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Barney’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s impossible.”
As Summer began collecting her supplies to leave the room, she stopped and crinkled her brow. “No, sir. All the Stanners were here the night of the fire. I remember my friend Diya complaining about how loud they were. The men had all been out drinking somewhere when they showed up around ten or eleven for the delivery. And I know they were here until at least one because the maternity ward night manager finally booted them out so the new moms on the floor could get some sleep. I remember because she said later, after they were gone, ‘I don’t care who the sheriff is, my patients need their rest.’ And Diya specifically mentioned finding Gene’s ball cap in the parking lot after her shift next to the pile of cigars they’d gone outside to smoke after the baby arrived.”
Sam’s hand brushed gently along my forehead, pushing my curls out of my face. “Is there anyone else in town that would have committed arson for them? Anyone else who feels that strongly about your supposed role in the resort closing?”
Barney answered before I could even think. “Impossible. It has to be them. Especially after the hit-and-runs.”
I was inclined to agree with him since I’d seen Gene’s truck both times. How could there possibly be yet another person who wanted to harm me like that. But… then again… what if I was wrong? What if it had been someone else driving Gene’s truck? I hadn’t actually seen the driver either time. Had I?
My head pounded, and my throat felt raw. Summer had given me a minty swab to help freshen my mouth, but it still felt like I’d vomited a million times.
“It’s too late for me to think about any of this right now, okay? I just… I just want to sleep a little bit.” I closed my eyes and took a mental assessment of my stomach. It felt empty almost to the point of hunger, but there was no way I was putting anything in it anytime soon.
I let myself doze off by focusing on the strong, warm grip of Sam’s hand in mine. He’d been rock steady since I’d met him, and I wondered if he was possibly as wonderful as he seemed. At every turn when he could have decided I was too odd, too quirky, too meek, or too high-maintenance, he’d still stuck around.
“Too good,” I whispered.
I let the sounds of the hospital melt together to form a general background buzz. I didn’t really fall asleep because I perked up a little when Barney left and again when I noticed Sam talking to Chaya. I noticed the tender way in which he periodically ran his fingers through my hair and murmured reassurances to me. And I noticed more than anything the familiar lemony pine scent that clung to him despite everything he’d been through today.
My brain rifled idly through what ingredients I could use to recreate that scent and sell it in the shop. I’d make a killing.
After a while, he called to tell Mikey what was going on. I heard him say, “I’m worried about him. Maybe I should try and take him with me to Houston for a little while to get him out of danger.”
Tired and weakened as I was, the reminder of Sam’s life in Houston hit me hard. Sure, he’d said he wanted to be with me, that he was thinking of moving to Aster Valley, but that seemed easier said than done. And if Mikey was as horrified by my behavior as he was bound to be, would Sam regret that he and I had defined our relationship so quickly? If Mikey didn’t want to be friends with me anymore after I confessed about the hit-and-run, then how could I expect to date his best friend?
At some point I must have actually fallen asleep because they had to wake me to talk to the doctor. He was an older man with an overgrown salt-and-pepper beard, a pale pink bald head, and kind brown eyes. “How are you feeling, Mr. Sweet?”
“Like I’ve been turned inside out,” I croaked. “But I don’t feel like I want to vomit anymore, thank goodness.”
He smiled and asked to listen to my heart and lungs before crossing his arms and studying me. “You were definitely dehydrated, so I’d like you to stay long enough to finish this bag of fluids, but I think after that you can go home and rest there. As for what caused the vomiting, your friend mentioned others having the same kind of sandwich you did today which rules out food poisoning from your lunch. Breakfast would most likely be too far in the past for such an acute reaction, but I understand others had the same foods there, too. Is there anything at all you ingested that no one else did?”
