Where had he gotten that idea? Confusion splashed across my face. But I hadn’t left anything out on the porch that would explode—not even a jar of lightning bugs, which were technically out of season anyway.
The fireman pointed to a broken bottle with a red label curled up beside it that had somehow managed not to get burned up in the fire. He picked up the label.
“Vodka,” I murmured.
“Looks like you got an enemy, Clem,” Malene pointed out not so delicately. “Who’d you tick off?”
My gaze zipped to Rufus. When his gaze snagged on mine, I knew that we were thinking the exact same thing.
Crystal Darsey.
She had been ticked at me only a few hours ago. Could she have had the time to get home, make a Molotov cocktail and toss it at my house? Thankfully if she did, she had pretty crappy aim.
“There will be an investigation since it looks like arson,” the fireman said. “If you have an idea who might’ve done this, we need to know.”
I hugged Lady to me and scratched her head. “In fact, I do have an idea.”
Rufus stayed for a while,helping to assess the damage. Luckily there really was very little that was harmed. Mostly it was just cosmetic destruction.
Most of all, I was glad that Lady was okay.
“Thanks for staying,” I said. “I’m okay now. Don’t feel like you have to.”
“I don’t feel like I have to.” Rufus took a blanket from the back of the recliner and brought it over to me on the couch, draping it atop my legs. “But I want to make sure that you’re okay before I leave.”
“Do you think they’ll come back?”
He quirked a brow. “Them or her?”
My stomach pretzeled. “Her, I guess. If it was Crystal who did it.”
“Not tonight. Not with all the ruckus that the fire department caused.”
He exhaled and raked his fingers through his dark hair. He was probably trying to figure out how best to get away without looking like he was running for cover.
I pulled the blanket to my chin. “I don’t understand.”
Rufus rubbed my leg over the blanket. “Sometimes there isn’t much to understand.”
“I was mean to her, I’ll own that, but I didn’t think it was arson-level mean.”
“It wasn’t. Like I said before, she was pushing you.” He gave me that lopsided grin again. “Do you want me to stay tonight? To make sure that she doesn’t come back?”
Lady answered for me. “Heck yeah, we do.” Her gaze darted to me. I spoke to her in eyebrow language that suggested she should keep her mouth shut. My dog quickly added, “That’s if you want to and if Clem stops giving me a dirty look.”
I nearly smacked myself in the face.
Rufus chuckled. “I don’t have to stay. I just want you to be safe.”
My heart did a whole clenching thing, and warmth spread over my stomach. It almost felt wet, like I’d peed my pants, but I did have control of my bladder, so that wasn’t it. It was a strange sensation, as if my body and mind were opening to him like a flower.
What a stupid metaphor. I’ll stop talking now.
“You’re welcome to stay,” I managed as the warm feeling slowly crept up my chest.
Rufus was staying over at my house. Where would he sleep? I could build a fort in my bed. He could sleep in my bed. With me. Then I could just stare at him while he slept and spy, seeing what he looked like. Would his mouth open slightly? Was he a drooler? No way was Rufus a drooler.
Worse—what if I drooled? What if he woke up to find that I had crust on my mouth and under my eyes?
