Chapter 7
“If I close my eyes, I can pretend things could be worse.” ~ Paisley
Paisley
I fist my hands on my hips as I scan the building.
“What do you think?” Maya asks. “Is it enough?”
I hope it is. It would break my heart to lose the brewery due to a hurricane. “We’ve done the most we can do. We’ve installed storm shutters, sealed the doors, and reinforced the roof.”
Maya motions to where Nova, Sophia, and Chloe are working. “And they’ve trimmed all the trees and shrubs, cleared the gutters and drains, and anchored any loose items.”
“We’ve done everything we can.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve prepped for a hurricane but it’s the first time since the Five Fathoms brewery was built.
Maya squeezes my bicep. “If all else fails, we have hurricane insurance. Some very expensive insurance. ”
I force a smile. I know she’s trying to reassure me but it’s not working. I’ve been following the storm’s path. We need a miracle for the hurricane to miss Smuggler’s Hideaway.
Nova trudges over to us with Sophia and Chloe following her. “If we’re done here, I should get going. Hudson needs all the help he can get with the resort.”
My stomach dips. Here I’m worried about our brewery while Nova has much more to worry about. Hideaway Haven Resort and her home are right on the beach. Even if the hurricane manages to miss us, flooding near the beach is a given.
“Go.” I urge her. “We’ve done as much as we can here.”
She gives each of us hugs before hurrying off. “Be safe!” she shouts as she jumps into her car and speeds away.
“I’m off as well,” Sophia says. “Flynn has been blowing up my phone. He wants me home safe.”
She blows us kisses before leaving.
“Do you want to come home with me?” Maya asks.
My brow wrinkles. “Why?”
“Um.” She bites her lip.
“Because you’ll be alone,” Chloe answers. She threads her arm through mine. “I’ll be alone as well. Lucas is on duty until the storm passes. You’re welcome to come home with me.”
“You won’t be alone. Your daughter will be with you.”
“Natalia’s fun. We have a bunch of games all ready for when the electricity goes out.”
I unwind her arm from mine. “I’ll be fine. This storm is an excuse to catch up on my reading. ”
Maya’s eyes light up. “What are you reading? Anything super hot?”
Chloe laughs. “She’s not reading one of your romance novels. She’s probably reading some boring non-fiction book about the history of brewing.”
Ha. Jokes on her. I’ve already read every book on the history of brewing I could find.
“I’m actually reading a biography.” But I’m not telling them it’s the biography of Jeremy Holland, the man who established Apparoo together with Eli.
“If you’re sure?” Chloe asks.
“I’ll be fine. I’m used to being alone.”
Maya frowns at my reference to my family. She knows how it feels to be estranged from your family. But unlike her, I don’t yearn for their love. I gave up on them long ago. Although, she doesn’t yearn for her parents’ love anymore since she now has Caleb.
A man strolls out of the brewery. Speaking of Caleb. He ensures the door is sealed up tight before making his way to us.
“I elevated as many appliances as I could and I tested the generator.”
“Thank you for your help but shouldn’t you be at the resort helping Hudson?”
Once Caleb was discharged from the Army, Hudson hired him as the chief of security at the resort .
“Nope. Hudson has it covered.” He throws an arm around Maya’s shoulders to bring her near. “Besides, there was no way I was being separated from Maya now.”
Maya rolls her eyes. “Someone’s a bit overprotective.”
Caleb kisses her hair. “I finally have you. I’m not letting anything happen to you.”
Maya melts into him. I feel a stab of jealousy. I want what they have. A man who supports me. A man who understands me.
“Welp! I’m off to kiss my sexy cop husband goodbye before going home to calm my daughter who has been yelling at her dad all day about how they should have moved somewhere without hurricanes.”
Chloe waves before jumping on her bike and pedaling away.
“I’m off as well. There’s nothing more to be done here,” I say.
Maya and Caleb fall into step with me. “You sure you’re okay by yourself?”
“I’m fine. Be safe,” I say before turning in the opposite direction of them.
???
Two days later
My heart is in my throat as I walk toward the brewery. Hurricane Isaac has come and gone. And he wreaked havoc in his wake.
There’s no cell phone reception, and the electricity is out. I have no idea what to expect. Did Five Fathoms Brewing survive ?
I glance around the street as I walk. Most of the houses appear okay. There are some trees down and debris litters the road but otherwise, there’s no extensive damage.
But I know hurricane damage can vary widely – even on a small island. It’s entirely possible this part of the island was unaffected but other areas experienced more extensive damage.
As I walk, I pick up debris and tree branches and place them on the side of the road. As much as a hurry I’m in to check on the brewery, I can’t ignore the debris.
I reach the main street and scan the area. The sight fills my heart with hope. There’s hardly any damage here at all. A few broken windows and some trash sprinkled on the street but nothing major.
My pace increases as I make my way to the brewery. If the businesses on the main drag are fine, maybe the brewery is, too.
“Wait for me!” Maya shouts.
I glance over my shoulder. She’s running toward me.
“I really need to do more cardio,” she says before bending over and gasping for breath.
“No Caleb?”
“He’s on his way to the resort. Although he did make me promise to be safe.”
I motion toward the street the brewery is on. “Shall we?”
We start walking but are stopped when another voice shouts for us to, “Hold up!”
This time it’s Chloe running toward us with her daughter, Natalia .
“Shouldn’t you be at home where your daughter is safe?” I ask when she reaches us.
“Lucas said the damage is minimal.”
The spark of hope in my belly grows. “Let’s hope he’s right.”
We continue to the brewery. When we arrive, Sophia is waiting with Nova next to her car.
“Hudson let you leave the resort?” I ask Nova.
“The resort is mostly fine. There’s some flooding and damage to the landscaping but no structural damage.”
“Great news! Let’s hope Five Fathoms is as lucky,” I say.
“The restaurant appears fine,” Chloe says as we walk across the parking lot.
The bar and restaurant with the offices above are in a restored barn near the street. The brewery is across the parking lot in a separate building.
“You check out the restaurant. I need to check the brewery.”
Chloe ignores me and follows me with the rest of our friends past the restaurant. As soon as the brewery comes into view, I gasp.
“NO!” I scream and run toward the structure.
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Chloe chants as she chases me.
Sophia shackles my wrist to stop me from entering the brewery. “No. Wait until Flynn is here. He can ensure the building is structurally sound before you go inside.”
“Structurally sound? The roof is missing!”
“All the more reason for you to stay here and wait,” she says.
“I’ll be careful,” I claim as I remove an electric screwdriver from my backpack .
No one else tries to stop me as I remove the screws from the plywood protecting the door. Once all of the screws are out, they help me carry the plywood away.
I reach for the door and Maya squeezes my hand. “Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”
She waits for my nod before releasing me. I enter the brewery and my jaw falls open. It’s much worse than I expected. It’s obviously been raining inside for two days.
Sophia plants herself in front of me. “I’m sorry. But I can’t allow you to go any further. I don’t want you to be electrocuted.”
“The power’s been off for nearly two days.”
“I don’t care.”
I growl at her. “I care. This is my life. This is my passion. My dream. And it’s been destroyed.”
She places a hand on my shoulder. “It’s my dream, too, Paisley.”
“It’s all of our dreams,” Chloe adds.
“This is why we have insurance. We’ll rebuild,” Maya says.
“And how much time will elapse before the insurance money is deposited into our bank account? We may need years to rebuild. It’s fine for all of you. You have partners you can rely on. I don’t have anyone.”
“Bullshit,” Chloe mutters.
“What did you say?”
“I said bullshit. You’re not alone. You have us.”
I motion to the destroyed brewery. “I meant for income.”
I didn’t but income is as good an excuse as any .
Chloe’s eyes flash. She knows I’m lying but to my surprise, she doesn’t call me on it. “The bar and restaurant don’t appear damaged. Yes, the beer sales are our major source of income but the bar and restaurant income will help us to get by until we can rebuild the brewery.”
“But we don’t have any Five Fathoms beer to sell at the bar and restaurant.”
Maya clears her throat. “We just sent a big shipment to the resort. If Hudson agrees, we can recall the shipment.”
“Hudson will agree. He’ll do whatever I want.” Nova winks.
“And I’ll make sure Flynn puts us at the top of the list for construction work. All his projects are officially on hold until the brewery is rebuilt,” Sophia says.
“We need the insurance money first.”
She waves away my concern. “I have the money I was saving for my wedding.”
I frown. “I can’t allow you to use the money for your wedding.”
“You,” she stabs my chest, “aren’t allowing me to do anything. I’m doing it. End of discussion.”
I open my mouth to argue further but she herds me outside of the building with help from the rest of my friends.
“There.” Nova says. “We have a plan.”
“And everyone knows how much you love a plan,” Maya adds.
I glance up at the missing roof of the brewery. I might love a plan but I love this brewery more. I finally found the one thing I’m passionate about and it was stolen from me .
My stomach falls as tears well in my eyes. It could’ve been worse. At least the restaurant is standing. The despair I’m feeling doesn’t wane. Why couldn’t the restaurant have been destroyed? And the brewery spared?