Read Online The Arsonist by Mary Burton - Free Book Online

she had all of two hundred and twenty dollars to her name.
    Too shaky to interview Gannon or anyone else for that matter, she decided to duck into the coffee shop across the street. She glanced both ways, waited for two cars to pass and then dashed toward the coffee shop.
    The bells on the door over her head jingled as she pushed through the front door of the coffee shop. Scents of cinnamon and coffee greeted her. The shop was long and narrow. In front of an exposed brick wall stood a counter with an antique cash register and a glistening pastry display case filled with goodies. Across the room, six round tables surrounded by wooden chairs sat clustered together. Half were full of customers sipping coffee. The dim lights and chilled air reminded her of a winter afternoon, the perfect time for coffee.
    She took a couple of deep breaths to soothe the tension in her back before heading to the front counter where a young kid with blue spiked hair and a nose ring stood.
    The kid grinned. “Can I help you?”
    “Soy cappuccino,” she said.
    “Sure thing,” he said. “Can I get you a pastry today?”
    This last year she’d trained herself to stay away from sweets. But today she wasn’t worried about calories, fat grams or carbohydrates. She needed comfort food. “Throw in two sugar cookies, as well.”
    The young man grinned. “Coming up.”
    The coffee and cookies set her back five dollars and twenty cents. At these prices, this would be her last splurge for a while. Shoving her precious change into her pocket, Darcy headed to the side bar where she dumped the blue sweetener into her coffee.
    “So is that the breakfast of champions?” Nathan’s deep voice had her turning.
    His light hair hung recklessly in his eyes and his bright green eyes twinkled. He wore a crisp button-down shirt, khakis and loafers without socks. He looked so neat, clean and composed.
    Despite her morning, she grinned. “Sugar, fat, artificial sweeteners and caffeine are the four major food groups, aren’t they?”
    His laugh was deep and rich. “Oh, that’s right. I keep forgetting.” He glanced toward the clerk, then back at her. “I’m getting some coffee. Can I join you? I’m waiting on a friend but could use the company until he arrives.”
    “That would be great. I’ll get us a table.”
    He winked. “Be right there.”
    Charmed, Darcy selected a small round table in the corner. A few minutes later, Nathan joined her with his steaming latte. “I stop in here every day. They’ve got the best coffee outside of New York.”
    “Are you from New York?” Idle chat suited her just fine for the moment.
    “It was one stop along the way.” He sipped his coffee. “I’ve lived all over.”
    “And you were born and raised in the heart of Virginia?”
    “Guilty. Even went to college twenty miles away in Roanoke.” He sipped his coffee. “Did I see you running this morning?”
    “I run just about every day.” It felt good to talk about regular things.
    Nathan looked like a man who was comfortable in his own skin. “How far do you run?”
    “Four miles.”
    “Fair distance.”
    “Normally, it’s farther. My run got cut a little short today by the fire.”
    His face hardened a fraction. “I just heard about the fire. Terrible.”
    “Did you see it?”
    “No. I was up early this morning on a conference call with my boss. We’ll be putting up steel at the site starting this week and there were figures to discuss.” He sipped his coffee. “I hear the restaurant was a complete loss.”
    “I didn’t think a building could be destroyed so fast.” She bit into her cookie, savoring the buttery taste.
    “Do you know if the owner had insurance?”
    “I don’t.” The bells on the café door jingled and, on reflex, she looked up. Whatever else she’d planned to say to Nathan vanished from her head. Michael Gannon strode into the café.
    Gannon glanced in her direction. His intense gaze captured hers and for a moment she felt a