he was kissing Angela. I think he’s thoroughly in love.” She kissed him. “I’m thoroughly in love, too. In case you’re interested.”
They made love again, the urgency sated. It was slower and sweeter but no less wondrous. Wrapped in each other’s arms, they began to drift into sleep.
Then there was an explosion that shook the house.
* * *
Beau’s truck in Lauren’s drive was ablaze and he acted quickly. He didn’t go outside and told Lauren to stay in the kitchen, far away from the windows. He called 911 and explained that his truck was on fire and there was no explanation for it, but there had been a loud explosion. He heard sirens before he completed the call and within a couple of minutes there were fire trucks, a paramedic rig and lots of police vehicles.
“Get dressed, Beau,” she said, handing him his jeans.
He saw that she’d hurriedly pulled on jeans and a sweatshirt and some slip-on tennis shoes. While he was getting into his pants and T-shirt, there was pounding at the door.
Lauren opened the door to a firefighter. “Everyone in here all right, ma’am?”
“I think so,” she said. “We woke to the explosion...”
“I’m going to need you to evacuate for now. You can sit in one of the police cars. The bomb squad and arson investigators are going to take over when the fire is out. Then I’m going to suggest they have a run through the house.”
“The house?” she said, her hand going nervously to her throat.
“It looks like it was some kind of bomb. I have no idea how sophisticated it might be. Anyone looking to hurt you?”
Beau came to the door while tucking in his shirt. “It seems preposterous, but you never know. We’re both going through divorces and the exes aren’t happy. And before you ask, no, we’re not the reason for the divorces.”
“Right,” he said. “You can explain all that to the cops.”
“They’re a pain in the ass, our exes, but... This could have hurt someone!”
“You need to get jackets,” the firefighter said. “It’s cold tonight.”
They were relegated to the back of a squad car and all attention was focused on evacuating the neighbors on either side of Lauren. “My neighbors must hate me,” she said.
“We’ll talk to them together,” Beau said. “We’ll explain we don’t have any idea what this is about and promise to give them the details when we have more information from the police.”
“They’re going to hate me just the same. This was a quiet, well-kept little neighborhood until I came along.”
“Have you had any contact from Brad?” Beau asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “I told you what Lacey said, that she thinks Brad somehow managed to get me put out of a job, but she can’t be sure. It could be the things he was saying meant he thought he’d finally outsmarted me and will get even in the settlement. I have no reason to suspect him of blowing up your truck. Oh God, what if that was meant to hurt us? Or kill us?”
“Let’s not go there until we get more information,” he said.
“But what if one of them, probably Brad, wants that level of revenge?” she asked.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her into his arms. “We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to be okay.”
They spent the rest of the early morning in the police department, answering questions. What was left of Beau’s truck was towed to a special section of the impound lot for examination by detectives and the arson investigator, although the remnants of a pipe bomb were discovered. It appeared the pipe bomb could have been tossed in the bed of the truck, which actually brought Beau and Lauren a small bit of comfort. Had it been wired to explode while they were occupants in the cab, it would have been so eerily terrifying.
They were separated and answered many questions for about three hours before they were released and asked to remain available to police. The first order of business was a nap—at Beau’s house. Then they visited the neighbors on either side of Lauren’s house to explain as much as they could and Lauren packed a small bag.
There was a devastating black charred mark left on the driveway.
“This is so scary,” Lauren said. “Is there any way to clean that away? Just looking at it is a horrible reminder.”
“I’ll find a solution to that,” Beau said. “I think you have to stay with me now. Just to be safe.”
Drew was shocked and agreed,