Page 43 of Bittersweet

There wasn’t money inside, so they wouldn’t have gotten any of that. There was, however, plenty of expensive kitchen equipment, and he was sure they’d probably gutted the thing before torching it.

When the scene had died down a bit, Sal stayed by the car to keep an eye on Kayla while Logan walked over and introduced himself to the officers and fire fighters.

“Sorry to meet you under these circumstances, Mr. Riggs,” one officer told him after confirming that it was, in fact, arson.

Law enforcement assured him they would do everything in their power to find out who was responsible. Logan knew there had been a string of robberies in the area lately, as well as some arsons. He just never thought his truck would be a target. It didn’t make much sense to him, but then he would never think of taking something that belonged to someone else.

Harper crossed his mind for a moment. Scratch that. He’d definitely thought about taking Harper away from Brett.

He shook his head and walked back to his car, extending a hand to the man standing next to Sal. “I’m Logan Riggs.”

The man shook his hand. “Wally Parks. Sorry about your truck, man.”

“Did you call it in?” he asked.

“My neighbor did.”

“Did you see anything? Anybody moving near the truck or around the neighborhood?”

“I didn’t. I’m sorry. I was asleep until the neighbor called me. I thought it might be Sal’s truck at first, but when I saw it wasn’t, I thought he might know the owner. Plus, I was a little worried the flames might touch his truck too.”

Logan pulled out his wallet and handed Wally a business card. “If you hear anything or find anyone who knows what happened, please call me.”

“I will. You had some good coffee in there,” Wally said.

“Oh, you’ve had my coffee?” Logan’s face lit up a little.

“Sure did. That Guatemalan one was the best I ever had.”

“That’s my favorite too.” Logan smiled as he checked on Kayla again.

“I can’t believe she slept through it all.” Sal shook his head.

“She’s a sound sleeper, that’s for sure,” he replied.

By the time they parted ways, the sun was starting to light up the eastern sky. Logan’s eyes were heavy as he carried Kayla into the apartment and tucked her back in bed. She stirred again, but snuggled into her pillow and was asleep before he had a chance to kiss her forehead.

He lay back on the fold-out and stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds outside on the street. All he wanted was to sleep the day away, but his mind reeled. What would it take for him to restore the truck or was it too far gone? And could he even afford to fix it? He had insurance, but not the maximum amount he should have, not enough to bring the truck back to life.

He picked up his phone and fired off a text to Wendy, letting her know what had happened. He wanted to call Harper. The sound of her voice always made him feel better. But she wasn’t his to call. Not anymore.

Discouragement settled in. He didn’t have Harper. He didn’t have his truck. He lived in a place that wasn’t safe for his daughter. At the moment, he wasn’t sure if he should’ve come back to Grand Rapids in the first place. None of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t. When he’d taken the leap to move back, he’d imagined things turning out very differently—a successful food truck and Harper by his side. But now, it felt like there was no reason left for him to stay.

A sudden tightness squeezed his chest, like a heavy boulder settled on top of him, and he feared he was having a heart attack. The thought of leaving again made him dizzy and nauseated, but everything was a mess. What if leaving was best? What if it was the right choice for all involved?

As sleep began to overtake him, his thoughts took him back to Harper’s bed, to being enveloped by the scent of vanilla and strawberries, and he dreamed he was back in the clouds again. Back with her.

18

It wasn’t unusual for Savannah to arrive at the shop later than Harper now that she was making regular deliveries to Logan’s truck, but as the time ticked by and the hands on the clock pointed toward nine, Harper wondered where her partner was. There were things to be done in the morning, duties Savannah usually took care of before the doors opened. It wasn’t like her not to show up, especially without calling.

Harper glanced over at Ginny. “You’re sure she didn’t leave a message or anything.”

“I’m sure. I checked twice. No emails. No voicemails. I’m sure she’s just running late.”

Harper picked up her phone and dialed Savannah’s number just as her partner scurried through the door.

“Sorry I’m late.” Savannah pushed the door closed with her back side.

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