Page 118 of Let It Breathe
“And what the hell are you talking about anyway?” Larissa hurled at Reese. “I never slept with Clay. I might’ve given him a hand job once, but that was ages ago and we were both so wasted I don’t even remember?—”
“So, honey,” June interrupted, reaching over to pat Reese’s knee. “I didn’t realize you and Clay had been seeing each other, but that’s wonderful to hear. You know your father and I would love it if you’d find someone special. When did this happen?”
“Kinda what I’m wondering,” Eric said. “Care to fill me in?”
Reese whirled on him. “No! Why the hell is it any of your business who I sleep with? We’re not married anymore, in case you missed the memo. You have no claim on me.”
“Maybe not.” Eric’s jaw clenched. “But I do have a vested interest in making sure you and my best friend don’t fuck up each other’s lives.”
“Clay and I are adults, Eric!” she yelled. “We can make our own decisions.”
“Yeah? How’s that working out for you?”
Larissa frowned. “Wait, maybe I did sleep with Clay. Was this at that party over in?—”
“Hey!” The fire marshal cupped his hands around his mouth to form a makeshift megaphone. “Can we please get back to the topic of the investigation?”
“No!” Axl shouted back. “Are you kidding me? This is the most interesting thing that’s happened here since Leon ate pot.”
The fire marshal raised an eyebrow. “Leon?” He clicked his pen. “Does Leon have any other history of drug use or criminal activity?”
Reese put her head in her hands and wished like hell the ground would swallow her up.
Clay worked outside for the rest of the afternoon, wishing he could be there for the fire marshal’s talk with the family. He wondered what was happening, what sort of evidence they had of arson.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear Eric approach.
“Hey, you’re still here.”
Clay turned to see Eric approaching with the familiar blue bandana holding back his ponytail. His expression was grim.
“Hey,” Clay said. “Are you just getting out of the meeting with the fire marshal?”
Eric nodded. “Pretty brutal.”
“Did they say what caused the fire?”
“Lighter fluid in a trash can. He didn’t actually tell us a lot. I guess they like to keep a lid on the details when there’s an investigation going.”
“And when there are suspects in the room?” Clay guessed.
Eric shrugged. “Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess they’d look at the family first, but they’ve gotta know that’s a dumb theory. It’s not like the insurance money is worth risking the whole damn vineyard.”
“You don’t think they had anything to do with it, do you?”
“Hell no.”
“So who else? Outside the family, who else?”
“Larchwood Vineyards, maybe.” Eric rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Dick’s been a thorn in everyone’s side for a long time, and his property is right over there.”
“And he’s a jerk?”
“There’s that.”
Clay scuffed his toe in the dirt and waited. Eric had something else to say, Clay could tell. He had an idea what it was, and the thought made his gut clench. He stood quietly, holding his breath, waiting for his best friend to look him in the eye and say it.
Eric wasn’t looking him in the eye. He was looking out over the vineyard, his expression somber.
