Page 48 of New Roots
My fingers froze over the keypad on my phone. How did I tell her, “Hey Ma, he’s a guy I met while protecting me from a man who wrote me creepy letters, and now he’s coming with me because that same man tried to burn down my bakery. But I also went on a date with him, so…”
Simple. Always best to keep it simple.
Me: His name is Axel, and he’s a friend I met through Anna.
Mom: Anna, the TV anchor?
Me: Yes. Axel works with her husband.
I saw the dots appear and then disappear back and forth several times before her response finally popped up. I knew she likely had a million questions but was holding herself back.
Mom: Is he married? Any kids?
I laughed that those were what she’d ultimately decided to ask.
Me: I’m cleaning right now. I’ll see you tonight. Love you.
I mean, it wasn’t a total lie. Iwascleaning up some of Axel’s space because I felt bad being a guest and making it dirty.
By the time we arrived at the bakery, my nerves had ticked back up again. Even though what had happened was never far from my mind, it had been easier to disassociate at Axel’s place and let my mind calm.
The man Wade had recommended, Terrance, was already there when we arrived. Axel and I joined Wade, Terrance, and his crew in the back.
“Hey, Stella. How are you holdin’ up?”
Wade’s concern meant a lot to me, and I was glad he was here since he had dealt with a similar situation before.
“I’m doing okay, all things considered.”
“This is Terrance,” Wade introduced, and we all shook hands. “He’s the best in the business, so he’ll get you back to new really quick.”
“We’ve already been briefed by Collins, your fire investigator, and he let our guys get in to take a look around,” Terrance informed us. “You’ve got more water damage than you do fire damage since your neighbor’s hose put out the fire pretty quick.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” I told him honestly.
He gave me a small smile as he explained. “So far, this looks like what we would call a clean-water incident that we can get dried out in less than forty-eight hours. That limits a lot of mold and sanitation issues, which makes it easier for us to repair.”
“What about the fire damage part?” I asked, hoping that would also be easy for them to fix.
“We’ll need to do a full check of all the electrical and anything we can’t see on the surface, but so far, this looks to be a minor fire that was put out quick, so we should be in and out in a few days.”
“Do you mean forty-eight hours from now? I’m hoping we can re-open on Tuesday like normal.” I held my breath waiting for his response, but I also knew that I didn’t have much choice in the matter.
“I can’t do any repair work until your insurance agent comes out because they have to see the damage in order to process the claim, but I can get a few things done today to prevent the situation from getting worse.” Terrance’s explanation made sense, but I was impatient. “Then we can begin work, but the water damage needs to be dried out first. Realistically, you likely won’t open until next week.”
I sighed deeply as my heart sank, knowing I would likely be closed for a few days. I knew there was nothing I could do about it, but I still hated that we had to. But I needed to remain optimistic and not let this get me down. If I did, then whoever did this would win, and I didn’t want that to happen.
Axel’s hand, which had been at the small of my back the entire time, now slid to my waist and pulled me closer. It wasn’t a grand gesture physically, but it felt like one, nonetheless. I slid my own arm around his back. His silent support was exactly what I hadn’t known I needed.
“My goal is to do a deep dive into the electrical today and check to make sure we can source all the supplies we would need so we can start work as soon as your insurance agent gives us the all clear tomorrow morning,” Terrance added. “Though honestly, your biggest hurdles may be the fire inspector and health inspector.”
“Why?” I asked.
“He has to approve of everything Terrance’s crew fixes in order for you to reopen,” Wade interrupted. “Plus, then you need the health inspector to sign off, and usually after incidents like this, they scrutinize everything.”
I sighed. That made sense, but I hadn’t thought of that.
“Usually, I try to give them a heads-up of when I will be finished so they can arrange to be here as soon as we are done and sign off on it,” Terrance added. “Especially since if they find something wrong, I need to know about it right away so I can fix it.”
