“It’s not charity. It’s a loan. You have to pay me back in a timely fashion and if you don’t, I get to keep the diner myself.”
“So, you end up getting all your money back and I wouldn’t owe you a penny?”
“Right,” I said with a nod. “Just think about it as a really big credit card spending limit. Take whatever you need to rebuild this place – to pay all your employees – and to give yourself a paycheck – and then I take a cut of all your profits from the day of inception until the day you pay me back in full.”
“Is there interest?” She asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion.
“No, but the collateral is the diner itself. If you can’t pay me back, I get to keep it. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”
“I see.” She considered it for a moment. “Do you mind if I think it over? Preferably over some lunch. I’m starving.”
I laughed. “Why didn’t you just take me up on my offer when we first got out of the hospital?”
“Because I wanted to see the diner. This place means everything to me.” Her voice shook with emotion. “And without it... well, it feels like a part of me is missing.”
“Now is your opportunity to build it any way you’d like. I know this was your father’s passion but you had a helping hand in it too. It’s as much his as it is yours. You were practically raised in there. So, make him proud.” I kissed her lips and held her close.
“Thank you.” She whispered as soon as I released her lips from mine. “You’re the miracle I’ve been waiting for.”
“I’m hardly a miracle,” I answered. “I’m just trying to do something nice for the woman I love.”
“Lending her hundreds of thousands of dollars is more than nice.” She pointed out. “But I swear I will work my fingers down to the bone if it means paying you back.”
“Don’t work yourself too bad because I wouldn’t mind getting the diner at the end of this deal.”
She punched my arm. “Don’t get your hopes up. This place is mine and I plan to keep it that way for a long, long time.”
Chapter 23: Brandi
“HOW LONG WILL YOU BE working?” I asked Reis. It was the first time I had stepped into his office. It was just a bedroom in his house but somehow, he had made it feel luxurious. The walls were covered with bookshelves and most of the books themselves looked like they had cost a fortune.
“I’m not sure. I really need to get these reports into the system sooner rather than later. Sally will be helping me so that should speed up the process.” As if on cue, his assistant walked in holding a teacup. She placed it on the coffee table beside me.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“That’ll be all, Sally, thank you.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t jealous of the
blonde. She was drop dead gorgeous but I knew, deep down, that Reis really did love me and that he would never do anything to hurt me – least of all cheat on me. After all, he had all the money and access in the world. Which means he could have any woman on the planet and yet he chose to be with me. That had to mean something, right?
I smiled at the assistant as she left. “I like her,” I said.
“I do too. She’s rather efficient.” He paused, an amused look shifting his features. “But get this – she’s dating your ex.”
“You’re kidding!” I nearly choked on my cup of tea. “Jeremy?”
“Mhm.”
“How?”
“Apparently, they are both rather fond of video games. She thinks he’s funny. I guess when you think about it, it’s a match made in Heaven.”
“I can’t believe it. Jeremy and Sally?”
“She won’t stop talking about it so if you want all the details... be my guest. Just invite her back in here.”
“No!” I shook my head. “I’d like to keep this a nag-free zone, please.”
“Seconded,” Reis said with a chuckle. “Now, you’re free to stay or go but I really do need to get started on these reports.”
“I think I’ll head home. Should I bother waiting up for you tonight?”
“No. Get some rest.” He got up and kissed my forehead before seeing me to the door.
It was cumbersome to move around with crutches so I was thankful that we literally lived across the street from one another. I headed straight for the front door but then I doubled back and opened up the mailbox. It was stuffed with mail. Most of it was junk. A few of them were bills that I needed to pay. But one, in particular, caught my attention because the address was handwritten. Now that’s not something you see every day.
I was tempted to open it right then and there but with my leg becoming fatigued from all the standing, I decided it was best if I opened it at the kitchen table.
