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I laughed, knowing she was right. There was no man who would say no to a delicious pie.
“Alright, if you say so. I’ll buy it and take it to them. But I’m also telling them it’s from you.”
“That’s my girl. I wish I could make it myself, but...” Her lips went into a thin line, and I could easily read the sadness on her face.
I wrapped my fingers around her warm hand. “Hey. You’ll get out of here soon. We’ll find some new place and I’ll take care of you.”
“I know, honey. I believe in you. I just don’t want you to feel stressed about this. We’ll take the insurance money, and it will cover all the costs.”
“I still have to find that job. Now that my laptop is gone, I will have to find some other way to search for job. Maybe the library or a friend. I’m sure I can call someone.”
My heart squeezed painfully when I remembered that all our things had been ruined. We had nothing anymore, and it hurt me just to think that we had to start from zero and solve this mess we’d fallen into...
No. I had to stop these terrible thoughts, because if I thought about everything we’d lost... No. Enough. That wouldn’t solve anything.
I refused to think about it and joked with my grandmother for the remainder of my visit. I was glad she was in a good mood. I’d been worried they would place her in some facility where she wouldn’t be looked after well, but luckily that wasn’t the case.
She caressed my cheek, which was something she always did whenever she wanted to make me relax and feel better. “You can do this, Bree. You’re the strongest girl I know. If there is anyone who can find the solution, it’s you.”
“Thanks, Granny. I needed this.”
“Don’t you worry about all this mess. This will pass, and you’ll come out of this stronger than ever. Now, I think you should go and give those fellas a pie.” She winked at me again, making me laugh, and I shook my head. She was persistent, no matter what state she was in.
I stayed for a couple more minutes before I headed to the store. I made a call to the Red Cross volunteer who had given me her number and asked her to tell me which fire station responded to the call last night. She told me it was Firehouse 149, which was a mile away from the bakery.
I chose an apple pie to take to the station and walked there from the bakery. I felt slightly nervous because I had no idea how Caleb and Trent were going to react when they saw me. I had to apologize to them and explain why I waved them off like that. Hopefully, they would understand that I was just trying my best to handle everything.
I crossed the street, feeling a crushing wave of guilt in my chest. I felt terrible about the fire that had displaced so many people. It was horrifying knowing that in just one second everything could be lost, and I was grateful beyond words that no one died. If that happened, I didn’t know how I would have felt.
What if it had all been my fault? At least I thought it could be. That pot I left on the stove while I watched TV. I fell asleep. What if that was the beginning?
Was I to blame?
Granny was sleeping when I smelled smoke, which was my first clue that something awful was happening. Just as I jumped from the couch, I heard the cracking sounds that chilled me to the bone, and I ran into the kitchen immediately. A scream left my lungs when I saw the fire that raged all over our cabinets and electrical devices. There was no way for me to douse the flames by myself, especially when the fire escalated in a matter of seconds, reaching the hallway and other rooms.
I barely had time to reach my grandmother, whose room was in flames too, and I supported her on our way out of the place, her coughs and the sickening sounds of fire ringing in my ears. There was no time to pick anything to bring with us, so we just rushed out of the building in our pajamas, joining the crowd that had already gathered on the street.
I’d been so stupid. If I hadn’t left that pot... If I hadn’t forgotten about it...
Maybe none of this would have happened.
I clenched my jaw, refusing to cry. No. Tears wouldn’t do me any good now. It would just make me feel worse, and I blamed myself enough already. At least no one was hurt, which was the most important thing. Hopefully, all residents would find new homes, and everything would be okay, in the end. Jesus, I prayed it would be. I couldn’t imagine it otherwise.
I’d do everything I could to help the other people. Anything I could offer them, I would. I’d make this right.
I had to.
After almost half an hour, I reached Firehouse 149, and I clutched onto the handles of the bag I carried. Once more, I felt flutters in my stomach from the excitement, and I wondered what their reaction would be. I was glad that I’d been gifted this dress, because it was a confidence booster, and I needed all the confidence I could get next to those two heartthrobs.
I took a deep breath and crossed the street in front the station. Time to start making amends.
6
Trent
It was unusually warm, so I’d had to take off my shirt when I went outside to wash the firetruck. I needed this distraction to stop thinking about the mysterious woman from last night. Even though she’d flatly rejected us, my mind kept returning to her. There was no denying that she was the hottest woman I’d ever seen.
Was she alright? She looked so lost and sad last night, which was understandable since she’d just lost her home. The fire did too much damage to that building to be habitable, and I felt sorry for all people who were displaced. The negative side of this job was that I had to witness people going through such traumatic experiences, and it sucked.
