Page 27 of Bottle Shock
He doesn’t get to finish because a green Subaru screeches to a stop behind the firetruck, gravel spitting everywhere.
Great. Reinforcements.
Before the engine cuts, Elyse’s door opens first. Gavin’s flies open a beat later.
Elyse doesn’t say a word—just wraps her arms around me so tight I almost lose my balance.
“Oh my God. Thank God you’re okay.” Her voice is muffled against my shoulder. She pulls back to look me over, scanning like she expects to find damage. “Are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
She’s been through enough lately, and the last thing I want is to add myself to the list of things she has to worry about.
“I’m fine.” I paint on a distant smile. “Really. I wasn’t inside. I just showed up and couldn’t get through.”
Her hands linger on my shoulders. Even her touch feels like too much right now, the kind of overstimulation that makes my skin buzz. I take a step back, needing distance.
“You sure?” she presses, her brows knitting together. Her voice shakes a little.
“I’m sure,” I say again, softer this time. “Honestly, I’m more worried about your townhouse.”
She waves me off, blinking fast. “I couldn’t give a shit about the townhouse. You’re more important. Were any of your things damaged?”
“Not much,” I admit. “I hadn’t unpacked yet. Most of my stuff’s still in the trunk of my car. I just picked up my insulin, so those that’s safe. I mainly lost a shit ton of clementines and a bulk-sized bag of peach rings.”
For once, procrastination pays off.
The fire chief clears his throat, reminding me he’s still standing right there. “I take it you’re the owner?”
Elyse turns toward him and shakes his hand. “Yeah. I’m the owner. She’s my tenant.”
He nods. “It appears the fire started in unit 120 and spread through the adjacent units, including yours. My investigator suspects faulty wiring. We’ll know more as the investigation unfolds, but with the smoke and water damage, it’ll need extensive repairs—possibly a total rebuild.” He looks at mewith sympathy in his eyes. “You’ll need to find somewhere else to stay for the time being.”
His voice fades under the roar of my thoughts.
Find somewhere else.
Sure. Easy enough for him to say.
My parents’ place isn’t an option. The condo’s barely big enough for the two of them, and their pullout couch is lumpy enough to qualify as cruel and unusual punishment. Besides, they’d insist on giving me their bed, which would both guilt me and gross me out enough to need therapy. A girl can only handle so much.
Elyse’s voice pulls me back. “This is all my fault. I should’ve insisted you stay with us. What if you had been inside?”
“It’s not your fault,” I tell her, shaking my head. “It’s no one’s fault. I’m fine.”
She doesn’t look convinced. “You’ll stay with me and Dominic. He won’t mind.”
Maybe I will, I think but keep to myself.
They’re in the middle of renovating their house, half the rooms gutted to the studs. The parts that aren’t under construction are basically a live-in honeymoon suite. I love her, but the thought of being the third wheel in that house makes me feel wiggly.
I had a front-row seat to Elyse and Dominic’s public displays of affection in high school; I can’t imagine what they’re like now, behind closed doors. No, thank you. I’d rather not be the nonparticipating member of a threesome—forced to listen, my vibrator my only companion.
“I don’t know, Elle…” I start, trailing off before I say something I’ll regret.
She opens her mouth, but another voice calls out behind her—a familiar, deep one that sends goosebumps racing up my arms despite the heat.
“Elle!” Gavin calls out.
I glance over her shoulder and spot him across the street, standing with Travis—Ethan’s former best friend and one of the local firefighters. When Elyse ran to me, he hung back to chat Travis.
