7. Raphael
7
RAPHAEL
I didn’t know Alyssa’s brother very well—though it was clear he didn’t like us very much—but he and his pals were definitely the people you wanted by your side in a crisis. Or at least if that crisis involved needing to take care of a bus full of sleepless tourists.
It was more than obvious that the group from Denver was used to taking care of guests. Jude and Parker whipped up some snacks in the kitchen. Kylie served wine and mixed drinks while Mason jotted down everything we used in a little notebook to make sure we didn’t shortchange Kay and Mark. And Alyssa was acting as a waitress, taking plates and glasses to and from the kitchen.
We’d heard from the parents-to-be half an hour ago, much to Alyssa’s relief. Kay and the baby were being monitored and it was likely they’d have to do a C-section even though the baby wasn’t full term.
Tristan, who’d taken the call, reported that Mark had sounded upset. Mark’s father, who used to run the vineyard, wasn’t able to get to us due to several downed trees on the road. But Tristan had reassured him that everything was good here, and for the most part, it was.
Drew was teaching our new friends some card games. Carter had started a fire and Sierra had taken a break from the game of charades she’d been leading to teach the tourists all about s’mores. Some of the younger tourists were showing Mason how to make an origami crane, and he seemed to be surprisingly into it. Like Alyssa, he was an engineer, so he probably shared her interest in how things were made.
As for my group, Spencer was working on a jigsaw puzzle with a trio of older Japanese women who seemed to be quite fond of him. Parker had laughed once when he was near their table and later shared with me that they’d decided that Spencer was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome.
Flynn was missing, however, and when I asked around, Jude said he saw him go into the basement.
I found him in front of an electrical panel down there, a toolbox at his feet just like at home. “What are you doing?”
He grunted in acknowledgment but didn’t turn around. He fiddled with the switches before him and then retreated further into the basement.
“Can I help?” I tried again.
“We’re not going to have power for much longer,” he finally said.
Oh shit, he was right. Not in this kind of storm. “So what are you doing?” I felt dumb for not thinking of that.
“Getting ready.”
“What can I do?” I asked again.
He jerked his head to the left. “There’s some camping gear over on those shelves back there. Look for flashlights and lanterns.”
I did and found a few. And on a nearby shelf, there were some candles in glass jars. They were probably used for dinner service sometimes. I loaded them up into a crate and carried it upstairs.
Back in the lobby, people were gathered around Jude who was playing a guitar and singing softly. He was good.
As Flynn had predicted, the lights were flickering, and they went out completely just as Jude was finishing a song. There were some gasps and concerned words in Japanese.
I handed out the few flashlights I’d found and then Alyssa helped me light the candles which she and Kylie distributed among the guests.
Then a hand descended on my shoulder. I recognized Flynn’s voice muttering cuss words before I could train my flashlight on his face. “Did you see any buckets downstairs?”
“Yeah, a few.”
“Get them and get Spencer. Some parts of the roof are leaking.”
“Sure.”
With the women keeping the tourists calm and my buddies and I taking care of the leaks, I thought things were going well.
That was when the lightning struck.
It must’ve been close because the sound was deafening, and everyone screamed. My ears rang as I tried to assess the crowd for damage, but no one seemed hurt. Just scared.
But then there was a loud crack and a ripping sound coming from the next room.
Sprinting over, I looked out over the patio. A huge tree had crashed through the roof and rain splattered down on the tables and chairs.
“Thank god it didn’t land in the lobby,” Alyssa said as she and Sierra rushed over.
“This is like déjà vu all over again,” Sierra muttered, but I didn’t have time to figure out what she meant.
Drew appeared, carrying a lantern. “You guys need to see this.”
We followed him down a hallway past the kitchen into a part of the building I’d never been in before. It seemed to be the family quarters. We passed a room that looked to be Mark and Kay’s bedroom.
Drew led us to a small room on the other side of the hall—one that evidently bordered the patio.
Part of the tree had landed in it, the roof torn away in the corner and rain flooding the room. A room that smelled of fresh paint. And had a crib. And a changing table. And a rocking chair.
“Shit,” Flynn muttered.
“Their nursery!” Kylie exclaimed.
Flynn moved toward the damage. “If we can patch that hole, maybe the water damage won’t be that bad. But I need to go check out the rest of the place and make sure none of the walls are going to buckle under the weight of that tree.”
“Luckily, we brought an engineer with us.” I turned to Alyssa who was eyeing the damage to the room with dismay. I tried to lighten the mood. “How many engineers does it take to patch a hole in the ceiling?”
“Two,” a deep voice said. We all looked over as Alyssa’s brother, Mason, entered the room and strode to her side.