Carolina Breeze

by Denise Hunter

  Molly shifted on her seat. Even though she’d just come from a family squabble, that wasn’t what was usurping her thoughts. Things had felt different between Adam and her since three weeks ago when he hadn’t proposed. Conversation didn’t flow like it used to. A barrier seemed to have been erected between them. Worse, she’d started to doubt him.

  A week ago she’d thought back to that call he’d received from Tiffany, and it occurred to her that the screen might not have said Tiffany & Co. at all. It may have just said Tiffany. Maybe she’d only presumed it to be the jewelers because she’d had proposal on the brain. Maybe Tiffany was really the name of some woman.

  The thought had gutted her.

  She didn’t want to think Adam could be talking to another woman, or worse, seeing another woman.

  And yes, yes, she knew. Adam was not the cheating type. He wasn’t some playboy. But her ex-boyfriend Dominic had done a job on her. Shaken her trust in men. She thought she’d gotten past that, but here she was in doubting mode again. And there was that distance between them that hadn’t been there before. How could she explain that?

  She wiped her sweaty palms down her shorts. The thought of losing Adam was unthinkable. It would be so much worse than losing Dominic. She loved Adam with all her heart. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She couldn’t imagine a future with anyone else.

  “You’ve been quiet.” Adam shot her a sideways glance, his face unreadable in the shadowy light.

  “I know. Sorry. There was a big blowup between Levi and Grace before I left the house. She told him she doesn’t want to go to college, and things got pretty heated. I can see both sides. But the bottom line is, it’s Grace’s life, and Levi needs to back off. But you know Levi. He can be pretty single-minded.”

  “He cares about both of you.”

  “Of course he does. But he has a tendency to be a little bossy, and that just makes Grace buck up. They both need to cool off before they talk about this again. I’ll work on Levi in the meantime, see if I can soften him up a little.” She gave him a wry grin. “A middle child’s work is never done.”

  Her attempt at levity went unrecognized. Adam fell quiet again. That had been the way of things lately. What was going on? Her eyes burned. She was grateful for the darkness and glad they’d reached a good spot to anchor down.

  Adam shut off the engine, leaving the nav lights on, and dropped the anchor.

  Distant laughter and music carried from the boats around them. Seeing the fireworks on the lake had always been a highlight for Molly. And she’d looked forward to sharing it with Adam. But now it was all ruined by . . . whatever this was between them.

  He turned on the captain seat to face her. “That isn’t what I meant, Molly.”

  She blinked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean . . .” he began in a voice that was low and measured. “You’ve been quiet lately. It seems like you’ve got something on your mind, but every time I ask what’s wrong, you say you’re fine. But you’re not fine, Molly. Something’s wrong, and I need to know what it is. Please.”

  He sounded so sad and confused. Just like she was. Maybe Mia had been right. Maybe Molly should just tell him. Just get it out on the table. Whatever was happening between them couldn’t be worse than all this suspicion and speculation.

  Her pulse increased until she feared her heart would pound right out of her chest. “I thought you were going to propose,” she blurted.

  A beat of silence. “What?”

  And then the words tumbled out of her like water down Lone Creek Falls. “Before we went to the Crow’s Nest I heard that you’d made the reservations—quiet table by the window—and it’s a special occasion type place, and we hadn’t been there before, you know? And then a few days later we were at your house, and you were in the kitchen, and your phone was sitting out on the coffee table, and a call came in. The screen said Tiffany & Co., so I thought you must be planning to propose, because Tiffany!

  “And so that night I got all dressed up, and dinner came and went, and you drove me home and left me on the porch—proposal-less! And I was so disappointed because I thought I must’ve done something to change your mind.”

  “Oh, Molly.”

  “And after that things just seemed weird between us. And then I thought, did the phone actually say Tiffany & Co. or did it maybe just say Tiffany? Maybe I just jumped to conclusions because I was so excited about you asking me to marry you. But then you didn’t. Are you seeing someone else, Adam? Because if you are, I have to know, ’cause I’m just about to go batty!”

  “Molly.” Adam slid over into her seat, placing his arm around her. “Why didn’t you tell me all this? Of course I’m not seeing somebody else. I love you and only you.”

  She let his words sink in deep. Allowed her lungs to draw another breath. “Then why did—”

  He placed his fingers over her lips, looking at her as if he really did mean what he’d just said. “My turn. I was planning to propose that night, Molly. And I don’t know what the screen said, but I do know that call was from the jewelry store, and I did buy your ring there. I don’t even know anyone named Tiffany, and I would never cheat on you, ever.”

  “I’m sorry.” She let his words settle all the way into her heart. Okay, so there was no one else. She believed him. But . . .

  “Then why didn’t you propose that night? Did you change your mind?” An ache bloomed in her chest at the thought. She’d never had a single doubt about him since they’d starting dating last fall. Not until this proposal debacle.

  “That’s my fault. I jumped the gun a little. I bought the ring back in May when I was in New York visiting my publisher. And since your father wasn’t here to give his blessing I planned to ask Levi instead. But I kept putting it off because . . . well, you know I’m just not good at that kind of thing.”

  Dread squirmed inside.

  “By the time I finally got up the nerve to ask him, I already had the ring and already made the dinner reservation. But Levi thought it might be better to wait a little while, so I decided to put it off a bit.”

  “Hold up . . .” She ran his words back through her head, bristling as her gaze focused more intently on Adam. “Levi? Levi thought it might be better to wait?”

  thirty-nine

  Levi had stepped outside for only twenty minutes. Thirty at most.

  He was twitchy after his argument with Grace and needed something productive to do. There was no reason to guard the front desk. All the guests were out for the festivities, and the No Vacancy sign was on. The three shrubs out front hadn’t been trimmed in a few weeks, and he could knock that out quickly and burn off his excess energy in one fell swoop.

  He turned on the exterior lights and fetched the hedge trimmer from the shed. The physical job didn’t keep his mind from spinning while he worked though. Or keep the headache at the base of his skull from throbbing. It only provided a valid explanation for his tense shoulder muscles and his racing heart.

  Where had he gone wrong with Grace? How was he going to change her mind about college? Because he had to. His parents would have found a way to do just that, and since they weren’t here it was his job.

  He finished the shrubs too quickly, raked up the trimmings, and dumped them in the compost pile in the backyard. He stored the rake in the shed and entered the inn through the back door, his mind still on Grace.

  It was the sound of trickling water that snapped his thoughts to the present. Had someone returned for a shower? He turned the corner to the lobby and stopped, staring in disbelief.

  A steady drizzle of water trickled like a waterfall under the railing of the second flight.

  He charged up the stairs two at a time. His shoes slipped on the wet wood. He stopped at the top, gaping. The hallway was covered in water.

  But where was it coming from? He forced himself to slow down and try and see how the water was moving. The suite. Had Mia left the water running?

  He needed th
e key. He flew back downstairs and grabbed it. Then he ran back upstairs and down the hall. His hands shook as he keyed open the door.

  The water was deeper in here. It swirled beside one of the interior walls where water rushed from beneath the baseboard. His stomach filled with lead.

  A pipe had burst. He had to turn off the water supply.

  He dashed back through the water, taking the stairs at a reckless pace. Once on the main floor he ran around to access the basement steps. Thank God he knew where the valve was from when he’d worked with the plumber on their renovation.

  He charged to the opposite wall, located the valve, and grabbed it, twisting. It was stuck. He turned harder. Finally it gave. The round wheel squeaked as he turned it, but gradually the water flow slowed, then stopped.

  He dropped his head to his arm, breathing fast. This was a disaster. He had to think.

  Turn off the electricity. But he’d waded through water . . . better to call an electrician. They’d be closed for the holiday, but he had Ed Barrick’s number in his phone.

  He shouldn’t go back into the flooded area until the electricity was off. But he needed to move his guests’ belongings to higher ground.

  Levi headed back upstairs, his eyes taking in the puddles once he reached the lobby. He’d grab towels from upstairs. He headed back up.

  The water was a couple inches deep in the suite. Mia’s things were in drawers except for a pair of sandals. He moved them onto the chaise, then went to check the other rooms.

  He spent a good thirty minutes moving suitcases and shoes. Then he grabbed towels and mopped up the puddles in the lobby. He left a tub from the kitchen under the railing to catch the dripping water.

  How had this happened so quickly?

  His mind raced with all that needed to be done now. He had to get the water up. They had a Shop-Vac in the shed. He could call Erik and ask him to bring his over too.

  But no. First he had to call Ed. He went outside.

  This was a complete disaster. The whole upstairs had flooded except for his sisters’ room. It would take weeks to repair. They’d have to shut down the inn.

  He couldn’t think about that now. He found Ed’s number in his contacts. Standing on the darkened lawn he tapped the name and sighed audibly when Ed picked up. Levi told him what had happened, and Ed promised to be right over.

  “Stay out of the house,” he said. “And call your insurance company.”

  After hanging up Levi did as he suggested. They weren’t open, of course, but he left a message. He turned and stared at the inn, the porch lights still aglow. Some of the shock had worn off and reality was setting in, making his gut twist.

  Water produced mold, and mold was damaging and potentially toxic. All soft surfaces were at risk. The drywall was soaking up water even now. It would all have to be cut out, new drywall taped into place, mudded, and painted.

  The entire second story might need to be refloored. All the wood trim replaced. All the other hard surfaces would have to be treated. It was going to take weeks, possibly months, depending on how much help he could find around here during the busy summer.

  And the money . . . He didn’t even want to think about the money. He had insurance of course. But that wouldn’t cover the lost business, because he’d canceled the interruption insurance in January to save a few bucks.

  He closed his eyes. Kneaded the muscles at the back of his neck where a full-fledged headache was brewing.

  He was unaware he had company until he heard Molly’s voice.

  “How could you.”

  He turned around, his thoughts still a jumbled mess. “What? What are you doing here?”

  He registered the look on his sister’s face. Even in the shadows he could see the tense, angry set of her shoulders. The straight line of her brows.

  “What gives you the right to tell Adam not to propose to me?” Her voice boomed across the space between them.

  Levi blinked, now fully onboard with the subject at hand. “Molly, this isn’t a good time. The house has been—”

  “No, Levi! We’re going to talk about this. Why did you tell Adam that?”

  “I—I didn’t exactly . . . I just—I thought it was a little too fast, that’s all. So I suggested—”

  “Fast? You think it was too fast? You, who fell head over heels with Mia Emerson in two weeks flat?”

  His face warmed. “There’s a difference between developing feelings and committing to a—”

  “And even if it was too fast, Levi, it’s none of your business! You had no right to tell Adam to hold off. Do you have any idea what you did? All the problems you created?”

  “That wasn’t my inten—”

  “I knew he was going to propose that night, and when he didn’t, I thought something was wrong. I thought he’d changed his mind! I’ve been miserable for weeks, thinking I was losing him or that there was someone else. But no. No! It was just my intrusive, bossy brother trying to control my life again!”

  Oh boy. “Listen, Molly, I’m sorry. I was just trying to—”

  “No, Levi! No. Do not write this off as you trying to do what’s best for me. You’re not my dad. And you’re not Grace’s dad either. You’re our brother, and that gives you zero right to interfere with our lives. We’re adults! We’re perfectly capable of knowing what’s best for us, and if you disagree with our plans, so what? That’s your problem, not ours. I’m so done with this, Levi. Done!”

  She charged toward the house and up the porch steps.

  Remembering the water, Levi snapped to attention. “Molly, no! Don’t go in there.”

  “Stop telling me what to do!”

  But when she reached the inn’s threshold she stopped of her own free will.

  * * *

  Mia checked her phone. It was almost time for the fireworks to start. She’d expected Levi half an hour ago. She’d texted him ten minutes ago, but he hadn’t yet replied.

  She tapped his name, placing the call. Maybe he’d gotten busy taking reservations or a guest had needed his help. Still, it was unlike him not to respond.

  Finally he picked up after several rings. “I’m so sorry, Mia. We’ve had a—a mishap here at the inn. The upstairs is flooded, and I won’t be able to—”

  “Flooded!”

  His sigh sounded soul deep. “A burst pipe. Long story. Listen, I’m up to my ankles in water, and I have to get this dried out. I’m sorry to cancel on you.”

  Mia was already packing up their things. “I’m coming home. I’ll be right there.”

  forty

  Levi shelved his hands on his hips. The mantel clock said it was nearly four o’clock in the morning. His shoulders felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Each.

  He surveyed the suite. The rug had been taken up, exposing the damp floor, the boards already warping near the wall where the pipe had burst. A water line rimmed the wide baseboard.

  The closet door was flung open. The space had been full of stuff, all of it removed to the porch with the rugs. The windows were open, and every fan they could find was running. A dehumidifier hummed in the corner.

  Molly had worked on finding emergency lodging for their guests—not easy on the holiday weekend, but she’d somehow pulled it off. She’d then called all their guests and told them they’d have to evacuate the inn immediately. They’d comped their stays to help soothe ruffled feathers.

  Once Molly finished that task, she’d worked on finding alternative lodging for the wedding party the following week—another difficult task. She’d have to call the bride with the bad news in the morning. Once she’d done all she could she joined the cleanup, but Levi could feel the cold waves of anger radiating off her. Grace wasn’t much better.

  At Ed’s recommendation, they’d documented the damage with their cell phones for the insurance company before cleanup.

  Now that the floors were drying up, Levi sneaked down to his room and dug up the insurance policy. He hoped he’d remembered wrong about the interru
ption insurance.

  But no. He had canceled the policy. At least the flood damage would be covered.

  He made his way from his room, swallowing hard. He was officially in over his head. He didn’t know how he was going to get them over this hurdle. And the worse thing about it all was that it was his fault. Not only had he canceled the interruption insurance, he’d also neglected to update the pipes, something the plumber had suggested during renovations. But Levi had been so focused on staying on time and on budget that he’d declined.

  The girls were on the porch now sorting out what was salvageable and what was headed for the dump. Sodden rugs were draped over the railings. He could see Mia through the living room window, removing items from a cardboard box. She’d come home and jumped right into the fray.

  He thought back over the last twelve hours, beginning with his argument with Grace. He was failing at everything. He was failing Grace. He was failing Molly. And worst of all, he was failing his parents. He and sisters were on the very edge of losing their legacy.

  And it was all his fault.

  Take care of your sisters.

  His dad’s words echoed in his ears, settled in the back of his neck, tightening the corded muscles.

  Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

  A wave of dizziness washed over him. His vision blackened at the edges, and he grabbed hold of the mantel. His heart was beating too fast, he realized. And maybe he was a little short of breath. But it had been a busy night and it was late. He was exhausted. They all were.

  He blinked, his vision gradually returning to normal. If today had taught him nothing else, it had taught him this: he had to make some changes. He’d alienated his sisters, and he had to fix that. He’d allowed himself to become distracted, and chaos had erupted. He couldn’t keep up this pace and hold them all together.

  Mia’s melodic laughter tinkled through the open window like a magical wind chime. His gaze followed the sound even as his heart sank like a leaden weight.