Page 50 of Weather the Storm
Azalea’s brows climb to her hairline. “You sure?”
“Yep. Promise.”
“Well, all right. Call me if you need me,” she says, like it’s the most normal thing, like she’s not actually saying,Call me if you get scared.I appreciate that Azalea tries not to baby me.
“Will do,” I chirp, trying my best to sound brave.
I know I just finished telling Seraphine I wasn’t scared of Grant anymore, and mostly, I’m not…but still. Being anywhere all alone stirs up those old, anxious feelings inside of me.
I watch Azalea walk out the door and lock it behind her before I turn and trudge back to the dispensary to fold the towels.
I’m almost finished folding when I hear a loud bang at the front of the salon. Forgetting to be scared, I run toward where the sound came from, shocked at the sight I’m met with.
The front window is completely destroyed, and glass covers the floor of our lobby. Panicking, I dial Simon. He answers immediately. “I’m almost there, pretty girl.”
“Hurry,” I shriek into the phone, breathing fast and hard.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice edgy and anxious.
“S-someone b-busted our front w-window!”
“Are you okay?” Simon demands to know. I can hear the sound of him accelerating in the background.
“I think so.”
“Just hang tight. I’m almost there.”
I’m still rooted to the spot, clutching my phone, when someone bangs on the door. I start to scream, but Simon’s calm voice through the phone stops me. “It’s just me. Let me in, baby.”
I carefully skirt around the glass shards and unlock the door then he steps into the salon and looks around. “Jesus Christ. We’re gonna need to call the girls and the cops.” Simon glances from the mess on the floor to me before hugging me close. “Go sit down behind the desk and I’ll take care of this, okay?”
In no mood to argue, I do exactly as he said. I watch as he taps away on his phone before finally bringing it to his ear. “Yes, I’d like to report a crime.” He pauses. “Yes, ma’am. Property damage.” I listen as he gives her the address and agrees to stay on the line until the police arrive.
Chapter Twenty-Five
SIMON
Not even five minutes later, I see a police cruiser roll to a stop outside the salon, and sure enough, Byrnes and Benson are heading our way.
“So, we meet again,” I say dryly.
The two familiar officers exchange a look. “All right, who wants to tell us what happened?” Officer Benson asks, his pen and notebook ready.
Seraphine walks from behind the desk to me and starts to speak, but just then, Cash and Myla Rose burst through the door with Azalea and Drake hot on their heels. “What in God’s name happened?” Cash demands to know when he sees the damage.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out,” Byrnes informs him. “And y’all are…?”
Myla speaks up, her voice strong and unwavering. “We met the other day, as I’m sure you remember. I’m part owner of this salon, the blonde in the doorway is my business partner, Azalea Barnes, and the man beside her is her boyfriend, Drake Collins.”
“Right, then. Ms. Ellington was about to tell us what happened,” Byrnes says, gesturing for Magnolia to continue.
“I…I was in the b-back f-folding towels, waiting on S-Simon to pick me up, when I h-heard a loud n-noise. I r-rushed out here, and…” She gestures to the glass decorating the salon floor.
“Did you see anything? Or notice anything unusual?” Benson asks.
“N-no, I d-didn’t.”
“Hey, has anyone checked out that brick over there?” Drake asks, pointing at the base of the divider than separates the salon areas.
