Chapter 40
Rowe
That is not the worst of it.
It’s gone.
All of it.
Where the house stood, there’s a pile of rubble—splintered wood, shattered glass, crumbled shingles. If all the planks and tiles and walls were glued back together, there would be a house.
But that’s not what I’m looking at. I’m looking at a pile of garbage.
My heart cracks in two as, the next morning, I take stock of what’s left. Pane, the piggies, Buster the Cat, and Stella are safe and sound. That’s what matters. That’s whatshouldmatter. But right now, my entire life has been obliterated.
What are we going to do?
My phone rings and it’s Mom. I can’t even begin to tell her what’s happened, but I can’t ignore the call, either.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Honey, are you okay?”
I force myself to talk around my shrunken throat. My gaze lifts, searching out Pane, but he left to go into town. He was on the phone all morning, trying to get men out here to clean up. Turnsout there was a lot of storm damage in the area, and the work crews are all busy.
Not once did Pane say anything about the competition. His heart must be just as broken as mine.
“Yeah, Mom. Yep. I’m fine. We survived.”
“Did the storms do any damage? Clarice Sinclair said they ripped up part of her yard, but she didn’t know how you’re doing.”
I can’t bear to tell her the truth. She had so much hope these past couple of months. She believed in me so hard and put her trust in me because I’d put mine in Pane.
To tell her that we’ve lost everything will destroy her. It’s destroyed me. There’s an abyss in the pit of my stomach that will never be filled now.
“We’re all safe,” I squeak out, doing everything to keep my voice from breaking. “Mom”—I exhale a staggered breath—“can I call you back?”
“Sure, honey. Sure. I can’t wait to hear how great things go when Pane wins today. The spa’s fully booked, right?”
“Right,” I say lamely.
Oh, God. The competition. The spa. Saving the farm. There will be none of it now.None of it.It’s over before it even began. That dream has been eviscerated.
The farm won’t be resurrected. It will go into foreclosure.
What will I do?
My heart doesn’t just break for me. It throbs for Pane. For six weeks he worked on this place, giving it everything he had—and now his wish, this business ... they’re both dead before earning the chance to fly.
It’s so awful that I can barely breathe. “Listen, Mom, I’ve got to go.”
“Sure, honey. I know it’s a busy day for you. Keep me posted. Fingers crossed.”
“Fingers crossed,” I repeat weakly before hanging up.
There’s so much that’s a mess that I don’t even know where to start. And I can’t even begin to know how to deal with today.
The sound of Pane’s truck rumbling down the drive grabs my attention. At the same time, Buster the Cat runs out from under a line of bushes and attempts to wrap his body around my legs like a pretzel.
