Top Dog

“We have a warehouse here. We tried to get an East Coast installment of the company up and running back a few years ago. We posted some billboards to advertise it before we put things on hold.”

“Okay. So, you don’t work there, but you still own it?” I asked.

“Majority stock, yes. It’s how I take care of Lanie and live without working.”

“Do you think you’ll ever go back?” I asked.

“No. After living out here for a couple of years, I enjoyed the isolation. So I told Jack, the guy who started this all with me, that I wasn’t coming back.”

“What does that have to do with what happened this morning?”

“The warehouse we have out here was burned to the ground.”

My face fell as my lips parted in shock.

“What?” I asked.

“Yeah. The detective that was on the scene already declared it arson. He could smell the accelerant from a mile away. It had to be Bob.”

“Wait, you can prove that?” I asked.

“No, but it makes sense. Jack never took my name off any formal documents. I’m still technically a sitting board member on the official paperwork. That man walked up onto my doorstep a few days ago. He has someone digging up info on me, and that would be easy to find.”

“So you think he set the fire,” I said.

“I’m almost certain he did. He was trying his best to show me that he has the upper hand.It’s the only thing I can come up with. Except he obviously doesn’t understand how businesses work. It’s a nuisance, but if my P.I. and the detective can link this to him, between that and our marriage, my custody case is secured.”

“I’m so sorry that happened, Brian.”

“We need to make sure this wedding happens soon. The clock is ticking, and Bob’s mental state is waning fast.”

“Well, then why don’t we do it now?”

I saw his face turn toward mine as I sat up on the couch.

“Why don’t we go to the courthouse now and get married? Is the license ready?” I asked.

“We need to pick it up,” he said.

“Well, let’s go into town,” I said.

“Is Tanya here?”

“Yeah. She came in about an hour after you’d left. I told her I could take Lanie, so she’s been deep cleaning. In case there is an inspection.”

“Where is she now?”

“I told her to go get lunch in town. She should be back any second.”

And like clockwork, I heard a car pull up beside the house. Tanya came through the door, sipping on her soda as she dropped her purse. We explained to her that we needed to run into town for a bit, but that Lanie was down for a late nap. She shooed us out the door and told us to take our time, so we hopped into Brian’s truck and started for town.

But, once we arrived at the courthouse, we learned the magistrates had already left for the day. We had our marriage license, but no way to make things official until tomorrow. I could see the defeated look in Brian’s eyes, so I suggested we go and get some food. It would give us time to properly plan how we would work tomorrow.

He took me to a restaurant called Posada. I didn’t recognize it, but then again it looked to be a fancier restaurant. My grandmother had enough to keep me fed, clothed, and a roof over my head, but it didn’t leave us with much spending money of our own. I took Brian’s hand as he led me inside, sticking close by him as we were led to our table.

“This place is really nice,” I said.

“It’s a decent place for a town like Asheville,” he said.