Hurricane Beach, page 2
She shook her head, then reconsidered. “I miss her, Dad,” she said, close to tears.
“I miss her, too, sweetheart.” Today marked two years since a drunk driver hit their car and killed his wife, Caroline. He squeezed Sarah’s hand and tried to comfort her the only way he could. “You know, I think your mom would want us to be happy instead of moping around with sad faces all the time, don’t you think?”
Sarah lowered her head. “I know. It’s just so hard not having her with us. I sometimes feel as if she’s with me. I dream of her every night.”
“So do I,” Jason said. “Your mom was a special person, and I’ll never forget her.” He paused for a moment and lifted Sarah’s chin up with his hand. “Listen to me, Sarah. You mean the world to me. It’s okay to be sad, and as hard as it is, we have to find things to live for instead of just barely making it through the day. Mom would want us to make new memories and enjoy life again, don’t you think?”
“You go first,” she said. A fraction of a smile pulled on one corner of her mouth.
He laughed. “Oh, no! Don’t you ever use my wise words against me!”
She was adorable when she tried to hide her natural sunshine and failed. That realization reminded him that he would do anything to see his daughter happy again.
“We need some music.” Sarah took the other earbud out of her ear and turned on the car stereo. She rolled her eyes at the classic rock station he’d had on before and changed it to a country station. “Much better!”
“Really?” This time, he rolled his eyes. Country made him cringe, but today was a special day.
“I remember Mom and I two-stepping through the house when we did chores or waited for a cake to bake in the oven.”
“So do I.” If listening to country music made Sarah feel better, so be it. He loved his daughter with all of his heart, and she’d been through enough. He could live with sadness until his time was up, but Sarah still had her entire life ahead of her. She deserved to be happy. “So, let’s go shopping at the mall.” He tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel and started singing along with the song. He knew he sounded like a bloodhound howling on a wraparound porch.
Sarah laughed and pretended to cover her ears. “Dad, no…don’t!”
Chapter Two
“Girls, I’m heading over to the shop for a few hours. I need to order more baby yarn and knitting supplies. We are in the middle of a mini baby boom.” Maggie smiled. “Lots of young couples in Magnolia Hill like to snuggle up during the winter months, and you know what happens next.” She winked at Anna. “I love it, because come spring and summer, every woman in town is either related to or knows someone who’s having a baby. It’s good for business. If ya’ll want to come with me for a spell and have a look-see, I’d love to show you around.”
“I will,” Anna said, and shot a glare at Ashleigh.
“Okay, I’m coming, too,” she mumbled.
“That’s wonderful.” Maggie’s smile dropped to a frown as if she was embarrassed. “I have to admit that baby season is Spinning Yarns’ main source of income, which I also admit is not quite as lucrative as it sounds. I can barely keep the shop doors open. I think crafts are not as popular as they used to be. People are busy with work, and nowadays it’s easier to buy gifts online than make them yourself. Maybe you can help me come up with some ideas to drum up business. The shop has seen better days, and I’m afraid it needs some work.”
“Like my room?” Ashley asked.
Maggie nodded. “Yes, baby girl, like your room.”
Anna’s heart ached for her mom. The old Spinning Yarns craft shop was buzzing with activity when she grew up. Women of all ages used to gather in the shop in the evenings to work on their projects and to gossip about the latest town scandals. It must be bad when even her always-optimistic mother had doubts. “No worries, Mom. We’ll have a look and figure out how to make Spinning Yarns a community hang-out for our ladies, and maybe even some interested men, again. I’m ready to go see it when you are.”
“I’m ready, too. Come on, Woofus,” Maggie said, patting the side of her leg. “Let’s take a walk.”
Woofus grunted and laid his head between his front paws on the kitchen floor. He wasn’t going anywhere.
Anna couldn’t blame him. “You don’t wanna go out in this heat, do you?”
His droopy eyes pleaded.
“Me neither.” She scraped the last crumbs off her plate and put her dishes in the sink. “But Ashley and I need to get acclimated. So, walking it is.”
The hound exhaled through his jowls, which flapped on the linoleum floor, then he slowly stretched, got up, and walked to the door.
The store was only two blocks from Maggie’s house. Anna was far from used to the heat and the humidity that awaited them outside during what seemed to be the hottest and muggiest day in Georgia history. How she managed running around the woods all day in the middle of summer as a child was a mystery to her. She’d be ready to head back inside in less than five minutes if she tried it now.
Ten minutes later, they stood in front of the Spinning Yarns shop. Sweat ran down Anna’s back and made her T-shirt stick to her skin. “Gross,” she said as she tugged on her shirt to unglue it from her back. A glass of iced tea and air conditioning sounded like heaven right about now.
Thunder rumbled in the distance as Maggie unlocked the front door. Anna looked up. The thin wisps of white streaking the blue summer sky were already puffing up to form larger, towering popcorn clouds.
Turning her attention back to the storefront, she realized her mom was right about the condition of the shop. The window frames and signs looked faded, chipped, and in desperate need of a fresh new look. “Ashleigh, you’re good with paint. You could do the lettering for the display window, while I do the big, easy stuff that doesn’t need pretty handwriting,” she said.
Ashleigh shrugged, but Anna could tell she had piqued her interest.
“I know, it doesn’t look as inviting as it used to…” Maggie said, her fair cheeks flushing. “I’ve just had no energy lately. It must be this heat.”
Anna worried about her mother’s health. She didn’t want her to end up like some of her patients whose quality of life had deteriorated because they ignored early warning signs. Maggie had always been active. Most days, she had enough energy for both of them. If she wasn’t working at the shop, she was at home cooking and baking up a storm. Today, Anna could tell she wasn’t feeling well. Something wasn’t right. “Have you told Doc Porter about this?”
Maggie waved her off. “No worries. He said it’s just a touch of sugar and to take it easy on the sweets.”
“Mom!” She rested her hand on Maggie’s arm. “You’ve got to take this seriously! This is not something you can ignore and hope it gets better.”
Maggie gave her a no-nonsense glare. “Doc Porter knows what he’s talking about. I don’t need you to lecture me.”
Taken aback, Anna let go of her arm and raised both hands. “All right, Mom. I’ll let you off the hook today, but we’ll need to talk about this. Promise?” She held her mother’s glare and waited.
Maggie sighed. “One day.”
“One day, as in tonight?”
“One day.”
“Good.” Happy with at least the possibility of a talk about her health, she entered the store and looked around. “It’s not that bad, Mom. The shop looks dark, but I think simple things like better lighting, a lighter shade of paint on the walls, and new decorations can make a big difference.” Her eyes caught on an old poster of a model wearing an ‘80s sweater. “These ancient advertisements have to go!”
“I like the way you think. Truth is, those posters have been hanging on the walls so long that I didn’t even notice them anymore.” Maggie walked over to a large table. “What about our craft nook? I think it needs something.”
“It looks like a third-grade art table,” the teenager chimed in.
“Ashleigh!”
“No, I’m serious, Mom.” She walked over to the plastic tables with the folding chairs tucked under. “Think of a bookstore. They create hangouts for their customers so they spend more time in the store. This increases the chance that they buy something even though they didn’t think they needed it. You could use the same strategy with Spinning Yarns.”
“We could do some yard sale hunting for some comfortable armchairs to put in the corners,” Anna suggested. “What about looking for a large wooden table and chairs at an estate sale? We can keep the folding furniture for overflow and outdoor events. The chairs don’t have to match, but it would make this space more inviting.”
“You also should set up a side table with fresh coffee and a few small treats. Add a few decorative lamps in the corners, you know, so people have a reason to bring their crafts and hang out.”
“…the way Spinning Yarns used to be, when I was growing up,” Anna added to her daughter’s comments. “We can help you get this place in tip-top shape. Ashleigh is out of school for another week and I’m still job hunting.” Anna would love to run the store with her mom full-time. It’d always been her dream when she was young, but right now, the shop’s revenue couldn’t support all three of them.
“Grandma?” Ashleigh waved an event calendar printout in the air. “Do teenagers live in this town or only old people?”
“Ashleigh!” Anna couldn’t believe her daughter had that much cheek, then grabbed a copy to see for herself. “Uh, Mom, I think she has a point.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you want this shop to survive, you need to add some cool crafts and patterns. Nobody wants to knit potholders or outdated sweaters. Who even wears sweaters down here? Does it even get cold enough in the winter?”
“Oh, so what do you suggest?”
“Well, let’s use local teenagers as an example,” Ashleigh said. “We want stuff that reminds us of books and movies. Fan things. Things that mean something to us, not potholders. I can draw something up for you. I’ll be bored to tears anyway until school starts.”
Anna’s heart skipped a beat. “Way to go, Ashleigh, for taking initiative,” she said, careful not to act too excited. Ashleigh had always been artistic, so this would be right up her alley. “So, that covers your teens,” Anna added. “Now we just need to get the moms of Magnolia Hill excited. We should develop some cool ideas for them. Do you have a website, Mom?”
Maggie shook her head. “I don’t know how to do all that technical stuff.”
“We got you covered, Grandma!”
Maggie couldn’t contain her joy. She grabbed Ashleigh’s face with both hands and kissed her on each cheek. “You girls are a blessing!”
Anna laughed as she watched her daughter recoil.
A delivery truck parked in front of the store and a burly man in his forties rolled up a hand truck with boxes stacked on top of each other.
Anna opened the door for him. “Hello!” she said. “Are these for us?”
“Hi, and yes,” the delivery man said, pulling the load onto the sidewalk.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said as he wheeled the boxes into the shop and into a corner out of customers’ way. “Is this a good place, or do you want them somewhere else?”
“This is fine,” she said.
“Where’s Mr. Brown today?” Maggie asked.
“He’s a little under the weather,” he said as he turned the empty hand truck around. “Mr. Brown might be out for a few weeks, so Magnolia Hill will have to put up with me for a while.” He chuckled as he walked toward the door. “Those are some very large shoes to fill, and the owner of Mamaw’s already made certain I understood where everything goes. Lucky for me, the pretty waitress had pity on me and helped me out.”
“You mean Beth?” Maggie asked.
“Yes, at least that’s the name on her tag. We didn’t get to talk much because of the laser beams the boss lady aimed at us.”
“That’s Roberta for you.” Maggie shook her head and opened a box. “She’s what you call a bit old-fashioned, somewhat dragon-like, if you get my drift. Beth, on the other hand, is sweet and could never hurt a soul. She needs a man who is kind to her after that no-good husband of hers…”
Anna cleared her throat to rescue the poor delivery man from her mother’s matchmaking. “My name is Anna, by the way.” She reached her hand out to him.
He released one hand from the hand truck and shook hers. The firm grip almost crushed her tender bones. “Kevin.”
It took quite an effort not to show her pain from her hand. Instead, she grinned and pointed at Maggie. “This is my mother, Maggie Weaver,” she replied through gritted teeth and sighed with relief when he released her aching hand. “She owns the shop.”
Maggie waved. “That’s me,” she said, turning her attention back to unpacking the boxes.
Kevin nodded. “Yes, ma’am. You have a wonderful shop.”
Anna felt an awkward silence hang in the air.
Kevin nodded. “Well, ladies, it’s very nice to meet you, but I have lots more deliveries,” he said and headed toward the door.
“Tell Roberta and Beth I said hello when you see them on your next delivery,” Maggie said.
“I certainly will, ma’am,” he said, about to leave.
“One more thing before you go,” Maggie said, looking Kevin in the eyes, putting on that sweet-as-honey smile of hers.
Anna knew what was coming.
“Beth is a sweet woman with a heart of gold. She had a tough life, Kevin, and deserves someone who’s good to her. Just keep that in mind.”
“Yes, ma’am!” he said. “Understood.” He nodded at them both one more time and left.
Anna shook her head as the truck drove off. “You’re impossible, Mom.”
Maggie grinned in return. “What? Planting a little bug won’t hurt.” She took a deep breath and turned somber. “Listen, Anna. I appreciate any way you can help with the shop. I would hate to close this place down and retire. Running this shop is my life. It gives me purpose. I just don’t think the younger crowd likes to knit or crochet anymore.”
Anna smiled. “I do, and Ashleigh loved knitting scarves and hats for the Colorado winters and cute accessories for the summer.”
“I wish other teens were as artsy as Ash,” Maggie sighed. “If this trend keeps up, knitting will be a lost skill.”
“Not if we can help it, Mom,” Anna said. “I have some ideas…”
A loud siren blared in the back of the shop.
Anna clutched her heart and then realized it was the weather radio. She never owned one in Colorado but knew that she’d have to get used to the sound again, living in a severe weather-prone area.
“A tornado watch has been issued for the following counties until five p.m.,” the voice crackled over the speaker.
“Here we go, Anna! Did you miss the stormy weather?”
Anna grinned. “Actually, I did.” She remembered going storm chasing with Jason and their friends Sean, Miles, and Jenna when they were in high school. Other than playing Dungeons & Dragons on weekends, chasing tornadoes and driving into hurricanes to experience the power of nature was their favorite pastime back then. The adrenaline rush from chasing deadly storms was a thrill like no other, especially when they all thought they were invincible. Even a few close calls couldn’t make them act less daring. Stupid teenagers, she thought—and she had been one of them. Of course, their parents never knew about their little deadly adventures.
Jason had always been the weather-smart one of the group. He read all the meteorological-related books he could get his hands on in the library. Then he also had this knack of knowing where storms would go and if they were worth chasing by looking at the clouds and taking in every clue Mother Nature gave him. Everyone else was just along for the ride. Before every chase, Sean would drive them to a large field where Jason did his weather psychic voodoo thing, then they’d figure out a plan of action. One day, as he studied the storm clouds, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pointed at angry looking cloud structures, explaining what he thought was going to happen with a particular storm cell. That moment, lightning wasn’t the only spark that flew. It was the moment when everything changed. No longer were they only friends—they were in love.
Back then, Anna was convinced that they’d spend the rest of their lives together. Not only was he smart, loved storms, and made her world spin with his kisses, he also knew her better than anyone else in the world. After all, their first playdate was building castles in a sandbox together. Life, however, had other plans for them, and she came to accept the fact, even though it hurt.
Jason was probably married now. Good for him. Every so often, when times were tough in her own marriage, she had thought of their time together. She’d wonder how things would have turned out if Jason hadn’t broken up with her before heading off to college. As a then-married woman, she always pushed that thought away as fast as it came. She couldn’t change things that were never meant to be, anyway.
A flash of lightning illuminated the shop, followed by a loud clap of thunder that made the electrical outlets pop. Anna jumped out of her skin and held her hand to her chest. “That was close!”
Maggie turned on the small TV in the back of the shop. “Folks, we have an important weather update for you. We have a few strong cells that popped up over our region that could spin out a tornado at any time,” the voice on TV said. It sounded pretty darn familiar.
No way! she thought. Just to make sure she heard right, she took a step closer to the TV and stared at the screen. “Jason? He’s moved back?”
“That he did,” Maggie said. “He’s been working at the station for about ten years. He’s the chief weatherman,” she added.
“Meteorologist, Mom.” She stared at the TV screen. A wave of nostalgia coursed from her head to her toes. He hadn’t changed a bit, just looked grown up now. Jason kept his dark-blond hair short and stylish, and his smile still drew her in.
