“We both know the schedule changes on a whim at Creative Interiors.”

“I worked with Stella and Gregg in the morning. Chloe came in later with stock from Tina’s house. Braden was on his computer. Tina popped in and out. So did my mother.” She and Joe both looked over at Camille.

Camille still had on the little smile from before, but Summer could see the stress behind it. “Hang on.” She rose and walked over to them. “Mom? You okay?”

“Of course.” Camille began adding sugar to her tea. One teaspoon, two.

Oh boy.

“We’re talking about the fire,” Kenny said, watching Camille load him up with enough sugar to handle a whole pot of tea. “How she called you on your cell. When you were trapped.”

More sugar.

Kenny glanced worriedly at Summer.

“Um, Mom? Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you.” Yet another teaspoon. “You should all join me, it’s ginseng. Good for your circulation. Helps oxygenation.”

“I’m good,” Kenny said, and stood. “You’ve been a huge help.”

“Oh!” Camille wasn’t able to hide her hopeful expression. “We’re all done then?”

“For now. Why don’t you let me drive you home?”

“Oh, I couldn’t let you do that. I don’t want to put you out.”

“It’s right on my way.” Kenny offered her his hand.

Camille shocked Summer and put her hand in the tall fire marshal’s, allowing him to pull her to her feet. “Are you on your motorcycle?”

Kenny shook his head. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I had been.”

“No.” Summer would have sworn she looked…disappointed? “Of course not.”

Kenny laughed. “When I have more questions, maybe tomorrow, I can come back on the bike.”

“With an extra helmet?”

“With an extra helmet,” he said.

“Mom, how do you even know he has a bike?”

Camille blushed. Blushed. “I don’t work tomorrow,” she said to Kenny.

He smiled. “At home then?”

Camille didn’t say yes but neither did she say no. Summer stared at her mother in shock as Kenny led her out the door. “What was that?” she asked Joe. “He’s flirting with her.”

“I think you have that backward,” Joe said, watching them go.

Summer frowned and dropped to a chair, nodding to his clipboard. “Okay, hit me.”

“Why don’t we—”

“Just do it, damn it.”

Just do it, Joe thought. Yeah, sure. He’d just tear her apart, no sweat. He kicked a chair around and straddled it, needing the back of steel and the table between them. “Who closed the shop yesterday?”

“I did,” Summer said.

“You were alone at that time?”

“Yes, I—” She paused. “No. I thought I was, and went around turning stuff off, and then Braden came out of the bathroom and startled me.”

Joe stopped in the middle of writing. This was new to him. “Startled you how?”