“I…” Reggie had frowned. “It’s not what you think.”
Reaching out, she took the cupcake and tossed it over his head before turning around and storming away. Reggie followed her for a little while, but then his voice dropped away. Then she heard his screams for her to run.
When she looked back, there was a wall of flames, and Reggie was nowhere to be found.
She ran, fumbling through the darkness, tripping over tree roots or rocks. Then she huddled in the dirt and gave in to the smoke. She didn’t remember crawling or making her way into the cave. Nor did she remember when Sean Stone found her later. She spent her entire seventeenth birthday unconscious, lying on the floor of a cave, while her family and so many others in town burned up and died in their beds.
“It was all my fault,” she said, burying her face into her hands.
“How?” Carrie asked her.
Raven wiped her eyes and blinked a few times, returning to the here and now.
“The cupcake. The candle.” She sighed. “Don’t you see… It started the fire. I started the fire. If I wouldn’t have thrown it.” She closed her eyes. “I killed everyone.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Both of her friends engulfed her in their arms.
“From what we understand, no one really knows how the fire started,” Darby said. “I heard it was a discarded campfire.”
“I heard it was lightning,” Carrie added with a shrug.
“For all we know, it could have been aliens,” Darby added dryly. “Fire kills. My mom’s gone and so are your parents,” she said to Raven. “But one thing is clear to at least us.” She waved between Carrie and herself. “We don’t blame you. We never have. We both know that you had nothing to do with their deaths.”
“Thanks, but I know I did,” Raven said with a sigh. “And that’s all that has ever mattered.”
Chapter Fourteen
Seek what sets your soul on fire
It took Cade a few days to finally get back up to check on Raven. He’d texted her and even called her, but he’d been too busy to make the trip out there.
The entire town was alight with a fresh wave of gossip. The murder was the hottest topic, besides Roslyn’s little outburst.
So far, Cade was thankful that no one was pointing their fingers at Raven. Instead, Colin Brooks and even Morgan Roche were the main masterminds in these tales.
It wasn’t until Tuesday afternoon that he and Blue finally drove out to the resort with plans to meet Raven for dinner. She claimed that she had a surprise for him and Blue.
He figured it was a dog treat or a toy, but when they parked, he noticed the string lights in the courtyard and Raven standing under them, her soft-pink dress almost glowing under the soft lights. Her red hair glowed like flames in the night. He felt his heart skip. Then he noticed she was standing next to a table.
“What’s all this?” he asked as they approached her, willing his heart to settle back down. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
“First things first.” She smiled and bent down to set a plate with an entire steak on it, cut into bite-sized chunks, in front of Blue.
“Hey, I hope you have one of those for me?” he said, jealous of his dog.
“I do.” She chuckled. “Ours, I figured you’d want warm.” She motioned to the table. “This is to say thank you. To you both.” She glanced down at Blue, who was wolfing down his steak.
“For?” he asked, pulling out the chair for her to sit down.
“Staying with me the other night,” she answered after he took the spot opposite her.
“It was nothing. Any friend—”
She held up her hand.
“I have ulterior motives,” she said with a smile, leaning a little closer.
“Oh?” His eyes moved to her lips. She was wearing a pale pink lipstick that matched the dress she was wearing. She had diamonds in her ears that sparkled in the overhead lights every time she moved.
She nodded and leaned back. “This is a trial run.” She turned away from him and nodded.
Suddenly, two waitstaff appeared from the darkness and handed them menus.
“Oh,” he said a little less enthusiastic. She laughed.
“Hey, you get a free meal out of it. Not to mention the company of a… friend,” she added, her eyes meeting his over the menu.
“Okay.” He nodded in agreement. “I’m game.” He scanned the new menu and whistled. “You’ve added a few more fancy meals on this.”
“We have,” she agreed. “I’ve been working with an up-and-coming chef who aspires to run the kitchen here one day,” she said with a smile.
“Oh? Well, let’s see if he or she is any good.”
“He,” she added.
After placing their orders, Blue settled down at Raven’s feet and instantly fell asleep.
“He’s always like that after a big meal,” Cade added with a chuckle.
“I received a call from your uncle today.” She sipped the wine that she’d ordered. He’d stuck with a Coke, since he knew he’d be driving home later.
“Yeah? What did he have to say?”
“He claims that my uncle hired a lawyer and has refused to answer any questions. He also said that my aunt has moved out of the resort and is staying with him in a hotel in Redding.” She played with her wine glass.
“You didn’t know your aunt had moved out?”
“After the other day, I sent word through my cousin Cal to let Roslyn know she was no longer welcome here. Now it’s just my cousin Liza who is still hanging around.” Raven shrugged. “Something tells me she won’t be attacking me anytime soon.” She shook her head. “Cal assures me that the last thing Liza wants to do is stay at a second-rate hotel with their parents.”
“Interesting. I find it fascinating that they continued to all live here over the years. They moved in after the fire, right?”
“Yes. They had a home on the edge of the burn area but ended up selling it after I left. I think they’ve grown accustomed to having people wait on them hand and foot.”
“Are you planning on staying here or finding a place of your own in town?” He and so many others in town were curious about her intentions.
“I had wanted to look to purchase a place of my own, but now…” She shrugged. “Things have taken a turn with finances. I’ll move over to the east building until the west is up to date. Then, when things are more stable, I’ll look for my own place.”
“You haven’t moved to the east building yet?” He shook his head. “Can I stress the importance of doing so, again?” He leaned closer.
“Yes.” She smiled. “I’ve been… busy. Besides, I was hoping to wait until David’s crew had a chance to finish some of the rooms before moving over. They’re due to start updating the fire system on the west side next month. Do you know, I have more construction men running around here than I do staff at the moment?” She shook her head and leaned back. “I’m not sure where David is getting them all from.”
“That’s a good thing. You still have a lot to do.” He motioned towards the doors. “How’s it going inside?”