Ignoring the sudden urge to pull her into a hug, Brian lightly grasped her upper arm and gave it a squeeze in support. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt. How’s Andy?”
Tess let out a heavy breath. “He’s okay—I sent himto school. He wanted to stay and help, but there wasn’t much we could do until Mr. Simpson here came and looked things over.”
The man ripped a sheet of paper from the top of his clipboard and handed it to Tess. “Well, I’ve seen all I need to. I’ll get this filed when I get back to the office and will call you as soon as I hear from the adjusters what the payout will be. In the meantime, you should get this boarded up and then arrange for a few estimates from contractors, so you’ll have one ready to go as soon as the check is issued.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming out so quickly this morning.”
“My pleasure.” Simpson winked at her, eliciting a low growl from Brian. Startled, the man backed up and stared at where Brian rested his hand on the holstered weapon on his hip. “I—I’ll just... get going. You have my card if you need anything, Tess... I mean, Ms. Bingham.”
“I do.” She held up a business card. “Thanks again.”
Brian glared after the retreating man until Rafe snorted beside him. Pivoting, he asked, “What?”
His partner grinned and shook his head. “Nothing, man. Hey, Tess, what can we do to help?”
Her gaze was on the damage again, and she apparently hadn’t noticed that Brian wanted to kill the guy who tried to flirt with a stressed-out woman. “Oh, thanks, guys, but I just have to pack some clothes andstuff for Andy and me, and then find out where the Red Cross is putting us up.”
“Yeah, about that,” Brian said while scratching his head. “If you can stay with friends or neighbors until Sunday, I have a place that’ll be much more comfortable for you than a motel room until this is repaired. My uncle’s beach house in Whisper is available for as long as you need it, after my brother and sister-in-law head back home. They’re coming down for the weekend for my uncle’s birthday.”
Her eyes widened at his offer. “Um... I—I can’t impose upon your uncle?—”
“You wouldn’t be imposing. He lives in town now, above his hardware store. The beach house is empty except when someone needs a place to crash. Uncle Dan is always helping people out. I already spoke to him, and honestly, he’ll be offended or think I did something wrong if you don’t accept. Don’t get me in trouble with him.” He put on his best hang-dog expression, trying to make her laugh.
The corners of her mouth ticked upward just a bit, and she glanced at Rafe. “Does he really think that puppy look is going to convince me to say yes?”
“I believe he does,” Rafe replied with a chuckle. “Sickening, isn’t it?”
“You’re not helping, jackass.” Brian glared at his partner before turning back to Tess. “Look, seriously. You and Andy will need to be out of here for at least six to eight weeks by the time you get the insurancemoney, the building permits, a contractor set up, and have it rebuilt. Do you really want to spend all that time in a motel room with your teenage brother? My uncle has a perfectly good, empty house as of Sunday afternoon. It’s right on the beach, has two large bedrooms, a living room, and a full kitchen. It’s more of a commute for you to get to work, but it’s temporary. School is almost out, so Andy can find a job and stay out of trouble. There are plenty of places within walking or biking distance of the house that need help during the summer.”
The expression on Tess’s face told Brian he was overwhelming her with information, so he paused to give her a moment before he lifted his hands, palms up. “Whatta ya say?”
She took a deep breath and glanced at Rafe again, who cocked his head to the side and grinned, as if encouraging her to give in and accept the offer. She then eyed the huge hole in her house before meeting Brian’s gaze. “You made valid points. As long as we’re not putting anyone out?—”
“You’re not.”
“Then, yes, thank you. It would be much better than a motel. Mr. and Mrs. Carbone offered to let us stay with them, but I didn’t want to impose upon them for too long. They babysit their two granddaughters for a few hours a day during the week, so they have their hands full. But we can stay with them until Sunday.”
Brian was thrilled when she gave in and tried notto think about how disappointed he would’ve been if she hadn’t, nor the reasons why. “Great. After my brother, his wife, and my niece leave, I’ll come here and help you bring whatever you need to the house.”
Tess shook her head. “You don’t have?—”
“Tess,” he said sternly. When she closed her mouth, he continued. “You work for the medical examiner, which, essentially, is an extension of law enforcement here in Dare County, so that makes you part of the blue family. And in this family, we take care of our own. So... let’s try this again. I’ll swing by on Sunday to help you bring whatever you need to the beach house. Okay?”
A smile spread across her face—the first one that didn’t seem forced since he’d gotten there. “Okay. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Chapter 5
Tess was touched by how many neighbors showed up to help that afternoon. A few were retired or had the day off, but most of them came after work and school. The air was filled with sawdust as the final remnants of the elm tree were cut up and piled in the backyard. Mr. Carbone’s brother and nephew would drive their truck down from Virginia the next day and haul away the free firewood to fuel their cast-iron stove during the winter. Several teens and Andy carried the damaged furniture to the curb for the trash collectors, while the men used shovels and gloved hands to remove the collapsed parts of the roof and back wall. After that was done, the carpet would be ripped up to prevent mold from spreading to the rest of the house. Next, large pieces of plywood and tarps would be used to close up the open space until the contractors could start rebuilding.
Several women from the neighborhood had arrived with boxes, plastic totes, towels, and garbage bags. Everything salvageable was dried out and packed up, while things beyond repair were placed in bags and set out at the curb with the furniture for the town’s bulk pickup.
“Tess?”
She glanced over at Mrs. Carbone, who held up several photo albums that’d been stored in a cabinet below their wide-screen TV, which had been a total loss. “These are wet, but mostly just the covers and the edges of the pages. I’m going to bring them over to my house and take the photos out of them so they can dry properly. I have a few extra photo storage boxes you can use until you get new albums.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Carbone. I’m glad they didn’t get too wet.”
