He considered the offer. Staying with his mother and Jonah would be uncomfortable, but it would also give him a chance to assess the damage to her house, and he could coordinate repairs more easily if he was nearby. Despite what his mother may think, he did care about the family home. And Jonah was right—finding other accommodations would be difficult with the storm damage.
“All right,” he said finally. “But just until I can make other arrangements.”
Jonah smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. “Good. I’ll find Winston’s bed, you find his food, then let’s go see if Ellie needs any help.”
They found her in her bedroom, carefully folding clothes into a small suitcase. She looked up when they entered.
“Jonah has invited me to stay at his place too.” He couldn’t help noticing the tentative sound in his voice.
She paused in her packing. “Both of us?”
“Yes,” Jonah confirmed. “It makes sense. We’ll all be more comfortable there than trying to find other arrangements with the island in this state.”
She resumed her packing, not making eye contact. “I suppose that’s sensible.”
Coming from his mother, that was practically enthusiastic approval. He shared a look with Jonah, who seemed pleased by the development.
She finished packing, carefully placing her toiletries in a small travel case. As they prepared to leave, she stopped in the doorway, looking back at her bedroom. “This house has stood for over a hundred years. It’s survived every storm that’s come its way.”
“And it will survive this one too,” he assured her. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She gave him a look he couldn’t quite interpret—surprise mixed with something else. Not quite gratitude, but close.
“See that you do,” she said, but the usual bite was missing from her words.
They made their way downstairs, and Winston trotted behind them, seemingly unbothered by the chaos.
His mother stood in the foyer, looking around at her home. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of vulnerability in her expression—something he rarely saw. Then she straightened her shoulders, and the moment passed.
“Let’s not dawdle,” she said briskly. “There’s much to be done.”
As they left the house, he caught Jonah’s eye. The man gave him a small nod of acknowledgment.
He was going to be living in the same house as his mother again after all these years. Something he’d never thought would happen.
Chapter 13
Beverly stood in front of Coastal Coffee, her heart sinking as she took in the damage. Broken roof tiles littered the sidewalk, some cracked into jagged pieces while others remained mostly intact. At least they’d been spared the storm surge that had devastated communities to the south.
“It’s not as bad as I feared.” She tried to sound optimistic for Maxine’s sake. “Roof damage, but the building looks solid.”
Maxine squeezed her shoulder. “We can handle some missing tiles. That’s fixable.”
She nodded, pulling the keys from her pocket. Her hand trembled slightly as she approached the hurricane shutters covering the front door. Years of running this place, weathering economic downturns, seasonal fluctuations, other hurricanes, and now this. She swallowed hard, trying to prepare herself for what she might find inside.
“Ready?” Maxine asked, positioning herself beside Beverly.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She unlatched the hurricane shutters and pulled them open. The metal groaned in protest after being battered by wind and rain. She slid the key into the lock on the door, holding her breath as she pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The darkness enveloped them immediately. Without electricity, the cafe felt eerily quiet and unfamiliar.
“I can’t see a thing.” She fished her phone from her pocket and turned on the flashlight. Maxine did the same, and they swept their beams around the room.
The light revealed tables and chairs still neatly arranged where they’d left them before the evacuation. At least that was good. Her beam caught movement, and she startled before realizing it was just their reflection in the large mirror behind the counter.
“Let’s get some more light in here.” Her voice echoed slightly in the space. “Help me with these other shutters.”
They stepped back outside and worked methodically, removing the hurricane shutters from the front windows. Then they took down the shutters covering the kitchen windows. Each one they took down allowed more natural daylight to filter into the cafe, gradually illuminating the interior.
