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Caitlin hiccupped and rose from the couch. “That’s a good idea. I’ll go and splash my face, and I’m sure you want to get freshened up a bit too. I hear Mom and Aunt May Ellen comingup the steps now, so we can tell them a take-out dinner from Marcie’s is a done deal.”
Surprisingly, Barb didn’t fuss at all about not preparing dinner. It seemed to Jenni that the fire had shaken her to her core, and not having to cook would be a nice respite.
Jenni did inquire as to the wellbeing of her friends, and Barb seemed very relieved to report that, as May Ellen had speculated, the damage looked far worse than it was.
It would take a while to make the repairs, but the couple had already contacted their insurance company and would just stay at their home in Kinston until they could come back to oversee the work that needed to be done.
Barb and the other neighbors would keep an eye on the property in the ensuing weeks.
“That’s pretty positive news, all things considered,” Jenni said to Caitlin as they got into the car to go and pick up their order. “I have to ask, what were y’all doing under the house when I got there?”
“We were going to hose the house down if we needed to,” Caitlin answered and shivered at the thought. “It’s been so dry, and you know these houses are all wood. A few sparks would have been a disaster. Thank goodness it didn’t get to that.”
There was not much Jenni could add, so they drove in silence to Marcie’s.
When they pulled into the parking lot, Jenni laughed. “It sure looks like there’s a fishing tournament or something. Look at all these rods. I guess with this good weather, everyone decided to show up.”
Caitlin agreed as they walked inside. “Great weather for being on the beach in October, but I’m not sure about fishing,” she said. “And apparently we’re not the only ones thinking take-out.”
For a brief moment Jenni thought Caitlin had seen Caleb, and her heart skipped a beat. She scanned the restaurant but saw only two familiar faces, Susan and Chris Smith. She waved and Chris left Susan to walk over to where she and Caitlin stood in line.
“Welcome back, Jenni,” Chris said, shaking her hand. “Nice to see you. And of course, you too, Caitlin. I heard about the fire.”
Jenni wasn’t surprised Chris knew. Barb had said that the island was truly a small place and news traveled very quickly. But she didn’t want to talk about anything too serious with Caitlin’s feelings being so close to the surface.
“Are you going to be judging?” Jenni asked.
She had enjoyed watching Chris and Susan walking along from station to station at the last tournament. They were clearly enjoying themselves.
“Not this time,” answered Chris, gesturing toward Susan. “That one re-injured an ankle that she hurt back during Hurricane Eva, so she’s a bit gimpy. I try to tell her to stay off of it but…”
Jenni and Caitlin smiled.
“Where’s the rest of your crew?” Caitlin inquired.
“Well, let’s see,” Chris thought for a moment. “SeaAnna and Mike are back in Raleigh, closing on their home. They’ve finally decided to move here full-time. They bought a place not far from ours about a month ago. Jo is going to be tied up with her classwork in Belhaven for the next two days, but I think she’s going to try to get here just for Saturday and Sunday. And Dare is still doing a few charters with this nice weather. Won’t be long until he’s in for the year.”
They had been steadily moving up in line and now found themselves collecting their dinner.
“Hopefully, y’all will make it to the banquet,” said Caitlin as she prepared to pay Marcie and Jenni picked up the take-out bags.
“I think we will,” smiled Chris. “So, we’ll see you then. I’ll let you go now. I need to make sure Susan doesn’t try to get up without her crutches. She’s not happy that I’m insisting she use them. Good luck in the tournament. Not sure the drum will like this calm and warm weather, but you never know.”
Chris made his way back to the table, and Susan waved as Jenni and Caitlin turned to leave the restaurant. It was crowded and seemed to be getting even more so as they maneuvered back past the line and pushed the door open. Jenni was juggling the bags and almost dropped them as she bumped into someone going in.
“Sorry,” she exclaimed, making sure she had everything firmly in hand once again. She looked up and looked right into the face of Caleb Prescott.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Oh my!” exclaimed Barb as she passed around plates for them to use with the take-out. Caitlin had just told Barb and May Ellen about Jenni’s unexpected meeting with Caleb. “What on earth did you do?”
Jenni finished the French fry she was enjoying and said, “I looked him in the eye and smiled and wished him well in the tournament. There wasn’t much more I could say or do, it was so crowded. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”
May Ellen chimed in. “You know there’s always the banquet on Saturday evening, Jenni. I’m sure you could find a moment there if you wanted to.”
Jenni chewed thoughtfully on another fry. “I want to make amends. I’m not expecting that to lead anywhere, but I really feel that it’s important. He only knows me as someone who is clumsy or rude, or both.”
Jenni saw Caitlin look up at her, a smile playing on her lips.
