Page 50 of Reckoning

Briar’s voice sharpened. “Well, you’re really not, but that’s also your fault too, because if I hadn’t been in danger, he would have been in his own storm shelter and not driving into the face of a tornado to save me. Just so you know, I am in charge of repair and restoration here, and with Dad’s blessing and permission, because I’m good at it. He’s at the office, overwhelmed with the paperwork from all of the insurance claims resulting from this storm. Either sit yourself down in the living room and stay out of my way, or find someplace else to be.”

A man shouted from the back of the house. “Briar! Hey, Briar!”

“Coming!” Briar shouted back, then gave her mother one last glare. “The chair or the door,” she snapped, and walked out, leaving Mariah too shocked to move.

After a few minutes, she turned and walked out of the house, got back in her car, and drove straight to Roger’s office. But it didn’t take long for her to realize he wasn’t going to have time for her either. She could see the line of people waiting inside the office to talk to him, so she never went inside.

She reached for her phone to call Jeanette, but the banker’s wife didn’t answer, and it went to voicemail. Then it dawned on her that their house might have been damaged too.

She drove to Sparks Grocery, bought a couple of snacks and a cold Coke from the cooler, and drove to the park. She sat down in the gazebo feeling sorry for herself, then opened her chips and let the crocodile tears flow beneath bites.

About an hour later, one of Roger’s clients was about to leave the office and, as he stood to leave, just mentioned in passing, “I guess you’re glad Mariah is back from visiting her family now. Too bad she had to come home to this mess. I just saw her sitting in the park on my way here. Probably trying to stay out of the way of what’s going on with repairs and all.”

Roger’s heart skipped. Damn it. “Yes, there’s a lot going on at the house, for sure. Don’t worry about your situation. Your policy covers full restoration.”

“Good to know,” the man said, and walked out.

Roger glanced at the time. “Hey, Rita! We’ve worked right through lunch. How about we lock up for an hour?”

“I’m in,” Rita said. “I’ll make a quick run home. It will be nice when the café and fast-food drive-in opens back up again.”

“You go on ahead,” Roger said. “I’ll lock up and hang the sign.”

Rita went out the back door, and moments later, Roger followed. If Mariah was back, then she was desperate, which meant trouble for him again.

He drove home first to make himself a sandwich and check on Briar, but his heart sank when he saw Mariah’s car parked in the street out front.

“Dang it,” he muttered, as he pulled up behind her and got out. The front door was unlocked out of necessity, and when he entered the foyer, he saw her sitting on the recliner in an obvious fit of pique, and kept on walking to the kitchen without speaking.

Briar was in the utility room with a plumber, giving him detailed instructions on what wasn’t working, when she realized her dad had come home. “Ah…Dad’s here. I need to check on him. Anyway…we don’t want an upgrade. We just want what’s here repaired.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the plumber said, and reached for a handsaw as Briar went into the kitchen.

Roger looked up as Briar approached. “Any issues today?”

“Only one. I believe she’s sitting in the living room,” Briar said. “Did you eat lunch?”

“Not yet. We were swamped. Rita and I are on a one-hour break.”

“I made sandwiches. They’re in the Tupperware container in the fridge. I’ll be outside if you need me. I got a text that the roofer is coming with samples. Do you have a preference on color?” she asked.

“I like the gray that we had before. Can they patch, or…”

Briar shook her head. “No patching. The existing shingles are too far gone. I was up on the roof with the inspector. They’re cracked and broken, and would soon be leaking too.”

Roger paused, trying not to let the shock he was feeling enter his voice. “You were on the roof.”

She shrugged. “You were busy. I needed to see it for myself to trust him.”

He sighed. “Then a new roof, it is.” He got a ham-and-cheese sandwich out of the container, grabbed a bottle of Mountain Dew, and started to eat standing up at the island. He’d taken his first bite when Mariah walked in.

“Weren’t you even going to speak?” she asked.

He glared but continued eating.

Briar rolled her eyes and walked out. She didn’t care what they did.

As soon as Briar was gone, Mariah moved closer, leaning against Roger as she shifted into her usual state of despair when things weren’t going her way.