Page 10 of Hargrave Flame Out
Celeste gave a heavy sigh. “Right.” She considered when the cameras were installed. “Palm leaves?”
Veronica nodded. “And the magnolia.” She sipped her sweet tea. “Also worth noting that I was the second person to call. Chief Miller took your advice.”
“Good.”
“Talk about a hottie,” Natalie mused.
Veronica elbowed her again.
“Ow,” Nat complained. “Stop that.”
“What’s the next step?” Celeste asked.
Veronica folded her hands and leaned close, keeping her voice low. “Jess is having Nash trim things up today and then she’ll write up a contract to keep the cameras operational. We tossed around several ideas and, if we can afford it, I’d like to hire some extra protection.”
“We can afford it,” Celeste said. When her sisters expressed doubt, she asked, “Do either of you ever look at the month-end reports I send out?”
“Only a little,” Natalie confessed, sheepishly. “You pay us, that’s what I look at.”
True. Each of them pulled a salary, according to the way they’d set up the business, on the advice of Reed and their accountant. At the start it hadn’t even been close to a living wage, but things had changed rapidly. The B&B had a good reputation and excellent reviews. Lately the only days they didn’t have guests were the days Veronica blocked out ahead of time.
“Well, we can afford it,” Celeste repeated.
“Good.” Veronica bobbed her chin.
“Wait a hot minute,” Natalie protested. “I don’t want burly guys in suits scowling and stomping around the property. Our guests aren’t going to like that. We want them to feel safe while they’re on vacation.”
“Jess’s people won’t scowl and stomp,” Veronica said. “You’re being ridiculous.” She caught Natalie’s elbow before it dug into her ribs. “You’ll regret it.”
Natalie sniffed, clearly annoyed.
“And they’d pass out from heat exhaustion in suits,” Celeste quipped. Maybe the pain meds were finally kicking in.
“If you’re sure.” Natalie curled her lip. “I don’t like it.”
“Big picture,” Veronica pressed. “It’s worth the extra expense. Especially since the fire extinguisher was missing.”
“What?” Natalie frowned at Veronica.
Celeste explained the whole ordeal to their sister, making sure to stick with the facts and keep her fear out of it.
Natalie rubbed her arms. “That’s creepy. And more than a little scary.”
“Exactly,” Veronica agreed. “And Celeste was there alone.”
“Okay, okay.” Natalie raised her hands in surrender. “I’m done protesting security. I trust they won’t make our guests feel unwelcome.”
“They’ll only be there until we discover who set the fire,” Celeste said. “And why. It bugs me that our house was targeted.”
“Between Chief Miller and Jess’s company, we’ll get answers.” Veronica cracked her knuckles. “The outdoor kitchen was gorgeous. We used it for hosting, but it could prove a big selling point for whole-house bookings.”
“I’ve only seen a couple of photos,” Natalie said. “It looks like an ugly scar on the back of the house right now. Who’s going to clean it up? Who can rebuild it for us?”
“The investigation has to finish first. Then the insurance settlement,” Celeste said. “We should talk to Nash about cleanup—after we get the all clear from the fire department.”
With the lunch rush over, Reed brought refills for their drinks along with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and pulled upa chair to join them. “Since you’re still here, I’m assuming you’re feeling good,” he said to Celeste.
She smiled, fighting a wave of drowsiness. “Veronica insisted on half a pain pill.”
