Page 80 of Never Fall Again

“They were red.”

More air. It took everything he had not to rush her. She was shaking, and he wrapped his arms tight around her, then dipped his head so his mouth was at her ear. “Landry. Honey. What did it say?”

A shudder ran through her. She pulled back so she was looking at him and said, “Time’s up.”

Even with her eyes closed, Landry could see her ruined studio. Shelves of pieces she’d abandoned, pieces she’d been experimenting with, pieces that held sentimental value, and some that were there for no reason other than because she found them inspiring—all destroyed.

All the work she’d done over the past few months—the hours and hours she’d spent churning out bowls and vases and mugs—all of it had been for nothing. The finished pieces she’d been storing, pieces to fill the shelves of the new Favors, were shattered.

The pumpkins. Those were what she’d seen first. She’d finished ten of them a week ago, and they had come out of the final firing yesterday.

They’d been gorgeous. Some of her best work. They would have sold to The Haven guests.

Destroyed. She had no way to bring in income.

Her boxes of clay had been cut open. Her glazes thrown around like a Jackson Pollock painting.

“Everything’s ruined, Cal.” Her voice sounded strange to her. Like she was speaking into a paper towel roll. Maybe that was because she was speaking into Cal’s shirt.

“We’ll fix it, baby. We’ll fix it.”

“Some things can’t be fixed.”

Instead of arguing with her, which she’d expected, he set his phone on the side table and dialed. Then his arm came back around her.

He must have put it on speaker because she could hear it ringing.

“What’s going on?” Gray’s voice.

“Landry and Eliza have been at their property and my place since noon.” He looked at Landry. “Did you go to the studio this morning?”

She shook her head no.

“So yesterday was the last time you were in there?”

She nodded. “Before I came to see you. Eliza and I popped in so I could show her the pumpkins.” Her voice broke, and more tears flooded down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop them.

“Gray, the last time she was in the studio was around three thirty on Friday afternoon. We got here a few minutes ago.” He filled him in on everything that had happened since.

Landry could hear a siren chirping, then Gray’s muttered, “Get out of the way, people.” Another chirp. “I’m on my way. I’ll call my team. No one goes inside that studio. Clear?”

“Got it.”

“Ten minutes.” Gray disconnected.

Cal released her and dialed another number. The phone rang.

“Cal?” This time it was Bronwyn’s voice.

“I need you at Landry’s. Now.”

“Is she okay? What’s going on?”

“She’s uninjured. But she’s not okay.”

“Five minutes.”

Cal pushed a few more buttons on the phone. The phone rang. This time it was a male voice. “Yo.”

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