Chapter 7 Lindsey
LINDSEY
June Bug watches with wild eyes as I fluff the limbs of my trusty pre-lit artificial Christmas tree in the corner of my living room Tuesday night.
The scent of cinnamon and mulled wine wafts from the flickering candle on top of the refinished bookcase beside the tree, making my entire house smell like the holidays.
“Don’t even think about it,” I say, nudging a stuffed Lamb Chop closer to the pup with my sock-covered foot. Temporarily distracted, she saunters away with her kill wedged between her teeth.
The fire I’d started crackles, casting a soft glow over the room. With June Bug preoccupied, I take the opportunity to open the screen and throw a couple of logs on the fire.
Though the daytime temps are lingering in the upper fifties, at night, it drops to nearly freezing. The colder weather makes my bones feel as fragile as the holly-covered china my mother breaks out for Christmas every year.
I shift the wood with the poker as my phone rings from the coffee table, so I close the screen and return the tool to the rack before grabbing it.
I smile when I see my sister’s name. “Hey.”
“So, Mom’s really not going to Mistletoe Fest with us next weekend,” Lucy says.
“I take it Ellie called you?” I ask. “I’m not surprised. After the way Thanksgiving went, I figured the festival was out of the question.”
My sister heaves a sigh into the phone. “I guess I was holding out hope she’d change her mind.”
“I know,” I say, cradling the phone to my ear as I shuffle to the kitchen to pour myself some spiced cider. “But we’re still going to have fun because we’ll make it fun for Noah and Emily.”
“I guess,” she pouts.” Anyway, what are you doing?”
I pull down a glass from the cabinet beside the fridge, where I spot my cat hiding beside the insulated bag I use to carry my lunch. “Putting up the tree.”
“With the furry hell-raiser there? That’s brave.”
“Oh, she’s fine,” I say. “She’s been busy playing with her toys and trying to have her way with Catrick Swayze.”
“He’s never going to forgive you for this, you know.”
I open the fridge and pour myself some cider.
“Santa’s going to be extra good to him this year.
New catio and some of those catnip treats he loves that make him act like a stoned college kid listening to The Dark Side of the Moon for the first time.
I’ll even get him a pony if it’ll make him happy. ”
“I’d stick with the cat weed if I were you. I’m not sure he’ll allow you to bring another animal around ever—”
A loud crash makes me jump, sending my drink sloshing over the edge of the glass.
“What was that?” Lucy asks as June Bug’s shrill bark pierces the air. A half second later, she appears in the doorway, her paws skittering across the hardwoods as she barrels toward me, whining.
“What happened, girl?” I chuck the glass in the sink and scoop the dog into my arms. “Are you okay?”
“What’s going on over there?” Lucy asks.
“I don’t know yet.” My mind races with possibilities. Did something fall down the chimney? What if someone broke in? What if someone broke in through the chimney?
I gulp and take a deep breath, and my heart sinks. It’s as though someone has turned up the subtle smoke smell that usually comes from my fireplace. “Oh no. No, no, no, no. June Bug, please tell me you didn’t.”
“What? Lindsey? Hello?”
With June Bug clutched to my chest, I sprint to the living room, confirming my fears. The Christmas tree has toppled over, which must have knocked the candle off the bookshelf, and flames are starting to crawl up the wall from the floor.
“Fire!” I shriek and run back to the kitchen to find the fire extinguisher that has gone unused since I bought my house seven years ago.
Lucy gasps. “What? Oh my God!”
Do fire extinguishers expire? How long would it take me to Google that? Shit. I don’t have time for this.
“Lucy, call 911,” I manage, my voice shaking. “I have to try to put this thing out.”
“But you need to—”
“Do it! Now!” I throw my phone on the counter and dive for the cabinet below the sink, flinging open the doors as the smoke alarms start to screech their warning. Catrick Swayze yowls his displeasure from his perch on top of the fridge.
June Bug yelps as I stuff her into my hoodie before grabbing the extinguisher, desperately trying to recall the fire safety stuff I’d learned in elementary school a billion years ago.
An eerie sense of calm washes over me, and within seconds, it’s over. The charred tree and the floor are covered in white powder, and the air is thick with smoke.
I cough, and June Bug wriggles inside my hoodie. “Settle down, Firestarter. We’ve got to get Catrick Swayze and wait outside.”
Moments later, I’m standing outside with Lucy and Willow as the fire department, including Oliver, finishes up. Willow had the forethought to bring a carrier, in which Catrick Swayze is currently contained, while June Bug trembles in my sister’s arms.
“You really think she knocked the tree down?” Lucy asks. “She’s like, two pounds.”
“Two pounds of pure terror,” I mutter, massaging my temples. “But really, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have had a candle lit that close to the tree while she was here.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. Accidents happen,” Willow says as Oliver exits my front door. The sight of him casually walking out of my sanctuary makes my insides jiggle like they’re in a cocktail shaker.
“You really did catch it early,” Oliver says, placing a hand on my arm, sending whatever concoction that’s been brewing splattering against the walls of my heart. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“A little shaken up,” I admit. In more ways than one. “But I’m okay.”
He nods, but his gaze lingers on me. “Well, we’re finished up here.”
I rub my fingers along my arms in an attempt to hide the shiver his touch left behind. “Thank you. Now I can get these animals inside and get some sleep.”
“Oh, you won’t be able to stay here tonight,” Oliver says. “Probably not for…several nights.”
“What?” I ask, trying to mask the panic in my voice. “Why not? I thought it wasn’t that bad.”
“It wasn’t,” he says. “At least not compared to what it could have been, but you’re still going to have some damage.
You’ll need to have some boards replaced in the floor and some drywall.
But more importantly, you’re going to need some smoke mitigation done before you can stay here.
Do you have somewhere you can go while you’re dealing with the insurance adjusters? ”
Willow puts an arm around my shoulders. “She’ll stay with us.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. “Maybe I should see if I can get a room at the Magnolia Inn. It sounds like it could be a while, and I don’t want to put y’all out for that long.”
Lucy scoffs. “You most certainly will not go to the inn. You’ll be staying with us, and that’s that.”
“Okay. Thank you,” I relent, waving my white flag. “Can I at least go in and pack up a few things? Is that allowed?”
“Of course,” Oliver answers. “I’ll go with you. You know, to make sure you’re safe.”
My forehead scrunches involuntarily. “The place isn’t going to spontaneously combust or anything, is it?”
“No, no,” he says, “but better to err on the side of caution, right?”
I nod. “We’ll be right back.”
It’s impossible to miss the satisfied look on my sister’s face as we turn to go inside.
“So, how many days do you think I should be prepared for?” I ask over my shoulder, the smoke fumes nearly knocking me over as I cross the threshold.
He hesitates. “Umm…”
“Give it to me straight.”
“Normally, I’d say about a month, but with the holidays, things will likely be moving a little slower.”
I whirl on my heel. “More than a month?”
He winces. “Probably more like two…maybe three, depending on how backed up they are. Your insurance company will have to do an investigation before you can start the mitigation process.”
I press the heels of my palms into my eyes until I see stars. “Shit. Okay. Shit.” Tears threaten to spill onto my cheeks.
“Hey,” he says the word, and then I feel his arms around me. My body tenses for a second because it’s been a long time since someone has held me like this. But then my body sinks into his embrace without my permission.
“It’ll be all right,” he says softly against my ear, sending a shiver through me that collapses my muscles like dominos. “And if there’s anything I can do to help, I’m here.”
I sniffle, and my gaze meet his for a heartbeat as he gently swipes his thumbs beneath my lashes, as though he’d done so a hundred times before.
Get yourself together, Lindsey. I clear my throat. “This is fine. I’ll be fine,” I say, withdrawing myself from his grasp.
“I have no doubt you have this under control, but if there’s anything I can do to make it a little easier, I’m happy to help. It’s what you do in a small town. You take care of each other, right?”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “I see what you did there.”
“On that note, put me to work. What can I help you with?”
“Do you mind grabbing the stuff for the animals and giving it to my sister? Their food is in the pantry and their bowls are in the kitchen too. Oh, and June Bug’s crate and bed are in the corner over there.”
He grins. “You got it.”
“Thanks,” I say. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
I run upstairs and dig my suitcase out of my closet and start piling things inside.
I’m thankful Oliver can’t see me as I take the entire contents of my underwear drawer and dump it in.
Once I’ve got all the clothes, shoes, and pajamas I think I’ll need, I head to the bathroom with a duffel and shove everything on the vanity inside before grabbing my products from the shower.
I make one last stop at my nightstand to grab my TENS unit and the muscle relaxers I keep on hand for fibromyalgia flare-ups.
About ten minutes later, I’m struggling to drag my bags down the stairs, probably because they’re stuffed more than a Thanksgiving turkey.
“Let me get that for you,” Oliver says, rushing up to meet me. He lifts the suitcase with ease, which causes me to wonder how easily he could lift me.
“Careful with that,” I say. “Wouldn’t want the bodies to fall out.”
He fumbles, nearly missing the last step.
“Are you trying to become an accessory there, Rookie?” I tease, and he flashes a grin over his shoulder. “So, that nickname means you’re a new firefighter, right? How long have you been doing this?”
“Almost fifteen years,” he answers. “I’m not new to the job, just new to this unit. And in the firefighter world, that makes me a probie.”
“Come again?” I stop to grab my purse from the bar that separates the kitchen from the den, making sure my phone is inside before stepping into the dining room to get my laptop from the kitchen table.
“A probie is someone who’s new to the department. Basically, it means I do all the grunt work until someone even more new than me comes along. So not only am I a firefighter, but I’m also a chef, a janitor, and I’m a hell of a dishwasher. Comes with the territory.”
“Yikes.”
“What?” he asks.
“I mean, it’s Loving. People aren’t exactly moving here in droves. You could be the new guy for…well, a really long time.”
“Yeah,” he says somewhere between a laugh and a sigh as we step outside and I lock the door. “I know.”
“Got everything?” Lucy asks.
“I hope so,” I say with a shrug.
“I’ll pop the trunk,” Willow says, and we follow her out to the car.
Oliver hoists my suitcase inside, and I drop my duffel and purse beside it, next to the supplies he’d gathered before he snaps the trunk closed.
“Crap. Wait. I need to get my purse.” I grip my hair at the roots. “My keys are in there. I’ve got to drive my car.”
“We’ll come back and get the car after work tomorrow,” Lucy says. “You’ve had a rough night.”
“But—” I begin to protest.
“No buts,” Lucy insists.
I hold up my hands in surrender. I’m too tired and too cold to argue. “Thank you.”
“Now, I’m gonna get this little nugget in the car where it’s warm.” Lucy holds June Bug’s paw up as though she’s waving to Oliver, while Willow climbs in the driver’s seat.
I pull the sleeves of my sweatshirt over my hands. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. You’re getting the reputation of being quite the hero around here.”
“To be fair, you did most of the work before we got here,” he says with a chuckle. “We just finished it.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me any less grateful.”
“And I meant what I said. If you need anything, I’m happy to help.”
“Thanks,” I say with a smile.
His brown eyes spark something inside me, and I know I need to get out of here before I start any fires I can’t put out.
He opens his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it.
“I guess we should get going,” I say. “But seriously, thank you.”
His face falls a little, but then he nods and opens the back door of Willow’s SUV for me.
“Good night,” I say, sliding inside next to a meowing Catrick Swayze.
Oliver’s gaze lingers on me for a few seconds, and he opens his mouth as though he’s going to say something else. My breath catches in my throat, and the moment passes us by.
“Good night, Lindsey,” he says before closing me inside the car.
“So, when’s the handsome firefighter taking you to dinner?” Lucy asks no sooner than the door has shut.
“He isn’t,” I insist. “It’s not like that.”
Willow snorts. “Maybe not for you, but that man is definitely feeling it.”
The darkness conceals the flush creeping onto my neck. “He’s not feeling anything.”
“Oh, but he’d like to,” Lucy quips, and she and Willow dissolve into a fit of giggles.
“Okay.” I let out an exaggerated sigh. “Knock it off, you two.”
“Fine. I’ll let it go. For now, anyway,” Lucy says, passing her phone back to me. “You should probably call Mom and tell her what happened, though, before she hears it from someone else and freaks out.”
“She’s going to freak out regardless, but yes, I should.” I dial my mom, and it rings several times before going to voicemail.
“Hey, Mom,” I begin, “Everything’s fine, but there’s been a small incident…”