"We'll talk about it," Jared assured her, grabbing the pillow. "I put those college brochures on the island for you. Have a look at them, see if one of the programs catches your eye."
Amy nodded. He'd set them there two days ago, but she hadn’t touched them yet. She wasn't sure why. The idea of going back to school did appeal to her, especially after working the factory job. But she supposed she enjoyed living in their happy bubble. She didn't want to mess that up by adding something that could be significantly stressful.
"I'll have a look."
As if reading her mind, Jared said, "You can go part-time. In fact, I would prefer it. Just take a couple classes a semester, something you know you'll enjoy. Think about it."
She looked at him curiously. "Why is this so important to you? Do you prefer your women better educated?"
Jared chuckled. "Not a chance. I don't want a woman who can talk circles around me and potentially win all the arguments. I definitely prefer barefoot and cooking in my kitchen." When it looked like she was going try to smack him again, he continued, "But, I don't want you missing out on that experience. It's what you would've done if your parents were around. Now I'm here, and I'm gonna make sure you get everything you ever missed."
Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded at him. Jared kissed her and stepped back. "I'll text you."
"I'll text you back!" she yelled after him as he left the bedroom.
She snuggled back under the covers, sighing happily and closing her eyes. Since her job was kaput, she had nothing to do for the morning, so she was going to be decadent. She was going to go back to sleep, then she was going to get up and make herself a seriously epic breakfast of a chocolate sundae with strawberries and whipped cream. Then she’d look over the college magazines and see what courses they had to offer.
Amy was sound asleep and enjoying life in dreamland when a shout woke her up. She blinked hazily and pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around in confusion. A whiff of smoke hit her nostrils and she curled her nose up in disgust.
"What the hell?"
She gathered the blanket against her chest, slid off the bed and went to peek out the window.
The first person she saw that she recognized was Enrico. There were two other men in the yard with him. They were running around like crazy, waving at each other and shouting. From her angle, she couldn't tell what was happening.
She had suspected that Jared had put some kind of security on the house, but she wasn't positive until now. He’d told her he’d taken steps to keep her and the girls safe.
She dropped her blanket and began pulling on clothes. She didn't bother with underwear but dragged on a pair of sweatpants and an old T-shirt of Jared's. She ran down the stairs and almost smacked into Enrico who was headed into the house.
He didn't bother with pleasantries. "Your house is on fire. I called 911, the fire department is on its way."
That explained the smoky smell. Amy hurtled out of the house and onto the front lawn to stand gaping at her own house, which was rapidly going up in flames.
Enrico came up behind her. "Fire started too fast for us to stop it. One minute, nothing. The next, flames everywhere. Someone set it deliberately."
Amy's heart sank into her stomach and then lower to her feet. The only person that would've done this was her father. Her hands shook as she reached for her phone and then realized it was still inside.
"I've got to call Jared," she said quickly.
Enrico reached into his back pocket for his phone. "I’ll call him."
She nodded and continued to watch the fire in a sort of trance as it ate up her childhood home. She could hear the wail of a fire truck in the distance, headed rapidly toward them. Hopefully they’d get there soon, before there was nothing left to salvage except ash.
She was surprised that she was relatively calm considering her family home was going up in flames. She had an eerie feeling that it maybe should’ve happened a few years earlier, on the night her mother died. Although, if it had, she wouldn't have met Jared. She and the kids would've moved into another house, probably somewhere across town, and their paths never would've crossed.
"I need to get my phone," Amy finally said and turned to head back to Jared's house. "I need to call the school so they know what's going on, and I'm going to call Teagan and tell him to go to a friend’s house after school."
"Don't be long, I need to keep eyes on you." Enrico's gaze was still on the fire and Amy took that as permission to run back into the house.
She didn't make it to her phone though, which was in the upstairs bedroom. As soon as she stepped foot across the threshold, a fist hammered into the side of her head and her world went black.
Eighteen
Amy wasn't sure how long she was out, but she woke up sprawled out on a concrete floor, her cheek pressed against the rough coldness. She blinked a few times and jerked her hand up to her head. It hurt like a motherfucker. She couldn't wait to get her hands on the person who’d done it.
Her father.
It had to be. He must've set fire to the house to cause a distraction and then attacked her, somehow knowing that she would run into Jared's house. He must've been watching them.
Amy groggily pushed herself to her knees, her ears ringing and her eyes blurry. She blinked a few times and realized she was in Jared’s garage, in front of his SUV. As the pain began to clear, she heard someone moving around nearby.
"Did nothing to deserve this. I made one mistake… one goddam mistake and the whole world treats me like a villain. I'll show them."
Amy swung her head around and spotted her father, pacing near the door.
"You killed our mother," Amy snarled, her voice raspy. She glared at the man who’d donated his sperm to her and her siblings.
"You're awake." He didn't seem either happy or annoyed that she’d woken up.
Amy tried to stand, but her head thundered in response and she was forced to go down onto one knee. She gripped Jared's workbench and held on for dear life as the room swam around her.
"What's your plan?" she demanded angrily. "Once the police get here, you're going straight back to jail."
Amy was genuinely baffled by the stupidity of whatever it was he was planning. It was becoming rapidly clear that he had no real plan. She tried to remember if he was always this way. He did used to have a penchant for last minute decisions, both good and bad.
He turned on her, whipping around and glaring. "You think you're so smart, taking over the family, taking the house, fucking the neighbour. You're just like your whore of a mother."
Amy finally managed to struggle to her feet and was able to take a good look at her father. He looked like a raving lunatic. His hair, grey and matted, hung down to his shoulders in sweaty strings. His shirt was loose on his frame and clung to his torso, sweat shining through. He wore a pair of dirty stained jeans and thick work boots. He was not the father Amy remembered. Michael Funk had never been a great father, but he'd at least been clean, articulate and mentally present.
Now, Amy didn't even recognize him.