Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75408 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
He nodded. “I’ll head on up to the loft. Send Harlee up when she’s done. She can tell me her ideas, if she has any.”
“Brody, I don’t expect you to—”
He pressed his finger to my mouth to silence me, then adjusted his hand so he could run his thumb over my lower lip. My knees wobbled, and I nearly reached out and held on to him before my legs went out from under me. “I know, Sutton. I want to help you. Plus, it gives me an excuse to be here.”
What did that mean?
With a nod, I rushed out of the back room and attempted to calm my racing heart, trying hard to push that conversation from my mind.
Brody
“Did you get everything boarded up at Sutton’s?” asked her dad, Keegan.
“Yeah. Brax and Gannon are going to Brax’s place, and I wanted to stop by and see if you needed any help here at the restaurant.” There was a hurricane coming, so that meant storm shutters on all the windows, and anything on the floor that could be damaged in a potential flood needed to be picked up and stored somewhere high.
Keegan glanced around the dark restaurant. With all the windows boarded up, it looked pretty gloomy. “We’re good here. I’m heading home to work on the windows at the house.”
“No need, Gannon and Brax boarded them all up this morning,” I said.
“They did?” Barbara, Sutton’s mom, asked as she stepped into the main dining area. “What about your parents’ house, Brody? And your own?”
“We boarded up the beach house as soon as we found out about the storm, and we put the shutters up on Mom and Dad’s house yesterday.”
Barbara wrung her hands together. “I hate storms.”
Keegan put his arm around his wife. “We all do. I just hope Gannon is safe out there.”
I nodded. When my parents found out Gannon was working during the storm, I’d thought my mother was going to come undone. I couldn’t imagine having two sons who both worked in jobs that weren’t exactly on the top of the safety ladder.
Trying to ease Keegan and Barbara’s mind, I said, “He’ll be fine. It’s not his first time in bad weather.”
Barbara forced a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“You’ll be staying at your house with Brax and the girls?” I asked.
“Yes, but only with Braxton. Adelaide called earlier and said she, Palmer, and Sutton would be staying at Harlee’s. I don’t think they want her to be alone. I invited all of them to the house, but I think the girls want to have a bit of a slumber party. Maybe keep Adelaide’s mind off of Gannon bringing in those ships out in the storm.”
“That’s a great idea, and the four of them will have fun together. I have no doubt they’ll keep Addie’s mind occupied,” Barbara said.
Keegan huffed. “I’m going to worry sick about them. I wish the girls would come to the house.”
Placing my hand on his shoulder, I gave it a slight squeeze. “They’ll be fine, Keegan. Harlee’s house is a good ten feet above sea level, and they’re already saying the storm is weakening.”
He nodded. “Thank you, Brody. And thank you for stopping by. You be sure to tell Gannon to be careful.”
“I will. And no problem. If you’re good here, I’ll head on over to Braxton’s place and help him and Gannon get ready.”
Barbara gave me a hug. “Thank you, sweetheart. Go on and take care of what you need to. We’re all good here at the restaurant.”
“Backup generator ready in case we lose power?” I asked.
“Good to go,” Keegan said with a smile.
The Seaside Grill was a staple in town. Keegan and Barbara had owned it for as long as I could remember. It was where we’d hung out in high school—and still did now. At least three days a week, I met Gannon and Braxton here for breakfast. The Bradley kids had all grown up working at the restaurant. Even my first job had been working here as a busboy.
Barbara and Keegan were like second parents to me. It had nothing to do with the fact that Addie was dating Gannon. Or that Braxton was my best friend. They had always treated me and Gannon as their own. As such, they’d always held a special place in my heart.
“Be sure to keep in touch, and let me know if you guys need anything, okay?” I said.
Keegan reached for my hand and gave it a shake. “Will do, son. Stay safe.”
“Always do,” I said before I turned and headed out of the restaurant and got in my car to make my way to Braxton’s. It wouldn’t take me long to get there, but he lived closer to the water, and I knew he had a lot to prepare at his place.