Page 7 of Renewal After Dark

“Believe me, I know. I had to force her to accept my monthly reimbursements. She said she didn’t want it, but I told her I needed to believe I’d bought this place myself.”

“That also sounds like her.”

“You were lucky to have her in your life, as was I.”

“I guess we may as well go to the store now, before Jax’s bedtime.”

“Let’s do it.” He carried the baby carrier back to the truck, realizing he should’ve offered a trip to the store when they were still in town. But he’d been so flummoxed by having her in his truck that he hadn’t been thinking clearly.

Duke drove them back to town and went with her into the grocery store in case she needed help with the little guy. He was amazed by how she propped the seat on the shopping cart like an old pro and wheeled him into the store.

“Nice to have the power back,” he said as they entered the brightly lit space. It’d been like a cave in there while they relied on generators.

“Sure is. I’d never given the first thought to how this place would function without power.”

“We had a days-long blackout last summer. A lot of people bought generators after that, myself included. I had one running on my fridge all last week.”

“Blaine and Tiffany had one going, too.”

“We’ll get you some ice just in case the power goes out again. The grid is old, and the storm identified new vulnerabilities.”

“Is that why it keeps going on and off?”

“Yep. I heard they’re looking for parts that are hard to find because the system is so outdated.”

“Is it weird to be more anxiousafterthe storm than I was during the storm?”

“Yes, that’s very weird.”

She laughed, as he hoped she would.

“You were in much greater danger then than you are now.”

“I know, but it’s just so sobering to realize how isolated we are here.”

“You want to know a secret?”

“Sure.”

“I love when things go askew out here. It’s fun figuring out how to cope without the basics.”

McKenzie rolled her eyes. “I prefer a more sedate kind of fun than living without the basics.”

“You need to tap into your sense of adventure.”

“I don’t have much of a sense of adventure. Never really have.”

“Well, this is a good time to get one because you never know what’s going to happen out here from one day to the next.”

McKenzie put a bunch of bananas in the cart. “You don’t see mention of that in the tourist brochures.”

Duke laughed. “Nah, it’s our little secret. The year-rounders take care of the tourists when need be.” He put two jugs of water into the cart. “They’re recommending bottled water for a while longer.”

“Right, Tiffany mentioned that.”

“It’s fun the way the community comes together to take care of each other at times like this. It reminds me of why I love it here so much. People are always willing to help.”

“That’s a nice way to live.”

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