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“I won’t doubt you again.” He opened a fresh box of treats and replaced the missing ones.
People piled into the park.
Pepper chewed on her lip.
I slung an arm around her shoulder. “We don’t have to adopt out anyone if you don’t want to.”
She leaned into me. “I know.”
She’d confessed how she felt, and I now completely understood. These dogs were our family. We had to think about what was best for them. Letting them go, even to loving families, was hard.
“Are we late?” Beau rushed over and threw her arms around both of us.
Lincoln was close behind without Beau’s urgency. “So far, I like this fundraiser better than the others.” He had on a suit and was completely overdressed.
Daniel also had on a suit, though he’d ditched the tie.
I didn’t like charity events much either. Most were stuffy and pretentious. Vivian and Muriella had done a great job of creating a celebratory atmosphere.
Because we were celebrating. Everyone was okay.
“How’d you get the afternoon off?” Beau punched me in the arm.
“Told all the guys they could come too.”
The captain had been none too pleased about that, but the dayshift crew had been happy to stay over a few hours today.
“Yo. Hollingsworth.”
Right on cue, my boys showed up.
“Yo.” I waved them over.
“We invited some of the other stations. Hope that’s okay,” Burke said.
“Thank you.” Pepper hugged him long and hard.
The fire had bonded all of us in a way we hadn’t been before. We’d survived tragedy. And this man had saved each and every one of us. He was one of the best men I knew, and I’d never forget what he did for my family. My girls.
“There she is.” Burke picked up Miss Adeline and twirled her around.
“You know my bones are fragile,” she said.
“Ain’t nothing delicate about you.”
She winked. “Damn straight.”
Beau scowled at Cal like she’d been taking lessons from Lincoln. Across the way, another group of guys and girls from other fire stations crossed the grass. Cal led the pack in long strides.
What was her deal when it came to him?
He said hello to everyone but her. I opened my mouth to ask my sister what I was missing, but Burke pulled me and Pepper aside.
“Willa talked to the investigators working the fire at Grey Paws,” he said in a hushed voice. “They have an ignition point.”
“Where did it start?” Pepper asked.
“The grill.”
