Page 80 of Ink and Ashes
When I makeit back to the inn that evening, I head straight for Holland’s room. I knock on her door, and after a moment, I hear her footsteps on the other side.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” I say the moment her door swings open.
Her shoulders fall. “You don’t need to apologize, Colson.”
“I do, though. You didn’t deserve that.” I take a step forward. “I’m not angry with you. I just…needed some space. To think. To process.”
“I appreciate you saying that, and I understand. Seriously, it’s okay.” She moves to the side to let me enter, so I make my way inside her room. I hear the door click shut behind her, and when I turn around and take her in, all the oxygen in the room evaporates.
She’s dressed in the same emerald green silk pajama set I saw her in the first day I started staying here, and her hair is pulled up in a high ponytail. Her toned legs are long and smooth, and I fight the urge to run my hands along them—to find out what she’s hiding beneath her clothes. Her face is clean from any makeup, and it’s the first time I’m seeing her this way.
Raw. Real.
Even more stunning than any way I’ve seen her before.
“Colson?” she asks, my name on her lips pulling me from my stupor.
“Sorry, I just…” I trail off, pulling my gaze from her and taking a seat on the end of the bed.
She makes her way over and sits down next to me. She positions herself with one leg curled under her so she’s facing me, then she rests her hand on my knee.
“Talk to me. What’s going through your head?”
Her touch calms me, and I brave another glance at her. “Everything. Nothing. I don’t fucking know what to think.”
Her thumb swipes over my knee. “How was work today?”
“It was…fine. Slow. Which, all things considered, should be a relief I suppose.” I glance down at the floor. “I talked to my dad this morning.”
She sits up straighter. “What did he have to say?”
I pause, trying to figure out how best to tell her. “He asked me if I thought you were right, and I told him about Morgan, Hart, and Sharpe. He agreed Morgan is clear, and he also said Hart doesn’t have what it takes to be an arsonist and get away with it for as long as you believe this person has. Which only leaves Sharpe.”
“Okay. That’s good to know. We’ll keep a closer eye on Ollie, and I’ll do some more research on him.” She squeezes my leg slightly. “Thank you, Colson. I know this isn’t easy.”
I shake my head. It’s damn near the hardest thing I’ve ever faced.
But for some reason, doing it with her makes it the slightest bit easier.
“Can I ask you something? Unrelated to this,” she asks.
I meet her gaze. “Yeah, anything,” I say, thankful for a change in subject.
She exhales deeply, then says, “Both Dom and Cass have mentioned you have a sordid history with the press. Cass gave me a surface-level rundown of why, but I was just wondering if you’d be willing to tell me more.”
I blow out a breath, running my hand through my hair. I knew this would come up eventually. If I’m being honest, I’m surprised she hasn’t brought it up sooner, given how I treated her the first few weeks after she arrived.
Part of me wants to say nothing, beg her to drop it and leave it in the past where it belongs. But the other part of me wants Holland to know everything about me—even the darkest sides. Maybe if she knows the truth, she’ll understand why this has been so hard on me.
Which is why I decide to tell her, “Five years ago, a fire broke out at the apartment complexes off High Street, where my fiancée Ellie and I were living at the time.”
Holland inhales sharply. I know she wasn’t prepared for that.
“The woman in the picture on your nightstand,” she says simply, all the pieces falling into place.
I nod. I know exactly what picture she’s talking about. The same one she brought up when I first started staying at the inn,talking about how my girlfriend wouldn’t like it.
If Ellie were still here, that would’ve been true. But she isn’t. And it’s my fault.
