Hunt nodded and turned away from Natalie, not truly believing her, because he still felt like he’d failed his mom. He’d failed his sister. And he sure as heck had failed that young photojournalist.
Which was why his motto now was to avoid responsibilities. Not have people depend on him. So far, it seemed to be working just fine. Except for the fact that Natalie was starting to depend on him some, and he’d taken on fixing up the patio for Keely and had promised it finished by Summerfest… and neither were really working out very well.
~ * ~
To Keely’s utmost surprise, she didn’t talk herself out of leaving. She’d made up a massive to-do-remember-this-don’t-forget list for Kat and made her promise to call if she had any questions. Any at all. Katherine had just laughed at her and shooed her out the door.
So here she was, riding down the coast highway with Hunt, windows down in the truck. The truck Hunt had sworn Natalie wouldn’t need while they were gone. Becky Lee had promised to give Natalie a ride if needed, but Natalie had said she’d probably just walk. It wasn’t more than fifteen minutes from her house to the Magnolia Cafe. Still, Keely couldn’t quiet the list of things that might go wrong that was swirling around in her mind.
She shook her head, determined to forget the cafe—as if that were even possible—and turned to Hunt. “So, tell me about your assignment.”
“It’s for a regional magazine. They want a series of photos of the small towns along the coastline of Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, showing how they’ve recovered from the series of hurricanes that have hit this area in the last years. New Orleans has gotten a lot of coverage since Katrina, but this is more focused on some of the smaller towns.” Hunt nodded to a map on the seat between them. “I’ve plotted out some towns I want to visit. I thought we’d just drive and make our way down the coast.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Well, actually it didn’t sound like a plan. It sounded like a non-plan. No specifics of where and when. No reservations on where to stay. Just wandering. And that, in and of itself, sounded wonderful to her.
She leaned back on the seat and watched the coast out the window. The road swerved close to the sea at points, then wound its way back inland again. A cool breeze blew in the open windows, making a riotous mess of her hair. She dug in her purse for a clip and fastened her hair back. Loose locks still tickled her face as they managed to escape.
“You enjoying yourself?” Hunt’s deep voice interrupted her thoughts.
“I am. Surprisingly so. It’s been so long since I’ve gotten away. I can’t even remember the last time. Truly, I think it was before the accident.”
“That’s a long time to never take a break. It’s sometimes good to do things just for yourself.”
“Well, I’ve been so busy. I didn’t think I could get away. There was no one to run the cafe, and it’s what supports us.” A pretty good list of excuses if she did say so herself.
“I’m glad you decided to let Kat have a go at running it for a few days. She looked kind of excited to have the opportunity.”
“She did, didn’t she? I hope everything works out okay. I told her to call if she had any problems.”
“I bet you don’t get that call. She seemed determined to make it work on her own. Besides, what could go wrong in just a few days?”
~ * ~
Natalie was determined to help Kat in any way possible. She wanted to make sure things went smoothly while Keely was away. It was the least she could do. She owed their family that much. Keely would get a much needed break and Katherine would prove to herself she was capable of running the cafe.
The first morning, right after Keely left town, the dishwasher person quit, and they got backed up on running the dishes. Not a problem. Natalie was just going to stay after her shift and get them caught up.
Melanie came hurrying out of the kitchen towards the end of the breakfast rush. “We don’t have any water.”
Katherine’s eyes widen. “No water at all? Now what do we do?”
“Let me call the water company.” Natalie grabbed her phone from her pocket.
“Let me just look down the street.” Becky Lee popped her head out the door. “Don’t bother to call. The water company is out here on Main. There’s water pouring down the street. Must be a break somewhere. I’ll run and check and see when they think the water will be turned back on.” Becky Lee hurried outside.
“I have two more tables to cook for. Glad it happened at the end of the breakfast crowd.” Melanie looked around the cafe. “I can finish up cooking those meals, but we’ll need to shut down after that until the water comes back on. Gotta get the breakfast dishes all cleaned—we’re all behind on that. What a day to get behind on washing dishes. Plus, I know we need a working restroom, by health code.”