Carolina Mercy by Regina Rudd Merrick

Author:Regina Rudd Merrick [Merrick, Regina Rudd]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

A week after the storm, Tom stood in the back yard of his mother’s home, mentally calculating shingles, decking, and drywall. He’d taken pictures of the damage, inside and out. Neighbors had secured a tarp over the area of the affected roof, knowing Tom was tied up. Now to file the insurance claim and wait. They were the fortunate ones. One area was affected, the roof over the kitchen ell. No carpet, just soggy rugs and lost food from the rain and power outage. That meant the house was livable, and after getting the mess cleaned up, life could get back to normal.

He turned to see a car drive up. He grinned when Lucy got out of Sarah’s car and walked toward him. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey, yourself. I didn’t know the county let you off the leash long enough to come home.” She grinned back at him, causing a flush to rise from his neck to his face. He’d missed her.

“Finally. Things are getting back to normal. I thought I’d better start thinking about fixing the roof. Well, as soon as we get the go-ahead from the insurance company. I could have it done in a few days if I didn’t have to wait on them.”

This was awkward. If they were supposed to be together, would he feel awkward around her? A voice, deep inside of him, reminded him he hadn’t made any move in her direction after the shower and his revelation of what he considered his “best kiss.” Now wasn’t the time.

Lucy had changed the subject while his mind wandered. “– so I’ll be helping Sam––”

“Wait. What? Helping Sam?”

“I said, I’ve been asked to help with the state/county police department relief effort. Sam is in charge, and he asked me to help since Sarah’s tied up with Jared. I guess I seemed to be at loose ends.” She shrugged and looked down at her toes.

Loose ends. Great. He’d rather her spare time be spent with him instead of Sam Watson. He didn’t want to sound like a jealous boyfriend, because he wasn’t. A boyfriend, anyway. Jealous, yes. Boyfriend? He wished. And yet, it sounded juvenile.

He brightened a bit. “I guess you’ll have to come by the station a lot.”

She grinned and cut her eyes up at him. “I suppose I will.”

Lucy stood beside him, both of them contemplating the house with hands in pockets. “How long would it take you with a little help?” She pulled her right hand out of her pocket and up to shade her eyes as she looked up at him, squinting.

“For what?” Another change in topic. She reminded him of Jared’s mother in some ways.

“The roof, silly.”

“Depends on the help.” He chuckled. “You offering?”

“I’ll have you know, Mr. Macho Man, that I have served on construction teams on mission trips and with Habitat for Humanity, and I happen to have no fear of heights. So there.”

A laugh burst from him. It felt good, if a little unfamiliar these days. The sight of her petite form, hands on hips, putting him in his place, was exactly what he needed.

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