Troubles in Paradise (Paradise #3)(102)

This is such a good local story that Margaret feels like she hit the jackpot on the first try. She asks Huck and Irene to repeat all of this—including the shtick about the name Inga—with the cameras rolling. She has Linda get a close-up of the cookies and then she asks Linda to pan across the water toward Lovango Cay.

When they finish filming, Irene says, “I’m not one to play the name game but I think you know my cousin.”

Margaret smiles. She loves this woman, this couple; they’re authentic and charming, and even if Margaret has no idea who Irene’s cousin is, she might pretend she does. “Who’s your cousin?”

“Mitzi Quinn,” Irene says.

Ha! Margaret thinks. Ha-ha-ha! “Mitzi? Mitzi is your cousin?”

Irene nods shyly. Huck looks lost. “Who’s Mitzi?”

“Mitzi was married to my ex-husband for many years,” Margaret says. “Mitzi’s son, Bart, is my children’s half brother.” She beams. “We’re practically related!” She pulls out a business card and hands it to Irene. “Please, let’s keep in touch. If you ever need anything…”

“Thank you,” Irene says.

Margaret tilts her head. “Before I move on, I have to ask one more question. How did the two of you meet?”

Irene and Huck smile at each other and Margaret can see something pass between them that seems to indicate it’s a story too complicated for a sound bite. Of course, Margaret thinks. All the best stories are.

“We could tell you,” Huck says. “But you’d never believe it.”





Irene


Cash and Tilda are okay. The cell phone reception when she’s talking to Cash goes in and out but the gist is that they’re going to stay on Lovango for a few days to try to clean up before they take the skiff back over to St. John.

“It was scary,” Cash admits. “The cottage shook so bad, we felt like dice in a cup. During the worst of it, I looped my belt through the handle of the front door and pulled, and Tilda sat behind me, bracing me. We knew if we lost the door, the roof would be next.”

Irene gets a chill. You should have stayed with us, she almost says. The Happy Hibiscus didn’t sustain any damage because it’s made of stone, because it’s sheltered from the water, because the yard has only bismarckia trees, no palms. The wind was loud, the windows rattled, they could hear the branches of the trees coming down, but that was the worst of it. The baby cried a little, which was a sound everyone loved, and Winnie whimpered, which was a sound nobody loved but everyone tolerated. “Isn’t it lonely being the only two people on that whole island?” Irene asks.

“Actually,” Cash says, “it’s kind of romantic.”

Well, Irene thinks, looks like Tilda is back in the picture. “We have a surprise for you when you get home,” Irene says.

“A what?” Cash says.

“A surprise!” Irene says. There’s no answer. “A surprise!” She turns to Huck. “I think I lost him.”

Suddenly she hears Cash say, “Thanks, Mom. Hug Winnie for me.”



When Huck and Irene leave town, Irene says, “Shall we go to your house?”

“Our house?” he says. He sighs. “Can’t put it off forever, I guess.”

They’ve avoided it until now because the most important thing was making sure everyone was safe, including Cash and Tilda. The fate of Huck’s house and the boat is secondary.

Sort of.

If the house is destroyed, where will they live? If the boat is destroyed, how will they live?



Slowly, they begin the climb up Jacob’s Ladder. Irene is surprised when her phone pings with a text.

It’s from Lydia. We saw you on Channel 2 with Margaret Quinn! it says. Congrats on your new granddaughter! Brandon was so happy his cookies made it on TV!



There are branches down on the road up to Huck’s house that Huck has to clear. One of their neighbors lost his entire roof; it’s like someone pried the lid off a jar. Where is it? Somewhere down the hill? The destruction is everywhere and it is epic. There’s a truck on its side with the doors ripped off. Entire homes have been reduced to rubble—insulation and beams and crumbling bricks. The Ladder looks far, far worse than Fish Bay.

When they’re still fifty yards away, they can see the Mississippi. Huck exhales. It’s a little crooked on the trailer but otherwise fine. It must have been shielded by the house. Huck jumps out to look at the boat more closely while Irene heads up the front stairs.

They still have a roof, and the deck is intact, although the railings are all broken. She has to wait for Huck to retrieve his drill from the truck so he can take the shutter off the front door. Together, they step inside.

Something is wrong—the windows in the kitchen have blown out. There’s glass everywhere and the living room looks like it’s been ransacked; lamps have been knocked over, cushions from the sofa are all over the room, everything is wet. There’s at least three inches of water in the kitchen, the chairs are all smashed; the sugar bowl, the toaster, Irene’s food processor are all sitting broken in the shallow pond of their kitchen. There’s a palm rat feasting on what looks to be an overturned plate of chicken and rice.

Irene gags. Huck comes up behind her. “I’ll get him out in a second,” he says. “Let’s check the rest.”