This time, at the sight of thatXandO, a vise tightened around her heart.
Chapter 32
Maddy woke to the first rays of morning and the sound of someone retching in the bathroom.
Poor Nora, she thought, pushing back the sheet. Was the morning sickness new, or was this only the first time Maddy had noticed? Maybe she should go to her sister.
The pregnancy must not be good news if Nora was still hiding it from them. She’d had plenty of time to tell Jonathan. Maybe he’d been unhappy about the news. He loved Chloe, of course, but most men in their forties wouldn’t relish the idea of starting over with a baby just when they’d finally reached the empty nest.
Before Maddy could decide whether or not to go to Nora, the toilet flushed. A minute later the steps creaked as her sister went down them.
Oh well. She obviously wasn’t ready to fess up. Besides, Maddy didn’t want to think about Nora’s problems this morning. She had enough to digest with all Gram had divulged last night. Truthfully, she didn’t want to think about that either. Better to focus on the tasks ahead today.
She checked her phone for the time. The room was a little dark for this time of morning, a hint at the coming weather. She crawled from the bed, threw on a light robe, and went downstairs.
Nora was at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. She looked pale, though she hadn’t applied her makeup yet.
“Good morning,” Maddy said as she made her way to the coffeepot.
“Morning.”
The steamy brew smelled like heaven. She poured herself a mug and filled up the carafe. “Would you like another cup?”
“No, thanks. I’ve already had two.”
Maddy spied Emma through the windows, knitting on the deck. Dark clouds rolled on the horizon. Gram must still be in bed.
Maddy’s stomach tightened as their conversation from the night before played back in her head. The disclosures had left them all in shock. It was going to take some time for it to settle in.
“The storm’s turning this way,” Nora said. “We have a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch.”
“Are they saying when it’ll make landfall?”
“This evening around nine.”
Maddy took a sip of coffee and looked toward Connor’s house. He’d be at the marina already, preparing for the storm. She couldn’t imagine the work entailed in securing so many boats.
Her heart bucked at the brick wall she’d erected around it last night. It was for the best. Her initial instincts had been right. She never should’ve started a relationship with him. Now their hearts were involved, and ending it was going to hurt them both.
“We have a lot to do today,” Nora said. “I sure hope all our hard work on the house doesn’t go to ruin.”
“This place has been through worse. I don’t think it’ll be that bad.”
“Let’s hope.”
***
Connor spent the busy morning with customers who were removing their boats to a haul-out facility. Some had no choice, however, but to let their craft weather the storm at the marina.
They helped owners reroute lines to stronger anchor points, reinforced cleats with secondary lines to back up anchor points, or spread the load to multiple anchor points. They removed canvasses, sails, and furling jibs and made sure the decks of all the remaining boats were clear. Even a dense object could become a missile during a hurricane.
Connor shook a customer’s hand after they stepped from the sailboat. “That should do it. Let’s hope for the best.”
The customer gave him a wave and hurried away, probably to ready his home. Connor checked his phone for the time. He still had his own home to secure, but there was a lot more to do here.
He checked his texts and saw Maddy had responded only briefly to his earlier text. He glanced back through the last few texts from her. She’d been short and to the point. He sensed something was going on, had that uneasy feeling in his gut.
He didn’t really have the time, but he punched in her number anyway. He walked up the pier, away from the noise of a radio someone had blaring on his boat. The phone rang several times, then her voicemail kicked on.
