“He’s right,” Sebastian said, never taking his gaze off the firefighters now shooting foam at the flames licking at the roof. “We take care of business. First priority is making sure our people are safe. The rest we’ll handle as it comes.”
Sutton moved off to talk to the fire captain, and a moment later, Sebastian, Luke and Zeke joined him. Piper and Ava stood to one side with Keith. The expressions on their faces told Beth they were feeling as stunned and worried as she was.
Looking up at Cam, she asked, “Can you drive me to the hospital? I want to check on the injured men.”
“Sure,” he said. He caught her hand and Beth threaded her fingers through his. His warm, steady grip on her hand made her feel complete in a way she hadn’t in years. In spite of everything that had happened between them, she realized in a flash that Cam was still the only man she wanted. The only man she would ever love.
She just didn’t know what that meant. For either of them.
Nine
Over the next week, the Wingates concentrated on the aftereffects of the fire. The family gathered at the main house for more meetings than Beth could count. Piper was staying with them rather than making the drive from Dallas every day, and Ava and Keith were practically inseparable. Beth wanted to worry about that, but frankly she already had too much going on in her mind.
Not the least of which was why she hadn’t heard from Camden since the day of the fire. He had to know what she was going through. So why was he avoiding her? Was he regretting becoming involved with her again? Was he trying to subtly let her know that she couldn’t depend on him? If so, he was doing a hell of a job.
And besides Camden and the fire concerns, Beth still had her foundations to take care of. She had a lot of things going on and she couldn’t exactly say Sorry, I’m mentally fried and have no time to garner your donations. So, in between worrying about Cam and attending the family meetings, she was running around town trying to make sure she didn’t let anyone down.
Which was why taking a break for lunch with Piper and Gracie felt like a vacation.
Especially at the Courtyard shops. Only four miles outside Royal, it felt like a different world. Oak trees shaded the area in front of the small coffee stand that sold cakes, cookies and espresso-based drinks both iced and hot. There were a dozen delicate round tables that boasted bright pink umbrellas and iron scrollwork chairs. The café was kept busy by all of the shoppers thronging to the eclectic gathering of stores at the Courtyard.
The property used to be a ranch and the big red barn was still standing. Now, though, it housed Priceless, an antiques store and crafting studio. There were shops for local craftsmen making everything from artisanal soaps to stained
glass, and every Saturday, booths sprang up like mushrooms for a farmers market. All in all, the place almost demanded that you relax. Sit for a while. Do some retail therapy and take a mental break. Just what Beth needed.
“There was a report on the radio this morning. The men who were injured are saying the sprinkler system at the plant malfunctioned.” Gracie winced as she said it, obviously not wanting to heap more trouble on the situation.
And there went the break.
“I know,” Beth said, and glanced at Piper before turning back to Gracie. She and the family had agreed to keep what they’d found between them, but Beth considered Gracie family. They’d been friends forever, they worked closely together, and Gracie had proved herself time and again to be extremely trustworthy.
So Beth didn’t feel the slightest twinge of guilt telling her old friend exactly what was happening. “The injured men have all hired lawyers. They contacted us yesterday.”
“Lawyers?” Gracie repeated, looking from one to the other of the women. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“No, it isn’t.” Piper picked up her coffee and took a sip. “They’re talking about suing the company. Their lawyers made us aware that a formal suit will be filed within the month.” She set her cup down and leaned back in her chair. “It’s not exactly unexpected, but it is one more thing landing on top of an already miserable situation.”
“Sebastian’s furious,” Beth said. “Not with the employees so much as he is with the whole mess. He’s determined to get to the bottom of how this happened in the first place. It doesn’t help that we still haven’t been allowed back into the plant.”
Leaning forward, she kept her voice down so no one else would overhear. “He and Sutton have done an internal investigation already. They’ve been checking over safety inspection reports, and, apparently, the company wasn’t up-to-date on the inspections.”
“You’re kidding,” Gracie murmured. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Piper frowned thoughtfully. “We’ve never had safety issues at any of our companies, so there’s obviously something wrong. We just don’t know what it is.”
Gracie took a breath and blew it out. “What does this mean for you guys?”
“It means,” Piper said quietly, “there’s going to be a big payoff to the injured men, obviously. Beyond that, no one knows yet.”
“The company’s healthy,” Beth added, “so no one’s worried about having to pay out a settlement. The real problem is finding out that someone in the company’s been cutting corners with safety. We can’t survive that. No company could.”
That fact had made for some very uncomfortable conversations at the house this last week. Trying to wrap their heads around the idea that someone within the company, someone they knew and trusted, had sabotaged them. Though it was a horrible thought, it was the only thing that made sense.
It had to be an insider who was behind the safety inspections, the malfunctioning sprinklers and maybe even the fire itself. But who? And why?
“So what’s next?” Gracie kept her voice low and glanced at the table beside them as an older couple got up to leave. When they were gone, she added, “Is there a plan for handling all of this?”
“Not much of one yet,” Piper admitted. “Between Sebastian, Sutton, Luke and Zeke, there are too many ideas and not one they’ve settled on yet.”