“Harrison?” George said. “I thought you were in Nashville.”
“I was, but I wanted to surprise Daniella,” Harrison’s voice was laced with worry. “Are you allowed to be in the garden?”
A guilty expression crossed George’s face. “A little sunshine won’t hurt me. Besides, I’m the only person here. What my family don’t know won’t hurt them.”
Harrison wasn’t about to tell George to be careful. He loved gardening, and a few minutes probably wouldn’t hurt him. “I went to Daniella’s house, but she wasn’t there. Do you know where she’s gone?”
George took an old rag out of his pocket and wiped his hands. “She’s at The Fairy Forest. A water pipe burst in the kitchen. It’s a big mess, and there’s a wedding there this afternoon. She’s been gone for a couple of hours trying to sort it out.”
Harrison thanked George and quickly made his way to The Fairy Forest. As he approached the red-brick building, he saw an unusually long line of vehicles parked on both sides of the street. Either something else was happening, or Daniella had an army of volunteers helping her.
The parking lot was a hive of activity. People he’d met at the church and in the community rushed back and forth, carrying sopping wet rugs and mops. In the center, lengths of artificial grass, spread out to dry, glinted with water droplets in the morning sun.
He entered the Fairy Forest to find Daniella orchestrating the clean-up with the precision of a seasoned general. She was everywhere at once: directing, assisting, and solving problems with a calmness that must have been hard to maintain.
Harrison made his way across to her, side-stepping around the buckets, mops, and towels that everyone was using. “Daniella!” his raised voice carried across the room.
She turned and, for a second, her poise faltered. “Harrison? You’re back?”
“I just got in,” he said, moving closer. “Your dad told me about the flood. What can I do?”
Relief flitted across her face, and she quickly pointed to the far side of the room. “Help us clear out the kitchen. We need all the food, cutlery, plates, and glasses gone before the fire department arrives. We’re storing everything at The Welcome Center.”
Without missing a beat, Harrison joined the assembly line of volunteers. They worked in tandem, passing boxes hand to hand, salvaging whatever they could from the kitchen.
Fifteen minutes later, the fire department arrived with a large vacuum to pump the rest of the water out of the building.
Throughout the morning, Daniella was busy making more phone calls and rearranging next week’s bookings.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” she told him when they had a few minutes together. “If I’d stayed home and not come into work early, I could’ve lost everything.”
“How bad is the damage?”
Daniella ran her hand along the back of her neck. “Most of the trees are water-proofed above the level the water reached, so they should be reasonably okay. The artificial grass will dry, but I’ve lost most of the flowers and shrubs in the garden. The children’s furniture probably won’t survive, and a plumber and an electrician need to check the entire building.”
Harrison’s eyebrows rose. “Your dad said there’s supposed to be a wedding here this afternoon. What’ll you do?”
“I spoke to the family and Pastor John a little while ago. We’re relocating to The Welcome Center. The room won’t be as impressive as it would’ve been at The Fairy Forest, but we’ll make it as magical as possible. All my other bookings are on hold as well. I can’t re-open until the building’s checked to make sure it’s safe and completely dried out.”
Harrison looked closely at Daniella. “Are you all right?”
“I’m exhausted just thinking about the work that’s ahead of me, but I’ll be okay.” She picked up a wet towel and threw it in a bucket. “I’m surprised you’re here. I thought you might’ve stayed in Nashville.”
“Why would I do that?” He moved out of the way as a man lifted a large box past them.
“Because it’s where you want to live.”
If Daniella thought that, he needed to have a serious conversation with her.
Her phone rang and she answered the call, speaking quickly to whoever was on the other end of the line. When she put her phone away, she looked at the time. “I need to call the commercial cleaning company. They should’ve been here by now.”
Harrison looked at his watch. “What about the wedding at The Welcome Center? Do you want me to see if I can help there?”
“That’d be great. Rachel and Harper took the flowers, balloons, and all the table decorations to the center before you arrived. They might’ve finished decorating the room but, if not, I’m sure they’ll appreciate your help.”
“Can I get you anything before I leave?” he asked.
Daniella looked around the room and sighed. “Nothing at the moment. But I might need some magic fairy dust by the end of the week.”
