Page 84 of To Bring You Back
She leaned forward. “Do you think I’d be in danger at the house?”
“Caught a couple people trying to climb the fence, but no one’s gotten by us yet.”
Her house didn’t have a fence, so Michael must be referring to Havenridge. “Teenage girls?”
“No, men in their twenties. One of them shouted the whole way back to his car about how he’d be the best thing to happen to Awestruck, that they needed him as a second guitar.”
Second guitar. Fitz’s old role.
“And your gun? Have you ever had to use that?”
“Only in training. And Afghanistan.”
A soldier who’d seen combat.
“Thanks for serving.”
“You’re welcome.” He didn’t so much as glance in the rearview mirror and clearly wasn’t looking to get into it any further.
She hesitated to return to her point. How silly would the concern for her safety sound to someone who’d been in a war zone? “I’ll be okay at my own house, right? If people are only interested in Gannon and the band, and if the fire was accidental, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“At best, careless trespassers caused the fire, and carelessness on that level can be as dangerous as malice.”
“Oh.” So the danger was more serious than she’d hoped.
She watched as they passed Lakeshore’s outlying businesses. She was stuck at the cabin, and the proximity would be make-or-break for her and Gannon.
Could she believe him about Harper? Did she want to? Because if their relationship got back on track, she’d still have to figure out how to deal with fans lighting her house on fire, Matt, and who knew what other problems.
Michael turned onto Main Street. They passed two blocks of shops and restaurants and then had to slow for pedestrians who were crossing to Superior Dogs.
Her stomach lurched. “Oh no. Can we stop here?” She angled to see how much of a line waited while Michael parallel parked with expert precision. She hopped out, ran over, and opened the trailer door.
Startled, a teenage boy froze, hands in the till. Equally surprised, it took her a moment to connect the short, dark hair and light brown eyes the boy shared with Asher. This was his nephew, Noah. Asher glanced away from the sizzling grill as Noah went back to counting change for a customer.
Had he replaced her? She gulped. “I’m so sorry. I completely overslept, and there was so much going on I forgot to call in.”
Asher gave her an understanding smile as he used tongs to rotate the cooking brats and hotdogs. “The fire’s all anyone’s talking about. I assumed you wouldn’t make it in. You’re okay?”
“Yeah.” She eyed Noah, who was taking another order.
He braced his hands on the window as she had so many times. “Want to upgrade that to a brat? Only fifty cents more.”
As the customer agreed, Adeline bit her lip. A kid could do her job as well as she did.
“Don’t worry.” Asher chuckled. “He knows it’s temporary.”
“I’m glad you have help.” She forced a smile. “I’d stay, but I have a meeting with the fire department.”
“Good. Get to the bottom of it.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything helpful. Did anyone mention seeing something?”
Asher plucked a hotdog off the cooking space and plopped it into a bun. “I’ve heard a lot of theories but nothing I’d call credible.”
Asher would have to hear news directly from Joe Cullen or the fire inspector to consider it believable. Asking him to repeat anything else would be a lost cause, so she put her hand on the latch to leave.
Noah finished with the customer and jotted the order down on the list for Asher. “Someone asked if you did it yourself to get out of paying for the work the neighborhood association wants.”
