“I’m famished. Glad Lil invited us.” Mason walked back out without saying a word about the chaos that was her room or her very, very casual attire.
She tugged the door behind them and followed him along the long hallway and down the stairs. They cut across the inn towards The Nest. The inn was eerily spooky with no guests roaming around. The wind had picked up and rattled the shutters over the windows.
“Kind of creepy,” she admitted to Mason as she moved a bit closer to him.
“Looks like one of those scenes in a horror film. The darkened empty inn. The howling wind. This is where, in the movie, a woman would walk out into a garage or shed, or up to the attic by herself, to see what the noise was that she heard.” He grinned at her.
She laughed. “It does look exactly like a scene from a movie like that. But it is creepy like this.”
“Come on.” He took her hand in his and led her toward The Nest.
His strong hand wrapped around hers did make her feel better. She took one last glance back at the deserted lobby area.
They got to The Nest and Gary let them in. “Welcome. I’m not sure what Lillian is making for what she calls a light dinner, but it smells wonderful. Lillian, Mason and Zoe are here.”
Lillian poked her head out from the kitchen. “It’s just soup and salad. Nothing fancy. And I stole some rolls and a pie from the inn’s kitchen. Gary, why don’t you make them drinks while I finish up?”
“Beer, wine, soda?”
“Beer for me,” Mason said as they walked into the room.
“Red wine?” Zoe asked.
“Have a nice merlot opened. I’ll get some of that.”
Gary returned with their drinks and they all stood inside the sliding door to the deck overlooking the beach. The palm fronds danced wildly in the wind, slashing against each other.
“This door has hurricane impact windows in it so it doesn’t need shutters over it. Lillian said when she had to replace the door a year or so ago, she replaced it with this one. At least we can still look out and see what’s going on.” Gary stood nursing his drink.
She looked out at the waves that were starting to hammer the beach as the winds picked up. The pure power of these storms frightened her and fascinated her at the same time.
“Come on to the kitchen,” Lillian called. “Dinner’s ready.”
She followed Gary and Mason into the kitchen. Lillian had set the table with cheerful placemats and plain white dishes. She noticed that Lillian had placed candles and matches nearby. That made sense in case the electricity went out. One thing she’d learned when she’d first moved to the island with Noah. Always have candles and flashlights ready. Electricity was iffy during any storm here.
Gary and Mason talked business while they ate. She chatted with Lillian about a few changes that Sara was making to Noah’s house to make it feel less like a bachelor pad. It felt like a normal family dinner. She’d missed her family dinners with Noah since she’d moved away. For a bit, she even managed to forget about the storm.
For a bit. Kind of.
They all sat and ate their dinner and finished it off with peach pie. Not really her definition of light, but she’d amazed herself at how hungry she was. And she was finally beginning to perk up after the meal.
Over Lillian’s protests, Zoe and Mason sent her and Gary to the living room and did the dishes. Afterward, Zoe looked around at the cleaned-up kitchen.
“We should probably go,” she whispered to Mason. “Lillian and Gary were supposed to be on their honeymoon right now. Not preparing for a storm, or feeding us.”
“Yes, their marriage has certainly started out with a bit of chaos. You’re right, we should go.”
They headed out to where Gary and Lillian were sitting. Lillian had her knitting in her lap, but her knitting needles lay quiet.
“Dad, we’re going to go now.”
“You sure? You could stay for a while.”
“I’m really tired,” Zoe quickly added, wanting to give them their privacy. “But thank you so much for the dinner.”
Gary rose and walked them to the door. “Good night. We’ll talk to you in the morning. Come down for breakfast and we’ll know better about the storm by then.”
“Sounds good. We will.” Mason nodded.
“Good night,” Lillian called from her recliner, her knitting needles finally moving in rhythm.
“Night,” Zoe answered as she and Mason slipped out the door.
“So are you really tired?” Mason paused after a few steps. “Want to come to my room for some wine?” Mason gave her one of his impish, impossible to resist smiles.
“I was tired… but I seem to have found my second wind. Another glass of wine sounds like just the thing.”
When they got to Mason’s room, he switched on a lamp on the desk. The low light made the room feel intimate and inviting as she followed him inside. He crossed over to the dresser and picked up two bottles of wine, one in each hand. “Merlot or cab?”
“Either.” Zoe shrugged.
“I snagged two glasses from the dining room, earlier. Always pays to be prepared.” He poured them both a glass of merlot and handed her one. “To weathering the storm.”
“To weathering the storm.” She raised her glass to his, hoping the island did fare well through all this.
Mason walked over and pulled out the desk chair for her. “Here, have a seat.”
She sat down, and he paced the room slowly. The light from the one lamp cast a cozy light around them, but it still felt strange with the windows boarded up and no glimpse at the outside world.
“It’s dark in here with the shutters up.” He turned back toward her. “Wish we could see out like we could at Lillian’s.”
Okay then, they were thinking the same thoughts now.
