“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 toThe Dark Side of the Moonfor 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 inthrough 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.”
