“Dahlia, thank goodness you’re okay,” Garrett said. “I was taking a stretch break outside and saw the flames.” He scanned the crowd. “Where’s Wendy?”

Dahlia stared at him, her eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know,” she whispered. Fiery orange flames licked at the upstairs apartment. An icy chill shot through her body. Was Wendy still in the building?

Garrett ran over to the firefighters, shouting at them. Dahlia followed close behind him. “My mother, she’s inside.” His eyes were wild.

The firefighter relayed the information to his team. Garrett tried to bolt for the building’s front door, but the firefighter held him back and directed them to stand on the other side of the street, at a safe distance from the scene. She put her hand on Garrett’s arm, her fingers digging into his skin as they waited together.

Just then, a firefighter in full battle gear burst out of the front door of To Be Read cradling Wendy in his arms. He carried her over to an ambulance, where the EMTs immediately began assessing her.

No one could keep Garrett and Dahlia away. They waited until the EMTs had finished and then they circled around Wendy.

“Mom,” Garrett said. “I was so worried about you.”

Wendy reached out for him, pulling him close. Whether from smoke or emotion, his eyes filled up with tears.

She pulled off the oxygen mask and croaked out, “I’m fine.” She smiled weakly at them before replacing the mask.

“We’re going to need to take her to the hospital in Haven Shores for observation, but I think she’ll be okay,” the EMT said to Garrett as they loaded Wendy onto the ambulance and shut the door. The crowd parted for the ambulance, which pulled onto a side street to make its way out of town.

“We can take my car to Haven Shores.” Dahlia tugged at Garrett’s arm. “It’s right over there.” She gestured at her car parked next to Wendy’s truck. She closed her eyes for a second. Please, please, let Wendy be okay.

Garrett looked at her for a moment as if not really seeing her, before he snapped out of it.

“Dahlia, wait. Your store.”

They both looked over at To Be Read. The firefighters had controlled the fire and only embers flickered now on the roof. Smoke hung heavily in the air.

“It can wait. Me being here doesn’t change anything. Hold on.” Dahlia found Gretchen, Maggie, and Alex standing at the periphery of the crowd. As she neared them, they started talking in a jumble of words.

She held up a hand to silence them. “I’ve got to go to the hospital with Garrett. Can you please talk with the fire department? Let them know I should be back in a few hours. You can give them my cell phone number if they need to reach me before then.”

Maggie squeezed her arm and said, “We will. Give Wendy our best.”

Dahlia thanked them and returned to Garrett.

“Okay, let’s go.” They followed the ambulance’s path out of town, riding in silence most of the way. Dahlia couldn’t help but wonder if Wendy’s stalker had anything to do with the fire, but she didn’t mention her theory to Garrett. That was a can of worms that didn’t need to be opened.

* * *

After arriving at the hospital, they had to wait for a while before being allowed to see Wendy. Once she was evaluated and checked in, the hospital staff permitted them to enter her room. Two nurses were getting her situated in a bed.

“How is she?” Garrett asked a doctor writing in the chart outside her door.

“She inhaled a lot of smoke, so we’re going to continue with our treatments and keep her overnight for observation. She should be feeling better by tomorrow, although her throat will be sore.”

“Thank you,” Garrett said. The tension in his face eased.

The nurses left, and Garrett and Dahlia crossed over to Wendy’s bedside.

“How are you feeling?” he asked softly, leaning in to give his mother a kiss on the forehead.

Wendy smiled, although she looked exhausted. Then she coughed and said, “Like Santa Claus caught in a chimney fire.”

Dahlia smiled. Wendy would be okay. “You gave us quite a scare.” She reached for Wendy’s hand.

Wendy squeezed it, looking from Dahlia to Garrett and back again. “You two came here together. Does that mean your silly argument is over?”

“How did you know about that?” Dahlia asked.

“Do you know how many phone calls I got from the Ladies after you were seen arguing in the park?”

Of course. Good gossip traveled fast.

“So did you make up?”

Garrett didn’t answer, but he had an odd expression on his face.

“Garrett?” Wendy nudged.

“Sure,” he said, nodding. He turned to Dahlia. “I think Mom is settled in here. You can get back to the bookstore now if you’d like.”

Wendy groaned. “Dahlia, I feel awful about the bookstore. I never thought he’d do something like this.”

“You mean your stalker?” Garrett narrowed his eyes at Wendy. “When were you going to tell me about him? You could have been killed. I’m going to make sure the hospital stations someone at the door to your room. This has gone too far.”

“You know?” Wendy cringed.

“Yeah. Adam told me. Not you, and not Dahlia. I had to hear about this from a guy I barely know.”

Wendy patted his arm. “It’s just a little problem I’ve been having with someone I used to date. I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt me.”

“This isn’t some little thing. Do you realize how bad this could have been?”

She shrank into her pillow. “I know.” She reached her hand out to him. “I’m sorry. I should have told you, and I never should have made Dahlia keep it from you.”

“Maybe I should leave you two alone,” Dahlia said. “Garrett’s right, I should probably get back to Candle Beach, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.” She shifted her weight between her feet and shot glances out the door. Wendy and Garrett had a lot to discuss and it was better done without her present. Although the fire had brought them together, she still wasn’t sure where she stood with Garrett.

“You’re welcome to stay, but I understand if you need to leave,” Wendy said.

“I can come back in a few hours and give you a ride home,” Dahlia said to Garrett.

“I’m sure I can find a ride home, don’t worry about it.”

“Okay,” Dahlia said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Wendy.”

She left the hospital more confused than ever over her relationship with Garrett.

* * *

In Candle Beach, the fire truck remained at the smoldering bookstore, but no active flames were evident. Dahlia parked next to Wendy’s truck and approached a firefighter who was still there. He leaned against the back of the fire truck, completing paperwork.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Dahlia Winters, I own this building. Or what remains of it, I suppose.”

“Oh yes, Ms. Winters. Your friends said you were going to the hospital.” He checked his notes. “The final report won’t be in for a while, but so far it looks like a clear case of arson. You should be able to go in with someone tomorrow and recover anything that survived the fire.”

She took another look at the building. The exterior had looked bad before, but now she could see that much of the brick hadn’t been harmed by the fire. Except for the blown-out window, the building itself was fine.

She walked over to the window frame and peered over it. The water damage inside, was another story. Soggy books lay strewn across the floor, bloated with liquid. There wouldn’t be any books to save, but maybe some of Aunt Ruth’s things had survived. Ironically, all of her remodeling efforts had been in vain. Insurance would probably cover the building and contents, but what would this mean for the terms of Aunt Ruth’s will? At least Wendy was safe. Books could be replaced, people couldn’t.

It seemed like years ago that she’d been at the summer market, intent on selling as many books as possible, although in reality it had only been a little over eight hours ago. As quickly as the bookstore had come into her life, it had literally gone up in flames.

She finished answering the firefighter’s questions around midnight and drove home, exhausted.

She tore off her smoky clothes and showered as soon as she entered the house. The water pressure rinsed off the long day and made her feel moderately better. After a cup of tea, she headed for bed, but she tossed and turned for the better part of an hour.

This is ridiculous, she thought. She got dressed in yoga pants and a sweatshirt and grabbed her house keys and a flashlight.

On the way down the hill to the beach trail, she passed Garrett’s house, noting that the light was on in his kitchen. He’d apparently found a ride home.

Her flashlight cast a small beam of light on the beach trail, but ahead, the moon illuminated much of the beach. She walked down to the surf, mesmerized by the foam glowing in the moonlight. Had it really been only a few weeks since she’d made the decision to stay in Candle Beach? Aunt Ruth’s legacy of To Be Read didn’t exist anymore, and things with Garrett were up in the air. Was it worth staying?

* * *

Garrett’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts. “I thought I’d find you here.”

The pounding of the waves had disguised his approach, and she jumped when she realized she wasn’t alone.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He moved to within a few feet of her.

“How’d you know I was here?”

“I saw you walk down the hill,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep either.”

She nodded and shivered a little as cold air off the water blasted through her sweatshirt. “How did you get home?”

“I hitched a ride with the police officer who came to Haven Shores to interview Mom.”

So he was calling her Mom now instead of Wendy. That was an interesting development.

“What did the police have to say? Did they catch the person who burned the bookstore and almost killed Wendy?” She shivered again, this time with fear that the arsonist was still on the loose.

“They caught him,” Garrett said. “Apparently he was in the crowd at the fire.” He laughed at the irony. “That’s the benefit of small towns. Even with all the tourists, any strangers stand out to local law enforcement.”

“Was it the same person who left her the threatening note and vandalized her truck and booth?”

Garrett mock glared at her. “Yes, it was. And it would have been nice to know about those earlier.”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. I almost told you so many times, but we kept getting interrupted.”

He put his hands on her shoulders, holding her an arms-length away. He looked directly into her eyes. Even in the soft moonlight, his gaze was intense. “Dahlia, it wasn’t your fault. My mother is a force of nature. It wasn’t up to you to tell me. She should have said something.” His hands slid lower on her arms, eliminating the chill she had felt. “I can understand why she wouldn’t have told me though. I haven’t always been very open to hearing things from her.” He stared out over the water. “Or from you,” he added, looking into her eyes again.

“Garrett, I don’t—” she started to say, before he put a finger on her lips.

“Let me say what I need to say first.”

She nodded, and he pulled her closer. “I know you’re not like my mother. She never would have stayed like you did, even after everything Agnes put you through.”

Dahlia tilted her head to watch his expression as he spoke.

“I’ve loved you ever since the first time I saw you, standing there at the overlook.”

“Do you mean that? You really love me? I didn’t think you’d even noticed me that day.” She was almost afraid to breathe. “You barely acknowledged me in the parking lot.”

“Yes, silly. I love you.” He smiled. “Of course I noticed you. I thought you’d seen me taking your picture. I couldn’t help myself.” He sighed. “You looked so serious and beautiful as the wind blew through your hair. But you were staring so anxiously toward Candle Beach and I felt awkward about interrupting a private moment. I couldn’t seem to get the words out to introduce myself.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“Later, when we met formally, I got it into my head that you were a carbon copy of my mother and every other creative type I’ve ever known. I’d vowed to never get involved with anyone like that, but somehow you were always there, infiltrating my thoughts. I tried to push it away, but couldn’t.” He looked out to sea again. “And then when I saw the flames at the bookstore, all I could think about was your safety and my mother’s. If I’d lost you…” He removed a hand from her arm and brushed away a tear.

Dahlia didn’t think. “I love you too.” She pulled his face toward her and kissed him squarely on the lips. Garrett moved his hands to her jawline and deepened the kiss. After a minute, they pulled away to stand a few inches from each other.

“You didn’t lose me,” she said. “And no, I’m not your mother.” She grinned impishly and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again.