Book 23 Blackout After Dark #3
“Not quite, but I did lose an unborn baby whom I’ve mourned for more than thirty-five years. It’s not the same as what happened to you, not even close, but…”
“Grief is grief.”
“Yes, I suppose so. I just want you to know… There’s an amazing community that lives year-round on the island, and if you’d like, I’d be happy to introduce you to our family and friends. A few of the former lighthouse keepers have interesting stories you might relate to.”
In her past life, Dara might’ve been interested in meeting new people and hearing the stories of the people who’d lived before them in the lighthouse. Now? Not so much. “We’ll see what happens.”
“Of course. The offer stands. Gansett Island is a great place to live. I hope you’ll find some peace here.”
Sarah Grandchamp is upset about the power going out on the day she’s hosting a housewarming party for a hundred people.
Without air conditioning and a stove, her plans have gone sideways.
Her son Owen calls from the Sand and Surf Hotel and tells her to send his brothers, John and Jeff, over in Charlie’s truck to pick up grills and ice.
With the grills fired up on the deck, Sarah turns to her youngest son, Jeff. “It’s a nice surprise to see you here.”
He grins. “Well, I was invited to the party.”
“Of course you were, but I didn’t expect you or John to actually come.”
“We wanted to be here to help you celebrate this awesome new house.”
“It is kind of awesome, isn’t it?” Sarah looks around at the open-concept contemporary with the sweeping ocean views. “We’ve been here two weeks, and I still can’t believe I actually live here.”
“You deserve this, Mom. You deserve it all. Enjoy every second of it.”
Sarah hugs him. “Thanks, sweetie. Tell me about you. What’s going on?”
“I’m about to give up on Florida and move up here.”
“Really? That’d be wonderful!”
“What would be wonderful?” Sarah’s mother, Adele, asks as she arrives. Having her parents living in the guest cottage on their property is the best part for Sarah. Russ and Adele had been thrilled to accept her and Charlie’s offer of a new home on Gansett Island.
“Jeff is thinking about moving up here,” Sarah says.
“That would be wonderful indeed,” Adele says.
Jeff puts his arm around his grandmother and gives her a squeeze. “It’s no fun in Florida since you guys moved home.”
A few minutes later, her daughter Julia arrives with her boyfriend, Deacon Taylor, bringing coolers of ice from the Wayfarer. “They closed down for the day due to the power outage,” Julia says, “so Nikki sent the ice over. Where do you want it?”
Shane and Katie are right behind them, rolling their grill in through the kitchen to the back deck. “Heard you needed grills,” Katie says, kissing her mom.
Sarah gives thanks every day for Charlie, Laura, Shane and Deacon, and hopes her younger four children will find their perfect mates, too.
Charlie appears next to Sarah, who’s standing at the massive island in the middle of her kitchen, and watches with amazement as her kids step up for her. But even their help can’t quite stem the full-on panic she feels brewing at the thought of entertaining a hundred people with no power.
“Whatever you’re thinking, knock it off,” Charlie says. “We’ve got this. Don’t worry about a thing.”
“How do you always know what to say to me?”
“I can tell by the way your lips are all tight that you’re unhappy. I don’t like it when you’re unhappy.”
And that, right there, is the primary difference between her blissful second marriage and the nightmare first one. Charlie loves her and wants only the best for her and the ones she loves.
Gansett Police Chief, Blaine Taylor, is upset to lose time away from his family on a rare day off, but he’s been called into work due to the power outage.
Jack Downing, the Rhode Island state police officer permanently assigned to Gansett, has joined him at the public safety building along with Linc Mercier, the Coast Guard commander.
They’re waiting for Fire Chief Mason Johns to arrive when Town Council President Big Mac McCarthy arrives.
Mason rushes in a few minutes later. “I came as soon as I got your message. What’re we hearing?”
“Not much of anything yet,” Blaine says. “We’re waiting to hear from the power company and the governor’s office.”
“Is anyone looking at this as some sort of deliberate act?” Mason asks.
Blaine glances at Jack, who shakes his head.
“I don’t think so. You’d have to know what you were doing to knock out power to the entire island, and if you didn’t know what you were doing, you’d be a fool to mess with the substations.
I think it’s what Mr. McCarthy said—an old system that should’ve been updated years ago buckling under increased demand due to the heat wave. ”
“What’s the chance of getting it back before the end of the day?” Blaine asks.
“If history is any indication,” Big Mac replies, “not good. The last time it happened, six years ago, we were out for five days.”
The entire group groans.
Maddie McCarthy can’t wait until Labor Day, when things calm down at the end of the summer season.
On Labor Day, which is only three short weeks away, she and Mac would move to the mainland with Hailey and baby Mac until their twin girls arrive in mid-September.
As she watches Thomas play on the floor with Hailey and their indispensable nanny, Kelsey, Maddie can’t bear to think about being separated from Thomas for as long as a month if it comes to that.
He would be staying with Tiffany and her family while they were away.
“She’s wonderful with them,” Maddie’s mom, Francine, says of Kelsey.
At twenty-two, Kelsey is a recent college grad, majoring in early childhood development.
Maddie refers to her as their “Disney princess” because she’s so sweet that Maddie almost wonders if she’s for real.
Her heart is pure gold, and she’s made such a difference for them as Maddie’s bed rest fell during Mac’s busiest season.
They’re both more relaxed since the angel named Kelsey came into their lives.
“Mac and I debated this a thousand different ways,” Maddie says, “and we were going to bring him with us until we told him he’d miss the first month of school. He was despondent. More so than he was about not seeing us for a month.”
Francine huffs out a laugh. “Welcome to the years when other people start to become more important to your kids than you are. It’s hard to take at first.”
“I’m so not ready for that.” Maddie dabs at her eyes as more tears leak from the corners. She’s on emotional overload all the time lately.
Mac arrives with good news. “I come bearing a generator.”
“For the fridge, right?” Maddie asks, happy to see him as usual. Everything is better when he’s around, and it’s been that way from the day they met.
“I’m going to rig it up so we get some AC down here, too.”
“God bless you. My hero.”
Mac comes to the sofa and bends to kiss her. “I can’t have my baby mama roasting to death.”
“Is the party still on?”
“As far as I know. I helped Laura with their generator earlier, and she said Owen was bringing coolers of ice from the Surf to his mom’s.”
“Poor Sarah. Of all the things to happen on her big day.”
“It’ll be fine. Islanders are hardy folks.” In a matter of minutes, he has the generator running from the deck, the fridge back on and the low hum of AC filling the room with cool air once again.
“And that’s my cue to get out of here,” Francine says when she hears the toot-toot of Ned’s horn from the driveway. “He must be busy if he’s not coming in to see the kids.” She accepts hugs and kisses from Thomas and Hailey. “Thanks for all you’re doing, Kelsey. You’re the best.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Saunders. This is the most fun job I’ve ever had.”
“We’re hoping she still says that when there are five of them,” Mac says.
“I will be!” Kelsey says with her usual too-good-to-be-true enthusiasm. “I think I hear Mac waking up from his nap. Who wants to help me get him up?”
“Me!” Thomas and Hailey say as one.
“When I ask them that, they don’t even answer,” Maddie says when the three of them had gone upstairs to get baby Mac.
Francine kisses her daughter’s forehead. “Hang in there, honey. This too shall pass.”
Mac drives to the island’s northwest corner and pulls into a dirt driveway to what had once been an alpaca farm. The place is in shambles, with the roof crumbling, rusted farm equipment scattered about the property and a general aura of neglect clinging to the buildings.
But the potential… That’s all he can see after stumbling upon the property the previous winter while out plowing snow. He’s learned to run with things that interest him as much as this place does.
Big Mac pulls up a few minutes later. “What are we doing here, son?”
“I’m having a thought…”
Big Mac props aviator sunglasses on top of his wiry gray hair. “What thought is that?”
“Take a walk with me.” Mac leads his father through the split-rail fence that’s mostly rotted and covered in a thick layer of moss.
The grass hasn’t been mowed in years and has become a meadow of wildflowers and weeds that leads to the water’s edge.
A gigantic barn made of stone and wood is covered with colorful ivy, and the pervasive stink of alpaca urine fills the air.
“It sure is fragrant,” Big Mac says, pulling a face.
Mac laughs. “Indeed. So, you know how we have high-end wedding elegance at the Chesterfield and beach weddings at the Wayfarer?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What if we were to renovate this place to offer shabby chic, rustic farm weddings with a million-dollar view of the ocean?”
“What the hell is shabby chic?”
“Rusty farm implements in the wedding pictures, repurposed wood and hay bales.” He leads his father through a broken door into the vast barn. “Look at this place.”
Big Mac pulls a bandanna from his back pocket and puts it over his nose and mouth. “It fucking reeks.”