by Lena Gregory
The storm raged, pummeling the house.
“So, now what?” Gia asked.
“First, I finish investigating, then I try to get my badge back.”
“Will you be able to get back on the force?”
“I think so. I hope so. Either way, I have to see this through first.”
“Where were you for the past week? Leo said you were following up a lead about a second body.”
“Leo has a big mouth.”
Gia laughed. “That may be true, but in his defense, it slipped out by accident.”
“I left town to follow a couple of leads, but they didn’t go where I expected.”
“Can you tell me what they were?”
“If I do, can you promise to stay out of this investigation?”
Major dilemma. She couldn’t lie to him, especially not after he’d been so honest with her. But at the same time, she couldn’t betray Savannah’s trust either.
“That’s what I figured.” He didn’t sound angry, just resigned.
“I’m sorry, Hunt, I—”
“It’s okay. I appreciate you being honest with me.” He lifted her off him and slid around to face her. “That’s all I ask, Gia. I have feelings for you, feelings that confuse me because I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. You’re like family, and yet not. You’re more. And I’d like to see where this will lead. The only thing I ask is that there are no lies between us. Ever. Trust and respect are very important to me. I’ll always understand if you can’t tell me something, and I’ll never pry.” He grinned. “Not too much anyway. But we always have to be honest with one another.”
He leaned toward her, then lowered his lips to hers. Hesitant at first, gentle, but then he pulled her closer, deepened the kiss.
A cell phone rang.
Hunt pulled away, kissed her once more, a quick peck, then answered his phone.
Gia started to stand, but he weaved his fingers between hers and held her hand.
“Okay. I’m at Gia’s…. She’s fine. Are you with Savannah? Let her know Gia’s fine, she just lost cell phone service…thanks.” Hunt disconnected the call, stood, and stuffed his phone into his pocket. “I have to go.”
“Is something wrong?”
“The storms are bad, Gia, really bad. And there are a lot of people in trouble. Badge or not, I have to help. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Okay.” She kissed him and tore herself away so she didn’t cling and beg him to stay where he’d be safe. “Be careful.”
“Always.”
Chapter 19
Gia unlocked the café door and hit the switch, breathing a sigh of relief when the lights came on. Electricity had still not been restored to Rolling Pines when she’d left, so she’d packed an overnight bag and hoped for the best. If everything worked in town, she’d spend the night at the apartment.
She locked the door behind her and turned on all the lights in the dining room, then dropped her overnight bag onto a chair in the corner of her office. She set her laptop on her desk. Sometime today she wanted to finish her search of Floyd Masters, then see what she could find out about his nephew, good ole Captain Hayes.
Before starting her prep for the day, she took a quick peek out the back door. Not only was Harley’s dinner gone, the table and chair she’d left out there for him had disappeared as well. The newspapers scattered across the parking lot and caught up in the trees and brush that had come down courtesy of last night’s storms led her to believe Harley still hadn’t returned. She’d have to go out later and clean up the mess. Great. Just what she needed, prolonged exposure to the back parking lot.
She grabbed an apron from a hook behind the door and pulled it over her head, tying it as she strode into the kitchen to start prepping. A quick inventory told her what she’d need, and she jotted everything down on a list and tacked it above the grill.
She first sliced a few thick slabs of ham on the slicer, then set them aside on a cutting board on the counter. She set out a bag of green peppers and a bag of onions. Once she finished washing and dicing everything for the western omelets, she filled bins and placed them in the refrigerator. Then she diced vegetables for omelets and lined those up in the fridge as well.
She set trays of bacon and sausage out on the grill and started the home fries.
“Hey there.”
Gia jumped and pressed a hand against her chest.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Savannah strode toward her.
“That’s okay.” Gia laughed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
Savannah threw her arms around Gia and hugged her.
Confused, Gia hugged her back. “Is everything okay?”
Savannah stepped back, half laughing, half crying, and wiped her eyes. She sucked in a shaky breath. “I know it’s probably silly, but I got so scared last night. When I lost your call, then heard on the news people had been killed in the storm, I felt sick until Leo was finally able to get through to Hunt. All I could think about was my last conversation with you, when I was a complete and total witch.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you were concerned about the ticks and I got nasty. I didn’t mean it.”
Gia smiled. “Of course, you did. I was acting like a baby, and you called me on it.”
“Still… I could have been kinder.”
“Sometimes you don’t need to be coddled. Sometimes you need to be told to pull up your big girl pants and deal with reality. Which, come to think of it, I think you’ve actually said to me before.” Gia laughed and squeezed Savannah’s hand. “And only a truly close friend, your best friend, can get away with putting you in your place when the need arises. Thank you.”
Savannah hugged her again. “You are my best friend, Gia, more of a sister really, but as much as I want you to stay here, I want you to be happy more.”
“I know that. And I love you all the more for it. But I am happy here. I’m not gonna lie, it’s an adjustment, and there are still things I have to get used to, and probably things I’ll never get used to, but overall, I love it here. Boggy Creek is my home.” The certainty surprised her. For the first time, she had no doubts about staying in Florida. “Accept it, you’re stuck with me.”
“Well, it sure took you long enough.” Savannah winked and took a piece of bacon. “So, now that you’re here to stay, what trouble can we get into?”
“Well, for starters, you can spray those pans and start filling them with home fries for the breakfast pies.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Savannah saluted and started lining up the pie tins.
Gia cracked eggs into a large glass bowl. “What were you saying about people getting killed in the storm?”
“So far, they’ve found eleven people dead.”
They both paused a moment in silence, then made the sign of the cross. Not that Gia was particularly religious, but some things stuck from childhood, and it seemed appropriate to pray for those who’d lost their lives.
“Haven’t you been watching the news?” Savannah asked.
“The electricity went out last night and never came back on, and I didn’t even have cell phone service or internet.” She hadn’t realized how cut off she’d been from everything, including help. “I just got here, so I haven’t had time to turn anything on.”
Savannah wiped her hands on a paper towel, then went out into the dining room and turned on the TV in the corner and turned the volume way up. When she returned, she took the bins out of the fridge and started sprinkling the diced ham, peppers, and onions into the eggs Gia was scrambling. “A line of severe storms came through and spawned several large tornadoes. They think as many as ten or more tornadoes actually touched down. One of them just down the road from you, which is why they said there was rotation overhead.”
While the thought scared
her half to death, it didn’t make her want to run home and pack. Progress. “I didn’t realize how bad it was.”
“There are still people missing and many more injured; homes were destroyed.”
“Is there something we can do to help?”
“They’re asking for donations. I’ll head down later today with cases of water and whatever else I can donate.”
“As soon as you hear what’s needed let me know and I’ll chip in too.”
Someone knocked on the front door.
Gia glanced up at the clock. “Could you let Willow in, please, and have her put the chalkboard out front, but instead of the day’s specials have her write, ‘Storm victims, volunteers, and rescue workers eat free.’”
“Are you sure? You might end up giving away a lot of food.”
“I’m sure. This is my home now, and it’s the least I can do to help.” Besides, she’d wanted to find a way to contribute something positive to the community, and now she could.
Savannah nodded and headed out to unlock the door.
“Oh, and do you know if they’re opening a shelter?” Gia called after her.
Savannah stopped in the doorway. “They already opened the high school.”
“Okay, could you call the bakery and ask if they can send over some extra rolls, then see if you can find out how many people are at the shelter, and we’ll send over sandwiches.”
Gia filled the tins Savannah had readied with the cooked western mixture and slid the breakfast pies into the oven. She lined up another set of tins and scrambled more eggs, then added crumbled bacon and sausage, diced ham, and onions for the meat lover’s pies. She had to hurry and get the fillings cooked before she opened and needed the grill. Once she had them ready for the oven, she pulled more bacon and sausage from the freezer.
“Good morning.” Willow’s usual enthusiasm was missing, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen.
“Good morning. Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s okay now.” She waved it off and smiled, though tears still shimmered in her eyes. “When the storms hit”—she sniffled—“my mom was on her way home. She’d just called to say she was leaving work, but she never made it home. I had the news on and heard a tornado had touched down on the highway she takes home, and I was worried sick.”
Gia put the food she was still holding on the counter and went to Willow. “Is she all right?”
Willow nodded. “She is, thank you. The highway was blocked with accidents, and she tried to go around, but a huge tree was blocking the entrance to our development. There’s no other entrance, so she had to go to a friend’s and wait out the storm, but she couldn’t get ahold of me until this morning.”
“Oh, honey.” Gia hugged Willow. “Why are you here? You should be home with your mother.”
“It’s okay. She went with her friend to volunteer at the shelter, and I’d rather be here doing something than just sitting home watching the news.”
“Well, there’s plenty to do here. I’ll be happy to keep you busy all day.”
“Oh, right. That’s actually what I came back here for. Frank from the bakery said he’d donate as many rolls as you need. He’s making up more now, but he has no one to run them over yet. If it’s okay, I’m going to pick them up.”
“Sure, that’d be great, thank you.”
“And I called my mom and told her you’d be sending sandwiches. They really appreciate it.”
“Thanks, Willow.”
“You bet.”
Savannah stopped Willow on her way out. “Frank called back and said he’ll send his son to help deliver the food later if you need help.”
“Thanks.” Willow seemed more herself when she left with a smile.
Savannah called to Gia from the doorway, “Earl wants to know if you have a minute.”
She glanced at the clock. It was past the time she should have met him out front for a cup of coffee before she opened. “Of course. Could you start the bacon and sausage for me, and check the breakfast pies? Some of them should be about done.”
“Sure.” Savannah frowned. “Did you check if Harley took his dinner last night?”
“He didn’t, and everything is all over the place back there. I’ll have to get out there sometime later and clean up.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”
Relief rushed through her. “Thanks, Savannah.”
“No problem. And I’ll ask Leo to look around and see if he can find him.”
“Thanks.” Gia washed her hands, then headed out to the dining room. “Good morning, Earl. I’m sorry, I lost track of time.”
“No sweat.” He sat at his usual seat at the counter, a half-full cup of coffee in front of him. “I wouldn’t have bothered you at all, but I saw your sign out front, and I figure you’ll be swamped. I’d like to offer a hand. I’m not as quick as I used to be, but if there’s one thing I know how to cook, it’s breakfast.”
“Oh, Earl, thank you. That would be great.”
He stood and rubbed his hands together. “Want me to start with the grits?”
“That’s perfect.” Despite Earl teaching her how to make grits, hers never tasted quite as good as when Earl made them. Though she didn’t care for them either way, she could tell the difference. “Thank you.”
He tipped his hat, then hung it on a hook by the door and headed for the kitchen.
Gia started all the coffeemakers brewing.
Savannah carried a hot breakfast pie and put it into one of the glass display dishes. “Are you about ready to open?”
“I think so. There’s already a crowd outside.” Her stomach fluttered, and she hoped she hadn’t gotten in over her head. As much as she wanted to help, she was only one person and could only cook so fast. Even with Earl’s help in the kitchen, Willow would be on her own out front. “What time do you have to go to work?”
“I already called out. I’m yours for the day.”
“Thanks, Savannah.”
“You’re welcome.”
Gia surveyed the room one last time. Everything seemed to be in order, though Willow wasn’t back yet. “As long as you’re staying, I think I’ll open early and get started. There’s quite a crowd building up out there.”
“Go for it.” Savannah grabbed an order pad and a pen. “I’ll take over for Willow for a while.”
Gia unlocked the doors. She started seating customers while Savannah took orders and filled coffee mugs.
Cole Barrister walked in, took Gia’s hand in his, and kissed her cheek as if they were old friends. “Hello, dear.”
“Good morning, Cole. It’s good to see you. Would you like a table, or is a seat at the counter okay?”
“Oh, I didn’t come in for breakfast. I came to let you know the council meeting has been postponed in light of the tornadoes. It’s been rescheduled until Thursday night. I hope you can still make it.”
“Oh, definitely. I’ll be there.” She wouldn’t miss it. Between the fire and Willow’s story of what happened to her mother, the issue of fire exits needed to be addressed.
“Thank you. Now, where do I find an apron?”
“An apron?” Gia’s mind had wandered, and she’d lost track of what he was saying.
“I saw your sign out front. That’s very kind of you, but we’d better get started if we’re going to serve everyone.”
“We?”
“Yes, ma’am. I don’t know if I’m ready to take on anything permanently, but I do know I’m ready to help out right now while my neighbors need me.”
Gia laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you, Cole.”
“No problem. Let’s get started. People are looking mighty hungry.”
Gia left Savannah to deal with the dining room and headed for the kitchen.
After they’d washed their hands and p
ulled on gloves, Cole jumped right in. Truth be told, he could bang the orders out just as quickly as Gia, probably even quicker once he was back in practice and more familiar with the kitchen setup.
Earl proved to be a big help. He had a knack for seeing what needed to be done and making sure it did.
By midmorning, the three of them had developed a system that allowed them to fill the orders in record time, three times as many as Gia could have done on her own, plus make two rounds of sandwiches to send to the shelter. She sighed. If only this arrangement could be permanent.
Gia put an order up and rang the bell. The older gentleman she kept seeing sat at the same small table in the back corner where she’d first seen him. Only this time, she had the help she needed to go check him out. “Will you two be okay for a few minutes?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cole flipped three eggs smoothly with the long metal spatula without losing a single yolk. “Don’t you worry. We’re fine.”
Earl buttered two pieces of rye toast, cut them, then held the plate out to Cole.
Cole took the plate, slid the three eggs onto it, and dropped a few slices of bacon beside the eggs, while Earl filled a small bowl with grits, then took the entire order to the cutout and hit the bell.
Comfortable they’d manage fine without her for a while, Gia washed her hands and stripped off her apron. Only one grease stain on the bottom of her shirt where something must have splashed beneath the apron. Not too bad considering the morning they’d had.
She smiled as she entered the dining room, greeting people as she wandered through the room.
Esmeralda and Estelle stopped her to let her know how much they’d enjoyed their breakfast and share their storm story.
A group of firefighters, their clothes and faces covered in dirt, stopped her to say thank you for breakfast.
She thanked them for their service and wished them well.
Willow’s eyes were still a little puffy, but she wore a bright smile as she seated customers and took orders. She’d left the TV playing behind the counter but had lowered the volume.
Several customers stared at the TV, gleaning information from pictures, headlines, and whatever scrolled across the bottom of the screen.