The Seacroft: a love story (Paines Creek Beach Book 2) (12 page)

“You did? Viv says he died of complications due to the fire. Pretty rotten.”

Finn pursed his lips. “She told you that? Wow. I’d heard rumors about that, but wasn’t sure. We really owe her family, don’t we?”

“Well, there’s no family left. It’s just Vivian,” Cody said. “But she doesn’t think of it that way, like we ‘owe her’ anything. To tell the truth, though, it was hard for her to come up to the hill the other day. Knowing what happened and all.”

“She’s one brave lady.”

“She is.”

Finn stood up suddenly. “Listen. There’s a storm coming up the coast, so I’ve gotta get back and start closing up the farm.” He looked out the window, where the skies had clouded up. “You gonna be okay taking care of this place? Can you handle it all?”

“Vivian said she’d help.”

From the doorway a melodic voice said, “Vivian said she’d help with what?”

Cody turned to see Vivian smiling at him, carrying a lunch sack. “Hi. We were talking about the hurricane.”

She came into the apartment, nodding to Finn. “Hi, Mr. McGraw. I was just listening to the radio over in the kitchen. It sounds like we’re gonna be in for a big blow. And she’s moving faster than they expected. Straight up the coast.” She unpacked the bag and took down plates and glasses from the cupboards. “I’m sorry. I only brought enough for Cody. Are you hungry? I could go get some more.”

“Vivian, call me Finn, remember? And no worries about lunch, I’m just about to go. But thanks for the offer. And let me know if you need help getting this place ready for the storm. We could call in a few guys from town to come out if you’re desperate.” He headed for the door. “Cody? I’ll call you later so we can talk about a schedule.”

He strode out the door, clattered down the stairs, and in seconds, they heard his truck start up and drive away.

Chapter 21

“So,” Vivian said. “Let’s check your temperature.” Without asking, she grabbed the thermometer and slid it into his mouth.

It beeped and he let her remove it.

She held it up and studied the reading, grinning. “You’re normal.”

He cocked one eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s possible. I’ve never been normal.”

She snorted a laugh and shoved him sideways. “Welcome to the club.”

He motioned to one of the kitchen chairs. “Can you stay for a bit?”

She checked the time on her phone. “I have exactly nineteen minutes. I told Uvi I’d be back at half past.”

He unabashedly dug into the lunch sack and found sliced Gouda cheese, red seedless grapes, carrot sticks, Triscuits, and a bottle of Pinot Noir. “Nice. Will you join me?”

“I thought you’d be starving. And that you might want to celebrate feeling better with a little wine.”

“I’m hungry, but there’s plenty here.” Cody shook his head and settled at the table. “Sit and eat with me.”

She hesitated. “Okay. If you’re sure?”

“Absolutely.” He popped a glistening grape into his mouth and his stomach didn’t protest. It was a good sign. He made a sandwich of crackers and cheese, enjoying the creamy taste of the cheese combined with the crunch of the cracker. “Did she work you hard this morning?”

Vivian rolled her eyes, taking a seat opposite him. She poured a small glass of wine for herself. “God, yes. You should have seen the mess in her room. Broken vases, shattered pictures of her husband, the works.” She picked up a carrot stick and took a bite. “It was like she had a tantrum. You know?”

“Like a two-year-old?” he asked.

“Exactly. She seems mad at me, though. As if I’ve ticked her off.”

Cody grimaced. “I think she’s jealous.”

“What?” Viv pursed her lips. “It’s not possible. She’s got everything. She’s beautiful. Rich. Powerful.”

“She still thinks we’ve got something going on.” He wagged his forefinger between them.

“What? No.” Viv dismissed the idea and changed the subject. “So, is this the first time Finn’s come to visit you here?’

“Yeah, it is. He’s got a problem with manpower at the farm.”

Vivian’s head shot up. “You’re not going back, are you?”

Is that alarm in her eyes? Would she care if I left?

“No. But I said I’d help out in my spare time. A few nights a week. Weekends.” He took a long sip of wine and wiped his mouth. “You wanna help?”

She glanced up at him. “Help? How?”

“He’ll pay you. Not much, but it could add up. You could take care of the horses. Or maybe babysit so Libby could sell berries. Stuff like that.”

Vivian’s face lit up as if he’d just offered her a cruise in the Caribbean. “I’d love to.”

“Yeah? Really?”

“Really. Weekends and nights are long and boring for me. Except Saturday morning when I go visit my mother. I can’t give that up.”

“Okay. It’s settled. Once the storm is over,” he glanced out at the darkening skies, “I’ll call him and we’ll set up a schedule.”

“This could be fun,” she said, taking a grape from her plate.

He reached for her hand across the table. “I never thought of it that way, until I met you.”

She flushed, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Gotta go. Yikes. She’ll have my hide.”

He sat back and watched her trot toward the door. “I’ll see you soon. I’m feeling good now. Gonna get ready for Delilah.”

For a minute, she didn’t seem to know what he meant. Then it seemed to hit her. “Oh! You mean the hurricane. Right.”

“Don’t let Mizz P work you too hard.”

“I won’t. Or at least, I’ll try.” She smiled in his direction, then ducked out of the apartment and clattered down the steps.

Chapter 22

Viv finished writing the last of the checks for The Seacroft’s bills. She’d tried to convince Uvi to use Internet banking, which would have taken much less time to accomplish each month. But the woman wouldn’t hear of it. She wanted each check hand written, entered in the checkbook, and if that total didn’t balance every month to the penny, there would be hell to pay.

She inserted the final check into the envelope, made sure the address showed in the translucent window, and peeled a stamp off the book to fix on the corner. “Done,” she said.

After shuffling the pile into one neat bundle, she headed downstairs to mail them. She’d almost made it past Uvi’s room when she heard the woman call out to her.

“Vivian? Is that you?”

With a sigh, Viv stopped, reversed direction, and peered into Uvi’s suite. “Yes?”

The woman sat at her desk, overlooking the grounds where a light rain had started pattering an hour earlier. “You’ve heard about the storm?”

Vivian nodded. “Of course.”

“We need to prepare for it.”

“Of course. I’ve already collected things downstairs in the kitchen. Flashlights, candles, firelighters, jugs of water, and the camp stove. I have a battery-powered radio we can use. And Cody’s working on the outside. He’s laying out the precut plywood sheets he found in the shed. And he plans to pile firewood inside the kitchen door so we can use it for heat if the temperature drops.”

Uvi looked pleasantly surprised. “Oh?” She ripped a list off a pad of paper and held it out to Vivian. “Lovely. And here are a few more things I’d like you two to pick up at the grocery store. Have him drive you. Extra water. More canned goods. And gas for the generator if we need to get it started. It hasn’t been run in over five years, though. I’m not sure it will work.”

“Okay.” Viv scanned the list. It was horrendously long. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather channel. Looks like it’ll hit tomorrow night if they’re right about the trajectory.”

“Good girl. Now, go mail those bills, and don’t let them get wet in this rain. I have perfect credit and I don’t want anything to spoil that record.”

Vivian squelched a laugh. Perfect credit? Her own credit was so bad she couldn’t even lease a cheap little import. “No worries. I’m on it.”

Downstairs, she threw on a raincoat and headed down the long driveway. She trotted through the warm rain, crunching over the white shell driveway. Just as she reached the shed where Cody had been working since lunchtime, she heard a whistle.

“Vivian! Over here. Can you give me a hand?”

Behind the shed Cody had parked the ubiquitous Gator, which he’d loaded up with sheets of plywood. He stood holding the stack from one end with a bungee cord. “Can you grab this cord and hook it over there?”

She hurried to his side, where she found him struggling to balance the load. His arm muscles bulged and his face had turned a faint shade of red from the strain.

“Sure. I’ve got it.” She snagged the cord and found a spot to hook it on the other side of the vehicle. “There you go.”

He motioned to the pile of cords on the ground beside him. “Can you grab me another one? I don’t trust this pile. It’s still too wobbly.”

“Okay.” She helped him with three more cords until he was satisfied he wouldn’t lose his load of plywood on the drive to the mansion.

“Thanks,” he said, plopping down onto the wet grass. “I’m glad you came along when you did.” Rain dripped off his hair and onto his cheeks, and his tee shirt was soaked. “I wanna get these boards up before noon tomorrow. You never know. The storm could come earlier.”

“Right. Sometimes they have a mind of their own, don’t they?” she said, standing behind him. “Don’t you care that the ground’s all wet?” She watched him breathe, his taut chest muscles moving in and out beneath the wet shirt.
How cliché. I’m ogling a guy in a wet tee shirt.

“Hell, no. I’m gonna be soaked before this is all done, anyway. What’s it matter?”

She smiled down at him, thinking how nice it would be to kiss him. “So, how are you feeling?”

He shrugged and tossed her a half-smile. “Not a hundred percent yet. But I’ll get there.”

“Don’t overdo it,” she said with concern.

“Thanks for worrying about me, but I’ll be fine.” He stood up and wiped the drizzle from his hair, slicking it straight back. “How’s Mizz P this afternoon? Driving you nuts, or what?”

Startling out of her ridiculous reverie, she flushed. “Um. She’s been okay. She has a list of groceries for us to buy.”

“More groceries?” He rolled his eyes. “Oh, man. I was just at the store the other day.”

“I know. But regardless, we’ve gotta go. I’ll help you.”

“Okay. Give me another hour to get these boards loaded up onto the porch.”

“Sounds good.” She patted her pocket where the mail sat safe and dry. “And I’d best get these bills to the mailbox before I miss the postman. I wouldn’t want to ruin our boss’s perfect credit,” she chuckled.

“Right.” He rolled his eyes. “I know exactly how she feels.” With a smirk, he added, “What’s perfect credit again?”

“I’m not really sure,” she laughed. “I’m still trying to catch up with last month’s bills myself.” She started to walk away, but turned and said, “I can help you put up those boards later, if you want.”

“Yeah?” His eyes widened, then he grinned. “It’ll probably be tomorrow morning, but I’d love the help. Thanks.”

“No problem. Come on up when you’re ready to go to the store, okay?”

He climbed onto the wet Gator seat. “It’s a deal.”

Chapter 23

The next morning, Cody stood on a stepladder while Viv struggled to hold the wobbly sheet of plywood steady from below.

“You okay down there?” he asked.

She nodded. “It’s heavy. Hurry up.”

He held the battery-powered drill steady and screwed in the top three screws. “Okay, you can let go now.”

She backed up and watched him, steadying herself in the stiff wind. “My God, Cody. The wind’s already almost strong enough to knock me over. And the storm’s not even here yet.”

He glanced at the sea, where the whitecaps churned with ferocity. “I know. I wonder if they’re right about the timing.” He moved the ladder to the next window on the porch and they both maneuvered the plywood sheet upward, almost losing it in a strong gust of wind.

“How are you going to cover the second floor windows?” she asked.

Cody frowned. “Don’t know yet. I don’t think that extension ladder will stay up there with these high winds. And I’m not sure how I could carry the plywood up without it flying away, to tell you the truth. I’d probably lose it.”

“We could tape those windows. At least if they break, the pieces won’t go all over.”

“That’s probably our best bet.”

Uvi pushed out onto the porch wearing a slicker. “How’s it going?” She had to yell over the wind, which already howled around the corners of the house.

“The wind’s too strong, it’s flapping these plywood sheets all over the place. Makes it a two-person job. But thanks to Viv here, though, we’re getting it done.” Cody climbed the stepladder and struggled with another sheet of plywood, finally pinning it over the window. He nodded to Vivian to hold it in place. “We’re getting there.” He motioned to the line of windows they’d already covered.

Uvi came closer and stood watching for a few minutes. “When you’re done, we should check out the generator.”

Cody nodded, but didn’t answer.
No “thank you?” No “good job?”
They’d be lucky to be done by afternoon at the rate they were going.

Uvi gave a tight smile and disappeared.

Glancing over her shoulder to be sure the woman was gone, Vivian said, “Why doesn’t she offer to help? Geez.”

“I know,” Cody said. “But people like her don’t think that way. They have us to do the grunt work, and they can just worry and order us around. It’s been that way for centuries.”

“It’s ridiculous,” she said.

He drove in another screw. “I know. But it’s the way of the world.”

“Some day,” Vivian said. “I’ll be my own boss. And I won’t have to take—” She broke off, gesturing to Uvi, who watched them from inside at the next window. “Shh. She’s right there. I think she’s spying on us. Do you think she still suspects we’re hiding our secret love affair from her?”

“I think you’re right. She shows up at the most unexpected times.” Cody stepped back down to the porch. “Come on. Let’s get the next sheet.”

They worked in concert for the next three hours, battered by rain and wind. By the time Cody covered the last ground floor window, his drill battery had started to die.