Elmira and Serena pitched in to help fill a box with pastries, snack bags, soda, and water. Dee carried it up the small hill toward the crew. She saw a man hurrying out of the woods and heading down another path, and realized it was Owen. He was gone before she could thank him for his help and excellent guacamole.
She found the fire chief and Jeff conferring by the cabin nearest to the smoldering site of the former cabin.
“Thanks to Chief Harris here and Captain Perez, who’s in charge of the crew, we got lucky again,” Jeff said to Dee once she reached them. “Because this cabin was far enough away from Michael’s and shut up tight, there’s no smoke damage.”
“Huge relief,” Dee said. “Replacing one cabin is going to be expensive enough.” She handed the box to the chief. “I brought this for you and the crew up here.”
The chief’s soot-stained face broke into a happy grin. “Vittles,” he said, using the Goldsgonedian term for food. He took the box from Dee. “My guys just let me know they’re done. They’re on their way out of the woods now.”
He turned to where a small clutch of firefighters was emerging from a grove of pine trees, led by the aforementioned Captain Pereze. Next to him was possibly the most handsome man Dee had ever seen, which was saying something, considering she’d spent her career working with actresses and actors, not generally considered a homely bunch. He had the sculpted jawline of a comic book hero brought to life, and brilliant blue eyes that contrasted with his jet-black hair. Dee pegged him as being somewhere in his mid-thirties. She imagined he’d been almost too pretty in his youth. Now he wore his years like the hot firefighter on the cover of an erotica novel.
“Is he walking in slow motion?” she murmured to Jeff. “I swear he is.”
Jeff gave her the side eye. “Really? Now you decide to crush on someone?”
The crew reached Chief Harris. “We got all the hot spots under control,” Captain Perez said, “thanks to Huck here, who knows every square inch of the area.”
He patted the handsome man on the back. Huck blushed under the sooty grime that did nothing to distract from his handsomeness. He shook pine needles from his hair, a gesture Dee found endearing.
“Comes from growing up around here,” he said, shrugging off the compliment with a bashful smile.
“I’m Dee,” she said, taking it upon herself to introduce herself. As an afterthought, she added, “And this is my business partner, Jeff.” She made sure to emphasize the word “business.” “We’re the Golden’s new owners and we can’t thank you enough for helping to save it, Hunk . . . Huck.”
Mortified, she prayed he didn’t notice her faux pas. But a snort from Jeff let her know it didn’t get past him.
“My parents’ll keep an eye out for any flare-ups,” Huck the hunk said. “They live nearby.”
“Wonderful,” Dee gushed, earning another snort from Jeff. “I brought refreshments, but since you’re all done up here, why don’t you come down to the lobby. You can rest a spell.” Dee heard herself and grimaced. “A spell.” There I go, sounding like a Goldsgonedian. Maybe he found that . . . sexy?
“Sounds good to me.”
Dee, Jeff, and the firefighters tromped down the low hill toward the reception area. Dee made sure to position herself next to Huck.
“I noticed a big, old pile of bear scat not too far into the woods,” he said. “Stoney must’ve stopped by not too long ago.”
“You know about Stoney?”
“I’m the one who named him,” Huck said with pride. “Stoney the bear. Like Smokey, Get it?”
“Yes. Funny stuff,” Dee said, cringing a little inside at selling out her humor creds over a handsome guy’s lame joke. But recalling Elmira’s explanation that the bear was named by someone who was part of an illegal grow operation explained why the writing on the legs and back of Huck’s orange jumpsuit read CDC PRISONER.
Huck noticed the triangular bell dangling from the roof’s edge of the lodge. “Excuse me a minute.”
He traipsed over to the bell and banged on it with gusto as Dee watched, confused. A few minutes later, Ma’am and Mister Ma’am emerged from a bank of trees closer to the road. Dee stared in shock as the three exchanged teary embraces.
“I was hoping you’d be on this crew, buddy,” Mister said.
“I was ready to start a fire just to get some time with you,” Ma’am added. She gave Huck’s cheeks an affectionate pinch.
“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Dee asked Jeff, who’d caught up with her.
“Yup. They’re gonna make for some interesting in-laws.”
Dee gave him a poke in the ribs, then approached the family reunion. “There’s food and drinks inside, Mister and Ma’am. That’s where we’re heading. But, Huck, I was thinking maybe you should show me where those hot spots were, so Jeff and I can keep an eye out for them tonight.”
She heard a muffled laugh from Jeff and shot him a look.
“I can show you those, miss,” a portly volunteer firefighter offered. “I was with the woods crew, so I know exactly where they are.”
“Oh,” Dee said, hiding her disappointment. “Thanks.”
“You three come with me,” Jeff said, indicating everyone else follow him into the lobby. He waved to Dee. “See you when we see you.”
They disappeared into the lobby, leaving Dee with the volunteer. “All righty,” he said, hefting his ax over his shoulder. “And while we walk, I’m gonna give you a lesson on maintaining a safe, fire-free environment.”
Goody, mansplaining was Dee’s glum thought as they reversed course and traipsed back up to the woods behind the cabin.
* * *
By the time the firefighter finished telling Dee everything she already knew, and they returned to the motel lobby, the crowd of volunteers, firefighters, and inmates had dispersed. “Don’t worry,” Jeff told her. “I told Hunk you might be calling about a fire only he could put out, whacka whacka.” He wiggled his eyebrows like a lewd comedian, earning another poke in the ribs from Dee.
The two began straightening up the room, tossing garbage and collecting cans and bottles to recycle.
“Huck was a nice distraction from our ongoing nightmare,” Dee said. She tied off a trash bag. “But we’ve got a big problem. I’m sure someone set that fire. Who and why?”
“While you were in the woods with your Eagle Scout, Raul came by with a crime scene technician from West Camp and an arson investigator from WCFD. As far as I know, they’re still up at the cabin. Hopefully, we’ll get a report from them when they’re done.”
When they finished bagging the trash, Dee made them each a plate of leftovers to serve as dinner. Exhausted by the evening’s dire event, they ate in silence. Dee was loading the dishwasher as Raul appeared in the doorway.
