“I have a feeling I know who did this.”
“You think someone did this on purpose?” Tony said. “Who?”
“Rachel came by Parker’s place this morning. She was pretty pissed off. She threatened to ‘get us back’ for getting together after their failed wedding attempt.” Rachel’s harsh warning rang in my ears. She had the motive to do this. She was pissed at Parker, and this was how she repaid him. She had been impulsive and fucking insane. I was going to get her for this.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“What?”
“I know you don’t like her, but do you think she has the capability to do this?”
Why wasn’t he on my side? Granted, I knew it was a big accusation, but he didn’t see her face. “Haven’t I mentioned what a crazy bitch she is?”
Tony shrugged.
“Besides, she was livid when we saw her this morning. I mean, she looked like she’d slept in a dumpster for the past two nights. I’ve never seen her so disheveled.”
“Doesn’t she know you come to work earlier than this?” Tony asked. “Did she want you to be inside when she did this?”
“She saw me at Parker’s this morning; she could have done this thinking that I was still there.” Would she have gone so far as to want me to be inside when it happened? I hoped not. But it was obvious she was hurting and would do anything to lash out at Parker and me. Money did strange things to people, and now she had none. She was desperate. And desperate people did wacky things. I had a strange sixth sense about that girl, and I knew I wasn’t wrong this time, either.
“I should call Parker,” I said, reaching into the car to get my phone.
“Are you going to say something about Rachel?” Tony asked.
I shook my head, but I wasn’t sure. If I was going to accuse her, I needed him to be with me first. It was easy enough to diffuse the situation over the phone, but he needed to see the damage she’d caused, plus if I were being honest, then I knew that we wouldn’t have to press charges against her. The insurance company would do that for me.
When Parker picked up, hearing his voice made my emotions let loose. There were so many memories in that place and now it was going to be reduced to nothing.
“Parker,” I said, my voice cracking.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I took a deep breath and tried to choke back the sob that threatened to let loose. “No. I’m not. You need to come to the diner right away.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Okay, bye,” I said and hung up.
I took a breath and pulled my hair away from my face. What had started off as an amazing day turned into a shit-show the second Rachel came back into our lives. She was going to pay for this. How would she react to wearing an orange jumpsuit every day? I had a feeling she wouldn’t be happy with how the color complemented her fake tan.
Two fire trucks pulled up to the diner, then a large white truck came up behind it. The lettering on the side of the truck read: SUPERVISOR. A man came out of it and walked over to us.
“Stay back, folks. We’re going to knock this down soon.”
I nodded, unable to speak as the other firemen pulled long hoses out from the trucks and hooked them up to the hydrant. It all happened quickly, but in my mind, it felt like hours. When that was done, then they started spraying water over the flames.
Tony pulled me close to him as we watched them work. The whole ordeal was incredibly surreal. My life’s work was reduced to ashes in a short matter of time. I knew even with the building’s insurance, I wouldn’t be able to bring the diner back to its original form. Since I’d been tight on money, I’d opted for a higher deductible so I could bring down my monthly payment. Though I never expected someone to set fire to the place.
Parker’s car turned around the corner and I broke away from Tony, waving Parker over. He skidded to a stop by the curb and jumped out of his car, which was still running.
“Sienna, are you okay? Were you in there?” Parker held me at arm's length, checking my body from head to toe. “What happened?”
“We’re fine. Tony’s cycle stalled and we were late.”
“Thank God,” Parker said. “Do they know what caused it?”
Tony and I shared a look.