CHAPTER FOUR

      RED LIGHTS FLASHED off the nearby buildings. There were emergency vehicles and people loitering everywhere. A news crew was filming in front of the bakery—or what was left of the bakery.

      “This can’t be happening,” Pepper whispered to herself, willing herself to wake up from this nightmare.

      “Pepper?” Simon’s voice drew her from her troubled thoughts.

      She glanced back out the window. She knew that once she stepped outside the car this horrible scene would become her reality. Her dream had quite literally gone up in smoke.

      How had this happened? She’d been so careful, having the place rewired from top to bottom and having a pricey alarm system installed. She’d done everything she could think of, and still it wasn’t enough.

      “Pepper, if you’d rather remain here, I can go check on things for you,” Simon said in the gentlest tone.

      She gave a resolute shake of her head. This was her nightmare. She should be the one to face the damage. Pepper drew in a deep breath and released an uneven sigh.

      She clutched the door handle. All she could see were the flashing red lights. She had no doubt that for a long while she’d be seeing them every time she closed her eyes. She couldn’t stall any longer. She had to go. She would be told what she already knew—her dream had gone up in smoke.

      She wasn’t sure how she got from the car and past the police officer who was keeping people back from the scene, to stand in front of her bakery. Black soot trailed up the front of the building. The air was heavy with the foul odor of smoke.

      The backs of her eyes stung. All she could do was stand there, struggling to take it all in. Just a couple of hours ago she’d had a home, a business. Her heart splintered into a million pieces. Now she had nothing. Only the clothes on her back.

      Her throat tightened. Her knees gave way. And then there was an arm around her waist. Simon pulled her back against him. He held them both up.

      “Let me take you back to the car,” he said gently.

      She shook her head, not trusting her voice. She didn’t want to go anywhere.

      She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when a firefighter stepped up to them. “I was told the owner is here.” The older man’s gaze immediately moved to Simon. “Is that you?”

      “Pepper owns the bakery.”

      She glanced at the man’s helmet. It said Captain on it. To her, he was the messenger of bad news. “The bakery—is it completely burned?”

      “Afraid so.”

      In that moment, she was thankful for Simon’s support. This was like losing a member of her family...again. She’d lost her eccentric mother and her conservative grandmother. The bakery was all she had left of either of them. And now she didn’t have it either.

      “But there’s some good news,” the fire captain said. “Thanks to the fire alarm, we were able to get here fast enough to save the second story. Granted, there will be smoke damage, but it won’t need the repairs the first floor will need.” The man paused and looked at her as though expecting her to launch endless questions at him. “I’m really sorry, ma’am.”

      “How...how soon can I get in there?”

      He shook his head. “It’ll be a while. The fire marshal has been requested.”

      “The fire marshal?” Simon finally spoke.

      The captain nodded. “In cases like this, he’s called in to determine if this was a case of arson.”

      “Arson?” Pepper’s eyes widened. “Who would burn down a bakery?”

      The captain looked at her, but he didn’t say anything. And then she realized she was now considered a suspect—torching her own place for the insurance money. She was certain it wasn’t a secret that her bakery was struggling now that the chain store had moved in.