Charlie
There’s a light breeze today.For a moment it reminds me of the day Nikolai took me to the Belvedere castle in the park, but I only allow the memory to linger for a split second before I shove it away. I have work to do. A lot of work.
The crew I’ve hired to help with the deli cleanup has been working for an hour already. They’ve gotten most of the big stuff out, the seats, the booths, the deli counter. Almost nothing is salvageable, the fire department told me, because of the chemicals used to start the fire. Most of the things in my apartment above the deli are too contaminated to keep.
Joey and Silvia are here helping sort through what has been deemed salvageable. I’m grateful the two storefronts on either side of the deli have only taken minimal damage. They should be able to be back in business within a month.
I’m not sure when we’ll be able to reopen. The insurance company has approved the claim, but the police need to complete their investigation. Even if I got the check tomorrow, rebuilding will take time.
“Charlie, how about this? You want to add this to the cleanup pile?” Silvia brings me a framed photograph that had hung above the deli counter. I take it from her and wipe my gloved hand over the glass to see the photo more clearly.
“This is how the strip looked when my parents first bought the place. This used to be a dry cleaner.” I point at the storefront in the middle. “I remember Dad complaining how much work they had to do. They had to rip out all the washers and dryers. They had to redo the entire ceiling because that rolling rack thing messed it all up.” I sigh. “Put it in the cleanup pile.” I hand it back to her.
“You got it.” She takes it away.
“We found the fire safe.” Jared, the supervisor of the cleanup crew, brings me good news. “It did its job. Looks perfect.”
“Oh, thank god.” I press my hand to my chest. Much of my mother’s jewelry is stashed in there, as well as all my legal documents. I won’t have to re-create my life on paper now. Such a relief.
I follow him to the back of the store where my bedroom would have been on the second floor. Squatting down, I twist the knob to the combination and open the safe. Everything is exactly as it was.
“It’s all here.” I grin up at him.
He nods. “Good to hear. I’ll have one of the guys put it on the truck out back for you.”
I get back to my feet. “Thank you, Jared.”
He grins. “Not a problem.” He inclines his head. “Is there anything else that we should really keep an eye out for? Something important?”
“I had boxes of old photos, but I doubt those survived.” I look around the mess. Everything’s been tainted with black soot or ruined from the water putting out the flames. I never trusted Oliver to keep the family pictures because I was sure he’d ruin them or throw them out on accident, and here I stand among the mess that has destroyed them.
“Well, we’ll keep looking,” he assures me then heads back into the muck to keep cleaning up.
“Charlie.” Joey brings me another photograph. This one is of opening day. My father and mother standing in front of the deli with me and Oliver. We were so small, and my parents look so young, so ready to take on the adventure before them.
I take the photo and touch my fingertips to it.
“A smile. Finally!” Joey laughs. “I’ll put it with the cleanup stuff.”
I look up at him. “Absolutely.” I hand it to him. “Thank you, Joey. By the way. You and Silvia have gone above and beyond. I can’t thank you guys enough.”
“Of course.” His smile falls a little. “I haven’t had a chance to get to the hospital in the last couple of days, how’s Mark doing?”
“He’s doing better. They’re going to release him once his oxygen levels stay consistent, but they think a few more days.” I’ve spent most of my afternoons at the hospital. It helps keep my mind off Nikolai. Not that it works. The moment I’m alone again, my mind drifts right to him. What’s he doing? Does he even care that I’ve left?
I haven’t heard a word from him in two days. It’s been five since I walked out on him. At first, I figured he finally took the hint. But Nikolai Romanov doesn’t just give up on something he wants. So maybe I’m taking the real hint. He never wanted me. I really was just the month-long distraction he wanted me to be for him.
“You good?” Jared asks as he walks past me.
“Yeah,” I lie. He stops and watches me for a long moment.
“This is a lot for one person to deal with. Do you have someone helping you? With all the other stuff beside the cleanup? You’ve lost a lot here, it’s hard.”
Is he fishing to find out if I have a boyfriend?
“I’m good. I promise.” I force a smile. He doesn’t look like he buys it, but he doesn’t push me.
My phone buzzes in my back pocket, so I grab it. Every time it goes off, I check it, afraid the hospital is going to call and tell me Mark’s taken a turn for the worse. Losing him is going to be hard enough when it happens but losing him because of my own stupidity of getting involved with a man like Nikolai Romanov—I’m not sure I could ever forgive myself.