Page 12 of Never Let Me Go

Jeff exhaled. “Could have been a lot worse.”

Marisa was still tucked up against his side. “What about injuries?” she asked.

Lucas rolled his shoulders, for the first time betraying exhaustion. “Two who may not make it. They were in a mobile home that got tossed. Medics worked on them at the scene. They’re both in the hospital now, undergoing surgery.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Yeah.” He shook his head slowly. “Most of my guys and the rescue squad are on this street now going door-to-door. The 9-1-1 calls have slowed down. I think we’ve seen the worst of it.”

Jeff stared at his friend. “Thanks for coming to get us out.”

Marisa nodded feverishly. “Same here,” she said. “Thanks a million times. It felt a little bit like being buried alive.”

Lucas’s smile beamed in their direction. “Happy to see you both intact. Let’s get you up the ladder. I’m still on the clock, so I won’t hang around if you two are okay.”

“We’re great,” Jeff said.

A twelve-foot extension ladder had taken the place of the ruined steps. Jeff followed Marisa to the top, keeping her close in case she got woozy. But apparently, getting rescued had given her a burst of energy.

Lucas brought up the rear.

On the main floor once again, Jeff’s heart sank. “Oh, man. Not my windows.” He’d kept the original plate-glass ones from the bank. Now, they were shattered.

Rain had drenched almost everything. His furniture, his books, his vinyl collection.

Marisa slipped her hand in his. “It’s just stuff,” she whispered. “I can help you clean up.”

“Me, too,” Lucas said. “Leah and I have some time off.”

“Thanks,” Jeff said gruffly. He wasn’t accustomed toreceiving help.He looked at Lucas. “Is it safe to go upstairs?”

“Should be. The wall you lost wasn’t load bearing. When the windows blew, the suction yanked it loose. And half your steps. But the other set of stairs in the back of the house wasn’t affected.”

“That’s something, I guess.” For a moment, Jeff was overwhelmed by the amount of work facing him. How was he supposed to keep up with hisrealjob and repair his home, too?

Marisa had been texting her parents to check on them and let them know she was okay. But she picked up on his mood. “Let’s go upstairs and see how bad it is. Knowing is better than not knowing.”

Once he made sure the stairs were truly sturdy, he put Marisa behind him and climbed to the second floor. He’d refinished the beautiful wooden treads himself and preserved the original wood.

Upstairs, they wandered slowly and surveyed the damage. Here, the windows were untouched. But the large hole in the far-right corner of the ceiling had let water in. Fortunately, that was mostly over the bathroom. Not much to ruin there.

His mattress would have to be replaced. Everything was damp. When he first did the remodel, he had blocked off the back half of the second floor for storage. Ironically, nothing there was in bad shape.

He sighed. “Well, at least the building is still standing. I’m grateful for that.”

Marisa grimaced. “I’m so sorry, Jeff. You did such an amazing job with the remodel. And you’ll do it again. I suppose it will just take time.”

“Yeah. Let’s hope I can get roofing guys here quickly. That will be the first hurdle.”

They were standing in his bedroom again. Despite the destruction, it was impossible not to remember this was the place where he and Marisa had first made love. Even now, he could see her on his bed, her face flushed with arousal and sleepy happiness.

Until afterward.

His stomach tightened. “We should probably get out of here. I’ll get an inspector to do a full investigation. Insurance will require that anyway.” He was talking too fast, not able to look at Marisa. What was she thinking?

Was he the only one having trouble reliving the past?

She slid her arms around his waist from behind and rested her cheek on his back. “I know it’s depressing. It would be for anyone. But you’ll get through this, Jeff.”

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