Page 80 of Something Tangled Something True
He ducks his head, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Maybe my wife will give me private lessons.”
My breath gets lodged in my throat, and I avert my gaze, sucking in a deep, steadying lungful of air. The music quiets down, and the loud chatter stills. When I lift my head to see what’s going on, Ryder’s body goes rigid beside mine, his hand on my back sliding to my hip as he pulls me into his side, as if shielding me from something—orsomeone.
I don’t have a chance to ask what’s going on before I’m seeing red.
Or should I say:yellow.
Lemmon traipses through the middle of the crowd, a pale-yellow lace dress hanging around her slim waist, falling to mid-calf.Tu De Que Vasstarts to play through the speakers, and it’s impeccably timed, given the meaning of the song:“What’s your problem? What were you thinking? Are you joking with me right now?”None of these are literal translations, but they all make entirely too much sense as Lemmon approaches me, the massive barn suddenly stifling.
She doesn’t cross the invisible line between where Ryder and I stand and where the rest of the crowd is gathered.
A tense hush falls around us. It’s an eerie silence that makes me feel like there are bugs crawling on my skin, and bile churns in my gut.
Ryder’s fingers flex, digging into my hip as Lemmon and I enter a stare-off. “Lola, maybe we sh—” His words are cut off byMami’sscreams.
“Fire!”
The smell of smoke billows through the room, singeing the inside of my nostrils. I cover my mouth, coughing as panic threatens to seize my lungs.
My gaze swings around the room, thecrowd breaking into hysterics, shouting as they push through the room, but when my gaze catches on Lemmon, it lingers there. Stuck on her shocked expression, wide eyes, mouth open in surprise, and not the theatrical kind, but a genuine sense of fear written plainly across her face.
Ryder tugs on my arm, pulling me back into the present as thick plumes of smoke climb the wall in the far corner, coating the newly painted red in black soot.
He drags me through the room, ushering everyone out. “Stay calm! Just get outside quickly, everyone!”
My heart is hammering in my chest, sweat collecting on my brow as we make it outside, and when I look back, it’s the paintings Ryder commissioned, burning to ashes right in front of my eyes, that have my heart sinking. Everything I’d worked for, justgone.
I turn away, tears pricking the backs of my eyes. The cool, moist air coats my skin in a sticky contrast to the dry, astringent air inside the barn. There’s a stampede of people yelling, and Isabela’s cries roar over the rush of blood in my ears, but I’m thankful for the sound, as it pulls my attention right to my family rushingsafelyover to me.
“What’s going on?” I plead, trying to gain my bearings and find the source of the fire. I stare at the building in horror as the weeks of pain and anxiety go up in flames with my dreams. If this isn’t a bad omen, I don’t know what is.
“Don’t worry, Miss Lola. We’ll get it sorted!” Chuck hollers at me, pulling on the large hose tucked outside of the barn. Ryder is already on the phone with emergency services. Isaiah and Cynthia join Chuck, splitting up to contain the fire.
“Did everyone get out alright?” I pant out.
“They’re volunteer firefighters. They know what they’re doing, darlin’, everyone will be okay. Don’t worry. We’ll get the damage fixed and your studio reopened in no time.”
I cup his cheeks, pressing a firm kiss to his lips as I melt into his chest. “I’m not worried about the barn, Ry. I want toknow how this happened.” My voice cracks as I try to hold myself together and not shatter in his arms. This night, Ryder’s surprise, my love of dance—it’s all been so magical, and my chest aches to think of all the hard work that went into it being burned to a crisp, literally. I can’t stand the thought of the beauty of this experience being sullied by something so heartbreaking.
Ryder smooths a hand over my head, flattening my curls down my back. “Unfortunately, Lols, I think we know the who and the why,” he says. Straightening my spine, I peer over his shoulder, making eye contact with Lemmon. She immediately looks away, scurrying off toward the police car parked down the hill.
I turn in Ryder’s arms, grabbing his hand, and drag him behind me as I make a hasty descent, following Lemmon. I do my best not to trip in my heels, stopping momentarily to pull them off. Ryder takes them from my grasp, nodding his chin toward Lemmon to urge me forward, and boy,do I ever.
“Sheriff Wilson!” I call with a renewed sense of determination. This isn’t a badomen; it’s a badlemonspoiling the bunch.
He gives me a smile, but it falls as fast as it appeared. Lemmon has her hand over her heart, tears pooling in her eyes. “Why, Sheriff Wilson, I just don’t know how this could happen in our quiet little town. It hurts ma’ heart to think someone could be actin’ so malicious so close to our home.” She swipes a finger under her eye, sniffling.
“Cut the crap, Lemmon. We know you’re responsible for this.” Even as I say it, the words feel wrong, like they’re somehow tinged in soot. It’s as if my gut and my heart are volleying with my brain and the facts of our situation. If it’s not Lemmon, who else could be responsible?
Her head snaps to me, her tears drying as she narrows her glare on my face. “Now, Lola Lima, why on God’s green Earth wouldIbe behind such a thing?” She doesn’t let me interject with a rebuttal before she’s deflecting, andvery poorly at that. “Speaking of suspicious activity, why would someone marry Ryder Lockhart and not take his last name?”
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Because, Lemmon, it’s the twenty-first century, and Ilikemy last name,” I huff out.
“You know, something tells me that just ain’t the truth. You and Ryder got married awfully quick, didn’t you? You sure there’s not a more nefarious reason for that? Any chance your marriage is all a sham, and you didn’t take his last name because there’d be no point in all that paperwork?” Her words slam into me, knocking me off kilter as the weight of fraud hangs over my head like an anvil.
Ryder wraps his arm around my waist, tugging me tight against his side. “Lemmon, my marriage to Lola is more real thanoursever was. You can quit digging for problems that don’t exist. Lola and I love each other, and there’s nothing you can do that’s going to split us up or make the fine people of Hidden Valley turn on her.”
