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I groan and squeeze my eyes closed. “I’m going to have to tell him that we need to keep it between us.”
“But what reason could you possibly have for wanting that? I mean, besides the truth, which you obviously aren’t going to tell him.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”
I’m still dreading the conversation when we head out to the cart with Paul and his roommate Jack. Their apartment was safe, but they want to check on the older lady who lives below them.
“All right, load up,” Ben says like a total dad.
I grin and start to slide in beside him before I catch myself. “You know what? Paul, you have the longest legs, why don’t you take the front.”
He thanks me and we all pile in. Ben tosses me a glance that I read as conspiratorial, and I nearly melt into a puddle right there in the backseat. Maybe I won’t have to have an awkward conversation with him after all. He seems to get it.
The house is a complete loss. I can barely breathe as we pull onto our block, the four-wheel drive golf cart moving slowly through the still muddy street. The water line on the side of the house is obvious due to the color of the dirt street, and it’s high.
I grind my teeth trying to remember what exactly I have in the bottom drawers of my dresser. Hopefully, nothing that can’t be washed.
“You said there’s an old woman living in that apartment?” Ben asks Paul, looking dubiously at the obviously washed-out ground floor apartment.
“We moved her upstairs with us last night and that’s where we left her when we headed to The Sands this morning. She should be okay up there. We didn’t get any water or damage.”
“But the power’s still out,” Ben grumbles. “It’s going to get hot.”
Paul nods. “The locals here are pretty tough. This was a bad storm, but not the first by any means. It wasn’t even a hurricane.”
He and Jack head toward their building and Sally slides out, walking straight through the unlocked door to our house. I remain frozen in my seat.
“I brought some plastic bags from the resort. We can load up anything you want to take back to Merit to wash,” Ben offers helpfully, and I manage a small smile, dragging myself out of the cart and following him toward the door.
When I get to the doorway, however, I freeze.
The scene is nearly unbearable.
Mud cakes two feet up all the furniture, and the ground is a soggy mess. The smell of ocean and damp and dirt is so strong, I have to bring my arm to my face to block it out. Then I squeeze my eyes closed, wanting to block out the rest of it as well.
“You okay?” Ben asks from beside me.
I crack my eyes open and peer up at his concerned face. Then I shake my head. He pulls me into an embrace.
“This looks really bad right now, but it will all get cleaned up.”
I shake my head against his chest. “It’s so bad.”
Ben pulls away slightly and tilts my chin up to look at him. “We’ll load up all your stuff and bring it over to Merit. Get it washed. Anything that can’t be washed can be replaced. I’ll make sure of that.”
I shake my head again, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “It’s not just me…” I break off again, a tear rolling down my cheek. “It’s everyone. The lady next door has to live here. All of the employees who work here full-time, they lost everything. Some of them bought houses in this neighborhood, what are they going to do now? I just showed up with a suitcase planning to stay for three months. Nothing I have here even matters. But there are so many people who need help.” My heart is breaking, and I’m on the verge of breaking down.
Ben takes me by my shoulders and presses his forehead to mine. “We’re going to help everyone. We’re the ones who can help, so we will. Right now, we’ve got twenty displaced resort employees heading down to the dock, about to get on boats to go to our house. When they all get there, they’re going to need you to help them—show them their rooms, make them coffee, listen to their stories about the storm, and offer comfort. You’re in the best position to help right now. Do you think you can do that?”
I nod, my tears forgotten. He’s right. I don’t have to wallow in sadness for these people. I can help.
Sally and I load up the bags Ben brought and carry them out to the trunk of the golf cart. Paul joins us, backpack on his back.
“Jack’s going to stay here, but I gave our neighbor my room. Do you mind if I grab a room on Merit for now?”
“That’s fine. There should be plenty of space for everyone, although I don’t think anyone’s going to be getting their own room,” Ben replies, climbing back into the cart.
“It’s no problem.”
