“No worries, dear. Emma is gathering the photos from the walls and tabletops and putting your dad’s books into boxes. She already talked to her friend who owns that antique bookstore downtown. He agreed to try to restore as many as possible at no charge. I think he’s got a soft spot for Emma,” she added with a wink. “Oh, and Diane is taking your mom’s quilt and knitted afghans to wash in the gentle cycle and then hang them out to dry. Is there anything else that needs to go into the washing machine?”
She stepped into the destroyed family room and glanced around the remaining contents. A few throwpillows on the floor were drenched and dirty, but they were outdated anyway and could be thrown away. A large, soaked area rug also needed to be tossed. She’d replace them after the repairs were done and they got new furniture. “No, I think that’s everything for the washer. Thanks.”
She returned to the dining room to help one of the other women wrap up the glasses and china from the hutch. Although there was only a little damage in that room—a broken window from a tree limb—she was advised to move everything out since the roof above it needed to be replaced as well. Thankfully, they didn’t have to pack up the rarely-used formal living room, the kitchen, or the bedrooms.
“Oh, my Lord! Tess, honey, what a mess!”
Spinning around at the sound of Patty’s voice, she smiled. “That’s putting it mildly. Welcome to the Binghams’ house of horrors.” She stepped into the other woman’s open arms for a hug. “You didn’t have to come by.”
“Oh, hush. Of course I did.” She patted Tess’s back and then released her. “Now, what can I do to help? And don’t you dare say nothing.”
Tess’s grin widened. She was convinced Patty had been a drill sergeant in another life. Whenever there was a crisis, the woman was front and center, issuing orders and rallying the troops. “We could use some help packing up my mom’s china and crystal.”
“Then let’s get to it.”
An hour later, the two rooms were empty. The dining table, hutch, buffet cabinet, and chairs had all been moved into the house’s three bedrooms. The primary bedroom was still filled with their parents’ belongings, even though several years had passed since they’d died. Neither child had wanted to tackle the emotional task of going through their clothes and things. Nor had Tess thought to move from her own room into the primary bedroom, even though she was now the head of the household. However, now that it looked like an enormous walk-in closet, Tess decided it was time to go through her parents’ things once the extra furniture was put back where it belonged in a few weeks. A friend of hers volunteered at a homeless shelter and would make sure everything they donated went to people in need. Once the room was clear, she’d think about taking it for herself since she already used its en-suite bathroom, leaving the one in the hallway for Andy.
Returning to the family room one last time, Tess glanced around. Nothing else needed to be done in there—well, except the repairs. A few neighbors and Patty had already headed home for dinner, and she graciously thanked those who were packing up their tools or other belongings before leaving.
“Hey, Tess?” Andy said, coming into the room behind her. “Can I go to AJ’s house? We’re gonna study for our history final, and his mom said I can have dinnerthere.”
“Sure. Just be back at the Carbone’s by eight. I don’t want you to disturb them by coming in any later.”
“Okay.” He hesitated, then surprised Tess by wrapping his arms around her and squeezing. “Everything will be all right. You’ll see. I love you, sis.”
She smiled into his shoulder as she hugged him back. It wasn’t often Andy showed any displays of affection since hitting puberty a few years ago, but Tess knew he cared for her as much as she did him. It was the two of them against the world, and they’d always be there for each other. “I love you too. Now, go study, so you can kick ass on your final. I’m going to pack some more clothes for both of us to take to Agent Malone’s uncle’s beach house.”
Stepping back, Andy frowned. “I don’t know why you said yes to him. We would’ve been fine at a hotel.”
“It would’ve been more like a motel. I know the Red Cross wouldn’t put us in a seedy place, but I doubt it would be over three stars. They just cover the basics. I’m grateful we’ll have a nice place to stay with an actual kitchen, living room, and separate bedrooms until we can move back in here. Agent Malone was just being generous in our time of need.”
“More like he wants to get into your pants and?—”
“Andy!” She glared at him. “Trust me, I highly doubt I’m his type. He said it was because the M.E.’s staff was like family to the police department, and I believe him. He’s never been anything but polite to me. Just because he thought you were hanging out withthose drug dealers doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. He was doing his job, and he let you go. It could’ve been worse if a different agent or police officer had stopped you. They might not have believed you, so please try to be nice when he comes over on Sunday to help us bring what we need to the beach house.”
Her brother let out an exasperated sigh. “Fine. At least I’ll get to see some hot girls on the beach.”
“In between working. Don’t forget, you agreed to get a job this summer and volunteer somewhere—you need more of that to pad your college applications if you want to get into a good school. It’ll also help with getting a few scholarships.” Last year, he worked as a counselor at a summer camp for elementary school children, but he didn’t want to do that again. It had only been four hours a day, Monday through Friday, at minimum wage. And while he’d done some charity work in the past at the local animal shelter, it wouldn’t hurt for him to get more hours down on paper.
“I know, I know.”
“I know you know.” Tess put her hand on his back and urged him toward the front door. “Now, get going. I’ll see you later.”
As he walked out the door, she realized that someday he would leave the nest for good. All she could do was guide him toward his future in the same way her parents had for her when she was in high school. She prayed she was doing a good job and raising him to be a man their parents could be proud ofif they were watching over them. Once Andy was out on his own, Tess could start thinking about herself again. She’d barely dated over the past several years and couldn’t remember the last time she had sex. Thank goodness for the vibrator she kept hidden in her nightstand.
The thought of sex conjured up an image of the handsome Brian Malone. Like she’d told Andy, though, Tess doubted she was the lawman’s type. He probably had women throwing themselves at him all the time—he surely attracted a wide variety of cop bunnies. Some women just loved to hook up with men in uniform—military or law enforcement—but for Tess, it didn’t matter what a guy did for a living as long as he held down a decent job and was a good man.
Sighing at her non-existent love life, Tess strode down the hallway to her bedroom. Love would have to wait a few more years—she had more important things to do.
Chapter 6
“Keep your eyes closed,” Moriah warned Dan Malone as Brian carried the large, framed family portrait from where it’d been hidden inside the beach house out onto the back porch. He was amazed at how well the painting turned out. His sister-in-law’s friend was extremely talented and had done a fantastic job, although Brian still thought Moriah, Grace, and Bonnie should have been in it.
The family and several friends had gathered for a barbecue to celebrate Uncle Dan’s birthday, and it couldn’t have been a nicer day. The azure sky was dotted with a few white, fluffy clouds, and a crisp, comfortable breeze blew in from the calm ocean. It was Memorial Day weekend, which meant the streets on the Outer Banks were jammed with both vehicles and pedestrians, and the beaches were already far morecrowded than usual with tourists and seasonal residents. The traffic would only get heavier as summer wore on. Locals and visitors alike filled the shoreline—strolling, splashing in the cool Atlantic, or lying on blankets to soak up the pre-season sun.
Everyone at the party planned to walk the beach at dusk, heading toward Kill Devil Hills for the holiday fireworks display. Earlier, Brian had wondered if he should invite Tess and Andy to come along, but that would only give everyone—including Tess—the wrong idea. And knowing his family, they’d start planning another wedding right on the heels of Sean and Grace’s. The thought made his jaw tighten. Hell no. He wasn’t about to feed them that kind of ammunition.
He stopped in front of his uncle, whose eyes were closed as instructed. While Jinx relaxed under his master’s chair, the older man’s girlfriend stood behind him with her hands on his shoulders. They were longtime friends who’d only recently become lovers, and they made a great couple. Brian and his brothers often wondered why it’d taken them decades to realize there was so much more to their relationship. Bonnie had been Dan’s wife’s best friend. After Annie passed away from cancer in her twenties, only two years after she and Dan were married following a whirlwind courtship, Bonnie and Dan were there for each other in a completely platonic way. She then supported him when his brother and sister-in-law were killed, leaving him to finish raising their sons on his own.
