Page 116 of Vain

“I can’t believe you were in this when it started,” Tilly says, walking over and slipping her arm through Greyson’s.

“I was actually outside when it started,” he tells her as Kellen opens the door for us. Someone has put up a tarp to cover the exposed areas, but it doesn’t make the place very secure. I’m glad a guard on the gate stops the average Joe from getting in. And the arsonist clearly wasn’t interested in material possessions.

“Why the heck would you go inside after it started?” Tilly asks him.

He pats her hand. “I was in the herb garden doing some weeding. I didn’t know anything was wrong to start with. I had the stupid headphones on that you bought me for Christmas. If I hadn’t been listening to that damn podcast I would have noticed sooner,” he groans, rubbing his face. “When I realized the house was on fire, I called the emergency services, but all I could think about was Marley. He never told me when he’d be back, and I panicked. The smoke was so thick, I got turned around pretty quick. And just when I realized what a colossal mistake I made, firefighters were pulling me out.”

“Ooh, I should shake some sense into you. But we both know he’d do the same for you, and I’d do the same for you both.”

He cups her face, an expression of sadness passing through his gaze before he kisses her forehead. “I’ll dig the boxes out of the garage. We can box up what we want to take with us now and call the movers in to do the rest. They can put everything in storage until you decide what you want to keep.”

“Okay,” she whispers.

With a plan in place, that’s what we do. Me, Kellen, and Tilly head upstairs to pack. Marley looks to see what’s salvageable in the rest of the house, particularly the kitchen, while Greyson takes on the task of checking the outbuildings he and Marley live in.

We’d been at it for hours when we stop for something to eat. Thankfully, we brought sandwiches with us because the kitchen is a mess. We head down, happy with our progress, and find Marley taking books off one of the bookcases and putting them in a box markedSTORAGE.

He looks our way. “How’s it going up there?”

“I’ve got all the important stuff packed and ready to go. We’ve just stopped for food. The guys are wasting away, apparently.”

“Well, they are growing boys,” Marley agrees, getting to his feet with a groan.

Kellen chuckles. “Yeah, Matilda, I’m a growing boy.”

She shakes her head. “And to think I always wanted a brother.”

I laugh. “You’ve gotta be careful what you wish for.”

“I know that now.”

“Hey, where’s Greyson?” Kellen asks, unpacking the food. The den is pretty clear of destruction, so this seems like a good place to eat.

“He hasn’t come back yet, but you know what he’s like. He’ll probably have everything packed before we finish one room.” Marley grins.

“I’ll go grab him. He needs to eat too.”

“You know the way.” Marley waves me off.

I head out, careful of the debris, and almost collide with the man himself when I open the back door. “Shit, I wasn’t expecting you to be right there.” I laugh before I get a look at him. His hair is a mess, and he has a couple of scratches on his cheek. “What the fuck happened?”

He reaches up and touches his face before wincing. “I planted a lemon tree the day Matilda was born. I didn’t want to leave it behind. It’s stupid, I know, but…do you think she’ll mind if I take it? It was sure easier to plant than dig up,” he grumbles.

I laugh. “You know she’ll let you have anything you want.”

He ducks his head.Please do not let him start crying.Crying women are hard enough for me to deal with, but crying men? I have zero skills in that department.

“I better go wash up,” he says quietly.

“Sounds good. We’re eating in the den as there’s less damage in there.”

“Alright, I’ll join you in a moment.”

I leave him to it and come back the way I came.

“You find him?” Kellen asks before taking a bite of his sandwich.

“He found me, actually. He’s just washing up. You save any food for me?”