Chapter 24 #2
“Garrett Reed,” Sunshine replied. “Until the roof fell in, he was the butcher down at the grocery store. He couldn’t stop raving about how Roan and Danger jumped in when the shit hit the fan and worked with the employees to help make everyone comfortable and keep them safe.
Turns out he rides a beast of a Harley but has always been a bit leery of anyone in a kutte after some of the stories he’s heard.
After seeing Roan give a terrified little girl a pink poodle to help soothe her when the thunder got loud, and Danger and Roan carrying folks who couldn’t quickly make it to the back, he realized there was a whole different side to the people who wore them.
He spent a couple hours shooting pool and talking to folks in the clubhouse and accepted an invitation to join the Chapel Point ride next week.
I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the future. ”
“Cool,” Roan said. “He offered to put our carts in the back to keep everything cold, and the little girl’s mom’s too.
Her name was Tessa. I hope she was able to find diapers somewhere.
She was worried about running out in the middle of the storm, which was why they’d come out to try to get some before it hit.
Everyone there was amazing. I hope they get the store rebuilt too, so the employees won’t be out of work for too long. ”
“No worries there,” Sunshine said. “Plans are already being drawn up, bids are being submitted, and the owners were so grateful and relieved that no one was seriously hurt or killed that they pledged to pay their employees lost wages until they could return to work, and their insurance is covering the rebuild. They also gave bonuses to the employees who were there that day and worked to keep the customers safe.”
“As well they should,” Danger said. “Those folks were top-notch, every last one of them. Didn’t hesitate to use the stock on hand, juice, fruit, lanterns, batteries, or whatever else was needed; the manager told them to use it without hesitation.”
“That dude was a rock; he never blinked, never wavered, just did what needed to be done, and when it came time to go out in the rain, he was one of the four who volunteered,” Roan said. “Not once did he expect his staff to do something he wasn’t willing to do.”
“The hallmark of a great manager,” Sunshine replied, while Pope nodded in agreement.
“Speaking of managers,” Danger said. “I’ve got a hell of a lot more down time now that Teddy is handling the office paperwork at Jokers Wild too.”
“He’s whipped Jester’s Delight back into shape, from everything I’ve heard,” Sunshine replied. “Did it swiftly, decisively, and without hesitation. Brought new talent in too, which they desperately needed.”
“And on that note, dinner is served,” Pope said after determining that the meat was properly rested.
One by one they went to the table, where there was a spread of food ranging from green goddess pasta salad to succulent shrimp and beef, and filled their plates.
There were deviled eggs too and baked beans that were swimming in a beautiful brown sauce.
Roan got a scoop of everything, but knowing that there would be dessert later, he didn’t want to stuff himself too much and have to miss out.
With the sun beginning to cast a gorgeous red hue across the water, they settled in to enjoy the food and whatever topics of conversation cropped up over the course of the meal.
“You know,” Sunshine began, gazing over at Roan, “your treasure chest inspired me this afternoon. Joker and I have been thinking about getting a couple of metal detectors to take along on our evening walks, but I kept putting it off. Today was such an amazingly chill, and yet exciting, day of discovery that I’m going to go ahead and order a few. ”
“Do you still have one around here somewhere?” Danger asked Pope.
“Hmm, yeah, tucked away in the closet in the mud room with those sifting pans you loved,” Pope said. “I know I took the batteries out so they wouldn’t go bad and mess up the interior, so it should work just fine. Wouldn’t hurt to upgrade though, so we have more than one.”
“I still can’t believe that perfume bottle was down there perfectly intact,” Sunshine said. “I’m not sure if it’s from the sixties or the seventies, but it’s certainly vintage. It was enough to make me wonder what else has washed up and gotten buried here.”
“I’m all for relaxing evenings spent combing the beach,” Pope said. “Some days I spend so much time behind the desk that my ass feels like it’s falling into a state of stasis and will never recover. Nothing like a long walk to loosen up the muscles and clear the brain.”
“Well, we can always start from our end and head your way and meet in the middle to give the boys some time to hang out before we sweep our way home,” Sunshine suggested.
“I’m sure they’d love the opportunity to show off their treasures to one another and splash in the surf, especially as the days get hotter. ”
“Sounds like a plan,” Pope said. “I’ll order more metal detectors tonight.”
“And I’ll order ours,” Sunshine said. “Who knows, we might even find enough interesting bobbles and bits for a display at the historical society.”
“Really?” Roan said, immediately dialing in on her. “You’d put them out there for everyone to see?”
“With pleasure,” she replied. “Our coastal heritage is a big part of what we celebrate and want visitors to take the time to appreciate. What better way than to show off what’s been discovered on our beaches?”
“Now I’m even more excited,” Roan admitted. “I hope we find something amazing.”
“So do I,” she said. “We should keep journals, marking down the day we found it and roughly where and how deep it was buried, along with notes describing it and anything we learn about our finds to include with the display. That way we’ve got a log of all our discoveries.”
“I’m going to start one tonight,” Roan said, looking over at Pope. “Do you have any extra notebooks around?”
“Plenty of them,” Pope replied. “I’m sure we can find one that’s easy to carry along on our explorations.”
“Sweet!”
“Speaking of sweets,” Sunshine began. “I think it’s time to start breaking out the treats, since I see nothing but empty plates over there.”
“I made sure to leave room for dessert,” Roan declared.
“Me too,” Kermit said.
“Same!” Ocean declared, before standing and collecting all the empty paper plates and tossing them in the trash bag they’d brought out earlier.
“Well then, I’ll be right back,” she said. “Pope, if you will light the table fire and break out the skewers, we’ll be good to go.”
“On it,” Pope said as he wiped his hands and began fiddling with the knob that controlled the fire pit, which quickly roared to life.
When Ocean saw Sunshine return with a bag of marshmallows, a container of warm caramel, and a larger container filled with Coco Krispies, he teared up.
“No way!” He declared, pressing his hands to his lips before burying his face against Danger’s shoulder when Danger hugged him.
Sunshine came around the table to rub circles on his back, bending so he’d hear her over his soft sobs. “Yes way. Hearing you talk about how much you loved and missed your mother’s special caramel-dipped marshmallows, I knew they’d be perfect for tonight.”
He turned from hugging Danger to hug her; murmuring thank you as he huddled in her arms. While Roan wished he had memories of something that special from his childhood, he was beyond thrilled for Ocean.
What Sunshine had done, giving him yet another piece of his past back, was another beautiful example of the Jokers’ belief in family ties and the importance of keeping memories alive.
Watching Ocean compose himself, wipe his tears, and put the first marshmallow on his skewer left Roan hopeful that in time, they’d forge traditions of their own and have a long lifetime together to share them.