Chapter 23 #3
Francine took him by the hand. “Mind if I show him?” she asked Tiffany.
“Um, please… By all means. As long as I don’t have to do it.”
Laughing, the happy couple went into the back room as the bells jangled yet again to admit Patty.
“Hey, boss.”
“Hi, there. What’re you doing here? You’re off today.”
“I know, but I was thinking with the first day of Race Week fogged out, we might want to ‘work the street,’ as you would say.”
Intrigued, Tiffany leaned forward on the counter. “What’ve you got in mind?”
A soft giggle came from the back room.
Patty glanced at the beaded curtain. “Who’s in there?”
“My parents.”
Patty’s eyes got very wide. “Yikes. Kinda embarrassing, huh?”
“Just a tad.” Tiffany prayed they didn’t buy anything. “So, what about this idea of yours?”
“Oh, right.” Patty clapped her hands and went to the racks, holding up two racy sailor outfits. “What do you think?”
“You’re brilliant, but I can’t afford to pay you for today.”
“That’s okay. I wasn’t doing anything, and this’ll be fun.” She held out one of the outfits to Tiffany. “Shall we?”
Tiffany thought for a minute about how Blaine had promised to “punish” her if she strutted her sexy wares in public again, but with all the racers heading back into port due to the fog, she’d be crazy not to try to drum up some business.
She also considered what Royal Atkinson and the rest of the town council, as well as her landlord and vindictive ex-husband, might have to say about it and decided she didn’t care.
She had the same right as everyone else to earn a living in this town, and their threats weren’t going to stop her.
“I’m in.”
Blaine pulled into the pharmacy parking lot and took a moment to gather himself before he walked into the store.
He hated having to do this kind of thing.
Thankfully, it didn’t happen very often on the island—nowhere near as often as it had in his past job, when he’d often had to tell people their loved ones had been hurt or worse.
That Mac and his brothers were his good friends made today even more difficult.
He found Grace in the back of the store at the pharmacy counter.
She smiled when she saw him coming. “Morning, Blaine. How are you?”
“I’m… Ah, could I speak with you for a minute? In private?”
She tuned right into his distress, and her smile faded as she came down the steps to meet him. “What’s wrong?”
He took her aside, away from customers. “The boat Evan is on.”
“What about it?” she asked, taking a step back from him as if to escape from whatever he was about to say.
“There was an accident. The boat was hit by a freighter… Grace. Grace!” He reached out and caught her as she fainted. “Someone call 911.”
By the time the ambulance arrived a few minutes later, Grace was awake and crying hysterically.
“What happened?” a female voice asked Blaine as the paramedics talked to Grace. “I’m Jenny Wilks, a friend of Grace’s.”
Blaine told her about the accident and that Grace had fainted.
“I’ll stay with her,” Jenny said.
Relieved to have help, Blaine said, “Everyone is gathering at McCarthy’s Marina.”
“I’ll get her there as soon as she’s able.”
“Thank you very much. Tell her to stay strong, and I’ll see her later.”
Blaine left the pharmacy, dreading that he had to go through this twice more.
On the way to the hair salon, where he hoped to find Mrs. McCarthy, he tried to call Tiffany’s cell phone and the store line to let her know her sister needed her.
When she didn’t answer either time, he wondered if she’d changed her mind about going to work and decided to run by the store after he located Mrs. McCarthy.
At the Curl Up and Dye salon on Ocean Road, he found Linda mid-dye, having an animated conversation with the owner, Chloe Dennis, who also cut his hair twice a year, if that.
“Hey, Blaine,” Chloe said when he walked in. “Did Mayor Upton finally wear you down and talk you into a haircut?” She was tall and curvy, and her hair color changed with her moods. Today she was a redhead.
“Not yet,” he said, glancing at Mrs. McCarthy.
“Everything all right?” Linda asked.
“I’m sorry to say it isn’t.”
“Not my husband,” she said with a hand over her heart.
“No, it’s the boys.”
To her credit, Linda maintained her composure. “What about them?”
Blaine told her about the accident.
Chloe gasped and put a comforting hand on Linda’s shoulder.
“I need to be with my husband.” Linda started yanking foils out of her hair. When she was done, she stood and pulled off the black cape. To Blaine, she said, “Can you take me to him?”
“I will,” Chloe said. “I’ll take you wherever you need to go, Linda.”
“He’s at the marina,” Blaine said. “I need to see Maddie, and then I’ll be there.”
“Thank you for letting me know,” Linda said.
Concerned about her eerie calm, Blaine exchanged glances with Chloe.
“I’ll take care of her,” Chloe whispered.
“Thanks.” Since the salon was only two blocks from Tiffany’s store, Blaine left the truck and walked, staring out at the fog as he went, imagining his friends fighting for their lives in the midst of it.
Were they injured or worse? Were they conscious?
He doubted any of them had been wearing lifejackets, as they were all experienced yachtsmen.
At times like this, Blaine wished he were more religious, because it would take an act of God to bring them all back safely.
What if the McCarthys lost three of their sons?
That thought didn’t bear entertaining, so Blaine refused to go there.