Page 11 of Wynns of Change (Wynn Harbor Inn #3)

Harlow slid her bike in between the metal bars. Straightening her shoulders, she stepped inside the fire station.

The woman at the counter greeted her.

“I was wondering if Caleb Jackson is around.”

“He’s in his office.” The woman, in her mid-thirties if Harlow had to guess, gave her the once-over. “Is he expecting you?”

“No. Do I need to make an appointment?”

“Not necessarily.” The woman pushed her chair back. “I’ll see if he’s free. What is your name?”

“Harlow.”

“Harlow…?”

“He’ll know.” Harlow held her breath, watching as the woman hurried off. She returned less than a minute later.

Caleb was only a few steps behind. “Hello, Harlow.”

“Hey, Caleb. I hope I’m not bothering you. I was wondering if you had a minute to talk.” She offered him a hesitant smile, noticing the woman was listening in on their conversation. “In private,” she added.

“For you, I have two.” Caleb motioned her to follow him. “We can talk in my office. It’s messy, so you’ll have to ignore the clutter.”

Following him down a long hall, they made a sharp right and stepped inside a spacious office. A wall of windows overlooked a grassy slope. A stack of black storage trays, along with an open laptop and a file folder, were the only items on his otherwise empty desk. “Your office is clean.”

“Thanks. It feels messy. Maybe it’s all in my head.” Caleb offered her an empty chair before taking his seat behind the desk. “I thought you were in California…or New York, somewhere far away.”

“Actually, I just finished filming in Vancouver,” she said. “I’ll be home…back on the island for a while.”

“I see.” He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands. “You look much better than the last time I saw you.”

“I fell on you.” Harlow rolled her eyes. “And made a fool of myself. I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m not.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Was Caleb flirting with her? She absentmindedly tugged at her blouse. It was getting warm in his office. Looking back, she should have suggested they talk outside, where she could make a quick escape. Now she was trapped.

Stop! Harlow put a halt to her rambling thoughts.

Focus. Remember why you’re here. Deciding her best bet was to pretend she didn’t hear his reply, she hurried on.

“I know you’re working, so I’ll make this brief.

I want to hire a fire investigator to come to Wynn Harbor Inn to figure out how the fire that…

the fire that destroyed the lodge started. ”

Caleb’s smile vanished. “And took your mom’s life. I wish I could’ve been here to…”

“There’s nothing you could have done.” Harlow lowered her head. Don’t cry. Don’t you dare! “Despite what some locals believe, Dad didn’t start the fire. My gut tells me someone intentionally set it, which is why I want to find out what happened.”

“I heard your father partnered with an investment company to rebuild the lodge and repair the damaged cottages.”

“He has. Clearing the property means removing potential evidence, so I want to get a move on.”

“Fire investigators aren’t cheap.”

“I understand. I’m willing to pay. My only problem is I’m not sure where to start.” She met his gaze. “Will you help me?”

Caleb rubbed the stubble on his chin. “I’ll try. My concern is you getting your hopes up.”

“I know, and I understand it could be a complete waste of time, but I owe it to Mom to try.” Despite her resolve, Harlow’s eyes welled up with tears. She quickly looked away.

Caleb sprang from his chair. He circled the desk and placed a light hand on her shoulder. “I know how much you loved your mom.”

His words of care and concern were all it took. Pent-up tears streamed down her cheeks. “I need to try,” she whispered. “If not, I’ll never forgive myself.”

He lifted his hand to wipe her tear and caught himself before he touched her cheek. “I have a friend in Traverse City. He’s worked on a lot of state investigations. I’ll explain the situation and see if he’s willing to give it a shot.”

“Thanks.” Harlow sniffled, sucking in a shaky breath. “I didn’t mean to break down.”

“It’s okay. You’ve had a rough…a tough time.” Caleb reached behind him and grabbed a tissue. “It’s not often I get beautiful women, stars at that, in my office in tears.”

Harlow dabbed at her eyes and laughed. “I’m a hot mess.”

“You’re human.” Caleb returned to his chair and reached for his notepad. “What’s your cell phone number? I’ll send you a text or call you as soon as I have a chance to check into it.”

Harlow rattled it off. “Thanks, Caleb.” She slowly stood. “Dad already knows. We’ve talked about it.”

“Good. That was my next question,” he said. “Your dad missed you while you were gone.”

“I missed him too. It took a car accident and me coming back to realize how much. Thanks again, Caleb.” She turned to go.

He stopped her. “Hey. I…uh…I heard you were married. He’s a lucky guy.”

“We’re divorcing.”

Caleb’s eyes flickered with surprise. “Leave it to me to put my foot in my mouth.”

“It’s okay. My car accident brought about a lot of changes that needed to happen. One of them being ending a relationship with a person who never truly loved me,” Harlow said. “I heard about Tiffany’s death. I’m sorry.”

“It’s been a rocky few years. You never know what hand life is going to deal you.”

“No.” Harlow offered him a sad smile. “It appears we’ve both been on the receiving end of some tough times.”

“But maybe not forever.”

“I hope not.” Harlow thanked him again and strode out of his office, eager to leave before she humiliated herself again, or worse yet, said something stupid. Whenever Caleb was around, her brain turned to mush.

She climbed onto her bike. Giving it a nudge, Harlow pedaled off. “That went well,” she sighed. “At least I didn’t make a complete fool of myself, and Caleb agreed to help Dad and me.”