The Heart of Us, page 3
“Did you just tell a hamster…? You know what, never mind.” Easton chuckles in pure amusement. “Good night, Tatum. Text or call me if you need anything. My phone's always on.”
“I will,” I reassured him.
As I begin to close the door, he quickly adds, “And lock this door. Don't answer it without checking who it is first.”
“Oh my God, you sound like my father now.” I roll my eyes. “My doors are always deadbolted, and I never open it before looking.”
“Okay. Good. Just making sure.”
“Night, Easton. Hope you have sweet dreams too,” I playfully add.
“Now, I just feel like you're saying that to appease me.” The corner of his lips tilts up, and I resist the urge to say more.
“Bye!” I flash him a smile, then shut the door. Once I’ve triple-checked the lock, I turn off the kitchen lights. Next, I check my windows even though I never open them.
Once I'm positive everything is sealed tight, I get ready for bed. My head is spinning out of control, and I'm not sure I'll be able to get any sleep with everything that’s on my mind.
After an hour of tossing and turning, I take a melatonin with some chocolate milk. My lips curve into a knowing grin at the thought of Easton adding ice.
Finally, my body relaxes, and sleep takes over.
I jolt up in bed as a piercing alarm rings throughout my apartment. I quickly discover it’s the smoke detectors.
But this time, it’s not Easton’s going off. It’s mine blaring. Then I smell smoke.
“Oh my God...”
I rush out of the room and flick on a couple of lights. There’s heat coming from the floor.
“Easton!”
He took the batteries out of his, and I’m not sure if he replaced them before going to bed last night.
As I whip open my door, I notice the smell is stronger in the hallway. I bang on his door with my fists, shouting out his name and rattling the doorknob.
After no response, I bang harder and scream louder.
“Easton! Get up! There’s a fire!”
Is it possible he already got out? Did he leave without me?
No. He’d never.
But either he sleeps like the literal dead or he’s not inside.
I pull my shirt over my nose, the smoke making my eyes water, and I run back into my apartment to grab my phone. If his cell is on, it might get his attention.
As it rings, I slip on my shoes. If I wait up here much longer, I won’t have time to escape.
The call goes to voicemail, and panic sets in further.
I have no choice but to leave.
Suddenly, my door swings open, and I blow out a sigh of relief when I see Easton with George’s cage.
“Holy fuck. We gotta go!” He holds out his hand, and I don’t think twice about taking it.
Easton leads me outside, and as we cross the street, the view of the building being engulfed by flames is almost too much to handle.
The shop is completely destroyed.
What’s left of our apartments will be covered in ash.
Sirens blare as fire trucks speed down the street and stop in front of us. As the firefighters rush out, Easton and I watch in shocked silence.
This couldn't have been an accident.
Deep in my gut, I feel like Justin had something to do with this. There are no coincidences when it comes to my ex seeking revenge. He knew Easton was lying and probably found out I lived above the shop.
I wouldn't put much past him at this point. He was always one step ahead of me, and now is no different. Even when I dared to fight back, he always had something worse to punish me with.
Guilt hits me hard at the realization that I’m responsible for this happening. Everything Easton's worked so hard for is gone.
He's still holding my hand, and I give it a squeeze. “I'm so sorry,” I lean in and whisper loud enough for him to hear over the chaos.
Easton turns and looks at me, his eyes red. “For what?”
I swallow down the knot stuck in my throat. “This is my fault.”
Before he can respond, an officer comes over. “Is there anyone else in the building?”
“No, sir. Not that I'm aware of,” Easton replies. “The shops next door were vacant above.”
People from the surrounding streets crowd the sidewalk. “We'll need you to provide a statement later to help us piece everything together.”
“No problem,” Easton says.
The officer barks at the people getting too close, and other officers set up barriers to keep everyone at a distance.
“I can't believe this,” Easton mutters, visibly upset, and my heart squeezes at seeing him so distraught. “Thank God you called me.”
“I was scared you had left,” I admit.
Easton sets George's cage down by his feet. “I would never do that.”
“I didn't think you would, but you weren't coming to the door or answering the phone.”
“I forgot to put new batteries in those damn detectors.” He shakes his head. “Thanks for making sure I was out. Who knows how long I would've been in there, maybe until it was too late. You probably saved me.”
I choke out a disbelieving laugh. “Do not thank me. This has my ex's name written all over it and wouldn't have happened if he weren’t looking for me.”
“You really think he did this? Regardless, don't you dare blame yourself.”
“It's too coincidental to be just a coincidence. He shows up asking for me, and the place goes up in flames the same night? I would be shocked if it wasn’t his doing, honestly. That's how psychotic he is.”
“Well, maybe they can do some digging and subpoena the security cameras from one of the shops on the street. If it was him, he'll be seen on one of them.” Easton's jaw tightens, and I hate that he's now involved in my drama. “This isn't your fault, Tatum. Don't apologize for him. Ever.”
His voice is stern and final, and all I can do is nod. Suddenly, a chill swarms down my body, and I inch closer to his warmth.
“What if he's here watching right now?” I ask. “Checking if I came out or not? He probably hopes this will force me to go back to him.”
Easton wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to his chest. “Well, that's not gonna happen. You'll stay with me until we figure something out.”
I tilt my head and wrinkle my nose. “Where? We're both homeless at the moment.”
“My family has a beach house about forty-five minutes outside of town. You'll be safe there, I promise. It has security cameras and private access. In fact, maybe you should go now while you can sneak away. That way, if he’s watching, it'll be easier to slip out with the crowds.”
“Wait, what? You want me to go alone?” I search his face, not wanting to leave his side.
“I have to give my statement and information for insurance. The sooner they know there’s a suspect, the sooner they can start looking for him. I'll schedule an Uber and give you the code to get inside. You'll be safe there.”
My nerves are uneasy at the thought of going into a strange house and not knowing any of the surroundings, but I trust Easton. If he says it's safe, I believe him.
“How long do you think it'll take for you to meet me there?”
“Might take a few hours or more. I'll go to the store and stock up on food and clothes for us. We're gonna need everything. Luckily, the beach house has a lot of amenities already, so we don't have to worry about basic shit. My brother and sister-in-law just remodeled it and packed it full.”
“Wow, sounds nice.”
He releases a soft chuckle. “Just wait.”
CHAPTER THREE
EASTON
As soon as Tatum is in a car, I hand her George’s cage and remind her to text me as soon as she gets there. I meet the officer back at his car, and he asks me to follow him to the station to give a full report.
Before I get behind the wheel, I look back at the building I've called home for the past four years. I’ve put in countless hours of sweat and work there. I know I can rebuild and get the shop open again, but that doesn't make it any easier to see it destroyed.
The flames are out, but smoke continues to billow out into the street. The crowd that watched from the sidewalks has cleared out. Soon, the sun rises over the horizon, providing a full view of the destruction.
Once I drive to the station, I meet with Officer Bradbery and fill him in on the events. I tell him every detail regarding Justin Nichols but don’t mention Tatum. I'm not confirming shit just in case they're buddy-buddy since Justin claimed to have connections here.
“We’ll have to submit this to a detective so he can get surveillance from the surrounding shops and check for any suspicious activity before the fire. If he finds any evidence of arson, it'll be sent to the district attorney because it’d be a criminal case at that point. But just be aware, stuff like this can drag on for a while. Until then, if you remember anything else, email it over. We'll stay in contact.”
I thank him, and we shake hands. He seems genuine, but I don’t know who I should and shouldn’t trust, especially when it comes to Tatum’s safety
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I look at the screen, I see a message from Tatum saying she and George made it. I blow out a relieved breath and text her back.
Easton: Good. Make yourself at home. I'm just leaving the station. Give me some food ideas and your clothes and shoe size.
While I wait for her response, I check my other messages and missed calls. It's no shock that news about the fire spread through the gossip mill faster than the fire itself.
Tatum: Umm...size large for shirts and leggings. Size 10/12 for shorts or jeans. Size 8 shoes.
Easton: So besides hot dogs, anything else you want me to avoid?
Tatum: No, I'm not that picky. I'll eat whatever.
I smile, knowing she's probably rolling her eyes about the hot dog comment. But the truth is, there's no timeline for how long we'll stay, so I want to stock up on food and anything else she needs. I don't like the idea of her being out in the open for Justin to find her again, and if he suspects I was lying, he may be looking for me too. The less often we leave the house, the better.
Easton: Okay, I'll do my best. I'll text you when I'm heading there.
Tatum: Sounds good. I decided to try out the bathtub. Whoever designed this bathroom has amazing taste. It's already stocked full of bubble baths, salts, and oils.
I knew she'd love it. I've only seen pictures, but knowing Piper, she went all out. Speaking of my sister-in-law, I'm gonna have to call my older brother and her soon. They live in New York City and had planned to visit the beach house for their anniversary in a couple of weeks. Now I get to break it to them that it might not be available.
Easton: Good, relax and enjoy yourself. Be there soon.
I drive to the nearest Walmart and fill up a cart of meats, drinks, snacks, and everything else I can think of. Since the bathroom seems to have everything already, I only grab a few toiletry items for myself, plus some hamster bedding and food for George. Then I realize on top of clothes, she probably needs underwear and bras too.
Easton: What size undergarments do you need?
I hold my breath, anticipating her response. She'll either call me a perv or tell me not to worry about it.
Tatum: Size 7 underwear. 36D bra.
And now I’m imagining her perfect round ass and perky breasts.
As soon as I look around the bra section, I’m immediately overwhelmed. Why the fuck are there so many options? Underwire. Push-up. T-shirt bra. Bralette. Sports. Strapless.
And don't get me started on the colors and lace or no lace. With padding or without.
No wonder women have so damn many.
Easton: Preference on style or color?
Tatum: Sports bra or wireless. Don't care what color.
Easton: Got it. This is confusing as hell, by the way.
Tatum: LOL, welcome to being a woman.
I grab a beige wireless bra, a black sports bra, and a red lace one.
That last one is purely for selfish reasons.
Next, I find the panties section and am amazed at the variety of those too. Jesus fuck.
I'm not about to embarrass myself a second time, so I grab a few different styles. Boy shorts, bikinis, and a thong—again for selfish reasons.
After I finish torturing myself, I move to the men's section and throw in boxer shorts, athletic shorts, joggers, and T-shirts. Then I realize I need swim trunks and should get Tatum a suit just in case.
Instead of asking her, I pick a bikini that I think she'd like and also a rash guard. Women's swimwear is basically my job, but hopefully, I did her justice.
I grab a couple of pairs of shoes for us both, and once the cart is full, I check out.
After loading my entire back seat with the grocery bags, I send Tatum a message to let her know I'm on my way. About fifteen minutes into the drive, I muster the courage to call my brother.
“You're in so much trouble,” Tristan says as soon as he picks up, and I hear Piper snicker. I'm sure he's talking about the skimpy bikinis I sent her a few days ago. She's been modeling for my shop's social media pages for a while now, and although Tristan says nothing too sexy, I purposely sent her my newest line that has very little fabric. I did it mostly to get a rise out of him, but it doesn't even matter now.
“Hey,” I say, my voice strained as the reality of what's happened hits me. I've been trying to stay strong for Tatum so she wouldn't run, but now it’s sinking in hard.
“Everything okay?”
“There’s been a fire at the shop, and I don’t know what I’m going to do. Everything’s gone.”
“What can we do?” Tristan asks at the same time Piper asks, “What do you need?”
“It’s a really long story, but Tatum needs to use the beach house. She’s one of my employees who was living in the apartment above the shop. Since we had to evacuate and she needed a place to hide from her abusive ex-husband, I gave her the address and code.” My voice shakes just thinking about Justin’s possible motives. What if he was trying to kill her in that fire?
“Hey, man, it’s gonna be okay,” Tristan tries to reassure me, but I'm worried as hell about losing the shop I invested everything I had into it.
“Well since I also need a place to stay until I figure something out, I’ll be staying at the beach house too,” I explain.
“So you’re both staying there together?” Piper asks, and I hear the hint of amusement in her tone. I know exactly what she's implying. A couple of years ago, Tristan was her professional bodyguard, and when a stalker tried to kill her, he hid her at the beach house until her stalker could be caught. After a few weeks, she broke down Tristan’s walls, and they've been together ever since. Regardless of their sixteen-year age gap and how completely opposite of one another they are, I've never seen my brother happier. Piper helped him in more ways than one.
“Yeah, I don’t feel right leaving Tatum by herself. I have a feeling her ex had something to do with this.”
“Why do you think that?” Tristan asks with a dark edge in his tone. He's always been a protective big brother, and I know he'd fix this in a snap if he could.
“He came here asking for her, but Tatum told me who he was, so I knew not to say anything. However, I think he figured out I was lying. It’s very suspicious how the fire started, and I feel like he was sending a clear message.”
“They’ll investigate it,” Tristan reassures me. “It’ll be easy for them to figure out if it was arson or not.”
“Yeah, but hopefully, they don’t think I’m the one who did it.” I blow out a frustrated breath. Anytime a business goes up in flames and is deemed arson, the owner is always the first suspect. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Tristan asks.
“That I need to use the house. I know Piper’s been working on the remodel for the past six months, and you guys are supposed to come here in a couple of weeks for your anniversary.”
“Easton,” Piper stops me before I can continue. “If you need the beach house, then please use it. We have a million other places we can go. Seriously. I’d rather you be safe and have a roof over your heads and focus on your business. Let me know if there’s any way we can help because you know I’ll send a whole team of contractors to fix it up in a jiffy.”
“Yeah, man. Don’t worry about it. If you need an extra set of hands, just call me,” Tristan adds.
“I appreciate that, guys. I just feel bad about ruining your plans.” I frown.
“We’re more concerned about you than a vacation,” Piper states.
“Thank you. Summer is the busiest season, and this is going to hurt us big time.” I sigh at how much I'm going to lose not being open right now.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Tristan offers. “Let the fire chief do his job and then file an insurance claim if you can.”
“Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“Keep us updated, okay?” Tristan says, and I promise him I will.
“Stay safe,” Piper tells me, then we say goodbye.
For the past six months, they've been fixing up the beach house with hopes of coming back for their first wedding anniversary, and I feel like absolute shit that they probably won't be able to now. I know they said it's no big deal, but it is to me. Piper's put in tons of time and money to make it special for my family, and they should've been the first ones to use it.
Thirty minutes later, I pull into the driveway and start unloading the bags. On my fourth trip in, Tatum's eyes widen in surprise.
“Did you buy the entire store?”
“Pretty damn close. Who knows how long we'll be here, so might as well be prepared, right?”
