Page 33 of Rebuilding Friendship Inn

She went into the back room to get the cleaning cart, and a few moments later, she pushed it toward the kitchen space they’d been working to clean up. Clara had looked once at replacement commercial kitchen appliances, and the price tags had been enough to make her cry.

She’d shut the laptop and gone to bed in pure darkness, after checking on Lena in her new bedroom. Her daughter had settled reasonably well in Five Island Cove, and Clara knew a large part of that came from her mother. Lena loved her grandmother, and Clara’s mother adored Lena.

She told her about the stray cats at her condo, and spun tales of her Seafaring Girls from decades ago. They laughed together, and her mother knew all of Lena’s favorite things. A sense of regret and wistfulness filled Clara.

She wished her summer days were filled with morning walks with friends, sewing lessons, lunches at beachside cafés, and lazy afternoons with her family. Her life had never quite been that, as Clara had always denied herself the opportunity to really let people in.

She had Scott, and once Lena had come along, the girl had required so much attention. Clara loved her dearly, but she hadn’t had time for lunches with friends, to sew clothes, or to perpetuate deep familial relationships.

She’d spent more than her fair share of her time fixing things Lena had broken or consoling the girl before, during, and after school. She had worked part-time for a few years while Lena was in junior high, but it had become hard again with a new school and more challenging curriculum.

Now that Lena was an adult, Clara had a bit more freedom. Now, however, she had no money and still no time to do any of the glorious things she saw her mother doing with her Seafaring Girls and their friends.

She was on their group text, and she didn’t mind getting the messages. She never quite knew how to respond or fit into the conversation, so she rarely contributed. Her mom had asked her if she wanted to be removed, and Clara had said no.

Why, she wasn’t sure. She felt some sort of lifeline to those women, and it made absolutely no sense.

She looked down at her list again, her thoughts scattered and lost now. “Where was I?” Outside, a machine beeped and growled, but in here, Clara had some semblance of air conditioning. It didn’t work great, especially in this large, open room, but it was enough to ward off the worst of the heat.

After tucking her hair behind her ear, she focused on her list. “Ferry service,” she said. She’d gone to a City Council meeting, intending to ask how she could get the ferry service to Friendship Island restored. They’d been so busy talking about zoning and new businesses coming to the island that she hadn’t had the opportunity.

Helplessness filled her now too. She needed it to be easier to get to the island. If she couldn’t do that, everything else she and Scott were doing here would be useless. For naught.

She picked up her phone, the blue light at the top indicating she’d received a text. It had come from Kelli Webb to the group, and it said,Shad’s on lockdown in the government building. Anyone know what’s up?

As Clara watched, texts rolled in. Robin, Alice, and AJ hadn’t heard anything. No one in her family responded, which meant Jean, Lena, and Mom were probably in the lighthouse, sewing already.

Eloise didn’t respond either, but Clara hadn’t expected her to. She usually only did if something was a major event, or during set hours—when she rode the ferry to and from Sanctuary Island. She lived on Diamond with her husband and two girls, and her only downtime came on the ferry ride.

Laurel would have the most information, and she said nothing. If there was a situation, she’d probably be called to it, and since Clara had no TV or radio service out here, she had no clue why Kelli’s husband would be locked down in the government buildings.

Her mind niggled at her, telling her to ask Kelli what her husband did. If he worked in the government here on Five Island Cove, would he know the right people Clara needed to talk to in order to get the ferry service to run to this island?

Even if there was one ferry that only went back and forth from the Sanctuary port to Friendship Island, it would be enough. It was a fifteen-minute boat ride. Leaves every half-hour, during regular ferry hours.

She knew Five Island Cove housed ferries at all the ports, so people wouldn’t be stranded on any one island. Sanctuary could house one more ferry.

“You’ve got to get over yourself,” she muttered to herself. The words drifted up into the air, getting lost among all the space above her.

She needed to talk to Kelli. And Alice. And AJ. All of them. She didn’t have any more time to waste. Instead of sending a message to them, she called the manager at Boyd’s Home Repair.

“Hello, Boyd’s,” their receptionist, Nancy, said.

“Yes, hello,” Clara said crisply. “This is Clara Tanner, and I’m still waiting for someone to come fix my staircase out at Friendship Inn?”

“Oh, Clara,” the woman said. “I was going to call you this morning. Devon tried to get out there yesterday, but there’s no ferry.”

Clara ground her teeth together. “He has to come in the morning. Nine o’clock. We have a boat we charter out on every day.”

“Oh, well, let me check his schedule…” That was the same run-around Clara had gotten last time. She’d told Nancy all of this already. “Looks like next Wednesday.” She positively chirped the words, like she was doing Clara a grand favor.

“Fine,” Clara said. “I won’t let the boat captain leave without him. Nine o’clock. Sanctuary port.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nancy said.

Clara ended the call and lowered the phone, something barbed and sticky in the back of her throat. She could barely swallow past it, and she hated the panic building in her chest.

On the group text, Kelli had texted to say it was a fire drill, and everything was fine.Haha.

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