“You’re an angel, thank you, Faith.” Noelle beamed at her. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, you stay here and keep working. I don’t want to take you away from what you need to do. But let me and Ryan know if you still need help with stuff when the workday is over. We’d be happy to come back and help you out.”
“Thank you.” Noelle smiled. “I think we’ve got it covered, but we really appreciate the offer.”
“I should be able to get this all cleared by myself in about ten minutes once I get a doughnut in my system,” Chip added,patting his belly. “I become superman when I’ve had some pastry.”
Faith laughed and shook her head at his silliness. She’d met Chip at a few town events before, so she knew he was generally cheerful and jocular, but she had a feeling that he was being extra goofy on purpose in order to cheer up Noelle, who looked pale and stressed. Faith also wanted her soon-to-be-relative to feel less stressed, which was why she’d suggested that she get doughnuts and coffee.
I know I told her to be optimistic,Faith thought,but I’ve got a pit in my stomach about their venue too. A lot of the older buildings in town took a hit during that storm. I really hope everything works out.
Aloud, she said, “Well, I’ll be back in just a few minutes. Are lattes good with everyone?”
“I’ll just take black please,” Chip said.
Noelle and Chloe said they would like lattes, and Faith suggested rose syrup, which they both jumped at eagerly.
“Okay, I’ll be back in just a little bit.” Faith smiled at them and slipped out the door of the clinic. As she walked toward Ocean Breeze Café, her heart felt a little lighter. She still felt worried about what would happen with Noelle and Dean’s venue, as well as what would happen to all kinds of establishments and homes all over their town, but she felt better knowing that she was doing something to help out, even if it was just something small.
She looked up at the clear blue sky overhead as she walked, feeling awestruck by the fact that the weather could change so completely in such a short amount of time. The sky looked completely serene and unthreatening, and Faith could hardly believe that it had been crashing with thunder and lightning so recently.
She sighed and shook her head, determined to fight off the wave of foreboding she was feeling. She knew that although something tough had hit their town, they were going to be okay. Rosewood Beach was a strong community that took care of its own. Together, they were going to pull through.
CHAPTER SIX
Dean felt a surge of worry as he got out of his car and looked at the wedding venue. It was a beautiful old building, and although the outside looked untouched by the storm, Dean couldn’t help feeling that something was off.
Maybe it’s just my imagination,he thought as he approached the front door.I’m just thinking that something is wrong because I’m worried about it.
He took a deep breath and stepped inside. The lobby was cool and filled with various potted plants. At first, he felt a flutter of relief, seeing that all of the stained-glass windows were undamaged and noting that the lobby seemed as clean and tidy as ever. A moment later, however, his heart sank. There was a new smell in the air, and he recognized it as the smell of water mixed with damp wood and peeling plaster.
He heard voices coming from the main room, where the reception for his and Noelle’s wedding was scheduled to be, and he headed in that direction. His heart was thumping in his chest by the time he reached the double doors, which were open. As soon as he stepped through them, he knew that he couldn’t hope there wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.
The whole room had been flooded, and there was at least six inches of water on the floor. The tables and chairs bobbed slightly in a lopsided fashion, half-floating in the unwelcome indoor pond.
“Oh, Dean, hi.” The owner, Margaret, turned to him with a weary look. “It’s awful, isn’t it?”
Dean nodded. “I’m so sorry. Are you insured?”
“Yes, thankfully, but we want to keep this place historically accurate.” Margaret shook her head, looking pained. “I can’t have the insurance company pay for someone to come in and drywall over antique wood paneling. I’m still hoping we can get this wood dried in time before it warps, and we’ll have to treat everything for mildew. Right now, we’re waiting for a pump to arrive so we can get the water out of here.”
“I can help with a bucket for now. I know it won’t be much use, but if we work together, we should be able to get the water down a little at least.”
“Would you?” Margaret smiled gratefully. “We were just talking about that. David went to go get some buckets.”
As if on cue, at that moment David, Margaret’s husband, stepped into the room, carrying a stack of buckets. He and Dean shook hands grimly but didn’t say anything. Dean thought to himself that there wasn’t a need to. It was pretty clear that they were all in a jam together.
They started to collect the water in the buckets, carrying them to the sink in the bar and dumping them out one by one. As they worked, Dean carefully surveyed the damage around him. He wondered how long it would take to repair the venue, and if he and Noelle would be able to have their wedding there.
They’ll have to treat the wood and probably replace some of it,Dean thought, feeling his heart sink as he looked at the beautiful antique wood paneling surrounding them.And this carpet will have to be replaced, that’s for sure. I think it was theoriginal carpet too. Margaret will probably want to take the time to look for a replica, or at least a close match.
After they’d been working for half an hour, he decided he needed to ask the question that was buzzing around in his mind like a swarm of bees.
“Margaret, what do you think the timeline for this will be?” His voice sounded husky, and he cleared his throat. “Do you think things will be back together by the time Noelle and I are schedule to get married?”
Margaret turned toward him, and as soon as he saw the remorseful look in her eyes, his heart sank all the way down into the puddle surrounding his soaked shoes.
“I don’t think so, Dean, I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “I wish I could say yes, and I’m not saying that it definitely won’t be ready, but I’m not entirely sure how many repairs we’re up against here.”
