Page 37 of There’s Trouble Brewing

“Careful before you make that wrist worse,” Mark warned with a frown.

At the church, a group of half a dozen townsfolk worked tirelessly, their muscles straining and faces glistening with sweat, as they heaved and maneuvered to set upright a collapsed fence. The wooden planks groaned in protest as they were coaxed back into position. Nearby, others hustled about, placing extra sandbags at the various entrances.

“There’s still one place we haven’t visited,” Emily told him, knowing that Mark was avoiding the Waterfront for a reason.

“I know. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to go there yet,” he told her. “What if it’s all gone? Everything we built is destroyed?”

“If it is, we’ll figure it out,” she assured him as she placed her hand on his arm. “We did it once before. We can do it again.”

Mark nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line as he mustered resolve. Together, they made their way to the Waterfront, their boots squishing through the thick mud that had settled on the streets.

As they rounded the corner, the sight that greeted them was disheartening. The once bustling Brave Badge Coffee Shop stood in shambles, its windows shattered and the sign hanging by a single chain. The interior was a mess of overturned chairs and soggy coffee grounds.

Emily’s heart sank. This was his dream, soaked andsplintered by nature’s fury. It was hard to believe this was the same place she’d first walked into when she’d arrived on her bike.

“Mark...” Emily started, her voice soft, full of empathy.

He shook his head slowly. “I thought I was ready to see it. But I wasn’t,” he admitted, his voice catching in his throat. He leaned against what remained of the door frame, his eyes scanning the damage.

Emily stepped closer, slipping her arm around him. “It’s bad, yes. But we’re still here, together. That’s what matters.” She squeezed his arm gently.

Mark turned to look at her, a mixture of gratitude and worry in his eyes. “What about the grand opening next week? And all those plans?”

“We’ll adjust,” she said firmly. “We can push back the opening date. Nobody would expect us to recover from this overnight.”

“You think people will still come?” he asked doubtfully.

“They will,” Emily assured him with a nod. “They’ve seen what you’ve done for this town. They’ll wait because they believe in you—just like I do.”

The weight of her words seemed to lift some of the burden from Mark’s shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked around again with a new perspective. “All right then,” he declared with renewed determination. “Let’s clean up this mess.”

For hours they worked together, joined gradually by the baristas and other townsfolk who brought tools and offered help. Pastor Gary showed up with a crew from the church, including Sadie Robertson, who organized volunteers with efficiency and kindness that mirrored her father’s.

Lucille Robertson came by with trays of sandwiches and lemonade, her way of bolstering morale amidst the chaos. Even Birdie Jackson appeared, camera in hand todocument the communal effort—a series of before and after shots that she excitedly proclaimed would go into the next town newsletter.

After clearing most of the debris, Mark stood back and surveyed their progress. There was still so much to do, but now there was a path forward—a chance to rebuild stronger than before.

As dusk settled over Faith Valley, Emily walked over to him, wiping her muddy hands on her jeans. “Hey, boss,” she teased lightly, a twinkle in her tired eyes. “I think we should call it for tonight.”

Mark laughed softly, pulling her close for a brief hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.

“For what?” Emily pulled back slightly to meet his gaze.

“For not letting me give up on this place today.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Never,” she said simply. “We’ll make it shine again.”

Later that night, Emily held tight to Mark’s hand as they filed into Faith Valley’s church, sitting on a crowded row on scarred wooden pews. The room was filled with the anxious murmurings of dozens of voices, their nervous chatter echoing softly off the walls. Gradually, these anxious voices dwindled to half a dozen hopeful whispers. As the anticipation hung in the air, the whispers eventually fell silent, creating a serene hush that welcomed Pastor Gary’s presence. “Good evening, my dear friends,” he began, his warm and welcoming voice resonating through the room as he greeted everyone with a kind smile. “I’m glad all of you could make it here for our town meeting. It’s been a hard couple of days, but the storm is finally dying down. We can go from damage control to rebuilding starting tomorrow.”

As conversations erupted all around, a buzz of excitementfilled the air, with voices overlapping like a chorus of lively chatter. Emily and Mark sat attentively, their ears tuned to the flurry of discussions about what was to come next. They exchanged glances now and then, quietly absorbing the various opinions and speculations that swirled around them like an invisible current.

“Can I say something,” Mark’s words filled the room as he stood up to address everyone. She wanted to cry and laugh and cheer all at once as he stood there and waited, that same confidence and certainty in his voice and posture and eyes. “It’s amazing to see how many of you are here, after everything. I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone. To let you know we’re going to get through this—all of us, together. I want to thank some people in particular. The Robertsons and church members, all my neighbors, the staff from the Brave Badge—” he paused, made eye contact with Emily across the crowded room, then continued. “—and especially Emily. For having faith in all of us and never quitting.”

There was a silence before the applause started as if the entire room knew to give the two of them a shared moment of pride and joy.

Birdie’s shout rang out over the crowd’s swelling applause. “Together at last,” she called, starting a new round of cheerful clapping.

“And I have one more thing to add,” Mark continued. He looked straight at her, saying, “I’ve decided to make Emily my new business partner at the Brave Badge.”

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