Vicki nodded. “I know.”
She stripped off her apron, tossed it in the laundry basket, and walked out to the dining room to see whether Rain or Joe needed help closing. Cheyenne and Sam were already gone, along with most of their customers.
Hank still sat at the bar. A regular, he had served time in jail for blowing up his own home while trying to extract hash oil from marijuana. Vicki had watched Eric try to save the house, had watched while he’d shepherded Hank through a mess of his own making. She hadn’t been able to help loving Eric after that.
“What are you goin’ to do with the booze?” Hank asked Joe, who was packing receipts into a bank deposit bag. “I could take some in my car, drive it to safety.”
“No, thanks, Hank,” Joe answered. “The booze stays here.”
Hank looked horrified. “You’re going to let all that fine alcohol burn up?”
“If it comes to it, yes. It’s just booze.”
“Just booze?”
“Come on, Hank.” Rain walked to the front door, Angel still on her back, and held the door open. “Time to go, buddy. Stay safe, okay?”
“Do you need anything else?” Vicki asked Joe.
Joe shook his head. “You take care of you. Don’t risk going home, okay?”
“I won’t.” She had no reason to go home.
Robin and Caden were already safe in Boulder, and Eric kept the originals of their important documents in a fireproof safe for precisely this reason. He’d put copies in a safe deposit box at the bank.
Libby stormed out of the brewery, visibly upset. “I’ve turned everything off. That entire batch is going to be lost. That’s thousands of dollars literally down the drain. I’m so sorry, Joe.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s just grain and hops. It will be okay.”
“No, it won’t.” Libby’s chin quivered, tears spilling down her cheeks. “My house is gone. My street. They said it was engulfed.”
Joe rested a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, listen to me, Libby. We’re not going to leave you without a home. You’re not alone in this.”
“Oh, honey.” Vicki hugged her close. “Do you want to follow me down the canyon? We can go together, wait it out at the fairgrounds.”
Libby sniffed, nodded. “I would like that.”
“We’ll meet you down there,” Rain said. “Lark is already there. She says it has turned into a party. Some of the guys from the Timberline Mudbugs who had to evacuate are apparently putting on an acoustic show.”
That made Vicki smile. Only in Scarlet.
She was about to head out to her vehicle when her phone buzzed.
Lexi.
“Hey, Lex, are you—”
“Austin—he went to get Bear, but the fire burned through there more than ten minutes ago.” Lexi’s voice was thick with tears, her words coming out in a rush. “They don’t know if either of them are still alive.”
Oh, God!
Vicki’s stomach turned. “Where are you?”
“I’m at the Inn. My dad won’t go, and I can’t leave, not without knowing.”
Vicki didn’t think Lexi would be able to drive now anyway. “I’m coming for you. I’ll be right there, Lexi. Hang on, okay? We’ll figure this out.”
Vicki ended the call, found the others watching her. “Austin went after Bear. The fire burned through there about ten minutes ago, and no one knows whether either of them are alive.”