Page 176 of His Flash Mate
Miranda:But I love shopping with you.
Me:Soon.And on Konni’s dime.Promise.Lunch meeting next week is mandatory.
They both agreed, and I pocketed my phone to wrap my arm around Mom’s shoulders.
The firefighters who spoke to us throughout the process were compassionate and calm, asking questions about the house, how the fire might have started, and just listening.Mom did most of the talking, with Jenny adding in that the smoke detectors had been working since that’s what had alerted her.Apparently, they’d found Mom’s bedroom window open, which she verified hadn’t been when we left.
Once the fire was out, they said they would investigate the cause and let us know when it was safe to enter.They took Mom’s number, ensured we had somewhere to stay, and said we didn’t need to stay there any longer.
I ordered a rideshare.Neither of us spoke as we waited.
In the car, though, Mom said, “I didn’t leave that window open.”
“I know,” I said, holding her hand.
And knowing that was the scariest part of all of this.
Someone was so desperate to take everything from us that they committed arson.What was next?
The driver dropped us off at the cafe in the strip mall close to our house.Konni and his mom stood when we walked in.Kaya hugged Mom while Konni hugged me.
“You’re not homeless,” I heard Kaya say.“We’re family.You’ll stay with us.”
I glanced at Mom and saw her nod.
She’d actually agreed?
“We should talk,” she said.“But not here.”
Once we were in Konni’s car, headed back to his place, Mom recapped everything.That Jenny heard the smoke detectors.That the fire had been in the kitchen and Mom’s bedroom, opposite sides of the house.That her bedroom window, which she’d locked, had been open.
“I saw someone taking pictures from the other side of our block,” she said.“It was when the fire was pretty much out and Sophia hugged me.Was it one of yours?”
“Possibly, if there were a lot of people around you that they didn’t recognize from the neighborhood.”
“Find out,” his mom said from the backseat.“If it wasn’t your people, we need to watch for another article.”
He waited until we were at the townhouse to excuse himself to make some calls.
Kaya sat down with Mom.
“I’m worried, Abbye.I want you and Sophia to come back to the family estate.The security is better than here.No one will be able to photograph you or start any fires.”
Mom glanced at me.I met her gaze, hoping she wouldn’t refuse.We were lucky this time, but what about next time?
Mom’s gaze softened as she looked at me.
“We’ll stay with you,” she said.
Kaya hugged her again, crying in her relief.
“I thought I was going to need to do a lot more begging,” she said with a teary laugh.
Mom patted her back and smiled—a real one without any hidden stress or strain.“You’re acting like I’m doing you a favor.We both know it’s the other way around.Thank you for opening your home to us until we can figure this out.”
Kaya pulled back.“This living arrangement doesn’t come with an expiration date.I won’t hold you hostage, but?—”
“Yes, she will,” Konni said, coming down the stairs.“Through teary hugs and guilt.”
