Chapter Fifteen
The next day, Rosemary walked down the street toward Paws Town Square by herself this time. She’d missed the routine of morning walks and the sand beneath her feet since she left Hawaii, and it was such a welcoming feeling now.
The power company had restored the power at Kathleen’s house last night. Mostly, the houses on this block made it through the storm with minimal impact. All the folks Rosemary met the night she came to town had shown back up, and it seemed like Kathleen’s was just one big continuous party. Bottles of liquor filled one countertop, and an assortment of food that had started to thaw filled another. It was cook it or toss it, so everyone had spent the day cooking everything they had.
Rosemary made herself useful in the kitchen, cleaning up after the get-together while Kathleen slept in. She’d spent the morning creating tasty treats fresh from the oven, using whatever she could find in Kathleen’s pantry, but it was as bare as the grocery store when the hurricane was announced. Rosemary prided herself on being resourceful, and she was able to pull together a lovely plate of cookies from the meager ingredients, which she planned to take over to Paul and Tug at Paws Town Square.
Had Amanda and those delightful children come home yet? It would be nice to see them again.
It wasn’t that far to walk, but carrying the plate of cookies was making her arm a little tired. She switched hands and shook out her other hand to get the blood flowing again.
Several cars filled the parking lot of Paws today. It looked like things were getting back to normal here too.
She went in the front entrance of Paws. Just across the way, she spotted Tug and Paul talking near a row of cute retail shops, including one that apparently made treats for pets called The Barkery. Just past that was a store called Yap—like Gap, only for dog clothes—Toy Town, and The Veterinarian and FarmAcy.
“This place is amazing. It’s like a little pet city in here,” Rosemary commented as she approached Paul. “I heard it was special, but in my wildest dreams I hadn’t pictured this. You must be a very clever marketer to come up with all of this.”
“I didn’t do it alone. I’m smart enough to know to surround myself with smarter people.”
“A sign of a brilliant mind,” she said. “I could learn to like this place.”
“Thank you,” Paul said. “I particularly love the walking trails.”
“Amazing. Hey, I brought y’all cookies. You remember me, right?”
“Couldn’t forget you, Rosemary,” Paul said. “You’re kind of a hero around here right now.”
She blushed.
“You’re my telephone angel. Thank you again for helping me connect with Amanda.”
“Did you get your service back yet?”
“We did. And the electricity just came back too. Things are looking up.”
“Never thought I’d complain about the generator, but it sure is nice not having that humming in the background,” Tug said.
“I can see how that could get monotonous.” Rosemary handed him the covered plate. “We got our electricity back last night. I thought you might enjoy something homemade. I only had one container, though, so you two have to share.” She wagged a finger playfully. “I don’t mean to brag, but these cookies have been known to start arguments over who gets the last one. So play nice and share, okay? I’d hate to see a friendship ruined over chocolate chips.”
Tug lifted the lid. “Oh, these smell good.” He hugged the plate to his chest. “He may have to fight for his share.”
“I’ll let you have first dibs,” Paul said.
“Now I know he’s just feeling sorry for me. He’d never let a cookie get away.”
“Well, that might be true. He knows me pretty well,” Paul admitted. “Under the circumstances, I think you might need them, and if that will make you feel better, it’s a small price to pay.”
“What is going on that you need cookies to get you through? I will say, I usually have pretty good timing on these things.” It was true. People couldn’t figure out how she had such impeccable timing, and neither could she. Call it intuition—whatever it was, she was thankful for it.
“You must,” Tug muttered.
Paul turned to her. “The diner and the pier took the brunt of the storm.” He flashed her a look of concern.
“Oh no. Tug. I was counting on being your best customer. I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?” She placed a hand on his arm. “I’m not just saying that. I’m quite capable. My late husband was a farmer. I’ve done just about everything you can imagine.”
Tug cocked his head. “I could see that about you. I’m afraid none of us can do much except wait for the insurance appraiser, and even then, I don’t think we can rebuild it. You know, running a business these days is hard enough. Missing an entire season to rebuild? Well, I can’t imagine I’d ever get caught up. I’m not as young as I once was.”
“You’re perfectly fine, and with age comes wisdom. Don’t sell yourself short. No, sir.”
But Tug wasn’t smiling, and the weight of the conversation hung over them.
Rosemary turned back to Paul. “How bad is it? Seriously, what are we talking about here?”
Paul lifted a brow, and Tug gave him a nod. “Half of Tug’s Diner is in the ocean. Sticks of blue and white lumber are sloshing around like toothpicks beneath the pier, and the rest is pretty much in a heap.”
“Except for the new walk-in freezer space, which is full of food, still frozen.” Tug shrugged. “I guess that’s the bright spot. We’ll feed folks and see what we can do to help those that have something worth saving.”
Rosemary hurt for him. “Oh my word. I’m so sorry, Tug. That diner was your livelihood. I can’t believe you’re coping as well as you seem to be.”
“I’m a hurricane of emotion inside,” he admitted.
“I bet, and you haven’t had time to really process it.” She caught the look on his face. “Okay, I know that didn’t sound very positive, but it takes time to process tragedy. Believe me, I’ve had my share, but being prepared for it helps us deal with it. It’s good you’re here with Paul. I want to volunteer. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands, and frankly, Kathleen is a nice woman, but she’s…” She searched for a polite word.
“Different.”
“Yes, that. I want to help. Please put me to work.”
“We can do that. Tug said he’d rather feed the people stuck here in the storm for free than let the food spoil and file an insurance claim, so we’re talking about doing a huge We Survived Hurricane Edwina feast for the town of Whelk’s Island right here in the parking lot.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” She clapped her hands. “That’s really generous of you. Doesn’t surprise me either. I knew you were good people the moment I met you. I can cook, scrub, sweep, chop, serve, take orders—whatever.”
Tug seemed to appreciate her gusto. His smile was thoughtful, and she valued it, knowing what he was going through.
“I’m ready,” she said, prodding for an invitation. “I don’t have any hurricane cleanup to handle. I’m the perfect answer to helping you prepare all that food for the community.”
“Tug, she doesn’t seem the type to say no.” Paul gave her a wink. “And Amanda and the kids won’t be back until tomorrow. We could use the help.”
“See?” Rosemary widened her eyes. “Thank you, Paul.”
Tug took a cookie from the plate and bit into it. “Wow. This is good.”
She pretended to look put out. “I wasn’t bragging. There’re years of experience in that recipe.”
“Well, you were bragging, but rightly so. These are delicious.”
“You’re welcome.” She folded her arms. “So, what are we cooking for this town? What’s the priority? I’m guessing easily spoiled items first.”
“She sounds just like you, Tug.” Paul took a step back. “You know what? I’m going to get the wheels in motion to get all that food moved here so that you can work all your magic. You two can handle the menus and the itinerary. Once we know the what, when, and how, I’ll get my staff handing out flyers all over town and we’ll get the city workers informed. They cross more paths than we can on our own. Deal?” Paul didn’t wait for an answer. He gave them an approving nod and set off to make it happen.
“I believe he just made you co-captain,” Tug said to Rosemary.
“Excellent,” she said. “You won’t regret it. Do you know what was in the freezer?”
He eyed her like she was crazy. “Do I know? I know right down to the pound for most of it.” He tapped his noggin. “I’ve been in business for forty years. That place ran like a well-oiled machine, and on any given day, I knew what was in that freezer and what needed to be reordered next.”
“Then I’d say we’re in good shape. Is there a table where we can sit and work out the menus and the list of what we’ll need to borrow from neighbors to make this all happen?”
He motioned for her to follow him over to a wrought-iron bistro set outside the Veterinarian and FarmAcy.
“I’m guessing some grills, probably seasonings if everything in the diner went out with the tide,” she said as they walked.
“?‘Out with the tide’ is putting it mildly, Rosemary. I’ve never seen such destruction. Other than the food, I don’t think there’s a thing we can salvage.”
She stopped, touched his arm, and then reached up and hugged him. He didn’t tense up, and she took that as a sign this guy needed a hug right now. “My new friend. My heart aches for your loss,” she whispered into his neck.
He let her hold that hug. This man may look strong, but inside, this had broken him. “I am here,” Rosemary said. “You let me be your sounding board, your helper, your soft place to land. When the reality of all this hits you, you might need that.”
“How did you land here at this time?” He stared at her. The question was larger than the words spoken.
“You know, I am not so sure about that, either, but I’d say it was not an accident.”
He nodded. “Thank you.” His brows pulled together and he took in a breath. “I look forward to working with you on this. Let me grab some paper and pens.”
They got right to work and nibbled on cookies while she took notes. She listed the food, and they ran down it to prioritize everything.
“This is good,” Rosemary said. She put a star next to the highest-priority items.
“We can cook up some things like the burgers and freeze them to use later,” he said. “That will extend our serving time.”
“Great. Do you think we have enough freezer space for all that?”
“Borrowing chest freezers should not be a problem this week since most people will have to dump everything that was in there.”
“True, Tug.” Rosemary smiled softly. “You need this light, this purpose in your life today.”
“I do. You’re right.”
“We will have fun doing this for your community. You’ll see. Okay, let’s work on the menus.”
For the next hour, they brainstormed the best menus to make with what they had. Then they started working on the details for the flyer. “If Paul will let me use his computer, I can make one that’s pretty.”
“He’s got all that kind of stuff in the offices.”
“Perfect.” Just as she was sweeping her papers together, something bright green caught her eye.
She did a double take and then grabbed Tug’s arm.
“They’re back!” Rosemary jumped from her chair. “I’d recognize that crazy limousine anywhere. It just pulled to a stop in front of the doors. Come on.”
Tug was already on his feet.
Hailey and Jesse bounded out of the limo first, nothing but energy, as Amanda dragged their things out.
The kids flung themselves into Tug’s arms.
Rosemary looked on. Amanda had said Tug was a friend, but this was family. She waved, delighted that when Amanda saw her, she broke into a huge grin and hurried over.
Amanda gave her a hug. “Rosemary. You and I were meant to meet that day. You kept me from worrying myself sick. Thank you for being so kind and being there for me when I was so worried. I’m so thankful we met.”
Rosemary felt the sincerity in the embrace. “I feel the same.”
Jesse was the first of the two to realize who their mother was talking to. His jaw dropped. He nudged his sister with his elbow, then strolled over. “?’Ello.” He rolled out a cockney greeting. “Welcome to Whelk’s Island, Miss Rosemary. It’s lovely to see you again.” He took a bow.
“Indeed,” she said with an approving smile. “I’m so glad the princess could get you back to town so quickly.”
“Oh no, not the kingdom again,” Amanda said with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go inside. I want to find Paul.”
Hailey giggled, turning her attention back to Rosemary. “We are so glad to be home,” she said without carrying on the British prank. “It’s very nice to see you. I’m sorry we kind of tricked you. I think we were car crazy from being cooped up in all that evacuation traffic.”
“I found it quite delightful.”
“And you met Tug,” Hailey said. “I hope he’s made you his famous octopus pancakes. They’re my favorite.”
Rosemary nodded. “Not yet, but I look forward to trying them soon.”
“He’s the best,” Jesse agreed.
“What?” someone called from across the building.
Everyone turned as Paul moved toward them with a huge smile. “You didn’t tell me you were on your way back.”
“Should we leave? Come on, kids.” Amanda pretended to herd them up.
“No! I never want you to leave my sight again.” He swept her into a hug and spin, lifting her off the ground, and gave her a kiss that had the kids oohing and giggling.
He set Amanda on her feet.
She smiled. “I’ll remind you, Paul Grant, you were the one who sent me away.”
“I was thinking from a protection standpoint, but being apart from you is miserable. I missed you like crazy. All of you. Come here, you two!”
“How windy was it? Did you take the kite out?” Jesse asked.
“That kite would have ended up in Australia,” Tug said.
“We didn’t even get rain at Grandma’s.”
“Well, we got enough for everyone,” Paul said.
“It looks more like the Sahara Desert, with all the sand everywhere.”
“Wait until you see my truck,” Tug said.
“I haven’t updated Amanda on any of that yet,” Paul said. “Figured we’d tell her together.”
“Good idea,” Tug said. “They wouldn’t have believed it, anyway.”
“This seems like family business. I should probably excuse myself.” Rosemary took a step back.
“No!” came from Paul, Tug, and Amanda all at once.
Rosemary froze, stiff as a statue. They all laughed.
“You’re a special part of this family now,” Paul said.
Rosemary’s shoulders relaxed a bit.
“That might be the nicest thing anyone has said to me in a long time.”
“Where’s The Wife?” Hailey asked. “She’s always with you.”
Tug pointed to the stairs. “She’s up in Paul’s office.”
“Can we?” Jesse and Hailey begged.
“Of course.” Paul laughed as they raced up the stairs. Then he opened his eyes wide and took a flirty lunge at Amanda. “I missed you. I love you. Welcome home.”
“Thank you.” Amanda kissed him and then squeezed his hand. “So, what is going on? Looks like it’s business as usual here, but I need all the updates.”
“That’s going to take a while, but sit,” Paul said, and they all walked over to the table where Tug and Rosemary had been working. The four of them settled in.
Paul rested his hand on top of Amanda’s. “Paws did fine during the storm. Nothing major. But we’ve had some big losses on Whelk’s Island.”
She looked at Tug, who was looking down at the table, then back at Paul. “The house? Maeve’s? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, actually. It took the storm so well you might never have known it hit here.”
She pressed her hand to her heart. “Thank God.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head. “Maeve always said we’d be safe there. Why did I ever doubt her?”
Paul took a big breath. “The diner is completely gone.”
“What? Gone?” She leaned in. “Tug?”
Tug didn’t lift his head. With his elbows on the table, he pressed his fingers to his temples and nodded. “Nothing’s left.”
“Tug? No.” Tears slipped down her cheeks. “You know we’re here for you.”
“And the bungalow was under feet of water. Thank goodness I took Tug’s suggestion to move your inventory from the bungalow to his place, but all the plants are underwater.”
“That’s okay. I can grow new herbs. Oh, Tug, I’m so sorry. Tug’s Diner is the heartbeat of this town. The shells?”
Tug still didn’t look her in the eye. He just shook his head.
Rosemary wasn’t sure what that was all about, but whatever it was, it was special, because Tug couldn’t hold back the emotion. The way his shoulders shook, he was breaking down. Amanda was sobbing too. Rosemary stretched her hand out to cover Tug’s, hoping it would help even just a little.
“We’ve got each other,” Amanda said. “We will all be fine. It’s just stuff and we have each other.”
“I don’t think I can see myself going through all it takes to start over again,” Tug said. “It’s a different time. And, Paul, I’m sorry you wasted your money on including me in The Scout Guide for the Outer Banks. ”
“It wasn’t a waste at all,” Paul said. “Whether or not Tug’s Diner is standing doesn’t change its legacy in this town.”
Tug looked up, his eyes rimmed in red, his face damp. “Amanda, I’ll help you reestablish your business if you want my help. How about that?”
“I understand. We’ll pick up the pieces. All of us, and this town, will no doubt change, but it will feel so different without Tug’s Diner.”
“This town will be just fine without my diner. It’s probably time for a new generation to feed these people.” He let out a sigh. “Besides, this past year I’ve been feeling old.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re in great shape, and the only thing slowing us down this year has been grief, but that’s only because there was such tremendous love in our hearts for Maeve and we all miss her so much. She’ll be a part of every step as we rebuild. You know it’s true.”
Maeve? The Wife had said her name the day she was in the diner. Whoever Maeve was, whatever her relationship with this group, she must’ve been very special.