Chapter 13
Dutton spent more time than necessary getting ready for his date with Dahlia.
After a shower and a shave, he’d tried on three different shirts like a nervous fifteen-year-old going on his first date.
After scrutinizing himself in the mirror for the third time, he tore the shirt off and put his first selection back on.
It was just a black button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows that he wore with his dark blue jeans and a pair of well-worn black cowboy boots.
There. He looked good, but the outfit was casual enough that it didn’t seem like he was trying too hard. Even if he was. Once he was ready, he grabbed the bouquet of flowers he’d picked up on the way home from Briggs’s house and headed out.
The evening had a slight chill with just the right amount of dew in the air. It smelled like autumn. Fresh air, cool temperatures, and the intoxicating scent of redwoods. It was maybe the perfect combination.
He thought about putting the top down on the T-bird but then thought better of it.
The chill in the air was bearable now, but once they got moving, the wind would likely be too much for Dahlia.
If it were just him, he’d go for it and just turn the heater on, but this was a date. One he had high hopes for.
Ten minutes later, Dutton was on Dahlia’s porch, listening to the rapid barking of her small dog alerting her to his arrival. He hadn’t even knocked yet. She was some alarm system.
Dahlia opened the door as she said, “That’s enough, Shortcake. Dutton is a friend, remember?”
The little dog darted out of the house and jumped up on his leg, her face all smiles as she excitedly welcomed him.
Dutton leaned in and kissed Dahlia on the cheek then handed her the flowers. “Hi.”
“Hi.” Her cheeks flushed just like they’d done the first time he’d kissed her, and it did things to him. “The flowers are gorgeous, but you really didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did,” he said simply and then looked down at the dog trying to get his attention.
“Hey there, Shortcake. I’m happy to see you, too.
” He reached down and picked her up, letting her give him kisses on his cheek.
He laughed. “I bet you’d let anyone in as long as they gave you attention, wouldn’t you? ”
Her body twisted even more as her tail whacked against his arm over and over again.
“Come on now, you’re hogging my date,” Dahlia said as she ordered Shortcake back into the house and waved him in.
Dutton stepped inside, set Shortcake on the floor, and closed the door behind him.
Dahlia disappeared into the kitchen, while Shortcake stayed right at his feet, begging for attention. He crouched down and scratched her ears, cooing that she was a pretty, pretty girl.
When Dahlia reappeared, she let out a soft chuckle. “I’ve never seen her so enthralled before.”
“I must just be special,” he joked as he took a seat on the couch and patted his knee. Shortcake immediately jumped up on him and pressed into his torso while she searched for a comfortable spot.
“She sure thinks she has you wrapped around her paw, doesn’t she?” Dahlia said, looking amused.
“It’d be fair to say that she does,” he said, enjoying the puppy time.
He’d been thinking about getting a dog but hadn’t yet done anything about it.
He was sort of just waiting for one to drop into his life.
He looked down at Shortcake and stifled a snicker.
Because it sure looked like one had already turned up.
“Give me just a few minutes and I’ll be ready,” Dahlia said.
“Take your time. I clearly have some work to do here.”
Shortcake rolled over on her back with her legs up in the air. Dutton went to work scratching her belly. The dog melted under his touch, and he felt pure contentment, just hanging out on Dahlia’s couch with Shortcake.
By the time Dahlia reappeared, she’d tamed her blond locks into a low ponytail and had shimmering gloss on her lips.
Dutton stared at her, desperate to ask if she just wanted to stay in. All he wanted to do was hang out with her and her dog… and kiss the sparkle right off her lips.
“Ready?” she asked him.
“Sure,” he said, doing his best to hide his reluctance. “But you might need to bribe Shortcake or else she isn’t going to let me up.”
“I can see that.” Dahlia walked over to a jar by the front door and produced a little green treat. “Hey, Shortcake, I’ve got a Greenie for you.”
The dog’s eyebrow twitched, but otherwise, she didn’t move.
“Shortcake!” Dahlia called.
The pup burrowed closer to Dutton and let out a contented sigh.
“Doesn’t look like she’s letting me up. I guess we’re just gonna have to stay here,” Dutton said, only half joking.
“Oh no, we aren’t. Miss Maple has that pumpkin cheesecake at the festival. And I heard that there might be a deep-fried version with caramel and whipped cream. I’m not missing that just because my dog has fallen in love with you.”
“Sorry, Shortcake. Looks like you can’t compete with your mom’s love of pumpkin. You’re gonna have to get up,” Dutton said.
The dog opened one eye and glared at him.
He chuckled. “Come on girl. I promise to come in and say goodnight when we get back. What do you say?”
Shortcake groaned, but when Dutton picked her up, she didn’t fight him. Instead, she was more like a ragdoll who was trying to look pathetic.
“That’s quite the show,” Dahlia said as she took her dog from Dutton and placed her in a fluffy dog bed. She offered Shortcake the treat, and when she took it, she added, “Good girl. Watch over the house for us. We’ll be back in a few hours.”
While Shortcake was happily munching her treat, Dahlia tugged Dutton out of the house and locked the door behind them.
“You look stunning tonight,” Dutton said, eyeing her shapely calves that were visible beneath the hem of her black skirt.
She wore a deep violet-hued shirt that had a lace overlay and wide-cuffed sleeves.
Along with her black ankle boots, she looked very much the classy witch.
All she needed was a pointy black hat and wooden broom.
“Thanks. I figured invoking a little witchy woman was appropriate for the harvest festival,” she said.
“Very appropriate. Now I’m wishing I had some wizard robes or something,” he said. “That might have made us the talk of the town.”
She gave him a nervous chuckle as she glanced away, making him wonder what that was about. He was about to ask, but then she paused suddenly and said, “There’s something you need to know before we go to town.”
Dutton stopped too and said, “Okay. You aren’t going to tell me you have a second date lined up are you?”
“What?” She looked at him like he was insane. “Second date? Like one after the other or something?”
“I’ve had it happen before,” he said with a shrug. “It wasn’t the best night ever.”
“Oh. My. Gods. Tell me you’re joking.”
He shook his head. “I paid for dinner. He took her home.”
The look on Dahlia’s face was murderous. “That’s ghastly.”
“I thought so,” he said with a dry laugh. “But I suppose it’s better I found out early on, or I might have been funding her meals for weeks while she got busy in the sheets with her married affair-partner.”
“That’s… horrible.” Dahlia stepped up and pressed a soft hand to his chest. “In case it wasn’t clear, I’m a date-one-guy-at-a-time kind of girl.”
“I’m a date-one-girl-at-a-time kind of guy, so that works out.” He placed his hand over hers and then brought it up so he could kiss her palm. “Now that we have that out of the way, what was it you wanted to tell me?”
“Oh, man. I was kinda hoping you’d already heard,” she said. When he shrugged, indicating he had no idea what she was talking about, she sighed. “There was another fire in town.”
Dutton’s entire body went rigid. “When?”
“It happened just after Harlow and I finished lunch. Around two, maybe?”
“Where?” Dutton leaned against his T-bird, his head starting to ache.
“The Keating Hollow Brewery. An old brew shed in the back exploded.” She stepped up to him and took his hand. “Yvette and another firefighter put it out. No one was hurt.”
“That’s good,” he said with a nod. “Very good.” He swallowed hard. “Did you hear anything about the investigation?”
She shook her head. “The sheriff was there when we left, but no one from… anywhere else.”
“Okay.” Dutton took a deep breath and let it out.
So far no one had called him or shown up from the Magical Task Force, so it didn’t seem likely that he was a suspect in that case.
But the fire had only happened earlier that day.
They might still be analyzing evidence, so there was still a possibility that they’d try to pin it on him. Who better than the proven arsonist?
“We don’t have to go out if you don’t want to,” she said.
He stared down at her. It was what he’d been thinking earlier, but now he felt like he had to show his face.
Show anyone who suspected him of being the one behind the rash of fires that he wasn’t hiding.
That he had no reason to hide. “No, we should go. You have that deep-fried cheesecake to look forward to.”
“Are you sure?” Worry shone in her eyes as she searched his, looking for what, he didn’t know.
“I’m positive. We’ve both been looking forward to this. I want to get my palm read and maybe have a tarot reading. Then I plan to purchase a love spell.” He winked. “There’s this cute witch I was hoping to charm.”
Dahlia giggled. “A love spell? Really?”
“No,” he said as he walked around the car and held her door open for her. “But they always make me laugh. The incantations especially. ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, you fill my heart with dread, now take me to bed, won’t you?’”
“That is terrible with a capital T, Dutton,” Dahlia said.
“I know, right? Isn’t it great?” He grinned at her.
Dahlia laughed. “In a ridiculous way.”
“Now you’re catching on.” He winked at her again, waited for her to climb into the car, and then gently closed the door.
As he was walking to the driver’s side, he sucked in a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
He shouldn’t let the news of another fire affect him, but he couldn’t help it.
Not after being hauled off by the Magical Task Force agents just forty-eight hours earlier.
They were probably working on pinning the new fire on him at that very moment.
It was a good thing he had an alibi. He’d been with Briggs all afternoon while Melissa popped in and out. The thought helped ease some of his anxiety, and he got into the car. “Ready for some good clean fun?” he asked, forcing himself to sound excited.
“You betcha,” she said, and by the slightly flat tone of her voice, he thought he wasn’t the only one putting on a brave face.
Dutton reached over and slipped his hand into hers. Then he squeezed softly, letting her know she wasn’t alone.
As he put the car in gear, he caught a glimpse of a flash of light at the end of the driveway. It looked like the shape of a woman. But when he blinked, the image was gone. “Did you see that?” he asked Dahlia.
“See what?” she asked as she turned her phone off.
“There was a ghost at your mailbox,” Dutton said.
“Again?” she asked with a grimace.
“What do you mean, again? Is this a normal thing?”
“Not normal,” she said, shaking her head. “But it seems to be happening far more often than it ever did before. They are harmless, but if they intercept me, then it gets draining. That’s all.”
“Then maybe you need a mail boy to handle your mail,” Dutton said playfully. “Someone who is reliable, won’t read your mail, and cleans spider webs.”
“Are you that person?” she asked, giving him a look of disbelief.
Dutton laughed and was grateful he still had it in himself. “Yes. I volunteer as mail boy.”
Dahlia narrowed her eyes at him, studying him for a long moment. “Great. Have at it. Also, tell any spirits you run across that I’m closed for business.”
“Are you closed? Didn’t you just have your first day with Harlow?” he asked.
“Closed for the night. I had an amazing day with Harlow. I’m just not in the mood to deal with any more ghosts tonight.”
“Fair enough,” Dutton said and started whistling the Ghostbuster’s theme song.
Dahlia cackled, loving every moment of the date so far. She thought at this rate, she might never end it.