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His expression looked defeated when he replied, “Things are going to get awkward fast, Reid. You need to be prepared that your girlfriend might be arrested for arson.”
“But…”
“And chances are, people are going to be looking at you too—especially if they try to say that you’re the one who showed her how to do this.”
It was too much for him to even wrap his head around so he simply nodded and went back to finish what he was doing on the engine truck. Luckily his shift was just about over, and he calmly put his stuff away before wishing everyone a good night and leaving.
The entire drive home, he agonized over what he was going to say to Ashlynn. There was no way he could keep this from her. He didn’t want her to be blindsided by the accusations; he wanted her to be prepared.
And he seriously hoped this was all just a major misunderstanding.
As for his own feelings about being implicated…well…he’d just have to wait and see.
When he got to the complex, he contemplated going up to his place and calling her, but when he stopped on her floor, he knew he needed to see her right now. The longer he waited, the worse he felt.
Knocking on her door, he let out a long breath. He just hoped…
“Reid!” she cried happily, dragging him into her apartment. “Guess what? Guess what?”
“Um…what?”
“We got approved for the loan!” she said excitedly. “I’m going to get to open my salon! Isn’t that amazing?”
And then she was in his arms and he was hugging her and for a moment, he was able to forget what he was actually here to talk to her about.
“So…uh…what happens now?” he asked as he slowly disengaged from her and sat down on the sofa.
“We’ll go sign some papers tomorrow and then I guess we get with the landlord to see about getting the building set up for what we need. You saw the place yourself; there wasn’t even any drywall up, so I’d like to get a timeline for when that’s all going to be done. Then we’ll work with…someone, I don’t even know who yet, about designing the layout.” She sat down beside him and was still smiling broadly. “I have so many ideas! Plus, I’ve been going on this site online and looking at chairs and cabinets and stuff, and I can’t wait until we can start ordering!”
“That’s…that’s great, Ash. Really. Good for you.” Reid knew he was smiling, but apparently it wasn’t enough because her smile fell.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked. “You look like you’ve got something on your mind.”
“I…” And dammit, he couldn’t do it. This was a big day for her and he didn’t want to ruin it. But when she continued to stare at him, he knew it would potentially be worse if he didn’t say anything and someone beat him to it.
“Reid?”
Reaching over, he took one of her hands in his. “Okay, I have to tell you something,” he began carefully. “Something was…brought to my attention today and I wanted you to hear it from me rather than someone else.”
“You’re kind of scaring me,” she said with a nervous laugh. “What’s going on?”
I hate this…
“Becky put it out there that…that she suspects arson,” he told her. “And she’s pointing the finger at you.”
“What?!” Pulling her hand from his, she looked positively horrified. “Are you serious?”
He nodded.
“But…but…why? How? I mean…nobody believes her, do they?”
“The fire inspector’s coming out tomorrow to investigate.”
“Holy shit! I can’t believe this!” She stood up and began to pace. “Why…I was with you, Reid! You know I didn’t do this, right?”
“I do, Ash, I really do. But…she’s put it out there and it seems like she’s painting a case for you being a disgruntled former employee.”
“But that’s crazy! Everyone knows she’s the one who’s been taunting me! I haven’t been the one initiating anything! You have to tell them that! You have to make them believe you!” she cried.
