Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel by Bella Emy (pdf to ebook reader .TXT) 📕

She chuckles. “Well, you rejected him twice. I don’t know if he’ll try again. But you know what? If he really likes you like I’m guessing he does, he just might ask you again.”

“Maybe…”

Chapter Twenty-Two

The cool breeze against my cheeks as I sip my red wine feels so nice. Looking out over the balcony, sitting here, enjoying the ocean scenery is just breathtaking. It’s a beautiful evening, and nothing can change my mood.

Okay, so my head hurts a little, but it’s nothing that a little rest and relaxation— with a nice glass of wine— can’t help. Yeah, I know that wine typically is the cause of headaches or triggers them, but in my case, it seems to help every time.

Walking along the shore this afternoon with Erin felt amazing, but this right now is so relaxing. I think I can feel my soul at ease, which is perfect because I know that once I’m back home and starting my new routine with the lounge, there will be no time to relax.

A few people are still walking down at the beach, and once again this evening, the club music and flashing lights are still going strong. Seems like there is a party every night down here. I’m glad just staying by myself tonight and enjoying the peace. Erin is having dinner with her parents, who are about to leave to go back home in the morning. They had invited me to go with them, of course, but because of my headache, I declined.

The ringing of my cell phone brings me out of my thoughts. A smile pulls on the corners of my face as I lift my phone off the stand, sitting to my left.

“Hey, girl!” I answer on the third ring with enthusiasm.

My excitement dies as soon as those words leave my lips. A pause and some hesitation is coming from the other end, and I can sense something is wrong.

“Lexi…” The sound of Joanna’s voice confirms my suspicions.

My heartbeat speeds up. “Jo… what’s wrong? What happened?”

I hear her suck in a breath before she speaks. “Oh, my God, girl… there’s been an accident.”

“Accident? What accident? Joanna, you’re scaring me.”

She sniffles then says, “There was a fire… everything got destroyed.”

My heart stops. “What? Where? Are you okay?”

“Girl, I’m fine... But, oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

A million thoughts run through my mind. There can only be one reason why she’s telling me she’s sorry. The fire either took place at my apartment or, oh my God… my lounge.

“Jo?” Her name comes out as a whisper, but I know she’s heard me regardless.

“The lounge… your lounge… it’s ruined.”

I shut my eyes tightly. All those months of preparation and hard work, waiting and dreaming about opening day that was now just days away, all melted down for nothing. Literally. It’s gone. My hopes and dreams have gone down the drain, blown in the wind, like the breeze hitting my cheeks right now.

Oh my God… what am I going to do? Sure, I haven’t spent the five thousand dollars from Mr. Elmers, but what’s that going to help? Insurance, sure. And yeah, I have some money in savings but not enough to fix damages and find a new place within the next couple of days.

“Lexi, I’m so sorry,” Joanna’s words ring through the receiver.

Taking a deep breath, I ask, “What happened?”

“It was all over the news. I was getting ready for work when suddenly they showed it… it happened overnight. In the building next door, the apartment complex, the lady in one of the apartments fell asleep with a cigarette in her hand. They tried to get there in time, but by the time they did, the place was already destroyed. It’s not completely burned down to the ground, but there’s so much damage, it’s going to take weeks to repair it. I’m so sorry…”

I don’t say a word. I pop in an AirPod into my right ear, and once it connects, I pull open the internet browser app. I type in Fire and the name of the city, and sure enough, all the results populate.

“Oh, my God,” I whisper, taking in the images of my place that now is almost completely unrecognizable.

“Lexi, I’m really sorry. I’m standing down the block from it now. I couldn’t believe it.”

I nod, knowing she can’t see me right now. “I’m going to call you back... Later... Night.” I hang up before Joanna has a chance to say anything more. I need a break. I need to think. I need to go the fuck away and disappear.

If I thought I had a headache before, then I have a migraine now. Fuck.

Unbridled tears stream down my face. I can’t believe this has happened to me. What am I supposed to do now? I was supposed to open the lounge in just a few days, but instead, I’ve got a huge mess to clean up.

I need to make a call to my insurance company and deal with this disaster firsthand, but at the moment, I can’t think properly. I need to clear my head for a few minutes.

The crashing of the waves against the shore call to me. That’s exactly where I’m going to go.

Just as I’m about to rise from my seat and head downstairs to the shore, Erin appears in the balcony doorway.

As I turn to face her, she notices my horrified expression and makes an O with her mouth. “Lexi, what’s wrong?”

There’s no reason to hold back. There’s no need to hide it. The sooner I let these words leave my lips and voice them, the sooner I can go away and try to clear my mind.

“Lexi?” Erin walks out onto the balcony and places a hand on my shoulder.

As she looks down at me, and my eyes meet with hers, I shake my head. “It’s my lounge… there was a fire.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

The rest of the evening passed by in a haze. After I told Erin what happened, she didn’t let me