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Captain Tate scoffed as he disappeared from the doorway. Miller held in a chuckle. Despite the overwhelming devastation, he felt incredibly grateful that he didn’t have to navigate the fire’s aftermath alone. Captain Tate didn’t always say much, but he showed up. He had four years ago, and anytime Miller needed him since.
When Miller and Captain Tate arrived at the rescue, they entered through the front door. Walking into the office, it was jarring how no one would even know—apart from a faint smell—that a fire occurred. Once in the kennel area though, the scent of smoke became stronger. All the kennels were intact, but as they walked toward the back the damage was apparent.
Miller's room to the left and the kitchen on the right was a mix of ash and debris. His metal futon frame stood among the rubble. As they moved to the back store room, it felt like they were walking into a grill. Everything was charred.
“I just don’t understand… What caused it?” Miller carefully stepped over unidentifiable, singed fragments. He stopped short of actually entering the store room because it looked like a bomb had exploded.
The fire chief walked up from behind them. Miller hadn’t heard him come in.
“Morning,” he said, shaking Captain Tate’s hand and then Miller’s. He held up his hands to keep them in place but walked a few feet ahead.
“We believe the fire started here.” The fire chief pointed to the lower part of the wall. “It may have been faulty wiring. It appears a phone was plugged in. We’re not sure if it was the charger or the electrical outlet that short circuited. There’s a chance that an animal, most likely a mouse, could have damaged the wiring as well. With all this dog food back here, it wouldn’t be surprising.”
Miller’s heart dropped. He’d always been so careful to keep the dog food in sealed containers or wrapped in plastic on pallets.
His life was officially a game of Disaster Whac-A-Mole. Every time he thought things were going well, devastation appeared.
Chapter 21
Liza
“Pyrex9x13givenbyTheresa Calister.” Liza sighed as she completed another exciting maid of honor duty: wedding shower gift scribe. Setting the notebook down, she felt her phone vibrate. It was a text from an unknown number.
Opening the message she read, "Liza, this is Captain Tate. Miller is at The Roadhouse. Could you stop in?"
Liza frowned. She hadn’t seen Miller since the fire. They had texted a little bit. He let her know that Randall was stable but still being monitored at the vet. And he checked in each morning to make sure that she was doing okay, but she was more worried about him.
Why is he at a sketchy bar?
It was odd that Captain Tate texted her.Whatever is going on, it must be important.Liza glanced around the room at the swath of people mingling in the country club’s elegant social hall. As far as she knew, bridal showers were normally hosted in an aunt’s living room—but not when Deborah Eckland was in charge.
It seems like everything is winding down. I could probably sneak away without anyone noticing.Liza texted back. “I can be there in about ten minutes. Does that work?”
Captain Tate’s response was immediate. “Yes, thank you.”
Grabbing her purse, she attempted to casually speed walk through the lobby toward the parking lot.
“Liza!” She turned to find Maggie draped in a “bride to be” sash. “You’re leaving?”
“Yeah, Miller asked to meet up.” Liza didn’t feel like explaining.
“Before you go, I want to introduce you to Ada. She came in late—which is not surprising.”
“Fashionably late,” a tiny blonde quipped, appearing from behind Maggie.
“Liza, this is the one and only Ada James.”
“Hi! Nice to meet you!” Liza extended a hand. Ada seemed to glisten and Liza couldn’t help but gush. “Ilovethe subtle A-line silhouette of your mini dress!”
Amusement danced in Ada’s eyes. “Oh my word, she’s even more bubbly than you Maggie.”
“Ada makes it sound like that’s a bad thing, but she doesn’t mean it. She’s learned to love our brand of Minnesota Nice,” Maggie retorted.
Blowing out a breath, Ada countered, “More like I’ve had no other choice.” She brushed her extremely long extension-laden ponytail aside and continued. “Anyway, your sister told me you're a designer?”
“Yeah, well, I’m trying to be.” Liza held her purse in front of her. Ada’s personality screamed big-city confidence. Liza wasn’t usually intimidated in the presence of her peers, but she suddenly felt like a country bumpkin in her basic black, floor-length maxi dress.
For once, her goal for the night had been to blend in. Without Miller, she was a sitting duck for her mom’s matchmaking schemes. Her plan was to appear plain and boring. It had served her well. She only had to stave off three men that her mom flung in her direction. Thanks to her plan to never stop moving and claim maid of honor duties, she endured minimal awkward small talk.
