Page 62 of Renewal After Dark

“You were great with her, babe.”

“So were you.”

“We’ll get her through this.”

“I’m so glad you’re here with us.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d ever want to be.”

McKenzie carriedJax next door to meet the insurance adjuster, a man named Rob Kelly, who’d come from the mainland to view the damage to her place and several others.

He was about sixty, with thinning gray hair and a friendly smile.

“Ms. Martin?”

“Yes, that’s me.” She shook his outstretched hand. “I’m McKenzie, and this is Jax.”

“Nice to meet you both. Sorry for what happened to your home.”

McKenzie still found it difficult to look at the splintered remains of the cabin. “Me, too. I inherited it from my grandmother. We had a lot of good times here.”

“I’m sure you will again. Easy enough to justify declaring it a total loss. It was fully insured along with clauses for replacing furnishings and personal possessions up to fifty thousand.”

“Oh wow. I had no idea.” Her mind raced as she imagined the shopping she could do for herself and Jax to replace the items they’d lost. They wouldn’t need anywhere close to fifty thousand dollars’ worth, but she could only imagine what it cost to get items such as furniture and appliances shipped to the island. It would be fun to pick out new things and design the house to her taste.

“I met your grandmother once when she came into the office. She left nothing to chance.”

“Maybe she knew that someday her careful planning would make all the difference for me.”

“Possibly. You’ll be able to build to your specs and have everything you need. Let me just get some pictures for the file. Have you spoken to a contractor?”

“Yes, Mac McCarthy.”

“He’s great. We’ve worked with him before. I’ll get this expedited for you. I’m sure you want to get settled back into your home with the little guy as soon as possible.”

“That’d be wonderful. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

He photographed the pile of rubble from every angle, took some measurements and made notes on an iPad. Then he handed her his card and typed in her email address. “I’ll send over your estimate and authorization to proceed with repairs to you and Mac later today or tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“I really appreciate you coming over and taking care of this so quickly.”

“My pleasure. Hope you two are settled back in your home again very soon.”

After Mr. Kelly left, McKenzie walked back along the path toward Duke’s just as he pulled into the drive on a gigantic motorcycle that was so loud, Jax whimpered from the noise.

McKenzie covered his ears. “It’s okay, sweetie.”

As Duke cut the engine, she noticed he wore black leather pants and a matching vest that put his colorful, muscular arms on full display. His long hair was held back in a ponytail. Holy hotness. The biker type had never done it for her until now.

“Sorry about that. Did I scare him?”

“A little, but he’s fine. Where did that thing come from?”

He grinned at her use of the wordthingto describe his bike. “The garage. Surprised you didn’t hear me leave earlier.”

“I heard something, but I thought it was out on the road.”

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