town is off-limits till we get it checked out.”
Maya recognized the firefighter and hailed him. “Hi, Stan. It’s me.”
“Oh, hi, Maya. Sorry. I have my orders.” He wiped perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand.
“We just came out of there, Stan. It was fine, honest. All we want to do is drop off a few things and then leave again.”
“Well…”
Though he never actually gave her permission,he did turn his back to yell at someone else. Maya took immediate advantage of the tacit opportunity and slipped inside with Greg and Layla.
The child was awestruck. “Wow, Mommy. Your office is really messy, just like my school.”
“Only because of the storm,” Maya said. “I pick up my things every day, and so should you.” She heard her boss’s low, soft laugh and saw his shoulders shake.
“That’s what Miss Josie and Miss Nicki always say.”
“They’re smart ladies.”
“Uh-huh.”
Gregory paused at the interior door that led upstairs. He set Layla on the bottom tier where there was no standing rainwater and looked to Maya. “Shall we?”
Nodding, she handed him the pillowcases and followed her daughter up the steps while her boss brought up the rear. Since she had only recently come to work for Garrison Investments, she hadn’t yet seen what had been done to the second floor or how the apartments had been divided out of the available space.
When she topped the stairs and stepped into the wide hallway she paused, astonished. Hardwood floors shone, the ceilings were a bright white with intricately molded cornices accenting their outer edges, and a brass chandelier hung from the centerof a medallion as big as her dinette table had been before the tornado had smashed it to smithereens.
“Wow! When you fix up a place, you really fix it up.”
“Glad you approve.” He smiled. “I’d show you my suite but I haven’t finished folding my laundry.”
“If there wasn’t an impressionable child present I’d stick my tongue out and give you the noisy raspberry you deserve,” Maya said, rolling her eyes.
Layla clapped her hands. “Ooh! I love raspberries.”
“It’s a different kind, not like the ones we eat,” Maya told her as she cast a warning glance at her grinning boss. “Mr. Garrison and I were just joking around.”
“Oh.”
He led the way on down the hall to an unmarked mahogany door, then opened it and stood back. “This is the spare suite. As I said, I have some boxes and things stored here but I’ll get everything moved out as soon as possible.”
Hesitating, Maya had to force herself to step forward. Layla had no such qualms. She skipped into the apartment ahead of the adults as if she’d lived there all her life.
“Ooh, Mommy, look! There’s a boat in the living room.”
Maya was about to disagree with her when she entered and realized the child was right. “I like your decor, Mr. Garrison. It’s very outdoorsy.”
“I brought the kayak with me from Chicago. I used to row it on the lake and I thought I might get a chance to paddle on the river once I got settled here. Never seemed to find the time, though.”
“That’s a shame,” Maya said. “You work too much, too hard. Everybody needs some fun.”
“As you so aptly observed, we Garrisons have a strong work ethic.”
“No argument there.”
Walking to one of the tall, narrow windows that looked out onto Main, she caught her breath. “Oh, my. Everything looks even worse from up here. There isn’t anything left of the old town hall but the foundation. If that part hadn’t been built of limestone it would probably have blown away, too. What a shame.” She sighed and shook her head. “I just remembered. We were supposed to be having a meeting there tonight.”
“Guess you’ll have to cancel. What was it for?”
“I’m on the planning committee for the Founders’ Day Christmas Celebration. We hold that same program every year. You must remember it.”
“Vaguely. I was never very
Maya recognized the firefighter and hailed him. “Hi, Stan. It’s me.”
“Oh, hi, Maya. Sorry. I have my orders.” He wiped perspiration from his brow with the back of his hand.
“We just came out of there, Stan. It was fine, honest. All we want to do is drop off a few things and then leave again.”
“Well…”
Though he never actually gave her permission,he did turn his back to yell at someone else. Maya took immediate advantage of the tacit opportunity and slipped inside with Greg and Layla.
The child was awestruck. “Wow, Mommy. Your office is really messy, just like my school.”
“Only because of the storm,” Maya said. “I pick up my things every day, and so should you.” She heard her boss’s low, soft laugh and saw his shoulders shake.
“That’s what Miss Josie and Miss Nicki always say.”
“They’re smart ladies.”
“Uh-huh.”
Gregory paused at the interior door that led upstairs. He set Layla on the bottom tier where there was no standing rainwater and looked to Maya. “Shall we?”
Nodding, she handed him the pillowcases and followed her daughter up the steps while her boss brought up the rear. Since she had only recently come to work for Garrison Investments, she hadn’t yet seen what had been done to the second floor or how the apartments had been divided out of the available space.
When she topped the stairs and stepped into the wide hallway she paused, astonished. Hardwood floors shone, the ceilings were a bright white with intricately molded cornices accenting their outer edges, and a brass chandelier hung from the centerof a medallion as big as her dinette table had been before the tornado had smashed it to smithereens.
“Wow! When you fix up a place, you really fix it up.”
“Glad you approve.” He smiled. “I’d show you my suite but I haven’t finished folding my laundry.”
“If there wasn’t an impressionable child present I’d stick my tongue out and give you the noisy raspberry you deserve,” Maya said, rolling her eyes.
Layla clapped her hands. “Ooh! I love raspberries.”
“It’s a different kind, not like the ones we eat,” Maya told her as she cast a warning glance at her grinning boss. “Mr. Garrison and I were just joking around.”
“Oh.”
He led the way on down the hall to an unmarked mahogany door, then opened it and stood back. “This is the spare suite. As I said, I have some boxes and things stored here but I’ll get everything moved out as soon as possible.”
Hesitating, Maya had to force herself to step forward. Layla had no such qualms. She skipped into the apartment ahead of the adults as if she’d lived there all her life.
“Ooh, Mommy, look! There’s a boat in the living room.”
Maya was about to disagree with her when she entered and realized the child was right. “I like your decor, Mr. Garrison. It’s very outdoorsy.”
“I brought the kayak with me from Chicago. I used to row it on the lake and I thought I might get a chance to paddle on the river once I got settled here. Never seemed to find the time, though.”
“That’s a shame,” Maya said. “You work too much, too hard. Everybody needs some fun.”
“As you so aptly observed, we Garrisons have a strong work ethic.”
“No argument there.”
Walking to one of the tall, narrow windows that looked out onto Main, she caught her breath. “Oh, my. Everything looks even worse from up here. There isn’t anything left of the old town hall but the foundation. If that part hadn’t been built of limestone it would probably have blown away, too. What a shame.” She sighed and shook her head. “I just remembered. We were supposed to be having a meeting there tonight.”
“Guess you’ll have to cancel. What was it for?”
“I’m on the planning committee for the Founders’ Day Christmas Celebration. We hold that same program every year. You must remember it.”
“Vaguely. I was never very
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