AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s not, Junie, but it will be. You have insurance, right?”
I sigh, trying to focus on what I can do something about. “Yeah, I have insurance,” I tell him. I’m glad I do, and I’m doubly glad that I took out more than the bank required. I paid for most of the club, but I went through the bank for a partial loan to cover the renovations I wanted out front and a few odds and ends. Luckily all of that was unharmed. I owe so much to the local fire department. The damage was contained to this room and though it looks bad, I don’t think it will be a huge thing to fix it back—thank God.
“I guess this makes beefing up the security moot at this point,” Ben says, coming in the room.
My gaze goes to him. “No. I want the security. I actually want it in every room of the bar that is feasible.” Ben frowns at me while studying me intently.
“Junie?” he asks, not saying anything other than that, but he doesn’t need to.
“I cleaned up the kitchen, Ben. There wasn’t a dishcloth on it.”
“Maybe you were just so busy that you missed it, Junie,” Gavin says. I don’t look away from Ben, but I shake my head no.
“We weren’t crowded. It was just Dawson and me. I shut that grill down. There wasn’t a towel on it.”
“Fuck,” Gavin hisses. Ben still hasn’t said anything. “Are you positive? You had seen all the graffiti and shit outside. Maybe you were just so upset and distracted that you missed it, or maybe Dawson put it there and forgot when he closed up after you left?” Gavin continues, giving me possible scenarios and any of them are feasible, and maybe Dawson did that… except….
“That’s not one of our dishtowels. I special ordered all of ours and…”
“Junie, it burned in the fire…”
“There was still a small corner left, wedged against the metal grill. I watched the arson guys bag it. It’s not one of the ones I bought.”
“There wasn’t much there to be able to tell, Junie.”
This comes from Ben, and he’s right, but he’s also wrong.
“The material was a little charred, but it clearly had white fabric. It had been damaged from smoke and dirt, but it had clearly been white at one time. I’d never buy white. I don’t want something that stains easily. I’m telling you that it wasn’t one of mine.”
“Could one of your employees have brought it in, or maybe it was left here from when it was Elaine’s place?” Ben asks, his voice all business. I think about what he asks, and it is possible. I sigh, wondering if the past few days have been too much and I’m having some kind of delayed reaction.
“It’s possible,” I hedge. “But, I just…”
“You’ve been through a lot, Junie, but Honey, things like this happen a lot in a business with an active kitchen,” Gavin says, and I know he’s right. There’s just something in my gut that says this is all wrong…
“We’ll put up extra security and start monitoring it,” Ben says, surprising me. I can’t believe it. I thought he’d feel like Gavin. That’d he’d be convinced that I was over reacting. “It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Ben says, his face softening a he looks at me. He walks to me, and I all but fall into his arms. He holds me close, and I close my eyes, drinking in his goodness, while standing in the chaos of everything in my world that’s bad.
“Ben,” I breathe.
“Always going to have your back, Baby,” he says, and I hold him that much tighter.
“So, Kingston, are we like family, now?” Gavin says, with a laugh that tells everyone involved he’s enjoying yanking Ben’s chain.
I grin into Ben’s tortured face and he rolls his eyes as Gavin slaps him on the back.
“How mad would you be if I killed your brother?” Ben asks, his eyes crinkling in laughter.
“Well I do kind of love the big lug,” I tell Ben.
“Gee thanks, Junie,” Gavin mutters.
“So you’re saying you might kick me out of our bed if I kill him?”
“It’s possible,” I respond, giggling.
“Fuck,” Ben says, shaking his head. “I guess you get to live, Lodge.”
“Get real, Kingston. You’d be lost without me. I’m the Cash to your Tango.”
