Shelter of Hope (New Beginnings Book 8) Read online

  “So is Anna,” Uncle Keith said.

  Ruth frowned. “This is hard on children.”

  “And adults,” Maggie whispered as she stared at her food, none of it appealing at the moment.

  “You’re always there for everyone. Are you okay?”

  Her uncle’s gruff voice, full of concern, demanded she say something. But what? The truth? He’d always counted on her to be upbeat when no one else was. She didn’t have it in her now.

  Maggie scooted back her chair. “I’m not hungry. Excuse me.”

  She heard Uncle Keith call out to her, but she continued toward the back door and left. She felt like a cheerleader who could no longer chant the team to victory. When she descended the steps, she peered at her garden, usually a haven for her. All she saw was what it had looked like after Hurricane Naomi. Destroyed totally. She’d spent months cultivating it, and it was finally starting to remind her of its former beauty. All that time wasted.

  Maggie stalked around to the front of the house and stared down the long drive. The wind blew at a brisk pace. In the distance she saw the whitecaps on the water. They would increase over the next days.

  When she came to the end of the driveway, she turned left toward Bayview. If she felt like this, she wondered how Brady was doing. He’d been quiet today, doing everything asked of him but without saying anything. She’d tried to engage him in a conversation about school coming up, but he’d only answered in monosyllables. As she neared the end of the pier, Cody and Brady sat side by side, the sound of her son’s laughter snatched by the wind and carried to her.

  Maybe she shouldn’t interrupt. Why was she even here? She backpedaled and spun around to leave.

  “Maggie,” Cody called out her name.

  She glanced over her shoulder.

  He gestured for her to come join them. She headed toward them, at first slowly but as she drew closer her speed increased. The smile on their faces beckoned her. Even with the signs that bad weather was coming toward Hope, she needed to be with them. She didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts right now.

  “How have y’all done?” She stopped behind them and lifted the top of the cooler.

  Cody answered. “Great. I caught two Spanish mackerels and several catfish. I threw those back, but Brady is the real fisherman. He’s gotten three speckled trout and not one catfish.”

  Her son grinned as he reeled in his line. “We’ve got enough to fix for dinner tomorrow night.” He pushed to his feet. “I’m gonna go on back and clean the fish. Can Cody come to dinner tomorrow?”

  “Sure, if he wants to.” Maggie glanced at Cody as he brought in his line. “How about it?”

  “I’d love to.” Cody took Brady’s rod. “Looks like you’re going to have your hands full. I’ll bring back the fishing gear.”

  “You two can stay.” Her son hefted the cooler and started toward the road.

  “I get the feeling he doesn’t want us to tag along with him.” Staring at Brady, she saw none of the slumped shoulders and downcast eyes that had been so common only a month ago. “You must have had a good session today.”

  “Actually, we didn’t talk a lot about Hurricane Carl. We did talk about Frisky and Sadie. He’s glad you brought Sadie home. Every time he sees her, he realizes his problems weren’t as bad as hers.”

  Gripping the wooden railing, Maggie faced the Gulf. The salty scent of the air always calmed her, even when she knew what could hit Hope in a couple of days. Or was it the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore? Either way, she loved coming down to Bayview Pier. To the west the sun neared the horizon, a bright orange-yellow ball reflecting its light off a few gathering clouds.

  Cody put the rods on the pier next to the fishing box, then straightened and leaned against the railing. “What a day.”

  “One you wouldn’t want to repeat?”

  “Not up to six o’clock. Fishing with Brady was a treat. Before that it was...hectic.”

  “From what I saw, you had one person after another coming into your office, and I wasn’t there nearly as long as you were. Ruth and I left to work on getting the house prepared for the storm.”

  “You all did a good job. The whole town has.”

  “How are people feeling?”

  “Exactly how you would think. Scared. Angry. Frustrated. Confused. Some are feeling all of those emotions simultaneously. Brady said that Keith was quiet today. I thought I would stop by and talk with him.”

  “I’m sure he would love to see you, but you know I think Uncle Keith will do okay. He has Ruth now. He started to get worked up and all she did was take his hand and speak to him in a calm voice. One look at her and his blood pressure plummeted. When I watch them, I see two people deeply in love.” And I wish I had it.

  “My mother and dad were like that,” Cody said. “It was the one thing that made each move bearable. They were a team. My mom made each move an adventure.”

  “How old were you when your mom died?”

  “Twelve. Things changed drastically after that. Dad didn’t know what to do without Mom. He retreated into his work. I took on more responsibility for raising Hannah.”

  “Did you mind?”

  “No, it was my penance.”

  She angled toward him. “Penance? For what?”

  His eyes darkened and his jaw tightened as he looked at her. “My mother was out on the road in the tornado because of me. She’d been in a car coming to pick me up and had to get out on the highway to seek shelter in a ditch. She did not make it.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “You think you’re responsible for her death?”

  Cody wanted to look away but couldn’t. The compassion in Maggie’s expression unraveled knots of tension in his neck and shoulders. “We were moving again, and I’d just found out that morning. I got mad and decided to run away. I got about halfway across town when the clouds started getting darker and darker. I called her, and she told me to stay at the Quick and Go, that she would be there shortly.” He shook his head. “She never showed up because the tornado struck.” He stared at the water splashing against the pilings of the pier below him. “She would be alive today if I hadn’t left home angry.”

  “It was an accident.”

  “That’s what Dad kept telling me, but I heard the disappointment in his voice. He stopped short of accusing me of causing my mother’s death, but I saw it in his eyes. Things between us were never the same.”

  “You’ve been carrying that around for almost twenty years?”

  “Most of the time I manage not to think about it. Lately I have been a lot.”

  “Why?”

  “Just like I’ve told you and everyone else. If you don’t deal with the problem, it won’t go away. It will need to be dealt with sooner or later. My sooner or later is now. I can’t keep running from this. Your son made me see that today. I don’t know how to forgive myself. Hannah grew up without a mother for most of her life because of what I did. And Dad was gone more and more after Mom died.”

  “Who stayed with you?”

  “A housekeeper. My father was a colonel by that time and had the money to hire someone wherever we were stationed.” Most were impersonal, there to do their job and no more. No one had come close to replacing his mother in his life.

  “Is that why you feel Hannah needs to come with you?”

  Her question surprised him. He stepped back, not sure what he felt or should say.

  “You feel you owe Hannah,” Maggie continued.

  “She was only four when Mom died. Look at what she missed out on.” The words came without thought. He blinked and took another pace away from Maggie. “Yes, I owe her. I can’t make things okay for my dad, but I can for her.”

  “You don’t think you’ve done enough penance for something you had no control over?”

  He started to tell her no, but his cell rang. He quickly answered, glad for the interruption. “Hello.”

  “Dr. Weston, my mother has locked herself in her bedr
oom and won’t come out. I can hear her crying in there.” It was the daughter of Mrs. Abare, one of his clients.

  He forgot his own problem and went immediately into counselor mode. “Is she upset over the hurricane?”

  “She refuses to leave her home this time.”

  “Keep talking to her calmly. I’ll be right over.” He pocketed his cell. “I’ve got to go.”

  “I understand, but Cody, you need to live your own life. You have nothing to make up for. You were a kid. I can remember three years ago Brady packing a bag and telling me he was going over to a friend’s house to live. I let him go, and it only took a day for him to decide to return. Kids get upset with their parents and do things like that. You are not to blame.”

  “That’s easy to say. You weren’t there. I’ve got to go.” He started for the fishing gear.

  “I’ll get it.”

  “I’ve got my car—”

  “Go. Your client needs you, and this stuff isn’t heavy.”

  Cody jogged toward his vehicle in the parking bay at the end of the pier, with little left for Mrs. Abare.

  * * *

  Early the next morning, Maggie trudged up the stairs to the third floor of City Hall, carrying a sack of doughnuts from Rhonda’s Bakery and a cup of coffee for Cody, assuming he wasn’t with a client or gone. His door stood open, so she crossed the corridor and poked her head inside.

  “Good morning.” She held up the bag. “I hope you’ve got an appetite. I’ve brought you breakfast. Not the most nutritious one but delicious.”

  “Ahh, I’ll sacrifice nutrition for flavor. I need the sugar and the coffee.” He rose and came from behind his desk.

  She moved into his office and passed him the sack and drink. For a second their hands touched. The contact caused her stomach to flutter. She pulled back, needing some separation. She couldn’t stop thinking about him last night, wondering how he was doing with so many people needing to talk to him. “How is Mrs. Abare?”

  “How did you know?” He knew he hadn’t revealed a patient’s name, even when taking a call in front of another. “Never mind. I forget things fly around this town faster than the speed of light. She’s much better.”

  “Good. Her daughter told Kim who told me about her falling apart last night. I’m glad you were there for her.”

  “There needs to be two of me.” He checked his watch. “My first client should be here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Any breaks today?”

  “About a half hour to grab lunch.”

  “Sounds like my kind of day. Ruth and I have one meeting after another to make sure the town is as prepared as it can be. We should know by this evening where it’s most likely going to make landfall.”

  “Yeah, but it’s an emotional roller coaster until then.”

  “Where are you and Hannah going to ride out the hurricane? You’re welcome to come with us. My friend said I could bring anyone who needs a place. She has a large house.”

  “I might send Hannah. I’m going to stay and assist our police.”

  “Have you ever been through a hurricane?”

  “No. But I told the chief I would work the phones for as long as people can call in.”

  “After Hurricane Naomi I envision a mass exodus.”

  “I know of some who have already left.”

  “But like you, there are always some who have to stay. As a nurse and a firefighter, Kathleen and Gideon will have to, but her two sons will come with us.”

  He sat back against his desk and opened the sack. “Want one?”

  “No. I was up early and had my breakfast over an hour ago.” She hadn’t been able to sleep more than a few hours. Mostly because she couldn’t get Cody out of her mind. When she managed, then all she thought about was the last storm. The noises of the wind and rain had filled her mind, pounding her as they both had Hope.

  “It sounds like you all have a plan and everything is working out.” He took a big bite of his doughnut then a swig of his coffee.

  “As much as you can. As with all things weather-related, there’s an element of unpredictability. What if Hattiesburg isn’t far enough? I’m not worried about my friend’s place flooding, but there could still be fierce winds.”

  “When can we predict the future?”

  “Never.”

  “Then all we can do is make plans and then be ready to change at the last minute.”

  He was right. No wonder he had a way of calming down a person like Mrs. Abare, even Brady and Keith. She took several steps back. “I’d better go and let you get ready for your first client.” At the doorway she turned to leave.

  “Maggie.”

  She peered back. “Yes?”

  “I’m grabbing lunch at eleven-thirty. Can you join me?”

  She ran through her schedule of meetings and said, “Yes. I have about forty-five minutes around that time. Let me get something for us, and we can eat in your office. It’s too windy and hot outside.”

  When she left, she passed his client coming toward his office. Maggie greeted the former mayor and hurried down the hall. The town was in good hands with Cody.

  * * *

  “Look who I found when I went into the café to get some sandwiches.” Maggie stepped into Cody’s office with Hannah following behind her. “So, I brought enough for all three of us.”

  “What are you doing here?” Cody moved to the round table he had with four chairs.

  “Just stopping by for lunch. We secured the hotel, and I came back to help Zane with some other sites. Maggie persuaded me to have lunch with her and my big brother. Since I haven’t seen you in the past couple days, I thought this might be it until everything was over with. You are one busy man.”

  Maggie sat in between Cody and Hannah. “He was able to take a break and go fishing last night.”

  “Good for you.”

  “With my son. Which means it was really work.”

  “Fun way to have a session, though,” Hannah said. “I may have to take up fishing. Well, maybe when my boys are old enough.”

  For Cody, listening to his sister talk about her soon-to-be-born children hammered home the fact that she would be a mother in a few months. A single mother with limited support. “Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

  Hannah lowered her gaze, picked up her sandwich and took a bite.

  “You’re staying, aren’t you?” As he asked the question, he held his breath, not wanting to hear her answer.

  Hannah nodded, finished chewing, and said, “I can’t follow you all over the world. I know you usually stay in the United States, but not always. I don’t see doing that with two babies in tow. I need a home, even if it’s a small apartment. When you’re in an area, you have to concentrate on the people who need you. Your time is taken by them. Look what has been happening the past couple days. You come home late, get up early and go back out to meet with your clients.”

  “It’s not that bad. I get some time.”

  “Not at the beginning or in time of crisis. I need stability—at least as much as you can have with two newborns.”

  He’d known this would happen and had prepared himself. Or, at least, he thought he had. Now he realized he hadn’t. When she’d finished high school and decided to stay in California, he’d felt a loss that had staggered him. It had taken months to slowly, painstakingly fill the void. He’d learned to live totally alone. Until she’d come to Hope, he’d felt content with that lot.

  “Cody, I’ll be here for her. She’ll have help. You won’t need to worry about her.”

  “I’m glad, but...” It wasn’t the same thing as him being here for his sister.

  What do I do? Leave? Visit occasionally? Lord, what do You want from me? I promised years ago I would help others. Then You gave me this opportunity to work for the Christian Assistance Coalition.

  Hannah reached across the table and took his hand. “It’s so much easier to keep in touch with all the technological advances. You can do a live
chat on the computer. It’s almost like you’ll be here.” She smiled at him. “I know this is what I have to do. Every time I thought about leaving and moving around like we used to, I got depressed. I think that’s why I called Aaron. If he wanted to be a part of his children’s lives, I had a good reason to stay or to move back to California.”

  He didn’t know what to say. He could help his clients but not himself. Why was he having such a hard time with this? No answer came, only frustrating him more. He balled the paper napkin in his hand and stared at the half-eaten turkey sandwich. His gut solidified into a rock.

  He started to rise when Ruth appeared in the doorway. Her face brightened with a huge smile.

  “Hurricane Carl is turning westerly. Hope isn’t going to get the full force of the storm.”

  Relief flooded Hannah’s face immediately, but Maggie’s forehead knitted. She ate some of her sandwich, avoiding eye contact with him and his sister. Why wasn’t she happier?

  “We’ll have to pray for the people in the path of Carl,” he said, sure that was who she was thinking about. She had such a kind heart. She didn’t want Hope hit, but neither did she want anywhere else.

  “Of course. If it continues to turn to the west, there is a section where it could strike that wouldn’t cause a lot of damage. Not many people live there.” Ruth shook her head. “But let’s pray that the storm lessens in intensity, so no one gets hurt.” She backed out of the doorway. “Got to get to the office. I imagine the phones will be ringing off the wall.”

  Maggie rose. “I can come—”

  “Stay. Finish your lunch. We’ll be plenty busy this afternoon.” Ruth disappeared down the hall.

  Maggie sank into her chair and began eating again, her gaze averted.

  “I’d better get to the work site where Zane is. He might revise his plans for what he wants us to do.” Hannah gathered up her trash, gave Cody a kiss on the cheek and breezed out of the room.

  When his sister was gone, he leaned toward Maggie. “What’s wrong?”

  She lifted her head and looked right at him. “We shouldn’t be celebrating too soon. This happened last year. Hurricane Naomi made a U-turn, came right back, and hit Hope.”