15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
Everything felt right.
Simon was so happy, so relieved to have Gus home safe and sound that it didn’t bother him that they didn’t have electricity. Although, he did notice that Gus was wet and had a lot of sand on him.
Luckily, there was a little bit of warm water left in the hot water tank—enough to give Gus a much-needed bath. Afterward, Simon realized there was no way to dry him except with towels.
Gus thought of another way to dry off and shook himself. Of course, Simon had been standing next to him at that moment and got totally sprayed—so did the bathroom wall and the mirror.
“Thanks, Gus.” When the dog sent him an innocent look, Simon continued, “You had a really scary experience last night. So, we’ll let it pass this time. I’m just glad you’re home safe and sound.”
After he did his best to towel dry Gus and brush him out, Simon changed into dry clothes. He could really go for a cup of hot coffee.
He jogged down the steps with Gus hot on his heels. He moved to the kitchen, and that’s when he recalled there still wasn’t any power. And no power meant no hot coffee.
Gus whined to go outside. Normally, Simon would just open the door for Gus and let him into the backyard, but not today. Simon wasn’t about to lose Gus twice in a twenty-four hour period.
With a leash connected to Gus’s red collar, he opened the front door. They stepped onto the porch and came to a stop. Now that the sun was up, he could see just how much damage the storm had done.
Thankfully, all of the houses appeared to be standing, but the same could not be said for the trees and other vegetation. There were some other items strewn around such as lawn ornaments and some porch furniture.
And his yard had a tree down. If their carts had been in their usual spot, they would have been smashed by the fallen tree. It was a shame to see the loss of trees. They gave the street not only some shade but also some gracefulness.
Neighbors were out surveying the damage too. The whine of a chainsaw could be heard coming from down the street. It was time to get to work.
The morning sun was already warm as he headed down the steps. He spotted Jenna standing by the road. She was with a group of people. As he neared them, he realized it was some of her family. They must have stopped by to check on her.
He stepped up next to her. “Everything all right?”
She nodded. “As good as it can be in the aftermath of the storm.” Her gaze moved past him to Gus. She knelt down, and the dog immediately went to her. “And how are you doing?”
Simon turned his attention to Neil, Caleb, and Myra.
They got to talking. He learned that being further inland, they didn’t have as much damage as they had on the beach.
He also learned that they’d shut down the market for the day to allow the workers, including Jenna, to clean up in the aftermath of the storm.
But they knew people were going to need food once the power came back on, and then it would be business as usual.
In the meantime, Jenna’s siblings were there to help.
And they weren’t the only ones. There were a lot of Bluestar residents out and about, lending a helping hand up and down the street.
Most were cleaning up debris. They piled the broken limbs on the side of the road for pick up.
The people who weren’t cleaning were providing food and refreshments to the workers.
Everyone was doing something, so Simon needed to get to work.
After he took Gus for a short walk around the duplex, he surveyed all of the work that needed to be done. Luckily, the Adams siblings had come prepared with ladders, rakes, and a whole host of other supplies to put this place back to normal or as close to it as they could get.
Simon put Gus in the house, where he’d be safe, and closed the door. Gus was having none of it. The dog barked at the door. The barking turned to sorrowful howls.
Everyone sent Simon a pitiful look. In the end, Neil supplied some yellow nylon rope that Simon was able to attach to a rail on the steps as well as the D-ring on Gus’s collar.
As Simon got to work along with Jenna and her family, he could see why Gus wanted outside with them. The dog was constantly getting attention. And soon Gus seemed like his normal laidback self.
Jenna stepped up to him. “You look happy.”
“I am. I was really starting to doubt if I would ever see Gus again. I’ve never been so worried.” It was the truth. He was keeping a very close eye on Gus as he worked. He wanted absolutely no repeats of the night before. “And how are you doing today?”
She shrugged as she pulled out debris from around one of the house’s piers. “A little tired. I could really use some caffeine.”
“Did I hear the word caffeine?” Myra was working nearby. “I heard they now have some power in town. I could make a coffee run, if anyone is interested.”
That was all she had to say. The orders started flying at her. She recorded them on her phone. And with a promise to be back soon, she jumped into her cart and was gone.
“Well, that was simple enough,” Simon said. “Do you think the rest of this cleanup will go as smoothly?”
Mia nodded. “With everyone pulling together, it’ll get done. And with the power crews already on the island, we might have power by tonight.”
“That soon?” He’d lived through some devastating storms where power hadn’t been restored for days.
She nodded. “It helps when you live on a small island.”
“Hey, you two,” Neil said, “back to work.”
“Yes, boss.” Jenna sent her brother a teasing grin.
It had been a while since Simon had done so much physical labor—not since he owned his own house. It felt good to be outside and breathe in the sea breeze while the sun warmed his skin.
Jenna had created another pile of debris that needed to be hauled to the road. The one thing the Adams siblings hadn’t brought with them was a wheelbarrow so that meant carrying everything.
Not wanting to make more than one trip to the road, Simon grabbed up all of the broken branches and twigs that he could hold. With the leaves, it made it so he could barely see where he was going.
“Hey, Simon,” Caleb called out. “Can you give me a hand?”
“Sure. Just let me drop this stuff off at the road.” He picked up his pace.
He liked working with Jenna’s family. They could give each other a hard time, but in the end, they were always there for each other. She was lucky to have such a great family.
Simon had just rounded the side of the house. He headed for the front walk to add to the growing debris pile next to the road. Jenna called out his name from behind him at the same time that Gus ran toward him.
Simon kept walking as he turned his head to see what Jenna wanted. And then his leg struck Gus’s rope. Time slowed down. One moment he was in forward motion. The next moment, he was rushing face first toward the ground.
Worst of all, his arms were full. There was no way he could catch himself. And then time seemed to catch up to itself as he hit the edge of the sidewalk.
The fall knocked the air from his lungs. And his head—it hurt. A lot.
He heard a bunch of voices and footsteps, but he didn’t move. He was still trying to catch his breath.
And then there was dog breath in his face. Gus licked the side of his face, as though to say he was sorry.
With effort, Simon dragged a breath into his lungs. That was better. Now he had to sit up, which seemed like a bigger challenge than it should be, since pain was radiating from all different parts of his body.
“Simon, are you okay?” Concern rang out in Jenna’s voice.
He wanted to assure her that he was fine, but he wasn’t sure. And his mind was still rattled from the fall, so his mind and mouth had a momentary disconnect.
When he sat up, his head momentarily spun. His stomach lurched. And it felt as though there was something wet on his face.
Jenna gasped as she stared at him. “Neil! Caleb!”
Now what had she gone and called for her brothers for? He didn’t need them to see what a klutz he’d made of himself.
When she dropped to her knees next to him, Simon could see the concern in her big brown eyes. He didn’t want her to worry about him. He’d only tripped.
But before he could say a word, Gus decided to get in on the action. When the dog attempted to get up in his face, Jenna pushed Gus back.
“No, Gus.” Just then Jenna’s brothers ran up to them. “Caleb, can you get the dog back? And Neil, I need you to get some paper towels from my place. They’re on the counter in the kitchen.”
Neither brother argued with her, which was odd. Simon had witnessed how much her brothers liked to give her a hard time, especially when she bossed them around. Something was wrong.
His gaze zeroed in on her. “Jenna, what’s the matter?”
Her brows scrunched together. “You don’t know?”
“Know what?” He swiped at the wetness around his mouth. His hand briefly touched his nose. “Ouch!”
“Don’t do that.” She frowned at him. “I think it might be broken. And you must have hit your head real hard. But don’t worry. You’re going to be okay.”
When he went to stand up, she placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed down. “Don’t move.”
“Jenna—” His complaint was interrupted when Neil came running out of the house.
He had the whole roll of paper towels in his hand. “Here. I think you’re going to need them all.”
“I think you’re right.” She took the paper towels from her brother and ripped off a couple. She wrapped them around his forearm. She grabbed some more towels and wiped off around Simon’s mouth.
When she tossed them aside, Simon saw that they were covered in blood. Oh. That wasn’t good.
She tore off a couple more sheets and held them under his nose. His hand touched hers as he tried to take the paper towels from her. If something good had to come from this, it was having her nurse him. He was already feeling a little better.
“I’ve got it.” He held the paper towels beneath his nose.
Just out of curiosity, he lowered the paper towels and saw they already had blood covering them.
“Put it back up there.” Jenna’s voice had a no-nonsense tone. Someday she’d make a good mother. And then he envisioned her with a baby in her arms. There would be a glow to her face, and her eyes would twinkle with happiness. The baby would have her good looks and his blue eyes.
The last thought startled him back to reality. What was he daydreaming about that for? He had no plans of getting married, much less having a family.
Jenna started wiping at his shirt. When he went to glance down, she firmly told him to sit still.
She glanced over at Neil. “He needs to go to the hospital.”
“How? Myra took off to get coffee in the cart.” Neil frowned.
“Call her. And if she isn’t available, we’ll have to ask one of the neighbors for a ride because both of our carts are still parked in town.”
Simon lowered the paper towel to tell her it was okay. He didn’t need to go to the hospital, but blood continued to drip from his nose.
This time Jenna didn’t say a word. Instead, she grabbed some fresh paper towels and ever so gently positioned them beneath his nose. Maybe he did have to go to the hospital after all. It’s not like he could get much done while holding paper towels to his nose.
His gaze moved to Gus, who was sitting next to Caleb. If a dog could look worried, he did. “But Gus—”
“Will be fine.” Jenna continued to try to clean him up. “I promise.”
He had a feeling there was nothing she could do to make him look presentable at this point. As his senses came back to him, he felt an ache in his wrist, burning pain in different places on his face, and twigs were poking him all over—including places that he’d rather not talk about.