Page 14 of Betting on Lizzie

“He has my phone though,” Lizzie continued. “So he’ll find out you called. I’m sure he’s gonna wanna talk to you. I intended to warn you about that.”

“That’s fine. I’ll tell him exactly what happened. Then he’ll know it couldn’t have been you.”

“Thanks, Bella. That will help.”

Later, while waiting with her sisters, they circled back to her predicament.

“I’m assuming the insurance won’t pay out until the arson thing is resolved?” Noah said.

“That is correct,” Lizzie said. “I confirmed it after my talk with the fire dude.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Emma asked.

“Well, I actually do have an alibi. I was just too mad to give it to the guy when he first asked. But I’ll come clean, and hopefully, that will clear me so I can collect the insurance. The sooner I get repairs going on the bar, the better. I also want my phone back.”

“Until then, you’re welcome to borrow the one I have for real estate business,” Kate offered. “I use my personal cell for everything now, so the work one is just sitting at my office.”

“I appreciate that,” Lizzie said. “It’s crazy how dependent I am on that damn little box. It’s like I’m missing a limb. I don’t even know y’all’s phone numbers.”

Everyone mumbled their agreement.

A few hours later, the scrub-clad, haggard-looking doctor came in with an update. Lizzie’s mom jumped up and practically ran to him.

“Everything went as planned,” he said. “Edward is one tough cookie, and he should be back on his feet in no time. He’ll be groggy for a while. If all of you are intent on seeing him, I’m going to be strict on two minutes each. He needs rest.”

Nana cried with joy, and Lizzie hugged her. Happy tears leaked from just about everyone. But even after this news, no one would leave until they had a chance to visit him.

Lizzie took her turn with Bella. They stayed their allotted time, but her dad fluttered in and out of alertness and probably wouldn’t remember they’d been there. And that was fine. It was Lizzie who needed to see him. Verify with her own eyes that he would be okay. Today had given her quite a scare.

She said goodbye to her sisters, drove home, and took Charlie out right away. It had been several hours, and he relieved himself immediately after leaving the building.

“You’re such a good boy,” Lizzie said. “I’m sorry I bailed on you so abruptly and left you alone for so long.”

They walked out to the pier, and since it was empty, she let him off the leash. She stopped by the dog park and threw the ball for him a few times. Those long legs needed stretching. It was dark and cold, but she braved the brisk air until he tired himself out. When they returned home, she made a cup of lemon tea. Cupping the mug to warm her hands, she started to plan.

After visiting the bar remains yesterday, she’d texted all her employees to tell them The Drop was closed until further notice. Many of them relied on the income for food and rent, so she planned to talk to Emma about whether she could afford to keep paying them their hourly wage. It might have to come out of her savings until the insurance paid out, but she wouldn’t leave them hanging.

Tomorrow, she would stop by The Drop to get her employees’ contact information—their numbers were trapped in her phone alongside her family’s—then go to the new bar to make a list of what needed to be done before the opening. She would also bite the bullet and call the añejo-loving fire inspector, give him the passcode to her phone, and tell him about Bella. If he could confirm she wasn’t the arsonist, maybe she could have her cell back by noon.

After a fitful night of sleep, she rolled out of bed to start her list of errands. She fed Charlie, took him on a short walk, and then loaded him into the Jeep. Her first stop was The Drop. It surprised her to find ash on the file folders. How had it gotten into the closed cabinet? At least they hadn’t burned. Thank goodness. She was notoriously horrible for not backing up files, and losing all the invoices and records would have been a real inconvenience.

Her once happy, cozy second home was cold, dark, and dirty. Wading through the remains of her soot-covered dreams hurt her heart, so she grabbed what she needed and bailed.

Next, she headed to Parker Place and parked in the middle of the complex. She intended to hit all five storefronts and started at the far left—The Drip 2.0.

Since Connor was born, Lucy only worked one day a week, and it wasn’t today. Lizzie ordered coffee and a muffin.

While she waited, she wandered over to greet the Three Musketeers, a trio of retirees who came into the coffee shop every day to gossip over their morning brew. They were known for betting on the lives of anyone and everyone in New Bern. If something happened in this town, they knew about it.

“Heard what happened over the weekend,” Walter said. “Terrible thing.”

“Agreed,” Lizzie said. “Hey, you guys know everything. Any idea who did it?”

“Fire department thinks it’s you,” Gene said. “But obviously, they don’t know their head from their ass. No way you’d do such a thing.”

“Gonna try to clear my name today. But I also want to help catch whoever did do it. Keep your ears open?”

“We’re hurt you have to ask,” Archie said with a grin.

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