Penny Serenade (21 page)

Searing pain distracted her thoughts. She looked down and saw the match she’d lit had burned down to her fingers. In a panic she dropped it, and watched the stack of flyers burn. The flames were quick to catch the threads of the scarves and ignite them as well. Moving as though she were caught in quicksand, she made her way to the phone. Audrey clutched the receiver in her shaky hand and punched in the three numbers. She tried to stay calm, but a quick glance to the corner made her chest tighten. The flames had spread.

Chapter Ten

Dominic cussed as paint ran down the middle of the mural. He’d made one mistake after another since Audrey left, but not because he was mad at her. The hurt look on her face got to him at a gut level. He felt like a tool with the way he’d spoken to her. At times sensitivity was lost on him. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her. She’d come over to apologize and instead he vented on her like an adolescent. When he’d asked for a second chance, she’d given him one. Hesitantly, but still, she had, and that made him regret the way he’d dismissed her. How was she to know his issues stemmed from years of pent up regret? His verbal attack had been meant for his father. Audrey wasn’t her father and he needed to move on. She’d tried to make things right, and he retaliated in spite. It took courage to approach him after the way they’d ended things. He’d been too much of a coward to even bother to call, stoked up on a misplaced sense of pride. She deserved an apology for his idiotic behavior, and he planned to remedy that.

Dominic climbed down the ladder and flung the paintbrush to the floor.

“I’ll be back soon,” he called out to Dan and headed toward Audrey’s shop. People rushed past him, their faces a mix of concern and surprise. Curiosity piqued, he quickened his stride. Up ahead he saw several fire trucks, an ambulance, and a large crowd gathered. It looked like they were gathered around Tokens of the Heart. His stride turned into a fast run.
 

Audrey wrapped her arms tight around her body. Dazed, she watched flames jut out the side of her shop. Billows of grayish smoke rose in a slow succession high into the air. To her relief the willow tree didn’t catch fire.

Heat from the flames burned her throat, drying her eyes while she still had tears to cry. At least the hysterical sobs had stopped. She glanced down and the pavement swirled below her feet. Hands, strong and comforting, gripped her shoulders to steady her. Grateful, she turned and met Dominic’s alarmed gaze.
So much for not crying in front of him.

Concern etched his features. “What happened?”

“I was lighting the candles and…” Her lips quivered, the words caught in another sob. He moved to wrap his arms around her and she stepped back. She needed to get a grip. Audrey looked over her shoulder to her shop. From what she could hear between the firemen, the fire had been contained. There’d be one hell of a mess inside, proof that her life wasn’t always neat and tidy.

She turned back to Dominic, disappointed to see him walking away. Her breath caught. In that moment she realized she didn’t want to be alone. She tired of shutting people out. If she let go willingly, and allowed herself to care for someone, it didn’t mean she’d lost control. How much longer could she deny her feelings for Dominic? She wanted him and whether it was by chance, or fate, or blind
luck,
her feelings were real and ran deep. She saw a man she wanted to share her future with.

Audrey hurried after him and clutched the back of his arm. When he turned she nestled her head into the crook of his arms and let loose a stream of tears. She didn’t care if he thought her weak. Right now he was the warm safe place she needed. Safe in a way she hadn’t been accustomed to before.

He wrapped his arms around her, consoling her with soft murmurs and gentle strokes along her back. At first she hardly heard him, too intent on the way he made her feel.
The way his touch gave her a sense of completion and self assurance.
The way his touch was enough.

“It’s going to be okay,” he soothed. “From what I can see, they’ve done a good job getting the fire under control. It could’ve been worse.”

She looked up at him bleary eyed. “I’ve made such a mess of things.
With my life, my shop, and with you.
How will I ever get my bearings after this?”

“You will,” he said and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You’re strong. You’ve been through so much and I know you’ll get through this. But you won’t be alone. I’ll be here.”

“I hope you don’t feel sorry for me.” She raised her head and wiped away the tears. Being a damsel in distress was another thing not high on her to do list. “I couldn’t handle it if you thought of me as a charity case.”

“Hell no.
Why would you think that?”

She raised and lowered her shoulders.

“I care about you,” he continued. “You’ve been so focused on one thing I said wrong that you don’t see a guy standing in front of you who has fallen for you, in spite of your quirks, flaws, and fiery temper.”

“What fiery temper?” she snapped.

His grin said more than words could.

“Damn,” she murmured.

“I understand you’re shook up right now, but things will work out.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“The damage is all structural, yes?”

She nodded.

“Then there you go. You can have the shop remodeled. Add a fresh coat of paint, some new lighting, and it will be even better than before.”

His words gave her a measure of relief. Still, she had her doubts. “I want to believe you,” she started, “but I don’t see it. Not right now. All I see are flames destroying my dreams.”

He leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “I have a suggestion. How about a change of scenery? It will help to take your mind off this for a short while.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me take you to my place,” he said. Before she could argue he continued, “You can put your feet up or take a nap. Anything you want. It might help.”

Comfort for her had always meant being surrounded by her things. How could she relax away from all of that? She opened her mouth to decline when Dominic’s look silenced her.

“Hey,” he said, a slow smile snaking his lips. “I promise that I don’t live in some shabby shack. I pick my socks up off the floor and I know how to use the dishwasher. Nothing is living in my house, that shouldn’t be. No strange molds or even a wall of half naked women.”

She laughed and nodded. Somewhere other than home sounded like a good idea. “Okay, but I’m not sure when I can leave. I’ll have to speak with the fire chief.”

“No problem. Let me take care of a few things at work, make sure the guys can handle it without me, and then I’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

Audrey watched him walk away, but this time her breath didn’t stall and her chest didn’t tighten. She knew he’d be back.

*****

Dominic finished up at work and hurried back to Audrey, not wanting to leave her alone for long. Dan had all but pushed him out the door with strict orders to take a few days off. He drove his car and parked it across the street of her shop so she didn’t have to walk far. The crowd had grown smaller and there were less emergency vehicles in the driveway. From the front of her store the damage wasn’t so noticeable. The far end had fire damage, though not much. He shuddered to think what the inside looked like.

He turned his gaze to Audrey and watched her nod at the fireman, papers clutched in her hand. She looked toward him a couple times, trying to smile through her tears. He knew she was fragile right now, vulnerable without her safety net. He hated how things ended earlier, and wondered in what way his words had contributed to how the fire started. She’d probably never tell him. Dominic hoped she’d be able to relax at his place. He wanted to make her feel comfortable, and he still needed to apologize.

She signaled to him and disappeared into the shop. When she came back out she had her purse. With a half-smile she walked up to him.

He put his arm around her waist and squeezed. “Ready?”

“I guess so. I’ll need to get in touch with insurance claims tomorrow and I have a ton of forms to fill out.” She groaned and help up a sizeable stack of papers. “There’s not much else for me to do with the shop, though I should stick around and box things up.”

“Let it be for the night,” he urged. “We’ll come back tomorrow and I’ll help you.”

“Really?”
A twinkle flickered across her honey colored eyes.

“Hell yeah, there’s no reason to shoulder this all alone. Besides, it isn’t safe to be in there right after a fire. You’re better off dealing with things tomorrow.”

She stopped and wrapped her arms around him. “Thanks for being here.”

“Sure,” he said and breathed in her scent. Even with the smell of smoke in the air he still caught a hint of patchouli. “I was on my way back to apologize to you for once again being an ass. When I saw all the commotion, it scared me.”

“Why?” Here she didn’t think he feared anything.

“I worried I’d lost you and my last words to you were not the ones I wanted you to hear.”

“Now,” he continued, “let’s get you away from all this. I’m parked right over there.”

He pointed across the street to his car.

She glanced up at him. “How come your car looks different?”

“I uh…had a little fender bender so I ended up getting some work done.”

“Is that how you hurt your head?”

“They’re connected,” he said and hated being elusive about it, but there was no way he would tell her that he’d been by her house.
At least not yet.

“What happened?”

“You know what, it’s not important. The car and I are fine.” He squeezed her hand. “You’ll be glad to know I had air conditioning put in. I couldn’t let you sit in that furnace again when you didn’t have to.”

Her soft smile made his pulse rush. “You’re so sweet, but I’m sure you didn’t do it for me.”

“I did so,” he insisted and opened the car door for her. “I can handle the heat, but I wasn’t so sure about you.”

“I can handle anything you can,” she murmured into his ear before slipping into the seat.

Dominic groin throbbed. What the hell? That soft breathy voice of hers made him hot, hard, and all too aware of how much he wanted her. He hurried to the driver’s side and got in. “Just so you know, my apartment is not as nice as yours. But I think you’ll find it cozy.”

“If you’re there, that’s all I need.”

If she weren’t going through a traumatic time, he’d swear she was flirting with her. Or perhaps he was misinterpreting her words. Regardless, he knew there was more to Audrey than just being physically attracted to her. Something else he didn’t understand and couldn’t explain drew him to her, and after the last week and a half he finally felt his life start to balance out. Coincidence or not he didn’t know, but he knew it felt right to have her with him. He’d let Audrey decide how far to take things.
For now.

Chapter Eleven

Audrey felt the tension leave the further she distanced herself from the shop. She didn’t know if spending time at his house would do the trick or not, but she was game to find out. Tonight she planned to give herself permission to enjoy Dominic’s company.

“So, I visited my aunt last week in
Maine
.”

He gave her a sideways glance. “You did? I’m impressed. You’re a very brave woman.”

“Thanks.” Her cheeks warmed at his words.

“What made you decide to go?”

“I thought it was time to make peace with the past,” she said. “I’m so glad I went. I shouldn’t have stayed away so long.”

“How did it go?”

“Better than I expected. You remember how I said I’d pay my aunt Colleen back for the savings bonds?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I found out that the money wasn’t even from her. One of the guys my dad saved left the money for me. Can you believe that?”