“It still saved you about four and a half hours, though. That’s not a bad thing.”
“True.” She sighed and looked out at the passing scenery. Everything was gray and wet and it all looked…normal. “Have you been back to the house yet?”
Her mother glanced at her briefly. “This morning,” she replied before letting out her own long breath. “It was…it was hard, Mallory, and you need to be prepared.”
She felt her body begin to tremble and all she could do was nod.
“The front corner of the house is crushed. The large magnolia tree in the front yard lost its longest limb. That’s what hit the house.” She paused. “The back deck is gone–another casualty of the massive tree limbs in the yard. The pier lost a few boards, but for the most part it’s intact, as is the boathouse – which surprised us all because the Sound had flooded.”
“Pops built things to last,” she said quietly.
“That he did.”
She nodded again. “What about the rest of the town?”
“It’s a mess. I didn’t go too far into downtown, but Georgia called when she got home and told me it looked utterly devastated as she drove through. There are so many trees down and there’s flooding…it just breaks my heart.”
“Is there power yet?”
“Not yet, but we were told we’d have it back by tomorrow.”
“Where are we staying?”
“Remarkably, Georgia and Beau’s house didn’t sustain any major damage. They have downed trees, but nothing hit the house, thankfully. Beau and Mason took all the boards down from the doors and windows and they’ve got a generator and said we can stay with them. Of course, if you’d prefer, we can stay at their townhouse too. You know, in case you want power and air conditioning,” she added with a wink.
“I can’t believe Aunt Georgia went home knowing she didn’t have power and A/C.”
“Believe it or not, she was anxious to get back and make sure her house was still standing and didn’t care if she had to rough it for a few days. You know how she feels about that place.”
And Mallory did. Her aunt loved to throw parties at her home and was always doing upgrades and renovations to it. It was watching her aunt that had originally gotten her into decorating. She remembered how they used to go shopping when she was little and it always fascinated her how her aunt always seemed to find the perfect items for her home. It was a showplace and Mallory was glad it was left unscathed from the hurricane.
“I’m fine with staying in town with them. I can handle a day without power,” she said distractedly. The airport was about thirty miles from Magnolia Sound and with each mile they drove, her anxiety kicked up a notch. The thought of seeing the town ripped apart was going to be hard.
The thought of being there and knowing she was never going to see Pops again was almost more than she could bear.
“When will you be able to move back into…you know…”
Susannah looked over and gave her a sad smile. “Jake’s going to have some engineers come out and look everything over. Being how it was just the addition that had the tree damage, it shouldn’t affect the original structure. But with the deck coming down, he wants to make sure nothing else has been compromised.” She paused. “Believe me, I wish we were going there instead of Beau and Georgia’s. I’m ready to just have a little time to myself to come to grips with everything.”
Mallory knew the feeling. She’d had a few days to let it all sink in, but what she wanted more than anything was some time here–at Pops’ place–to have some time to herself to really accept the reality of the situation.
They drove in silence for several minutes.
“Jake said he went peacefully,” Susannah said, breaking the quiet. “I’m glad it was like that for him and it wasn’t the storm or an injury that…” Her voice cracked and Mallory turned to see tears streaming down her mother’s face. “It doesn’t seem real yet. Like I listened to Jake and we spoke to the coroner and there’s still a part of me that keeps thinking it’s all a mistake. I just can’t believe he’s gone!”
And now Mallory was crying too.
Not that it was hard to get her started again–this was probably the longest she’d gone between crying jags since she’d gotten the news. They both stayed quiet until they crossed the bridge that led to where the town of Magnolia Sound began.
“Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you…do you think you can drop me off at the house? I mean, at Pops’.”
Her mother turned and looked at her curiously. “You really shouldn’t go in there until the engineers sign off on it…”
“No, I know. I just, I want to walk around the yard and just…I need some time. Please. I know it’s a bit of an inconvenience since I don’t have a car, but…I’m not ready to sit and talk with everyone. I know once we get to Aunt Georgia’s, everyone’s going to want to talk about the storm and the damage and I’d like to have some quiet time at the house. Alone.” She glanced nervously at her mother. “Is that wrong? Am I being completely selfish?”
“Of course you’re not being selfish. I completely understand! I just hate the thought of you seeing it all like that and not having anyone there to comfort you.”
“I’ll be okay.” She smiled weakly. “This is just something that I have to do.”
Susannah considered her for a moment. “Okay. Just…call or text me when you want me to come back.”
“Thanks.”
Tears continued to sting Mallory’s eyes as she took in the devastation of the town as they drove down the main street. Sprinkles, which served the best ice cream she’d ever tasted, was boarded up and looked to be missing part of its roof. Beside it, the Bliss and Tell spa sat completely intact. The farther they drove, the sadder she felt. So many trees were gone. Houses sat in various stages of ruin while others went completely unharmed. It didn’t seem fair, but then again, when had life been fair?
When her mother pulled into the grand driveway of Pops’ home, Mallory gasped and started to cry all over again.
“Maybe you shouldn’t do this right now,” her mother said softly. “We can come back later…or maybe you can drive back on your own after we have some lunch…”
But she shook her head. “No. I need to do this now.” And when the car came to a stop at the base of the steps leading up to the front porch, she turned to her mother and tried to smile. “Thank you. I’ll call you in a bit.”
When she stepped out onto the gravel drive, Mallory waited until her mother had driven away before even taking one step. More than anything, she wanted to climb the steps and go into the house, but she knew she shouldn’t. Although…looking around, it was obvious no one was here so…what harm would there be in just going inside and…
“No,” she scolded herself. “Don’t do it. Not yet.” Instead, she slowly made her way around the exterior of the house–avoiding the side where the tree had crushed the structure–and into the back yard. The massive deck was a crumbled mess. It blocked the lower-level entry into the house and it broke her heart to see it looking like this. How many parties had they had up on that deck? How many times had she stood outside and leaned on the railing while staring out at the Sound?
Too many to even count.
They would rebuild it and it would be fine, but it would never be the same. Not ever.
With a weary sigh, she walked around the yard and didn’t even try to fight the next wave of tears as she saw how the flooding had made a mess of Pops’ garden. She remembered the last time they sat out here together in the big wooden swing and talked. He’d held her hand and listened to her ramble on about her job and seemed perfectly content to just listen to the sound of her voice. And she had been equally content to sit in that swing and listen to him talk about the old days in Magnolia Sound.
What a pair they made.
She’d give anything to hear one of his stories right now–to just hear the sound of his voice as she walked around or to know that once s
he turned around and went inside, he’d be there waiting to greet her with one of his big hugs.
“Oh, God,” she sobbed, knowing it was never going to happen again. Why hadn’t she come home this summer like she always did? How could she have let her own petty issues keep her from having one last visit with him? And now she had to live with that fact for the rest of her life.
Forcing herself to keep walking, she knew the yard was going to need almost as much work as the house. And even though it wasn’t as important–making sure the house was structurally sound was the first priority–Mallory knew Pops would want his yard restored to its former glory. It was his pride and joy, this yard, and if she had to do it all herself, she’d make sure it looked just like it always did.
Well, she knew gardening wasn’t really her thing, so she’d call Sam to come help. He was the gifted one in the family where this sort of thing was concerned. At least, that’s what Pops had always said.
Her brother was going to be arriving in town some time tomorrow and she made a mental note to talk to him about staying here for a while or at least coming down on the weekends until the yard was completely restored.
Next she made her way down to the pier and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her mother was right–the boathouse was still intact. It had always been her special place here on the property and the fact that it went unscathed in such a fierce storm was a bit of a miracle.
Carefully, she stepped over the missing boards and slowly walked down toward the boathouse. Her heart was beating wildly the closer she got. There were so many memories attached to this place–different from the ones of just a moment ago. This was her spot–hers and Jake’s–and a part of her would always think of it as such.
Touching the door, Mallory turned and decided not to go inside. Right now, she needed to be outside, breathing in the smells of the Sound and just…being. It seemed silly, but more than anything, this is what she needed to get herself together.
Every once in a while, she’d look over her shoulder toward the house and think she was going to see Pops out on the deck waving to her or that Gertie would come out and tell her lunch was ready.
As if on cue, her stomach growled and she cursed the fact that she hadn’t eaten a proper breakfast this morning. Flying was not something she enjoyed doing and it seemed like the smart option not to eat until she got to Aunt Georgia’s. Of course, that went out the window when she decided she needed to come here first.
Priorities…they were a little messed up at the moment and seemingly on their own emotional rollercoaster.
She was tired. Sleep had been an illusion ever since the storm hit and once she got the call about Pops…well…it hadn’t gotten any better. The first thing Mallory had tried to do after getting the news was to get back here to be with her family, but with the storm moving up the East Coast, she’d had to wait. And driving wasn’t an option because she didn’t feel in control of her emotions to be on the road for that long.
Inhaling deeply, she held her breath for a moment before letting it out slowly. She repeated it several times before she felt herself begin to relax.
And she knew it would be an even longer time before she felt like her old self again.
Maybe it was the lack of sleep over the last several days or the fact that he hadn’t been eating much, but Jake was fairly certain he was seeing a mirage. It was the only explanation he could come up with as to why he saw Mallory standing out on the pier beside the boathouse. He racked his brain to try to remember if anyone mentioned her coming home–coming here–but couldn’t recall. Then again, there was so much going on that he was amazed he could remember his own name right now.
Standing exactly where he was and afraid to move or make a sound to spook her, Jake simply stood there and watched her. No doubt she was devastated and part of him longed to go to her and hold her, comfort her. In his mind it seemed like the right thing to do, but he had a feeling he wasn’t the person she wanted to accept comfort of any kind from.
And whose fault is that?
Totally his and he had long since accepted this fact, but when faced with a situation like this one, he couldn’t help but wish things were different.
She looked so sad and even from this distance, he could see she was crying. With her arms wrapped around her middle, she was the portrait of the grieving great-granddaughter. Jake took a minute to look around the property. No one was here. The construction crews weren’t due to come back until next week because they all had personal damage to deal with. From where he stood, he didn’t see a car in the driveway so...how did she get here?
“Hell, maybe I am seeing things,” he murmured, scratching his head in confusion. And then he did the only thing he could do–he walked down to the pier to either confirm or deny that Mallory was really there.
The moment his foot hit the pier, she turned toward him and for a moment, Jake was afraid to move any closer. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but he refused to let that stop him. Now that he knew he wasn’t imagining things, he needed to go make sure she was all right.
Or as all right as she could be, considering the current circumstances.
Jake slowly made his way down the pier and waited for Mallory to say something or to even look away, but she didn’t. When he was beside her, he simply said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” she replied softly.
She’d definitely been crying and now he felt like a jerk for coming here and interrupting her. A ton of questions came to his mind, but they all seemed trite. “Sorry to disturb you,” he finally said. “I...I was just surprised to see you down here. I didn’t realize you were coming in so soon. Wasn’t sure the roads were clear leading in and out of town yet.”
Nodding, she turned and looked out at the water. “I just got in. Mom picked me up at the airport and I asked her to drop me off here. I wanted...no, I needed to come here and sort of see things for myself.”
He nodded too because he understood. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“It still doesn’t seem real. Like, I keep waiting to wake up and have someone tell me it’s all been a terrible dream.” She looked at him with a sad smile. “Any chance of that happening?”
His heart squeezed hard. “Afraid not, Mal.” And then as if of one mind, they moved toward each other and he held her as she cried. She burrowed in close and Jake’s arms banded around her. It was familiar and comforting and yet...different. They weren’t the same people who had once stood embracing on this same pier years ago, but…
Now wasn’t the time to be focusing on that.
Even if it was a great distraction from the hell they were currently living with.
When Mallory pulled back a few minutes later, she immediately began wiping the tears away before she took several steps to put some distance between them. “Um...sorry. I can’t seem to stop doing that.”
“Totally understandable. I’ve done more than my share in the last several days too.” Her look of surprise told him maybe he shouldn’t have admitted that, but...he couldn’t take it back. “I was here with him, Mal. It was...it was the hardest moment of my life.” Tears started to well in her eyes again and he cursed himself for bring this up so soon. “I mean…”
But she held up a hand to stop him. “I can’t. I can’t hear about it. Not yet. Please.”
With a curt nod, he turned and looked out at the water, relieved that the Sound was going down more and more each day. It would be a long while before everything was back to normal, but at least this was progress he could immediately see.
“So... where are you staying?”
“With Uncle Beau and Aunt Georgia. At least for now.” She paused. “I was hoping we’d get the okay to stay here in the house, but I’m sure it’s going to take a while before your engineers give us permission.”
He made a mental note to call in some favors and see if he could make that happen for her.
“We have the option to stay at the townhouse where everyone stayed
during the storm, but...I don’t know, I feel like I need to be here in town.”
“I get it. Has anyone talked about...you know...the funeral?” As soon as the words were out, he wished he could take them back. The look of devastation on Mallory’s face gutted him. How could he keep messing up and saying all the wrong things? He was about to apologize or at least try to change the subject when she spoke.
“We’re all going to talk about it tonight. At least, that’s the plan. Everyone’s supposed to get together for dinner, but with no power and things being such a mess, I’m not sure if it’s still going to happen.”
They stood like that for what felt like forever before he realized just how hot it was outside. There was no direct sun–the skies were still gray and overcast–but he knew he was getting uncomfortable. “Would you like something to drink?” he asked. “I have a generator over at my place and while I don’t have a whole lot to choose from, at least it will be cold.”
She considered him for a long moment before agreeing. “Thank you. That would be nice.”
Together they walked back up the pier and at one point he reached for her hand to help her over some of the missing boards, but once they were back on the massive lawn, Mallory gently pulled her hand away. It was odd how much he wanted to grab it back.
“How did your place fare during the storm? Did you get much damage?” she asked.
“Other than losing some roofing shingles and some of the siding coming loose, the house itself made out okay. The property, just like Zeke’s, took the harder hit. There are so many trees and some of them just weren’t big enough to sustain the winds and then once we had all the flooding, so many of them just toppled over because of the saturated ground.” He shrugged and stepped over several fallen branches, then turned to help Mallory. “Shallow roots are really to blame in cases like this.”
It was small talk at its best, but Jake figured he’d better stick to safer topics after his numerous fails down on the pier.
Remind Me Page 5
