buddies.”
With a quick wave to Granddaddy, she headed out of the square toward town hall, her heart rate increasing with hope as she searched the crowds already seated on the wide front steps.
But there was no sign of him, no handsome firefighter waiting in the spot where he used to perch at every Founder’s Day parade when she was a kid.
Biting back her disappointment, she hustled through the crowd, turning onto the street that led to the fire station. He told her once that he slept there sometimes, or went in to work on admin.
Hope growing, she pulled open the glass front door and smiled at an older woman at the front desk. “Is Declan Mahoney here?” she asked without even a hello first.
The woman frowned and shook her head, turning to glance at a board behind her. “He’s not on duty until tomorrow.”
“Oh. And there’s no chance—”
A tall, bald man stepped into the reception area, looking up from some papers in his hand. One look at his uniform and badge, and Evie knew exactly who he was.
“Chief Winkler?” She extended her hand. “I’m Evie Hewitt.”
“Evie!” His face brightened. “Well, I bet you can help me out. I can’t seem to get a hold of Declan.”
“Oh.” The word slipped out. “I was hoping he was here.”
Dark brows furrowed as he shook his head. “No. I haven’t heard from him since he texted me in the middle of the night with his bad news.”
“Bad news?”
“For me, but not for you.” He winked and leaned closer to whisper, “I think he’ll like Raleigh. I’m crushed, but I totally get his decision.”
His decision? To go to Raleigh? He was giving up his dream of being chief so she could follow hers? Her heart almost burst with love and the need to hold him in her arms and tell him—
“You’ll see him before I will.” Chief held out the packet to her. “Will you give him this? He called last night and asked for it, and I was about to scan it in to email it, but this is easier.”
“Sure.” She closed her fingers around what she already knew was a list of firefighters who’d been at Gloriana House the night of the fire. “You don’t have any idea where he might be?”
“Somewhere out in that mess in Bushrod Square, I suppose.” Then he gave her a curious look. “Aren’t you supposed to be in the parade?”
“I am, but I have an hour.” An hour to find him, but where could he be? “I’ll get this to him, I promise.”
As she stepped away, she glanced down at the papers before she could slide them into her bag. Her gaze landed on the third name on the alphabetical list.
Jamie Bell**
Wait. Could that be James Bell? The guy who wanted to buy the house and was being such a jerk to Declan last night?
She turned as Chief Winkler was headed back in. “Excuse me, Chief?” She pointed to the list. “This Jamie Bell? Who is he, and why are there asterisks next to his name?”
“One means he was a volunteer. The other means he was not at the fire, just on the vol roster. I don’t want Declan wasting any time going to talk to him.”
The James Bell she knew had said he used to live around here.
“Why? Do you know him?” the chief asked.
“I think I’ve met him.” She tipped her head, not even able to picture the thin man as a rugged firefighter. “I actually think he was in my house last night.”
“Oh, that’s a coincidence.” He shrugged. “Well, then I assume Declan talked to him already and knows he wasn’t at the fire that night.”
“No, they didn’t talk about…” She shook her head, thinking. “Would Declan know him for sure?”
He lifted a thick shoulder. “If the volunteer hung out at the station, but if he wasn’t called in much? Maybe not.”
“Would he know Declan?”
His eyes widened. “More than likely, yes.”
Then maybe the name was just a coincidence. It was common enough.
She thanked the chief and tucked the papers into her bag, but couldn’t shake the unnerving sense that crawled up her chest when she thought of the things that man had said to Declan. He knew the history of the house…and about the fire.
Was that a coincidence?
No. And Gloriana House was open right this minute—open and empty. They’d left the back door unlocked so the Historical Society ladies could get in to host the open house after the parade.
She needed to lock that