A muscle ticked in Caden’s cheek. “You need to talk to my brother. We had a run-in tonight.”
Nausea swept through me. If Gabe did this, Caden would hold himself responsible.
No one said anything else as we watched the firefighters battle the blaze. They got it under control remarkably fast, but the damage had been done. Even though the structure still stood, it would surprise me if it wasn’t a complete loss.
Jordan ambled toward us, looking lost. My stomach dropped.
I stepped out of Caden’s hold and crossed to him. “I’m so sorry.”
Jordan wrapped me in a hug, holding on tightly. “I can’t believe this happened.”
I swallowed hard. “It might be my fault.”
Jordan reared back, his gaze cutting to my face. “You think this is the same person who set your house on fire?”
“How could it not be?”
Jordan gripped my shoulders. “This isn’t your fault.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. “If I didn’t work here, it probably wouldn’t have happened.”
He ducked his head. “Grae. We’ve known each other for pretty much our entire lives. Do you really think I’d hold you accountable for something like this?”
“No, but—”
“Good. Because I never would. This could all be an accident. Some faulty wiring or something. Let’s not borrow trouble just yet.”
I sighed. Hoping for that felt ridiculous at this point, but I didn’t want to argue with him. “Okay.”
He released me, turning toward the building as firefighters made their way inside. “This is going to be a shit show.”
“You know I’ll help however I can. Pull extra hours to go through whatever they can salvage. Anything.”
Jordan glanced down at me. “I know. You’ve always got my back.”
“Always.”
Caden stepped up behind me, wrapping an arm around my chest. “I’m sorry, man.”
Jordan’s jaw hardened, but he nodded. “Thanks.”
Eddie and Noel joined us. Eddie winced as he took in the wreckage. “This blows, boss.”
“You call the insurance company yet?” Noel asked. “They’ll cover it, right?”
Jordan nodded. “Someone’s coming out in the morning. We’ll just have to wait and see how much damage was done.”
My stomach churned. How many memories did this cottage hold for me? Too many to count. It had been my first job out of school, the one where I proved to myself and my family that I could stand on my own two feet. We’d shared a million laughs here, and even a few tears.
A firefighter emerged from the building and strode across the parking lot to Lawson, holding something that looked like a box. He and Lawson shared a handful of words as Lawson snapped on gloves and took out an evidence bag.
The firefighter opened the box, and Lawson stared inside for a handful of moments. Then there was a flurry of movement—more police officers and a crime scene tech.
My stomach hollowed out as dread pooled there.
None of us said anything as Lawson looked up, locking eyes with me. His expression was unreadable, but he started toward our group. His steps were heavy, slow. Each one had my heart racing faster.
Lawson came to a stop in front of Caden and me.
