Page 12 of Never Fall Again

“Landry!” He could barely make out Bronwyn’s voice over the sounds of burning wood and spraying water.

Bronwyn gave him a quick pat on the arm and threw herself at Landry. The women hugged and whispered something to each other that Cal couldn’t hear. When they pulled back, Bronwyn bent down to speak to Maisy, then bumped Cal’s shoulder. He pulled her in for a hug and murmured, “She’s okay. Are you?”

Bronwyn stepped back. “I’m furious is what I am. Gray says this isn’t an accident. But for the life of me, I can’t think of any reason why anyone would do this.”

Cal pulled Bronwyn back into a hug. “Calm down, Beep. You can’t run ahead of this. First step, get the fire out. Second step, figure out what set the fire. Third step, figure out who set the fire.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could comment, Landry chimed in. “Did you call her ‘Beep’?”

Cal gestured toward Bronwyn. “Bronwyn Elena Elizabeth Pierce. B-E-E-P. Beep.”

Landry turned to Bronwyn. “Is that your full name?”

Bronwyn huffed. “My family is full of drama. Which is why I wound up with more names than anyone should have. But according to my mother, it kept them on speaking terms with the family, so...”

“Is Beep a joke, a term of endearment, or is it mean-spirited?”

Bronwyn gave Cal a mildly disgruntled look. “From Cal? It’s a teasing term of endearment.”

A man in a police uniform approached. Gray Ward extended a hand to Cal that turned into a bro hug, then he nodded at Bronwyn and Landry. “Ladies. The fire chief tells me that despite appearances, the fire is contained. They expect to have it out in the next hour or so.” He glanced around, then beckoned them closer. In a lower voice he added, “Off the record, the fire chief is convinced it’s arson but says it will be days before he has a conclusive result. The resort itself can stay open, Bronwyn, but we’ll need to cordon off this area, and you’ll need to provide easy access for investigators.”

Bronwyn groaned.

“I’ll do my best to keep the number of people to a minimum.” Gray looked toward the remains of the building, and Cal followed his gaze. It was bizarre how quickly the flames had died down in the few minutes since their arrival.

“I don’t want you to do anything of the sort, Gray. I want a full investigation. You tell your people, the fire chief, and whoever else needs to hear it that we’ll continue to protect the privacy of our guests, but we won’t do anything to impede the investigation.”

“I appreciate that,” Gray said before turning fully to face Landry. “Landry, sure am sorry about the loss of your pottery.”

Since when was Gray on a first name basis with Landry? Was there something going on between them? And why should Cal care? Gray was a good man. In fact, he’d be perfect for Landry and Eliza. Maybe he’d talk to Bronwyn about setting them up on a date.

Cal gave himself a mental slap. What was wrong with him? He wasn’t a matchmaker. It was none of his business who Landry was friends with. Or Gray, for that matter. And Gray was even more of a confirmed bachelor than he was.

Cal didn’t date single moms. Gray didn’t date. Full stop.

“Cal?” Cal pulled his attention to the present and found Gray, Bronwyn, and Landry staring at him.

“Sorry. What do you need?”

Gray gave him a look that Cal knew from years of experience. Gray would bring this up later, but for now, he had more important things to address. “I said that all the other structures are fine, but it will be several hours—maybe even a couple of days—before the smoke clears enough to make breathing easy for anyone with compromised lungs. And that’s a problem because Eliza has asthma.”

How did Gray knowthat? No. Not the point. Cal didn’t hesitate. “They can stay at Meredith’s.”

Both Gray and Bronwyn smiled in relief. Landry took a step back. “What?”

Bronwyn led the charge. “Meredith Quinn. You’ve met her. She’s the dentist here in town. But she’s on the rotation at her mom’s this week.”

Landry’s confusion hadn’t cleared, so Cal took over. “Aunt Jacqueline, Meredith’s mom, has cancer. All the women in the family are taking turns staying overnight with her for a week to help if she needs anything. Meredith’s week started tonight, so she won’t be in her place until next Friday. It’s sitting there empty. Right between Mo’s place and mine. It’s small, but there’s plenty of room for the two of you.”

“I couldn’t...”

Gray chimed in. “It’s perfect.” Something about his tone set all of Cal’s nerves on end. “You’d have Mo and Cal as neighbors, and Maisy would love it.”

Landry took two steps back and rested her hands on her hips. “Gentlemen. Bronwyn. Please. I appreciate this. But please stop talking and let me think.”

Everyone hushed. She turned her back on them and walked toward Cal’s truck. Gray tilted his head to one side, and Cal followed him a little closer to the tape while Bronwyn stayed put.

“You need to convince her to stay at Meredith’s place.” Gray pulled his hat off and ran his hands through his hair.