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I raised an eyebrow. “Everyone?”
“The nurses. The police officers I gave my report to. They can’t believe you saved four men from a burning building. I was especially proud to tell them about the part when you stopped John from shooting me. Where did you learn those moves?”
“I took a self-defense class. Somehow, I think I always knew they’d come back to find me.”
“Is that why you bought a gun?”
I nodded. “How did you know where to find us?”
“When I got home from work, I saw Tanner’s car in the parking lot. The door was open and it was still running, but he was nowhere to be found. That’s when I noticed the flowers on the pavement, and your purse in the grass. Something inside me knew. There was only one place you could be. Those men wanted revenge. Of course they would go to the new bakery. It was the only place that made sense.”
“Back at square one again.”
“One of the officers said as long as the damage isn’t structural, we’d be able to have it back up and running in no time.”
“I wonder how long John and Tommy will be in jail for.”
Dad shrugged. “Good riddance. It’s all over now. It’s all behind us.”
Behind us.
It’s over.
They’re gone.
It hadn’t truly sunk in. Not until now. All my guilt over Tanner almost dying had been the only thing consuming my thoughts. The adrenaline was wearing off. The aftershock was settling down. It hit me: nothing was holding me captive in my past.
I could look back without regret.
I could go back.
Back to Florida.
Carla.
Twenty-four
Tanner
“Hello?”
“Hey, Tanner. Can you come outside for a minute?”
Outside? Why was Charlotte outside my house at ten o’clock at night? She should be resting like the doctor advised. “Do you want to come in instead?”
“No. I can’t stay long.”
“Okay. Be right out.”
I jogged to her car and sat in the passenger seat. “Everything okay? Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Everything’s fine. I just wanted to tell you that I’m leaving for Florida early tomorrow morning.”
“What?” It came out just as loudly as it exploded inside my head.
“I’m going to visit Carla. Now that John and Tommy are out of the picture, I can finally go home.”
Home? “You’re going for a visit?”
