AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And why, if I may ask?" Gray stared at her over my head.
"Because I misjudged both of you. Right from the start, it seems. I doubt any other man would have reacted the way you did, Fletcher. You're facing millions in damages, and it appears that your current partner's ex is responsible."
"As I've already explained to Amelia, that doesn't mean it's her fault," Gray replied.
"Of course not. But other partners might not see it that way. Spiteful ex or not."
Gray let out a sigh. "Listen, Sergeant Williams. Amelia saved my home and one of my employees. She called the fire department and made sure we checked that all guests were accounted for. She'll be the first to think about how we can fix the damage, and, more importantly, she'll make sure I don't lose my mind over this tremendous loss. I see no reason why I should hold anything against her." His large hand rested on my shoulder reassuringly. "Ask any remaining questions you have, and then we'll leave. We'll sort everything out over the coming days and, if necessary, with my lawyer. Though he surely won't enjoy flying here from Hawaii for a chat with you."
Over the next hour, Sergeant Williams asked me what felt like a hundred questions about George. Gray never left my side, so she grilled him too about the argument my ex and I had, whether he had made any implications, what exactly had happened, and if there had been any strange occurrences since.
But in the end, there was no indication of what he had planned to do. He hadn't made any threats. No one had seen him on the premises or in Wolf Creek. It had just happened while we believed he was long back in Toronto.
He had decided to take everything from Gray if he couldn't have me back. I revealed every detail to Sergeant Williams: his infidelity, how I had left him and found refuge with Gray, that he had shown up out of the blue but only because things hadn't worked out with his affair. I left out no detail and painted a clear picture of the story up until this evening.
I skillfully ignored her apology. Just because she had witnessed an intimate moment between Gray and me, she thought that just changed things?
By the time she finally released us from the interrogation, the sky was already turning gray. Before we left the station, she informed us that the firefighting efforts had concluded and Gray was allowed to continue living in his house since it had only sustained minor damage.
There was still no news about Manon and Declan, but Wilder sent word that he had already gone to the clinic and that we should take care of everything else first. He would keep us updated if there were any developments from the hospital.
Despite feeling bone-tired and overwhelmed, I went with Gray toBrewtifulafter spotting the thick smoke plumes in the sky over the mountain.
One last breakfast before we faced the harsh reality waiting for us up there.
37
GRAY
Nothing had prepared me for witnessing the desolate aftermath of the inferno. But it wasn't just that—it assaulted every sense. The acrid smell of fire that had raged for hours. The ash floating around, settling on my bare arms. Everything seemed black, even though the sky above our heads was a radiant blue. My mouth dried up, and with each step crunching through the rubble under my feet, the sight became harder to bear. It would haunt me in my dreams, not just tonight but for as long as it took to rebuild this place.
It held a piece of my heart and made up a large part of my life. It was a landmark of the town. Despite the warmth, I shivered.
Ten years of work—gone just like that.
I didn't even dare to think about the cause as that would make me get in my car and go to the hospital where Amelia's ex-boyfriend was lying. I was never a violent man, but in this case, it seemed perfectly justified to grab him by the collar and tell him off.
Amelia stood forlorn amidst the remains of the house that she and then Declan had renovated. Except for the stove, which was dented and melted on one side, nothing else was usable. Glass shards sprinkled the ground, and other than charred pieces, no wood remained.
It was a tragic sight.
"We need to notify the insurance. We might as well send them the preliminary police report right away. And then we need to find workers… clear everything away before we can start rebuilding. We need to cancel the reservations for the next few weeks, and it'd be wise to post some job ads. We just can't handle all this alone without the bed-and-breakfast suffering losses for countless months. Has Wilder contacted us about Declan and Manon?"
Like her, in the rush, I hadn't thought to grab my phone. So I shook my head, my lips pressed tightly together.
All the planning Amelia had already done impressed me. It was more of a plan than I had because my mind was a complete blank.
Ten years of work, destroyed in one night.
How was that even possible?
Amelia suddenly appeared beside me. The walk home had already taken over half an hour because we kept stopping to assess the damages. A soft voice whispered to me that I should just let Amelia take the lead as I wasn't feeling up to it at the moment.
Inside me was a yawning emptiness that theWildwood Hideaway had previously filled. If I indulged my need for inaction, nothing would happen in the coming days.
She snapped me out of my thoughts. "Let's catch up on a few hours of sleep and then make a plan. You can also give me all the important details, and I'll take care of any urgent matters."
Seamlessly, she linked her arm with mine, and I followed her upstairs toward my house. It was the only building on the entire property that was intact and undamaged, except for the charred planks at the back of the garden front.
