A woman with dark hair twisted into a knot and clear, sea-blue eyes answers the door. “You must be Brady. I’m Ellen, Sammy's mom. Come inside.” The house smells like fresh wood and chili simmering in the pot.
“Sorry I'm a bit early,” I say, following her to a spacious great room with long leather couches and a wood-burning stove.
“That's no problem. Sammy is picking up a few things in town. She should be back any minute.”
“Hi, Coach Brady.” Lara waves vigorously from the back of the room, then disappears around a corner.
“She's doing her homework so she can get screen time.” Ellen sets her turquoise blue focus on me. “I hear you played baseball for the Sharks.”
We sit on leather couches opposite each other, and I rehash my time with the Sharks. I’m telling Ellen about what it’s like to bat against her all-time favorite Brewers pitcher when I see movement out of the corner of my eye.
Every cell in my body hitches with awareness. I rise as Sammy walks across the room.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” Sammy says, looking between her mother and I. “Mom, you look like you just got you flabbers gasted.”
Ellen thrusts a hand toward me. “Brady was telling me about batting against Dwight. He knows all about his slider.”
“Oh, right,” Sammy says slowly like she’s indulging an enthusiastic child. “Then you must continue.”
“No, he should be talking to you about the fire." Ellen stands. "We’ll have more Dwight discussion over dinner. You are staying for dinner, aren’t you?”
I glance over at Sammy. She looks surprised by the invitation. “Yes, you should stay.” Her cheeks darken. Is that shyness? Excitement? “We’d love to have you.”
“Well, thanks.” I say and return to my place on the couch, feeling pretty pleased with myself.
Sammy sits on the same couch as me, farther away than we sat last weekend on the porch swing. I’ve relived that night a thousand times, thinking about the incidental touches while we were dancing and how happy she looked. It was hands down the best night I’ve had since moving to Whispering Pines.
I get it. We’re friends. She’s going through a rough time and doesn’t have the bandwidth for more than friends.
But I can’t let go of the attraction. I want to be near her, helping her, keeping her and Lara safe. The idea of responding to messages on dating apps makes me want to run for the hills. Right now, there’s only Sammy.
Maybe she won’t send me packing if I shoot my shot? Who better to hang out with than a fireman when the danger in your life is fire-related?
I pull out the tablet and show her the grainy black and white video of the arson suspect. “Does anything about this person look familiar?”
“Nothing.”
“The sheriff, Jasper, doesn't think the fire is the work of a serial arsonist, the kind of guy who has a compulsion to set fires. He thinks this was carried out by someone who was a novice. He also thought this person seemed angry.” I say the last word gently.
I'm walking a fine line here. I don't want to alarm Sammy. I also don't want to minimize the threat. “Jasper thinks you andLara should spend some time at your parents’ place. We have to consider that the arsonist targeted the B&B because the property belongs to you.”
“Who would do that? I can’t imagine anyone doing it. I haven’t had any resistance from anywhere to my purchase of the property or the plans for the renovations.”
I nod. “We agree there isn’t direct evidence. But for your safety, we have to advise you to consider the possibility.”
Sammy looks around the great room. Outside the forest is pitch black. Someone could lurk there, watching through the row of windows facing the dense trees. Creepy and unsafe. She shouldn’t be here. But is her parents’ house any better?
“We have a top-notch alarm system in the house. Isn't that enough? I don’t want Lara to get upset. I told her the B&B fire is a crime, and the police are looking for the person who did it. If she thinks this person could come after her, she couldn’t handle it.”
Sammy chews on her bottom lip. "I don't want to take any chances, of course. What if Mom and Dad came over and stayed with us for a few days? I can come up with something to tell Lara about why her grandparents are here. Would that be okay?”
“I think it would be.”
“Good.” Sammy sighs. “I don’t think I’m being rash in staying here. If someone was after me, this person would’ve made threats against me.”
“We’re thinking the same thing. That's why we're not insisting that you leave. Just that you take precautions.”
Sammy stands. “How about you and Lara fix up some garlic bread for dinner? That's her specialty. And I'll have a chat with Mom about staying over.”
