Free Frigid Affair by Jennifer Foor Page B

weather we were hoping you could shed light on some things. Do you remember that large marble centerpiece we kept on the dining room table?”
    It was hard to miss. It was about two feet tall and all white. It was the figure of a man on a bucking horse. I’d commented on it several times and they’d hinted on it being extremely heavy and outrageously expensive. “Yes, of course.”
    “It was never recovered. The dining room was the least damaged room. We saw pictures. Though charred, the table was still standing. Nothing was in the center.”
    “I only saw the fireman who saved me. His one friend came to the door, but I couldn’t even tell you what he looked like. He wore a hat, but he seemed like a muscular man. I never noticed anyone else going in and out of the house, but I know there were at least three or four total. Do they think it was arson?”
    “Yes, they’re sure of it,” Bob answered. “We also know there were other items taken. That statue was ten grand by itself. It belonged to my mother.”
    “Oh my god. I had no idea. I would have tried to save it.”
    “You could have died. We’ve tried to look up all the firemen involved. We wanted to thank them for saving you and helping with the fire. There was just one small problem.”
    “What?” I asked. In all honesty I hoped they had a contact number I could reach out to Easton with.
    “None of them exist. The hunting cabin down the mountain wasn’t rented to anyone that weekend. Whoever stayed there had broken in.”
    My stomach churned with bile. “I don’t understand. They said they were firemen. They acted like they knew what they were doing. One of them saved me.”
    “It’s a blessing he did, but I’m afraid they weren’t who they said they were.”
    This couldn’t be happening. I didn’t mean to look at Christopher with worry, but I couldn’t help it. Was his father a criminal? Is that why I couldn’t find him? Is it why he wanted to be punished when we were together? Was it all a lie? I felt so sick over it I had to get up and rush to the bathroom.
    Eve came in after me, leaving the baby with her husband. She put her hand on my back when she found me standing in an open stall. “Dear, are you okay? Was it something we said?”
    I took some toilet paper and wiped my mouth. “Eve,” I managed to get out. “The man that saved me… he came home with me. He stayed the night. I…” The words wouldn’t come out.
    She simply smiled and hugged me. “It’s okay.”
    “I didn’t know. I believed him. It had been so long. I just wanted feel something again. He seemed kind and gentle. If I would’ve known.”
    “Have you had contact with the man since that night?”
    I pulled away and shook my head. “No. I tried to look him up, but I couldn’t find anything. I don’t want to believe this is real, but what else could it be? Oh my god, is my son’s father a criminal?”
    After writing down Easton’s name, the only one I managed to get, I knew I’d never be able to look at that night we spent together the same. It took me a while to calm down enough to go back to my seat. I picked at my food, avoiding eye contact with Bob. I couldn’t deal with his judgment, especially after I’d confirmed to have made a baby with the suspected arsonist who helped burn down their house to steal from them. I think I was almost happy when Christopher had one of his crying episodes, because it gave me a reason to leave early.
    Once I arrived back at my place I was filled with grief. I couldn’t deny my inability to rationalize that I might have created a new life with common criminal. Another part of me wondered why he’d saved me. All the things that seemed shady started making sense. All the cryptic comments, and the way he kept looking out the window as if someone was coming after him.
    With no real answers I had to settle on the fact that he was never coming back. He’d given me Christopher. Even if he was everything I feared, I couldn’t