She leaned into it to say, “As this meeting was called to brief the town on the Stony Bluff situation, and our sheriff can’t be here since the flu going around has hit his house…”
Oh shit.
I exchanged another glance with Hutch before I pulled out my phone.
“…we’ll have to postpone,” the blonde continued.“We can inform you now that all is in order with the Stony Bluff situation, and once this flu moves on, we’ll reconvene.Now get home.Weather is coming in.And goodnight.”
While she said this last, I was texting Lillian,At the town council meeting.You and Harry okay?
“Well!”Mrs.Matthews huffed as we all got up.“They could have put a notice on the town’s internetty thing and saved us the trouble of driving all the way here.”
I couldn’t reply because my phone shook in my hand.
I looked down to a text from Lillian, or rather, Harry.
It’s Harry.Lillian’s got this bug.She’s fine, but it’s hit her hard.She’ll call when she feels better.Thanks for checking in.
Was it okay for a baby when its momma had the flu?
I obviously didn’t ask Hutch that, and not only because he might not know, but because my phone was now ringing.
I looked at it.
It was Brett.
I took the call immediately.“Hey, Brett.”
“I need to take you up on your offer,” he said in a harried way that freaked me.“Mom’s at home with the kids.Dad’s down with this flu.Abigail’s folks both have it.I’m sorry to ask, Mabel, I know you probably want to get back up the mountain.But you’re the only one I know who doesn’t have it or isn’t looking after someone who does.I’m at the hospital with Abigail.”
My stomach dropped at this news.
“But Mom needs to go home and check on Dad.So, if you’re still in town, can you swing by for a half hour, at most an hour so she can go look in on him?”he concluded.
I looked up at Hutch and mouthed,Brett needs us.
Hutch nodded.
Because of course he did.
“Absolutely, Brett,” I said into the phone.“Hutch and I are at the Town Hall.We should be there in a few.”
The relief was palpable in his, “Thank you.Gotta go.”
“Bye,” I said, but he was already gone, and that didn’t give me good feels either.“Brett took Abigail to the hospital.He needs us to look after the kids,” I said to Hutch.
“Let’s go,” he replied.
I turned to Mrs.Matthews, “I’m sorry, we?—”
She was making a shooing motion with her hand and obviously heard me on the phone.“Go, girl, go.”
“Thanks, bye,” I replied as Hutch and I moved quickly down the aisle to the doors and through them.
Once we hustled through the sleet, got in his truck, and I told him Brett and Abigail’s address, I said, “His mom is there but his dad has this stuff too, so she has to go look in on him.Brett said half an hour to an hour.”
“I’m with you, May.Got nowhere else to be,” Hutch replied.
God, I was so, so, so, so,soooooofalling in love with this man.
