Chapter Eight
Rosemary wasn’t sure whether to laugh or worry as Kathleen stumbled into the middle of the room. “Man, the wind is picking up. We might actually get this storm after all. Where’s Peggy?”
The statement made Rosemary’s nerves jangle.
“Over here.” Peggy jumped to her feet. “What do you need?”
“Do up one of those grid wager things like you do during football season but for the time the storm hits. Hurricane Edwina has been as fickle as a high school football player trying to pick a prom date. She doesn’t know what she’s going to do. Could be anytime from now to Friday the way things are going. Everybody get your dollars out!” Kathleen kept moving through the room, checking in with everyone.
“I’m on it,” Peggy said, then disappeared into the kitchen.
“My money is on the storm not hitting us at all.” Johnny walked into the room from the deck. “The sooner we board up, the more likely it won’t hit, in my experience. We better get busy, or we might just jinx ourselves into a direct hit.”
Rosemary almost choked.
Kathleen patted her on the back. “Don’t listen to him. You okay?”
“Yeah. I just swallowed wrong.” She caught her breath.
“Johnny, you’re enough wind for all of us.” Kathleen turned to Rosemary. “Johnny’s at least a Category 1 storm any day of the week. Don’t you worry about Hurricane Edwina. She probably will look like a rain shower compared to Johnny.” Everyone laughed. “Rosemary, we’ll be on the beach in the sunshine before you know it. I can’t wait to show you our beach.”
Rosemary didn’t want to take that from her, so she smiled and kept the fact she’d already dipped her toes in the Atlantic to herself.
“As I was driving in, I saw an enormous building on the right that was beautifully landscaped and had a big, towering entrance,” Rosemary said, gently shifting the subject. “Was that the municipal center?”
“Ha, not hardly,” Kathleen said. “Our municipal center is nothing to brag about. What you drove by is a dog park slash kennel place. This guy came in and resurrected the old grocery store building…or was it a department store? I don’t remember—it shut down so long ago. A real eyesore. There were weeds the size of trees growing out of the asphalt parking lot.”
“I hate it when companies leave buildings empty like that,” Rosemary commiserated. “It’s such a waste.”
“Yeah, well, this guy has opened a few of these places across the country. He came in and gutted it, repurposed the place for retail, a fancy kennel with indoor and outdoor dog parks, pools and walking trails that people can use for a small fee even if they don’t have a dog. I keep my cat there when I travel. It’s amazing and really affordable. They do a lot of military-focused goodwill too.”
“Plus, for the people kenneling their pets, they get a discount for each day they come visit and walk them.” Peggy piped in. “It’s really a cool model. Good for everyone.”
“That sounds so neat. I’ve never heard of such a thing, and it sure isn’t an eyesore now. It was beautiful.”
“Well, it’s sort of a combo business and foundation. He has some heavy-hitter sponsors, I think.” Kathleen shrugged. “He’s a war hero, and he does all this rehabilitation and training for retired military working dogs, and employs veterans. I don’t remember the whole story, but it’s been great for the town. High-society types headed to the more touristy areas up the coast stop and drop their pets here, bringing more business for our small merchants. So far, that has only affected our sweet little town in positive ways.”
“As long as city council and zoning don’t take their thumb off the no-hotel policies we have in place,” Peggy added, “I think Whelk’s Island will stay just the way we are.”
“That’s a blessing,” Rosemary said. She’d seen the effects of urban sprawl even near their farm in Hawaii, which had been really rural for a long, long time.
“I’ll take you over to see it once we get past the storm, if it even happens. We can walk the trails inside. It’s air-conditioned, which is great in August,” Kathleen said. “The humidity here is about enough to take your breath away.”
“It’s hot in Hawaii, but thankfully the trade winds help balance it out.”
“We don’t have any trade winds around here. Maybe someone will put some of those giant windmills out in the ocean to cool things down.”
“You never know,” Johnny said. “Who’s ready to help me get these boards up? We need to get this done before we play.”
As folks gathered to start prepping the house, Rosemary asked Kathleen, “Is there somewhere quiet I can call my daughter to let her know I got here okay?”
“Of course,” Kathleen said. “And you need to bring your bags and get settled in. Let me show you to your room.”
Kathleen led her to the guest room at the end of the hall. “Your home away from home.”
The guest room was blue and white, with soft touches of yellow. “It’s so bright and cheerful.”
“I’m glad you like it. I tried to re-create this picture out of a Southern Living magazine spread a few years back. I had to make the curtains, and I painted the dresser, but I really like how it turned out too.”
“I had no idea you had so many talents. I bet that was a fun project.”
“It was a little stressful. It took me a while to get it all pulled together. I tell everyone who attempts something like that to commit to the very end, because it looks way worse before it looks better.”
They shared a laugh over that.
“I tried some faux painting once. It was the same way.”
“Then you know. Well, thank you for the compliment. I really hope you’re going to enjoy staying here.”
“I know I will.” Rosemary hugged her. “Thanks for opening your home to me. I hope some of your talents rub off on me.”
“I love redecorating. It’s my passion. Now, call your daughter. I could talk about this stuff all night long.” Kathleen pulled the door closed behind her as she left.
Rosemary sat on the bed. She was excited to be here but a little sad about the circumstances. What had felt so non-negotiable this morning now seemed a bit like a hissy fit on her part. She mustered the courage to dial Nina. Hopefully she’d cooled down by now.
The call went to voicemail.
Probably for the best.
“Hey, Nina. It’s Mom. Just wanted to let you know I made it to Kathleen’s. Sorry I didn’t catch you. Things are fine here. There’s a ton of activity going on for storm preparedness. You don’t need to worry. The plan is to go inland if the storm does start to head this way. Honey, I’m sorry I snapped at you this morning. I was trying so hard to give you and Kendra a pleasant morning send-off. Anyway…you take care and know I love you.”
She hung up and set her phone down, relieved there was no drama to deal with. Being here after that long ride was about all she had the energy for right now.
She kicked her shoes off and leaned back on the bed. If she closed her eyes right now, she could probably sleep until tomorrow, even with the party going on.
Her phone jingled out the song that was Nina’s ringtone.
Rosemary put her hands over her face. Nina would know she rejected the call if she didn’t answer, so she did. “Hi, Nina.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“I just left you a message. I was calling to let you know I arrived safely. I thought that was the polite thing to do.”
“I can’t believe you left.”
Rosemary sat up on the bed and crossed her legs beneath her. “Look. I’ve been around for seventy-two years. I can make my own decisions. Yes, there’s a possibility of a hurricane, but I can assess the situation. I will not put myself in unnecessary danger, but I won’t let you treat me like I can’t handle myself. I lost your dad, but I didn’t lose my good sense.”
“Some days I’m not so sure of that, Mom.”
“Nina, I don’t think you realize it, but when you insinuated I can’t make a rational decision, that really hurt me. We’ve both been through a lot. Your divorce. Losing Dad. We are both grasping for things that we can control, and we are making each other miserable.”
Nina didn’t disagree.
“I need you to respect that I can still make choices for myself. And I’ll admit, leaving this morning was probably more of a knee-jerk reaction to our argument than a well-thought-out decision, but I felt like you pushed me into a corner and I needed to get some space between us.”
“I didn’t mean to make you feel that way, but, Mom, I can’t take care of everyone. Your—”
“You don’t have to take care of me. That’s just it. You have a daughter to raise, and you’re a wonderful mother. Concentrate on that.”
“I don’t think you’ve ever said that to me before.”
Rosemary froze. “Oh, honey, if I haven’t, I am sorry. I think you are an amazing mother. You are taking on the whole world, and you don’t need to. Let me decide what’s best for me, okay?” She knew her daughter well enough to know she wouldn’t give in this easily. “Let’s plan to have a constructive conversation about this when I get back. A little time apart might help us come up with some fair ground rules.”
“Fine.” It was a slice of a word, followed by silence.
That one-word response could mean a million things. Aggravated by it, Rosemary said, “Well, it’s been heavenly talking to you.”
Nina growled. “I hate it when you say that. It’s so sarcastic.”
She withheld the comment that was on the tip of her tongue. “You get some rest. You sound tired.”
“Now who’s telling who what to do?”
“Take a breath, Nina. Good night. I love you.”
“Good night, Mom. Thanks for letting me know you got there safely.”
Rosemary dropped the phone and shook her head. That didn’t go as bad as it could have.
Her stomach rumbled again.
She pulled herself together and eased back out into the hall like a teenager after midnight, snatched her purse off the hall table where she’d set it earlier, and casually headed for her car, trying not to draw attention to herself.
All the action seemed to have moved outside. A few boards had been put up, but there were more supervisors than workers.
While everyone focused on the workers, Rosemary hustled to her car, thankful no one stopped to ask her where she was going. She hopped inside and put her key in the ignition.
I’ll just zip out, grab something to eat, and they’ll never be the wiser.