Intent(67)
“What happened with the fire? I went by the house and everything is taped off. I was scared to death when I saw it. Are you okay?”
The three of us each take a seat and Layne describes the events of last night. Zoe listens intently and interjects several times, asking questions and clarifying events. When Layne tells Zoe that she would’ve died if I hadn’t driven by exactly when I did, all the blood drains from Zoe’s face. She grips the arm of the couch and her hand flies to cover her heart.
“You were still inside the house when it was burning?” Zoe gasps.
“Yes, I guess I was even more tired than I realized because I was completely knocked out on the couch,” Layne answers.
“And the smoke you were exposed to would’ve put you in an even deeper sleep than normal,” I add. “I couldn’t wake her,” I say and turn my gaze to Zoe. “She didn’t wake up until we were outside and she was breathing in clean air.”
“Layne, I should’ve been there with you,” Zoe cries and grabs Layne’s hand.
“You were safer where you were. There’s a reason why you weren’t home last night. It could’ve been much worse than it was. What if you’d been there asleep and I was here with Ace? We wouldn’t have known anything was happening until it was too late.”
Layne has a good point there. It could’ve just as easily been Zoe who was asleep in that fire, and she probably would’ve been upstairs where it’s harder to get to her. But since my suspicious side has already reared its ugly head, I have to follow up on a few things with Tommy before I’ll be completely satisfied. My first priority in all of this is to protect Layne.
While the ladies continue chatting about the events of yesterday and last night, I step out on the back deck to call Tommy myself. One of the benefits of being from such a small town is everyone knows almost everyone else—by marriage, from school, or in passing.
“Hey, Tommy. It’s Ace. How’ve you been?”
“Ace, good to hear from you. I’m just fine. What can I do for you?”
“I’m calling to find out about Zoe’s car. I understand you had to tow it last night. What was wrong with it?”
“It was the damnedest thing,” he drawls. “Poor thing had to wait for me for a long time because Roger drove his tractor drunk again and got it stuck way back in his field. By the time I got back to town, it was long after dark. I checked all the things that would normally go wrong, but I didn’t figure out what was wrong until I got it back to my house.”
“Why? What was it doing?”
“All the lights and stuff inside came on, but it wouldn’t turn over at all. No clicking. No engaging of any kind. Battery tested fine. I knew it had to be the starter,” he explains.
“My thoughts exactly. What’d you find when you got home?”
“It was the starter all right. Someone cut the hot wire to it so it wasn’t getting any juice at all. Luckily, I got a new wiring harness first thing this morning and it fired right up for her. Why the curiosity?”
“She may not have had a chance to tell you last night, but my girlfriend Layne and I are adopting her baby. Zoe’s living with Layne right now, and we were worried about her when she didn’t come home last night.”
“Aww, man, I’m sorry about that. If I’d known, I would’ve called you. Ava really enjoyed spending time with her, though.”
My chat with Tommy lasts a few more minutes before we disconnect and I rejoin my ladies. They’ve moved on to other topics, but I’m still stuck on my last one. Tommy said the problem with Zoe’s car was a cut starter wire. That can only mean one thing—it was intentional. That wire doesn’t get cut by accident. It was also no accident that Zoe was prevented from going home just in time to avoid the fire.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Layne
The construction crews have been busy repairing the damage to Marcia’s cabin over the past week while another crew has been busy painting and turning the spare room into a nursery. The furniture will be delivered today and the adoption home study will be finalized tomorrow. Ace and I went earlier this week to have his name added to the adoption paperwork. Zoe, Ace, and I also attended the classes to help prepare us for the adoption process, and we have our certificates of completion to show the social worker when she arrives. With each milestone we complete, my excitement increases exponentially.
Staring at the empty nursery, I visualize where each piece of furniture will fit and still allow room for the rocker-glider chair. The mural of the mountains surrounding us painted on the accent wall is a special gift to Ace. Set against a pale yellow, the vibrant colors of the landscape appear three-dimensional. I can’t wait for him to get home today and see it. I’ve kept him out of this room until my masterpiece is complete. He grudgingly agreed, but only because he knows it’s important to me.
It’s scary how hard I fell for him, how fast my life has changed, and how much I love every minute of it. The giddiness threatens to bubble up out of me in the form of uncontrollable laughter just before the doorbell rings. When I swing the front door open wide, I’m thrilled to see three husky young men and a large furniture truck. Working together, they set the furniture in place within a matter of minutes. Now I really can’t wait for him to get home.