Chapter 9
Riley arrived at the Hopper house at six thirty the next morning with ladders, shingles and other material needed to patch the leaking roof until they could take on the bigger job of replacing it.
The sun was just coming up on the east side of the island when he put the biggest ladder the company owned against the side of the house and began the long climb to the roof.
He loved this time of day on the island, before most residents woke up to begin their day, when the Salt Pond was still so flat calm, it looked like a mirror, when the roads were free of traffic and the beaches free of tourists.
As he reached the lowest dormer and got another look at the roof, he groaned.
More shingles were missing than not, and in some places, bare plywood was visible.
No wonder the roof had leaked when it rained.
The farther up he went, the worse the situation became, but the diagnosis was simple.
The Hopper family needed a new roof on this house, and they needed it right now.
However, this being Gansett Island, it would take some time and coordination to get the materials needed shipped over on the ferry.
Tentatively, he stepped onto the roof and moved carefully to get a closer look at the area that had been the source of the leak. He could go only so far, because the wood was so wet, it had begun to sag. Unless he wanted to end up inside the house, he didn’t dare take another step.
He withdrew his cell phone from his pocket and called Mac.
“Hey,” his cousin said. “What’ve you got?”
“It’s worse than we thought. We’ve got actual sag in a few places.”
“Great,” Mac said with a sigh. “As I recall, that house is huge.”
“Your memory is correct. About six thousand square feet, give or take.”
“Crap. This was not in the plans for this month.”
“I know, but with her granddaughters holed up here, I’d categorize it as critical from a structural standpoint. Another decent blow could take the roof off the place, and we’re getting into hurricane season.”
“Yeah, I know. All right, I’ll give Mrs. Hopper a call and break the news to her. If she gives us the go-ahead to replace it, I’ll order the materials immediately so we can get the ball rolling while the weather is still on our side.”
“Sounds good.”
“Thanks for getting over there first thing.”
“No problem. I’m going to do some patching here, and then I’ll meet up with you guys at the new house.”
“Great, thanks. Don’t fall off the roof.”
Riley laughed. “I’ll try not to.” He’d spent the hottest, most miserable summer of his life working for a roofing company while in college.
Thanks to that worst job ever, he knew how to keep from falling off a roof and how to do a repair that would keep the occupants dry until a more permanent fix could be done.
He got busy with the patch, losing himself in the work the way he always did.
As the sun got warmer, he pulled off his shirt and downed half the bottle of cold water he’d tucked into his work bag.
Shingles were flying from the roof to the yard as he moved across the area of greatest immediate concern.
“Shit,” he muttered when he uncovered soaked plywood that would have to be replaced. That development made the “quick fix” much more complicated. He pulled out his phone and sent Mac a text.
Got to replace the plywood in one area. Gonna take longer than I thought here.
Okay. Keep me posted.
Will do.
“Excuse me? Mr. McCarthy? Is that you up there?”
Riley smiled at being called Mr. McCarthy by someone roughly the same age as he was.
Moving carefully, he made his way down the incline of the roof and onto the ladder.
He descended to find Nikki waiting for him, arms crossed, brows knitted with anxiety.
Today she wore a formfitting tank with another pair of denim shorts.
Her silky hair was pulled back into a ponytail that put her gorgeous face on full display.
As he landed on the ground a few feet from her, she took a long look at his bare chest, her eyes widening and her mouth falling open for a second before she caught herself, slammed her mouth closed and did that cute thing with her eyebrows again.
The girl was a tightly wound ball of stress. “You, um, you forgot your shirt.”
“I left it on the roof.”
“Oh.”
“Did you need something?”
“I need the banging to stop. My sister is in a very fragile condition and requires a lot of rest right now. We can’t have all that noise.”
“Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your roof is about to cave in, and when it’s raining inside the house, your sister will be a lot more disturbed than she is now.”
She hugged herself even tighter as stress rolled off her in waves. “How long will it take to replace it?”
“A couple of weeks at a minimum.”
To his horror, her eyes filled with tears. “This can’t be happening.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s in really bad shape. If even a minor nor’easter comes through here, the roof isn’t going to hold.”
She ran trembling hands up and down her arms. “I… I don’t know what to do. She’s so fragile. The noise… It’s just too much for her.”
“Is there any way you could relocate for a short time? We’ll get it done as fast as possible.”
She shook her head. “It was all I could do to get her here, let alone eat once or twice a day…”
“I’m really sorry. I wish I had better news for you.”
“Me, too.”
Riley had the oddest desire to wrap his arms around her and tell her everything would be okay when he couldn’t possibly know if that was true.
They coexisted in awkward silence for an uncomfortably long moment. He had no idea what to say to her or even if he should say anything at all.
She cleared her throat. “I don’t mean to dump my crap on you. It’s not your fault. We’ll figure out something.”
“I’m sorry you guys are going through such a tough time. I can’t imagine how anyone does what he did to someone they supposedly love.”
She released a harsh laugh. “He didn’t love her. He used her to make a name for himself. Rather successfully, I might add.”
“Surely there must be something she can do, from a legal standpoint.”
“I’m sure there’s a lot that could be done, if I could get her out of bed long enough to take a call from her attorneys. In the meantime, the video gets ten million new views per day.”
Riley recoiled. “Ten million?”
“Yep. So while my sister is bedridden, her sex tape is going viral.” Her words were matter-of-fact, but her rigid posture indicated the toll the stress was taking on her.
“Jesus,” Riley muttered.
“He doesn’t seem inclined to help us. Believe me, I’ve requested his assistance repeatedly since we first found out about the tape.”
“I wish there was something…” Riley faltered when a thought occurred to him. “My cousin Adam…”
“Excuse me?”
“He’s a computer whiz. Maybe he can help contain the damage somehow.”
She bit her thumbnail as she considered that.
“And we know Dan Torrington,” Riley added, not sure why he felt the need to get involved.
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “You know Dan Torrington?”
Riley nodded. “He’s a friend and an island resident.”
Nikki glanced at the house, and he could almost see her trying to decide what her sister would think of this.
A flash of panic hit him. What the hell was he doing getting involved with people he didn’t know in a situation that was already so far out of control as to be deemed epically disastrous?
He swallowed hard, as the words never mind hovered on the tip of his tongue.
But watching her panic, which easily outmatched his on a scale of two to one, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words that would put an end to his temporary insanity.
She looked up at him, her big expressive eyes swimming with unshed tears. “I would very much appreciate whatever help you’re able to give me.”
He swallowed his misgivings, hoping he wasn’t going to regret offering his assistance. “Sure, whatever I can do.”
As the nine o’clock ferry cleared the breakwater leaving Gansett, Joe Cantrell released a deep sigh of relief, the second biggest sigh of relief of his life.
The first being the one that followed the birth of his son, P.J.
, when he’d been told that both his wife and child were going to survive after the chaotic delivery.
He still gave thanks every day for the quick action of David Lawrence, who’d saved both their lives.
Joe didn’t like to think about what his life might be like today if David had failed to save them. Standing at the rail with his son in his arms, looking out at the familiar landscape of the island they called home, Joe shuddered at the thought of life without Janey and P.J.
The breeze blew through the baby’s light blond hair, making him laugh from the sensation of the wind in his face.
His son laughed at everything. He was the most joyful child Joe had ever known, not that he’d known many kids.
But his son was special. His easygoing personality, ready smile and big blue eyes brightened every day for Joe and Janey.
He was, quite simply, the best thing to ever happen to them.
If it’d been up to him, they would’ve quit while they were ahead.
The thought of another child terrified him after nearly losing Janey and P.J.
the first time around. They’d taken steps to avoid getting pregnant again, but something had gone “wrong,” and now their second child was due in two weeks.
This one would be born on the mainland, in a hospital equipped for any possible emergency. They were leaving nothing to chance.