Chapter Nine

Drew adjusted his position in bed. He’d wait a little longer and make sure she didn’t have another nightmare. He was awake because of her last one. Assuming the nightmare didn’t return, he’d go downstairs and start breakfast. Considering what Kelsey had gone through the day before, the least he could do was make her breakfast.

Reaching over, he brushed some hair off her forehead. She’d amazed him yesterday. Throughout her brief phone conversation with the insurance company, she’d remained calm. Her voice hadn’t wavered once. As the night went on, he’d waited for her to break down and cry, let out all the pent-up emotions she must be feeling. She never shed a tear. However, if she did give in to her emotions at some point, whether it be today or next week, he’d be there for her.

Next to him, Kelsey rolled over but didn’t wake up. Adjusting the blankets around her, Drew slipped out of bed. She had nowhere to be this morning. When she’d called to tell the middle school principal she wouldn’t be in today, he insisted she take at least until next Wednesday off. He’d heard Kelsey try to decline and insist she only needed today. In the end though, the principal had won. Then later the school district’s superintendent had called and suggested she take as much time as she needed. Drew knew she’d never take more than the five days off, but they should be able to get a lot accomplished by next week. He already planned to take her shopping this afternoon after her meetings with the representative from the insurance company and the deputy fire chief. While Ella had brought over plenty of clothes, Drew figured Kelsey would be more comfortable in her own things. While they were out, they also needed to get her a new cell phone. He didn’t mind her using his, but it wasn’t a permanent solution.

When he reached the bedroom door, he stopped and glanced back at Kelsey. Waking up with her every day was his future. Regardless of what she did with her house, he planned to have her in his bed every morning and every night. The only time he expected her not to be there was during the season when he traveled for games. Even then she’d be safely in his house and his bed.

Downstairs, Drew chopped up mushrooms and peppers. As much as he loved pancakes, he’d burned them more times than not. The last thing he wanted this morning was to set off the smoke detectors with his cooking. Omelets he could whip up with no problem. Setting aside the vegetables, he cracked several eggs in a bowl and beat them. Despite his hands being busy, his thoughts returned to Kelsey, or more specifically to their conversation last night.

Telling Kelsey he loved her hadn’t been premeditated on his part. Yet, when the moment presented itself, he’d jumped on it. Getting to his end goal required he eventually say the words, and last night seemed like the perfect time. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was lying.

Drew rubbed the center of his chest, hoping to relieve the sudden tightness there. He did love Kelsey. He desired her too. Was it the same kind of love that prompted John to propose to his longtime girlfriend at Thanksgiving? Or was it more the love one friend felt for another? Honestly, he wasn’t sure this morning.

“It doesn’t matter.” He flipped the omelets and lowered the heat. “She loves me, and she’ll say yes.”

Her admission last night both elated and pained him. If she already loved him, getting a ring on her finger would be easy. Like this morning, his conscience last night had questioned whether or not he was being fully honest with her. As soon as he’d said the words, she’d assumed he meant he loved her like a husband loves a wife. Whether he did or not, he knew he’d started this relationship so he could keep his promise to Ian. While he wouldn’t change his mind or his plan, he realized getting married for such a reason wasn’t the best of ideas.

Placing the finished omelets on plates, he left them on a tray while he fetched some fresh fruit. Any kind of love is better than no love.

Rolling over, Kelsey grabbed the blankets and stopped. She didn’t own flannel sheets. All her sheets were cotton. Flipping onto her back, she opened her eyes. This wasn’t her bedroom. Memories from the day before flooded back. She could see the smoke seeping out from around her bedroom door. Smell the smoke filling the air as she stood across the street in the Willows’ driveway, and hear the chain saw as it cut into the roof.

Gone. Everything she owned, including pictures of her family, had been destroyed. Even worse than that, she suspected it was her fault. The fire investigator hadn’t shared his findings yet, but the fire had started in her bedroom. When she’d run upstairs, she hadn’t seen fire or smoke coming from any of the other rooms. No, the fire had started in there at the electrical outlet near her bed. The silly thing had been acting up for a long time, and rather than deal with it, she’d stopped using the table lamp. If she’d called an electrician instead, she could’ve prevented this.

Kelsey sat up and reached over. The sheets were cool beneath her hand. She hadn’t heard Drew get up. She hated to admit it, but at the moment she could use a hug and his reassurance that everything would be okay.

“Okay, but not the same.” She’d said the same thing yesterday. Sure, she could rebuild the house, but it would never be the same house her family had lived in. She could replace many of the items lost, but not everything, especially the pictures. With some luck, a computer expert might be able to retrieve the pictures on her destroyed laptop, but she didn’t have digital files for all of them.

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes. C’mon, think positive. No one was hurt. Yep, that was a definite positive. Thanks to Ella, she had clothes, so a shopping spree wasn’t looming in her immediate future. Finally, she had a place to stay.

Correction, not only did she have a place to stay, but she was staying with the man she loved. And Drew loved her too.

She’d happily forget all the events of the previous day except one. When I said I’d do anything for you, I meant it. Even if it involves doing your laundry. I love you. She replayed the moment she’d etched into her memories. Yes, their conversation last night belonged at the top of the positive list.

“You’re up.” Drew walked in carrying the same tray he’d used to bring up their snack last night. “How are you feeling?” He set the tray down and climbed into bed.

“Tired.” They’d gone to bed early, but she felt as if she’d closed her eyes only ten minutes ago. The sun streaming through the window blinds told her it had to be sometime after six o’clock. “What time is it?”

“Twenty past eight. I’m not surprised you’re tired. You were restless last night and had a few nightmares.”

She remembered at least one. She also remembered waking up from it and finding Drew’s arms wrapped around her. “Sorry. Did I keep you up a lot?”

“Nah, I’m glad I could be there for you.” Drew picked up the tray and set it on the bed. “You didn’t eat much last night. I thought you’d be hungry.” He handed her coffee first. “I considered making pancakes, but decided omelets were safer.”

He did her laundry and served her breakfast in bed. Never in her wildest dreams would she have guessed he’d do either, but she adored him because of it. “I wasn’t before, but all of a sudden I’m starving.” She took a long swallow of the coffee. Sweet and creamy coffee filled her mouth. He’d added milk and extra sugar just the way she liked it.

“I love you.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek. She’d told him everything yesterday, including the fact she’d fallen in love with him when she was ten. There was no reason she couldn’t tell him she loved him whenever she wanted now.

Drew raised his coffee toward his mouth. “Love you too.” He took a sip and set it back down. “After your meetings with the insurance company and Atwood, I thought we’d hit the mall. Do you care which one?”

Kelsey took a bite of her omelet. “Wow, this is really good.” She dug her fork in for more. “I’m impressed. You can cook and do laundry. What other hidden talents do you have?”

He went for his coffee mug and stared at her. “I’ll demonstrate more of my talents tonight.”

If not for the fact the deputy fire chief would be there in less than an hour, she’d ask for a brief demonstration now.

“You didn’t answer me. Where do you want to start shopping? The Hamilton Mall is closer, but I don’t mind driving to Natick. The one there is bigger.”

Shopping, yuck. “Honestly, I’d prefer to go with option C. None of the above.” She took another sip of coffee, grateful the caffeine was finally kicking in. “I hate shopping.”

“C isn’t an option today.”

He was right, but she wasn’t going to tell him. “I know.” She hadn’t bought a single item, but already she pictured the credit card bill coming in the mail. “The stores at the mall in Natick are too expensive. The Hamilton Mall has some reasonable ones. I got my last cell phone there too.”

Drew took her free hand. “Hey, don’t worry about money. I got this. Get what you need from the stores you want.”

He means well, Kelsey reminded herself before she said something she’d later regret. “Drew, I appreciate the offer. Really, I do. But you don’t—”

“Have to pay for your things,” he said, finishing her sentence before she could. “I know I don’t. I want to.”

Okay, she’d try a different approach. “I’m not sure exactly how it all works yet, but I know the insurance company will replace the clothes I lost. That’s why people have homeowners insurance.”

“Yeah, but is the insurance company going to hand you a check today? Let me get you a few things this afternoon. Everything else you can replace when you get the money from the insurance company.” He squeezed her hand. “If Ella was in your position, wouldn’t Striker be offering to do the same for her?”

Right twice in one conversation. Darn it. She better never tell him it happened.

“Couples take care of each other. You’d do the same for me.”

He was good. Somehow Drew knew the perfect words to say. Kelsey nodded in defeat. “Okay, but only a few things. I don’t need much. Ella gave me a ton yesterday. And the Hamilton Mall is fine. The mall in Natick is always too busy.”

***

She expected the rep from the insurance company to be over fifty with graying hair. After all, during their phone conversation, the woman had said her name was Bertha. Kelsey didn’t know anyone in her generation with Bertha as a first name. Honestly, the only Bertha she’d ever met volunteered at the town library and had to be pushing ninety. Miss Bertha Wilson, the woman seated across from her at the moment, was nowhere near fifty. If Kelsey had to guess, she’d say the rep was around her age—and beautiful. As in movie star beautiful, not just yeah she’s pretty.

Miss Wilson pulled several folders from her leather briefcase. “I brought a copy of your homeowners policy with me.” She pushed one folder across the table toward Kelsey, but her eyes never left Drew. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions about the process. I’ll do my best to answer them all.”

A lot of questions? More like a boatload of questions. The first one being, can you please stop staring at my boyfriend.

“Let’s start with temporary housing.” Miss Wilson flipped to a page in the folder. “Your policy provides you with two options. Option one is having a trailer moved onto the property for you to live in until the home is rebuilt. Option two is moving into a rental house or apartment. Ferguson Insurance will cover the full cost of the trailer. We have a contract with a company in Danvers. If you decide to rent, we’ll cover the cost up to the amount set in your policy.” She pointed to a figure on the page. “If you select a location and the rent is over this amount, you’d be responsible for the difference.”

Kelsey had never actually read her entire homeowners policy. She doubted many people ever did. At that moment, she wished she had. “Do I need to decide what I want to do today?” Drew had invited her into his home, but she wasn’t sure he’d want her staying with him until her house was rebuilt. Building a house could take months.

“There’s no rush.” The representative glanced down as she turned to another section. “Whenever you decide, call my office, and we’ll make the necessary arrangements. Some clients choose to stay with family or friends.”

Miss Wilson looked at Drew when she said the word friend. Kelsey assumed the woman was trying to figure out what type of relationship existed between them. The representative wasn’t from North Salem, and thankfully their involvement hadn’t hit the media outlets yet.

“Great. I’ll think about it.”

Drew covered her hand with his. “I want you to stay here.” He whispered the words in her ear, but from the way the rep’s eyebrows went up, she’d heard him anyway.

“We can talk about it later,” Kelsey said. She wasn’t making any decisions with Bertha sitting there.

The representative’s eyes dropped to their hands and back up to Drew’s face. “Like I said, whatever decision you make is fine with us. Before I move on, do either of you have any other questions?”

Kelsey shook her head.

“Good, then let’s move on to how the rebuild process works.”

For the next two hours, Miss Wilson explained how the homeowner’s policy worked in terms of rebuilding the house and replacing the items Kelsey lost. Throughout the explanation, Kelsey took notes. With so much information coming at her, she didn’t want to forget anything important.

“We discussed a lot this morning. If either of you has any questions, please call me.” She handed them both her business card. “Helping you through this is my number-one priority.”

Kelsey doubted that. Although the woman was personable and kind, she worked for the insurance company. Her job and the company’s interests were her first priority. “I appreciate all your help today, Miss Wilson.”

“Please call me Bertha. And my card has both my office number and cell. Feel free to call anytime.”

Kelsey closed the door behind the insurance representative and leaned her head against the wood. Done. Finally, she had a moment to collect her thoughts. She hadn’t had one since she got out of the shower.

Drew’s arms encircled her, and he kissed the top of her head. “How are you holding up?”

Leaning against him, she closed her eyes. For so long she’d managed everything on her own. While she intended to keep on doing that, it was nice having someone by her side.

“I’m okay. It’s a lot to process.” She turned so she faced him rather than the front door. “I have some serious decisions to make.” Did she want to rebuild the house, or simply tear down the structure and sell the property? If she did rebuild, should she have something smaller constructed? Before the fire, the house had had five bedrooms. She lived alone. She didn’t need a house so big. A much smaller two-bedroom home would suit her purposes and lower her tax bill.

“About what I said earlier.” He caressed the length of her back, and she wished they could stand there for the rest of the afternoon.

Kelsey rolled her shoulders. All the tension from the last twenty-four hours had settled in her upper back and shoulders.

Drew’s caress turned into a gentle massage. “I want you to stay here with me.”

As nice as the massage felt, this was a serious conversation. Kelsey moved out of his arms. “We’re not talking a few weeks, Drew. Rebuilding a house could take months, maybe a year. They might not even be able to start until sometime in the spring. It might be better if I find a place in town to rent.” She’d already dismissed the idea of having a temporary trailer placed on the property. She couldn’t think of anything more depressing than looking out the window and seeing her destroyed home every day. “I don’t think it’ll be hard to find something.”

Determination crossed his face. “I don’t care how long it takes. I want you with me. You belong here.” Raising her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles. “Please stay.”

How could she resist when he said things like that to her?