Page 19 of Scorched

“I didn’t know what else to do. So I started charging drinks to my credit card. And then the owner came in, and he sat down with me and we got to talking. I didn’t know he’d recognized me.”

“He offered you the apartment?”

“Yeah. Rent-free, as long as I needed. Until I got my business going and could buy a house again.”

She smiled. “He sounds amazing. Did he sell it to you?”

I shook my head.

“No, no. He passed away last week. He was out on a walk and got hit by a car.”

I picked up a framed photo from my desk and held it out to her. “His name was Noah. I think you really would have liked him.”

Cassie’s jaw dropped. “Myles, that—that’s my stepdad!”

---