Page 17 of Yorkie to My Heart (Friends of Gaynor Beach Animal Rescue #6)

Jeremy

Andreas was squared away.

Shayna was less pissed than she’d been—more because of my skillful mediation technique than anything Andreas had actually offered up in the way of promises.

Under our watch, he’d called Norah—with a hoarse voice—and said strep throat could totally wipe a person out, and he would feel incredibly guilty if he gave her the illness.

Lovely woman she was, her first instinct had been to offer to come by.

Andreas headed that off at the pass with a firm, my doctor said I’m highly contagious .

She’d said she’d send soup via delivery.

He’d tried to dissuade her, claiming he was still out after having seen the doctor.

She admonished him to go home immediately and said the soup would arrive in two hours.

He thanked her and, after the conversation ended, had to boot out of there. He had plenty of time to get home, but even the off chance of missing a delivery sent by Norah wasn’t worth the risk.

Shayna and I stayed in the bar—despite neither of us being particularly enamored with the place. We shared a plate of nachos—extra jalapenos—and planned the strategy on how to deal with things if Andreas’s involvement in the fight came to light.

Then we figured out how we might keep him out of trouble in Canada.

I was all for signing him up for online calculus classes.

My compatriot suggested a babysitter.

In the end, I emailed six potential programs of study to my client and Shayna popped a note off to the producer, Valentino, just suggesting Andreas might be lonely, and getting him into activities with other people might be a good idea.

She didn’t explicitly recommend staying away from booze, but the sentiment was in the subtext.

Val was a smart guy—he’d figure it out.

As I took my exit off the highway, I lowered my window. I loved catching a fresh breeze once I was away from all the exhaust fumes. California was getting more and more electric vehicles, but plenty of gas guzzlers were still on the road.

The acrid scent of burning wood caught my attention.

I raised the window and turned the recirc on. I was only about ten minutes away from home, and so I’d be fine.

Night had nearly fallen, with just a sliver of light on the western horizon.

Sunset had been stunning tonight. All glorious pink, purple, dark blue, and lavender.

Red skies at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning .

Years in the navy ingrained that expression into my father’s admonitions.

Although curious, I’d never actually checked the accuracy of the statement.

I was often up super early to do my training for the day, so I’d spotted many stunning sunrises.

And just as frequently, I’d run after work—so I’d experienced plenty of sunsets.

I’d just never bothered to correlate future weather back to the observation.

I turned onto Fern Avenue and encountered a police roadblock.

What the actual hell? Irrational panic seized me. This was bad. Really bad. And I spotted flashing lights on Hummingbird Lane. Fire? Man, if this was the reason for the smell by the highway then things were bad. I pulled my SUV off to the side of the road and hopped out.

“Hey, Jeremy.” Kathleen, the sheriff’s deputy approached me. “Not your house, okay? As far as I can tell, no damage either, despite the proximity to the fire. If you left windows open, there’ll be smoke?—”

“What do you mean, proximity?” That panic ratcheted up to an eleven. “The Monroes’?”

She shook her head. “No, James’s house. Well, the house he rents out. I called him and he’s on his way over. He was up in Huntington Beach with his parents, and Colin was in LA. Danny’s here, though.”

My mind raced to catch up. Danny was James’s younger brother and new to town as well. Newer. “James’s house?” Her words sank in. “Oh, God. That’s where Phillip is staying.”

She frowned. “Who’s Phillip?” She scratched her cheek. “Oh, that’s the tenant James told me about.”

I tried to push past her. “I need to see. Is he okay? How about Wally?”

“Who’s Wally?”

“The dog?”

“No one appeared to be home, Jeremy.”

“Appeared to be? How bad is the damage?”

“It’s bad. Jayden’s initial thought is electrical, but we won’t know until the fire inspector?—”

“I have to see.” I tried to push past her.

“Just you hold your horses. You’re not going to go charging in there like some white knight. The fire’s out. They’re checking the house for hotspots.”

“But—”

“Jeremy, don’t make me arrest you. As soon as it’s safe, we’ll let you back in there. Until then, you’re staying here with me.”

Even as I tried to figure out how to push past her again, Jayden sauntered over. His black, curly hair was plastered to his head, and his dark-brown eyes were hard to see under the fluorescent light of the street lamp, but his expression lightened when he saw me. “We were able to?—”

“Where’s Wally? Where’s Phillip?—”

He held up his hands. “The house was empty. Completely empty?—”

“But the dog?—”

“No dog, okay?” He scrunched his nose. “Someone said they confirmed the dog is with Brooklyn.”

“What? Who’s Brooklyn? Where’s Phillip?” God, why wasn’t I getting a straight answer?

Jayden glanced at Kathleen.

She shrugged.

“Oh. Sherrif confirmed the tenant was out, and the dog is in daycare. We searched the house as well… It’s empty.”

For just a moment, my panic eased. Then it ratcheted up again. “A total loss?”

He nodded. “Yep. Nothing’s left intact.”

My heart sank. I had no idea how many belongings Phillip had accumulated. Whether he had electronics. Over and over in my mind, though, I kept assuring myself he and Wally were safe. AWOL, but safe. Well, not unauthorized. Not on leave.

Yeah, so my dad’s navy expression didn’t work.

Still unaccounted for. Phillip was free to go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted. But he needed to know?—

Jesus Fucking Christ. You have a cellphone, you know. Half grimacing, half laughing to myself, I yanked out the phone. I spotted a text from Shayna—which I ignored—but I quickly pulled up my contacts and hit send.

As my phone rang, I heard a ringing.

Confused, I glanced around. To find Phillip walking toward me, Wally straining against his harness.

Phillip stopped and tried to dig into his pocket.

“Here.” I held up my phone.

Wally barked.

Jayden and Kathleen turned.

“That him?” The firefighter kept his voice low.

“Yeah.” I hit the button to end the call.

Phillip re-pocketed his phone and came toward me. His grim expression let me know we wouldn’t be sharing the bad news cold. Clearly, he knew.

Unless he’s stressed about something else. You still don’t know why he left.

I was really hating my inner voice tonight—mostly because they were right.

A step behind Phillip was Colin Reynolds. I’d recognize the bright auburn hair anywhere. His expression was also grim.

I moved to Phillip. “Hey.”

He managed a weary smile. “Hey.”

“The firefighter wants to talk to you.”

“I figured. Will you take Wally?” Without waiting for an answer, he handed me the dog’s leash and headed over toward Jayden and Kathleen.

Disappointed I wouldn’t be part of the conversation—because clearly he hadn’t wanted that—I crouched down to pet Wally.

The little guy didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. He kissed me enthusiastically and nudged against my thigh.

“He’s great.”

I glanced up to find Colin smiling. A little reservedly—which was appropriate, given the circumstances.

“He’s the best. Uh, so’s Phillip.” I wasn’t jealous of Colin.

Or worried he’d spent time with Phillip.

The man was as happily married as I’d ever seen someone.

Not that it mattered who Phillip chose to spend his time with.

“I’m sort of glad we were up in LA clearing out his stuff from his old place.” Colin scratched his chin. “I mean, maybe he might’ve been able to call for help earlier and the destruction wouldn’t have been…bad?”

I nodded as I stood. “Total.”

“But he and Wally might also have been hurt.” Colin bent over to scratch the dog’s ears. “If I’d known about Wally, I would’ve brought him to LA. Although maybe Phillip’s old landlady would’ve been mad. Except she gave him, like, less than a day to clear out his stuff. That was just mean.”

I blinked.

“But Wally stayed at Brooklyn’s. He’s new in town.

Has just set up a doggie daycare out of his house.

I only met him for a moment tonight, but he seems like good people.

And here I am, rambling on.” He gazed over to Phillip and the assembled first responders.

“He’s already gone through such upheaval.

” He turned his attention to me. “Uh, crap.”

I cocked my head.

“I’ve probably already said too much.”

In my desperate opinion, he hadn’t said nearly enough.

I wanted to know everything about Phillip, and that meant the dark stuff that he had, apparently, shared with Colin.

I wasn’t jealous. More reassured Phillip had someone to talk to.

Someone much closer in age. Colin was in his early thirties.

Half a dozen years older than Phillip. I was more than a dozen years older.

Not quite old enough to be his father—but damn close.

He still had a baby face. I had gray in my beard. Maybe if I shaved it off?

And pull the gray hairs from your head? Or maybe dye everything? Where does it end? You’re not vain…so stop acting like you are.

All really good points.

Kathleen gave Phillip a pat on the shoulder.

He gave her a wan smile.

Then headed back to Colin and me.

“And?” I waited impatiently.

He held out his hand for Wally’s leash. “They can give me a spot at the emergency shelter, but they don’t have room for Wally.” He blinked rapidly.

Before I could even respond, Colin was there. “We can take him back to Brooklyn. He said he does overnight boarding?—”

“I can’t afford it.”

But I could and was about to speak when Colin continued.

“Or, better yet, why don’t you just come home with me? We have a huge house and a separate apartment in the basement. We designed it for James’s younger brother Danny who stayed a hot minute before moving in with Rob and his kids. So it’s available. We’ve got your stuff in my SUV?—”

“Or he could come and stay with me. I’ve got room.” I met Phillip’s gaze head-on. “You and Wally have both been in my place. You’ll be more comfortable. We can fashion up a bed for Wally—or he can sleep with you. In the morning, we can head to Bales and Bowls to replenish Wally’s missing stuff.”

“Oh God.” He rubbed his face. “I hadn’t even thought of all he’s lost. I don’t have the money?—”

“I do.” Me.

“I can help.” Colin.

Okay, so Phillip had other friends to help him replace whatever he’d lost. Was it wrong I wanted to be the one he turned to?

Finally, he pulled his hand away from his eyes and met my gaze. “I can really stay with you?”

I pressed a hand over my heart. “I’d love for you to stay.” Hopefully not sounding too desperate.

“Yeah, okay.”

Not overly enthusiastic…but I’d take it for the win.