Was he regretting losing this time with her the way she was regretting having to say goodbye to him?
“Go on,” she said. “I’ll be okay. But, Liam—thanks.” She leaned toward him, and he met her halfway. She didn’t think she’d ever had a kiss so bittersweet.
He opened his mouth to say something but instead simply shook his head. Tory undid her seat belt and opened the door.
“Be safe. Remember Rod—or whoever it was—is out there somewhere,” he told her.
As soon as she shut the door he was gone.
“Tory?” a voice said behind her a moment later. “Hi—remember me?”
Caught in the act of watching Liam drive away, Tory spun around, her heart in her throat. At first she couldn’t place the young woman standing in front of her, but something about her eager smile plucked a memory from the recesses of Tory’s mind.
“Megan Lawrence?”
Megan smiled broadly. “That’s me.”
“Look at you, all grown up.”
“Right back atcha.”
Tory relaxed a little. “Do you live in Silver Falls now?” Had Megan seen Liam drop her off? She saw no hint of the disgust Rod had displayed when she’d first encountered him. Megan didn’t seem to be carrying a grudge against the Coopers. If only there was an easy way to identify and keep her distance from everyone who did.
It scared her to think Rod had followed her and Liam to Runaway Lake with the intent of making mischief. Had he watched them during the night?
Tory shivered.
“No, I still live in Chance Creek, but I’m a realtor. Just starting out, so I have to take listings where I can. Not that there’s anything wrong with Silver Falls,” Megan rushed to add. “It’s just…”
“A little rough around the edges,” Tory supplied. “Kind of always was, but it’s even worse now, isn’t it?” She couldn’t help thinking of Liam racing back toward the fire. She hoped against hope the firefighters could put out the blaze before it got even worse. Hoped Rod was long gone.
Could he be watching her again?
“Let’s just say that houses aren’t appreciating here.” Megan shrugged. “And my clients don’t appreciate that.” She smiled at her little joke. “It’s hard to sell a home out here—some have been abandoned altogether. How about you? Looking for a house?”
“Not me. I’m starting school in the fall.” Tory didn’t know what to do next. She could call a cab, she supposed. She wasn’t quite ready to face her family, though, and she wouldn’t mind waiting to see if Liam came back to town once the fire was out. As long as she didn’t see Rod.
Megan checked her phone. “I have a little time. Want to grab a coffee and catch up?”
“Sure. Not Thoughtful Coffee, though. Went there yesterday,” she added hurriedly. She wasn’t about to return to one of Rod’s hangouts.
“Let’s go to Betty’s.” Megan flashed a sudden smile. “Sounds retro, I know, but actually it’s been Betty’s long enough it was around when the name was popular.”
Tory tried to return her smile, but worry made it hard. She kept her eyes peeled for trouble as they walked the block and a half to the faded restaurant. Still, when they sat down in a booth, she found Megan easy to talk to. It was nice to chat with someone outside of the family who couldn’t care less if she was a Cooper or Turner. Megan knew a lot about the area. She admitted that growing her business was slow, but she seemed ready to give it her all.
“Do you know a guy named Rod Malcolm?” Tory asked when they were getting up to leave. She hadn’t seen any sign of Liam, even though the window next to their booth faced the street.
“Can’t say that I do. Is your truck parked somewhere near?”
“Um… no,” Tory admitted, a little embarrassed. “Are you headed back to Chance Creek? Could I get a ride with you?”
Megan looked surprised. “Sure.” She didn’t ask how Tory had gotten to Silver Falls, and Tory didn’t volunteer the information. Instead, she turned the conversation to their high school days, and soon Megan was talking about the big renovation Carl Whitfield was spearheading.
“Can you imagine if they’d had a robotics program when we were going to school? Maybe all of us would be working in tech jobs now.”
“I don’t think I’d be,” Tory said. They settled their bill and stepped outside.
“Where do you think you’ll practice law?”
Tory opened her mouth to answer, “Seattle,” or “Spokane,” or “Portland.” Instead, she said, “I don’t know.”
And spent the rest of the ride home wondering why.
Chapter Five
“Thanks for calling in the fire,” Mark Draper, the fire chief, said. “I’m glad we got it under control when we did. A blaze like that can move fast in dry conditions like we have.”
“I’m glad you saved the lodge and the treehouses,” Liam said. “Would’ve been a crying shame if they’d been lost.”
“What were you doing here when the fire started?”
“Trespassing.” No sense in trying to hide it. “Truth is, I come out here sometimes. Camp on the beach.”
“Saw there’d been a fire recently in the pit. That yours?”
“Yep. I didn’t start this blaze, though.”
“You sure about that?”
For the first time Liam felt a flash of unease. It hadn’t occurred to him he’d be blamed for the fire.
“I’m sure,” he said determinedly. “I saw someone else. Fellow by the name of Rod Malcolm. Had a bit of an altercation with him yesterday at Thoughtful Coffee. Saw him just before I smelled the smoke.”
“Rod Malcolm, huh? He’s got a bit of a temper, thinks of himself as Silver Falls’s leading citizen, but I’ve never figured him for an arsonist.” The chief scratched his head. “But a spark can stray from a fire, even one in a firepit.”
“I didn’t start the blaze,” Liam said again. “Hell, Mark, I nearly got caught by it. Had to drive right through the flames. If I was going to set a fire, I’d be sure
