Chapter Four
Amanda had been praying the storm would turn back out to sea and held her breath with every update. Walking through the living room, she caught the tail end of the weather report on the television. The meteorologist announced the upgrade of the tropical storm to a hurricane. It now had a name—Edwina—and it was time to prepare for the possibility of it landing and affecting their area.
Her heart sank. She glanced around, so thankful for their home. Maeve’s generosity in giving her family home to them when she passed, especially when they’d been friends for such a short time, had been a life-changing blessing for them.
Maeve’s words echoed in her mind. “This house has weathered many storms. It’s sturdy and strong. You will be safe here.”
“You okay, Mom?” Hailey stood in the doorway.
Amanda pasted a smile on her face. “Yes, sweetie. They’ve upgraded the storm to a hurricane. It’s time to pack. Looks like we’ll be going to visit your grandparents in Ohio for sure.”
“That seems really far to go just because the weather is bad here.”
“I know, but what a great excuse to visit.” She could feel herself overplaying it for Hailey. “You know they don’t get out much anymore. They will be so excited to spend time with you.”
“That’s important too.” Hailey seemed reconciled to the idea. “I’m packing my markers and stuff to work on some pictures for Tug while we’re gone. Can I bring Maeve’s favorite jar of sea glass with us to show Grandma?”
“Sure, honey. That’s fine.”
Hailey hugged Amanda’s waist. “Thanks, Mom.” She spun away and ran off, bounding up the stairs to her room on the third level.
Amanda had been gathering various items the last couple of days in case things got bad. She picked up the hurricane-preparedness list she’d torn out of the newspaper.
She packed her bag with necessities and tucked her most important papers inside an envelope to take, then tucked the rest in Ziploc bags and put them back in the safe to protect them in case water got into the house.
Everything here was about ready. It was still only mid-morning, but there was no sense dawdling. The sooner they got ready, the easier it would be to get out of town. She’d heard horror stories of miles of backed-up traffic during storm evacuations.
“Kids, I have to run over to the shop to pack up the rest of my inventory. Do you want to come along?”
Salt of the Earth had started out with herbal salts she’d made for her home recipes. She’d dreamed of turning it into a business, but with two littles underfoot, it hadn’t really been an option until last year. Now they were both in school, and Hailey and Jesse had turned out to be great little helpers.
She probably never would have gotten the business off the ground had it not been for Paul’s encouragement. It still amazed her how the two of them were brought back together. They’d lost touch after her husband, Jack, was killed while on a six-month deployment. Jack and Paul had been best friends, promising to always have each other’s back. But on that deployment, Paul was on a different assignment. He and Amanda hadn’t spoken in a long time when they crossed paths on the beach on Whelk’s Island. Her heart raced every time she thought of that day. Her life had changed—somersaulted in a way—because of it.
Paul had encouraged her to expand her offerings to include other herbal gifts like sachets and jellies. He’d been a patient mentor, helping her with the business side of things but remaining hands-off enough that she felt she’d done it on her own, and she appreciated that.
Her small business was growing at a steady rate, and people were now signing up for annual subscriptions to receive new products every quarter. The business model was solid, and she and the kids were having a ball creating social media posts about the products.
Jesse and Hailey raced down the stairs with Denali plodding along behind them.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Amanda propped her hands on her hips.
“I call the front seat!” Hailey declared.
Jesse lurched to a stop. “She always calls it first.”
“You can have it on the way home,” Amanda said.
Hailey was relentless on that stuff, so Amanda tried to keep things fair without a fuss. She reached down and gave the bulldog a pat on the head. “Sorry, Denali. You know you’re not allowed in the shop. County rules.”
Denali plopped to the floor, stretching out on his belly, looking a bit put out.
“Sorry, buddy.” Amanda grabbed her keys, and the kids followed her to the car. They piled into her white SUV and drove the few blocks over to the shop.
“Look, Mom.” Jesse pointed to the pallet of sandbags piled high next to the building.
“Paul had those delivered. They are going to put those around the entryways to protect the shop from rising waters.”
“Maybe we can use it in a sandbox afterward,” Jesse reasoned.
“You have a whole beach of sand. Do you really need a sandbox too?”
He paused, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his little mind.
“I must be crazy.” He laughed so hard his face turned pink. “We have the biggest sandbox ever already. What was I thinking?”
“Some people like to draw in the sand for relaxation,” Hailey said softly, always the grown-up. “Maybe we could use it in the garden between the herbs.”
Amanda glanced over at her daughter. “That might be really pretty in the herb garden. We could work on that next year.”
“Mom, I’d love that. It would be so beautiful.”
“I think so too. Come on. Let’s get to work.” She and the kids got out and went up to the shop. “Okay, guys,” she said as she unlocked the front door. “I’ll get all the containers down, and you put them in the boxes for me, okay?”
“Got it.”
“One kind in each box.” Amanda sat on the floor and started unloading the bottom cabinets. “The different-colored labels are the different flavors.”
“We understand, Mom.” Hailey picked up three boxes and positioned them beside her. “Jesse, I’ll pass them to you, and you put them in the right box, okay?”
“Yep.” He plopped onto the floor. “Ready.”
Amanda started handing jars to Hailey, and soon they were moving faster than a robotic assembly line. “It shouldn’t take long at this pace.”
Less than an hour later, everything was boxed up. “That’s it. We’ll slide each box into a trash bag to help make sure they don’t get damp.”
“The salt is in jars, Mom,” her ever-so-practical little boy said.
“I know, but if the water comes up real high…” She sighed. “You’re probably right. If that happens, we’ve got bigger problems.”
Jesse’s jaw dropped, as if the possibilities finally tumbled together. “Oh, that would be terrible,” he murmured.
Amanda didn’t like them worrying. “We’d make more,” she said to lighten the mood. “No big deal, right?”
“Right, and if it doesn’t even storm here, well, no problem.” Hailey looked pleased. “But maybe the trash bags, just in case.”
“This is a lot of work,” Jesse said. “Especially if it’s for no reason.”
“It’s better to be prepared,” Hailey said.
“That’s right, Hailey.” Amanda knew those words had probably come from Hailey’s chat with Tug earlier. “I appreciate having two such good workers to help me.”
“I’m going to work for you forever, Mom,” Jesse said. “Don’t you worry.”
It took another hour to put everything away. Satisfied that everything had been done and was secure, Amanda locked up and followed the kids to the car.
Before pulling away, she glanced at the cute little sign that read Salt of the Earth , hanging on the metal gate into the yard. Only secured by two S-hooks, it was likely to blow away. “Hang on.” She got out and retrieved the sign.
When she got back in the car, Jesse seemed distraught. “Mom, is Denali staying with Paul?”
“Yes. It’s a long car ride. You know Denali doesn’t enjoy riding in the car.”
“It’ll be good for Paul to have Denali with him since we won’t be there,” Hailey agreed.
“I’ll miss him, though,” Jesse said.
“It’s best to consider what’s best for him,” Amanda said. “And we won’t be gone that long.” Hopefully.
He fell back against the seat, pouting.
She’d learned a long time ago not to give in to that. She ignored the little pity party, and it was over when they got home a few minutes later.
They pulled into the driveway. The beautiful sign Paul and the kids had made for the house when they christened it The Shell Collector always made her think of the day they presented it to her. A truly pivotal day in their lives.
It was hard to walk away from your home when you knew there was the possibility of damaging weather. She’d never really understood why people didn’t want to leave. It seemed crazy, but now part of her was resistant to the idea too.
A horn honked from behind her in the driveway.
She jerked around to see Paul bounding out of his truck toward her. She got out of her car, and he pulled her into a hug.
“Missed you. Are y’all about ready?” he asked.
Hailey and Jesse bailed out of the car. “Hey, Paul!”
“What are you two up to? All packed?”
Jesse shrugged. “Pretty much. We finished up at Mom’s shop. Hailey’s been taking pictures everywhere all day long. She read on the internet that you should do that before a storm for insurance.”
Paul nodded appreciatively. “That’s very smart. I see who the brains of the operation is around here.”
Hailey blushed.
“I’ve got a surprise for you before you leave.” Paul clapped his hands.
Jesse gave a fist pump, but suddenly Hailey started crying. “I don’t want to go. You might need us.”
“Oh, bug. I always need you, but you can pray for me and send me funny texts, and we’ll be back together before you know it. I promise.”
Amanda flashed him a panicked look. She hated for him to make a promise he couldn’t keep. There were no guarantees, and her children had already experienced their share of those kinds of promises.
“I’m going to miss you, but I think you’re going to like my surprise,” he said.
Tug drove up and walked over.
“Is Tug part of the surprise?” Hailey asked.
Jesse’s mouth dropped. “Are we all going together? Awesome!”
“No. Sorry, no. That’s not the surprise, but Tug is going to give us a hand. He and I will be here together, but I have a friend who needs to move his Hummer limousine to higher ground, and he’s offered to give y’all a ride to Ohio.”
Amanda laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. That way, you don’t have to drive. Y’all can play games or watch movies. It’s super fancy. And then when the storm is all clear, he’ll bring you back home if I don’t beat him to it.”
“A limousine?” Hailey shrieked. “I’ll be like a princess. Can we play DVDs?”
“Sure.”
Tug smiled. “I packed a picnic for your trip, and some snacks for while you’re visiting your grandparents, so you’ll think of me.”
Amanda put her hand on Jesse’s back. “Tug, we always think of you, and, Paul, you are always thinking of us. This sounds amazing, but what about my car?”
“We’re going to park it inside Paws with us. There’s room.”
The wind was picking up. Amanda caught her hair and pulled it into a ponytail to keep it out of her face.
“Those outer bands are beginning to reach us,” Tug said.
“What is that?” Jesse pointed toward the road and dropped into a sumo pose with his hands on his knees. “It’s a whopper.”
A bright lime-green Hummer that looked about two blocks long drove up to The Shell Collector.
Jesse let out a low “Whoa!” and Hailey squealed. “ That’s our limo?”
“Go get your things. Looks like your ride is here.” The kids disappeared up the stairs in a fit of giggles, and Amanda leaned into Paul’s chest. “I’m so not ready to leave you.”
“I know. Don’t worry. It’ll fly by. We have to take care of family first. We’ve got a lot to do here to help the neighbors and small businesses get ready. It’s going to be a twenty-four-seven effort. You wouldn’t see me even if you were here.”
“I appreciate you taking such good care of us. I love you for that.” She looked at Tug. “Both of you.”
Paul dropped a kiss on her forehead.
“It’s what makes me happy.”
“I’m going to get them moving,” Amanda said.
“I’ll bring everything down.” Paul followed her up the stairs.
Tug was putting the picnic basket in the back of the limousine when they all walked out with their bags.
The driver, Travis, loaded their bags in the back, and Amanda put the craft tote bag and the game tote bag in the back seat. “Good thing this thing seats about a dozen with all the stuff we’re bringing.”
“Yeah, I was thinking there wouldn’t be room even if I wanted to come with you,” Paul said.
“We could make room for you,” Hailey said.
Amanda kissed Paul, reminding herself it wasn’t goodbye. Still, since she’d lost Jack so suddenly, her heart lurched at every parting. Would she ever get over that feeling? She could see the same anxiety washing over her daughter’s face, the way her chin set when she was hanging tough. Hailey had handled the past few years so bravely. Amanda prayed Hailey didn’t feel as broken inside as she did some days.
Paul had been a blessing. God had most surely put all these things together, because there was no one else skilled enough to have made it all happen and all seem so right.
Jesse ran from behind the house, dirty and out of breath. He held out a handful of Spanish moss to Amanda.
“Oh, Jesse. I don’t know if the limousine driver is going to appreciate you putting that in his truck. I mean, it might have little bugs in it.”
“Mom. If that storm comes and it blows a hundred miles an hour, all of this might fly away. Maeve would be so sad. She knows we put it in the tree for her.”
Paul hugged Amanda closer. “He has a point,” he said. “Come on, sport. Let’s put that in a plastic bag before we put it in the truck, okay?” He led Jesse to the house, turning to walk backward and mouthing, “Problem solved.”
When Paul came back out with Jesse at his side, Amanda was talking to Travis, but Hailey was standing frozen next to the limo.
“What’s wrong?” Paul asked.
“I don’t want to leave you behind,” Hailey said.
Jesse reached for Paul’s hand. “None of us do.”
“It’s going to be a fun trip, and when you get back, it’ll be all blue skies again. Come on. Be good sports about it, okay?”
Amanda straightened, sorry that the kids were whining, but they were echoing her exact sentiments.
“I know,” she said. “We don’t want to leave, but safety comes first. Tug and Paul will take good care of everything here. We’ll have a nice visit with Grandma and Grandpa and be back before you know it.”
Jesse’s shoulders slumped. “Fine.”
“Get on in there, sport. You take care of my girls while you’re away, okay?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, everybody climb in. We’ve got to get on the road.” Amanda ushered the kids into the limo.
Once all the goodbyes were said and done, she closed the door and turned to wave to Paul and Tug as they drove off in the Hummer.
Please be here when I get back.
Hailey put her hand on Amanda’s arm, then rested her head on her shoulder.