Page 99 of Merging Wright

Playlist: “Burning House” – Cam

[Mach]

I wake with a start. Jane stands over me, and for a second, I think she’s finally returning to our bed. She’s been distant with her sister present, giving me excuse after excuse, coming to our bed later than me, or spending the night in her sister’s room, like tonight. But something in Jane’s face has me sitting upright and reaching for her arm in concern.

“What is it?”

“The town.” A sob cracks. “There’s a fire.”

“What?” I force back the blankets and grab my pants. Jane is wearing her comfy leggings and my WVU sweatshirt from our first night here.

“I heard sirens. They sounded too close.” Her breath shudders. “When I went to the window, I could see red lights swirling down the hill. The sky is darker above Bridge Alley.”

Fucking hell. Another fire is the last thing we need. We’re six weeks out from finishing in time for Kringle Fest.

“Stay here,” I demand, rubbing a hand down her arm and kissing her temple.

“I’m going with you.” Jane’s tone is the strong one she uses when she disagrees with me. The I’m-about-to-put-you-in-your-place voice which I haven’t heard in weeks. She follows me as I tramp down the stairs, solidifying her intentions. “I won’t be kept from my town.”

Stubborn woman. She slips into a jacket hanging by the front door, and we head down the hill. The smell of smoke is strong. The crackle of fire echoes in the night. Flames leap over the tops of the east side buildings.

Rushing faster than Jane, I slip and slide down the grass. My mind spirals. Was this another case of faulty wiring? Was it a new wiring issue? Or had someone done this on purpose? It was difficult to dismiss the last question, although I’d dismissed all possibilities that night at Adventure Dex. It was only a potential break-in, I told myself. Fire is much worse than any robbery.

As I skid to a halt at the base of the hill and round to Bridge Alley, nothing prepares me for the scene. Fire trucks and a raised ladder. Flames surging out from a storefront.

Is that . . .

I run down the street.

Trixie’s Trim is fully ablaze. The flames lick at the newly restored The Barber Shop next door. Fire also engulfs the vacant store beside Ma’s beauty salon. We’d been storing the exterior paint in the empty space along with tarps and rollers. And turpentine.

Rushing to the fire chief, my breath is haggard as I explain who I am and why I have a right to be here.

“You need to step back,” he orders before addressing a firefighter nearby with the information I shared. I stagger backward until a hand presses at my spine. Spinning quickly, I find Jane standing behind me. Her eyes are wide, reflecting the flames taking out Trixie’s and the vacant space.

“We can fix this,” I say quickly, determined to wipe away the concern in her eyes. “We can fix it.”

“Was anyone in there?” Jane’s typically smoky voice is unrecognizable. The fear inside too deep.

“The places were empty.” I wrap my arms around her, but she doesn’t shift. She doesn’t melt into me. Her gaze is focused on the flames. Her body stiff yet trembling in my arms.

“Let’s get you back to the house.” There isn’t anything we can do here, and Jane’s stricken face concerns me. For now, we need to let the firefighters do their job and wait on an investigation.

Thoughts wrestle inside me. Could I have prevented this if I’d told someone about the night at Adventure Dex? Should I have pressed for more information when the fire happened at The Barber Shop? Was Myles onto something when he suggested the fire last summer wasn’t random?

I ignore those questions, attempting to push Jane back and turn for the house.

“I’m not leaving,” Jane grits out, but her shoulders fall. “All this work.” Her voice strains. I wait for tears, but none happen. My woman is in shock. This is a huge setback, but it isn’t like we haven’t rallied before. We can still get this done. We just might miss our deadline of Kringle Fest.

Which means Jane will be my wife for a little longer.

+ + +

Brick and mortar can be replaced, but I’m upset for Jane. She’s worked so hard. Setback after setback, she’s continued to persevere for this place. She has fallen in love with Wrightwood, and the evidence is in everything she’s done here. She’s left her mark everywhere. Her dedication to the town is remarkable, and she feels responsible for it. It’s killing me to see her crushed by this recent incident.

My acushla, as Ma calls her, has had her heart ripped apart, but we have time. We hadn’t started on Trixie’s Trim yet. The vacant space next door will need a total gut job, but I don’t want to think of that tonight.

“Don’t think the worst.” Jane and I finally stand on Ma’s porch, taking another look in the direction of town. We both smell of smoke and ash. The sky above Wrightwood hints at dawn but the heavy plume of smoke suggests midnight. The fire is mainly out, but the fire department remains to watch for sizzling embers and potential re-sparks.