“I think it is safe to say that I am. Let’s just start over another day. Maybe a little warning next time, some type of signal. Hey Kyra, you have a visitor, or something like that.”
I laugh, I can’t help it.
“The element of surprise is so much more entertaining though.”
“And now you are laughing, which solidifies my earlier comment about this being an embarrassing moment I’d like to forget all about.”
“Kyra.”
“Thanks for the yummy coffee,” she interrupts, “but I’m gonna go hide now.”
I know I can pull the door open in the opposite direction and take away her ability to hide from me but instead I dip my chin and try not to laugh out loud. My shoulder’s shake and I’m on the verge of tears.
Taking in one deep breath after another, I start to back away.
Glancing over at Casey, I see she too is still laughing but has managed to wipe away her tears.
“I’m gonna go,” I tell her, and she nods. “Can you make sure she’s okay?”
“You got it,” Casey assures me, and I walk out of the bakery. Part of me is sad that it hadn’t gone like I’d planned but then again loving how frazzled Kyra seems to get in my presence.
I lean back in my recliner and start flipping through the channels. It’s after midnight and I can’t sleep. My mind has been going crazy all day after leaving the bakery earlier.
I intended to ask her to dinner this weekend, but I never counted on that door taking her out.
I smile again remembering the look on her face, followed by her stumbling backwards with the door swinging in her direction. She was alright, more embarrassed than anything, but I wish she would have allowed me to see her.
The sound of a door closing outside, followed by a boom triggers my interest. Moving over to the front window I peek out through the blinds and see nothing.
My neighbors are normally quiet and mostly in bed by now. However there is a new guy that moved into the last unit, and I think he works nights because he’s always getting in after midnight. He’s never courteous either, considering most of the other units already have their lights off you’d think he would be.
Coming up empty I start to walk back to my chair when I hear a swoosh sound followed by the entire front windows of my apartment glowing.
“What the hell,” I whisper, looking through the blinds once more when my stomach feels like it drops to my feet.
“Fuck,” I scramble for my phone and yank open the door while dialing 911.
My truck is engulfed in flames.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“My truck is on fire, and it's too close to the building.” I try to drag out the hose, but it is caught on something.
“Can you give me your address?”
I rattle it off and by this time a few of the neighbors have come out to see what’s going on.
“Hurry,” I say before tucking the phone in my pocket and pulling the hose with two hands.
The noisy neighbor in the end unit grabs his own and together we try to put out the flame.
A loud explosion ignites and the two of us drop, shielding ourselves.
“What was that?”
“Gas cans,” I tell him, “and a mower.”
I’d been over to my grandmother's house, my mom's mom, mowing her yard for her yesterday. I hadn’t taken everything out of the back of my truck yet.
“Anything else we should worry about?” The guy asks while we both stand once more.
“Don’t think so.”
By this time the sirens are screaming, and the firetruck slides in on the opposite side. The two of us step back to allow them to do their job.
An hour later I’m looking over the heap that was once my truck, and is now nothing more than a crispy shell.
“Found this,” the chief of police walks over and holds up a glass bottle with what looks like a rag that is mostly burnt. “Seems this wasn’t an accident. Do you know anyone who’d want to start this fire?”
“I can think of one,” I glance at Miles, and he holds my stare. “Question is, are you gonna do anything about it? Or does his daddy got you by the balls?”
I walk away, going inside my apartment and slamming the door.
CHAPTER
NINE
Kyra
I exit the bakery and round the corner only to come face to face with none other than Phil. My heart feels like it slams against my chest, and I take a step back, my pulse racing.
“Hey Kyra,” when he smiles at me I feel sick. “How’s Garrett doing?”
Phil makes sure to keep his distance, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the side of the building. The way he asks about Garrett gives me an eerie feeling.
“Heard about his excitement last night.”
“What excitement?”
When his smile widens, and his teeth shine with a disgusting shade of yellow I again take another step back.
“You should tell him to be more careful,” he adds, uncrossing his arms and standing tall. “Next time it could be a lot worse.”
With that Phil turns around and walks away and I run around the side of the building rushing back inside the bakery. Gran looks up and sees the panic I am sure is written all over my face. Within seconds she is standing in front of me holding onto my arms.
“Kyra, what is it?”
“I don’t know his phone number.”
“Who?”
“Garrett’s,” I’m winded, like I’ve run a mile instead of thirty feet. “Phil,” I say after a deep breath. Immediately her face twists into hate but I push on. “He said something happened to Garrett last night and I’m sure if it was bad we would have heard about it right? I mean it's a small town and bad things don’t happen without everyone knowing. But Phil led me to believe that more is to come and Gran, I don’t know what he means but nothing from that guy can be good, right?”
I’m rambling, I know this, but I can’t stop.
“He said that next time it could be worse, what does that mean? And what about this time, what happened? I don’t have his number because well, he came here yesterday, and the door hit me in the face. I was humiliated and made him leave but what if something bad has happened? What if—,”
“Girl,” Gran shakes me, and I look around realizing that we are not alone. She is close to me, but Casey and a few customers stand closer to the counter, and one sits at a small table a few feet away with a half-eaten piece of pie on a plate before them.
My cheeks heat, my stomach flips and I look back over my shoulder.
“Casey,” Gran hollers. “We’re gonna step outside.”
She doesn’t wait for a response from Casey or for me to agree. Instead she leads me outside and I sag against the side of the building suddenly exhausted as the adrenaline starts to fade.
“Do you want me to call his momma?” Gran asks, sitting on the bench at my side. I nod, because I don’t think I have any words left to say. Everything had already rushed out of me at record speed, and I can’t even remember half of what I said.
“Maria, it’s Lily Mae,” I look over at Gran who holds her phone to her ear. I expect her to start rambling on about Phil and then her insane granddaughter but instead she remains quiet, listening to whatever Garrett’s mother is saying.