Page 84 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“I was. Just wanted to see how things were coming along.”

“All of the baking cabinets are cleaned out, packed up, and in the car.”

“Already?” She’d never have done it with such speed. “Did you break anything?”

He laughed. “No, I promise. What’s next?”

“I need to sort through the rest of the cabinets and decide what I want to keep and what can be donated.”

“How about you put the keepers on the table, and I’ll pack them up.” He held up a finger. “Right after I go see if there’s anything else I can help carry out to the truck. It’ll take you a few minutes to fill that table, won’t it?”

“Sure, but you’re not overdoing it, are you?”

“I know I’m not in my thirties, but I can hold my own.”

She smiled. “I know that. All right. I’ll have a full table for you in a bit.”

“Back as soon as I can.”

He left and she started opening cabinets. Her pots and pans were nothing great, except for the crepe pan she had gotten from her mom on her birthday. And her big sauté pan. Those two went on the table. She went through her plates and dishes, the glassware, and the utensils without any real snags.

It wasn’t until she got to the coffee mugs that she slowed down. Most of them were strictly functional, but there were a good handful that were sentimental. Gifts from friends, or souvenirs. Funnily enough, there was one from Diamond Beach.

She put a lot of those mugs on the table. Most of her glass and ceramic bowls ended up there, too. A couple of big wooden spoons she’d bought at a farmers market years ago. Her grandmother’s rolling pin. An old set of measuring spoons that might have belonged to Bryan’s grandmother.

By the time Danny returned, the table was full, and she was more than halfway through the kitchen. While he boxed those things up, she went to work on the pantry and spice cabinet. No sense in wasting food if it was still good.

She filled three boxes, which sent Danny out for more.

Her next big project was the fridge and freezer. She stood in front of it, leaving the doors closed, and sighed.

Danny approached. “Do you have a cooler? We can use it to take any of the food you want to save. But that should be the last thing we do, so it’s not in there for too long.”

She nodded. “There are two good-size coolers in the garage, which just made me realize that’s another thing I need to clean out. What am I going to do with all that stuff? There’s no garage at the Double Diamond and the storage closet under the house is already filled with beach stuff, garden tools, and outdoor furniture.”

She put her hands on her head, starting to feel overwhelmed. “We are never going to get this all done. Not in one day.”

“You want me to go out to the garage and have a look?”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure how much help that would be, but she was hoping for a miracle. She pointed. “Right through that door.”

He went out, flipping the light on as he pulled the door shut behind him.

She went back to opening cabinets and pulling anything she wanted to save. There wasn’t much left. She was taking magnets off the fridge when he came back in. “Well?”

“There’s not as much out there as I thought there’d be. Some decent yard tools. Shop rags, old cans of paint, a toolbox, an extension ladder, all the usual stuff. I bet between myself and the other men, we could divvy most of that up and take it off your hands. After you decide what you want to keep, that is.”

“What’s out there that you think I should keep?”

“Probably the yard tools. Some of the cleaning stuff. The toolbox. I’m sure you could find a place for that back at the beach house. What about that tall stepstool?”

“I forgot that was out there. That would be good to have.”

“I’ll go put it in my car right now, along with the toolbox. While I do that, you see what else matters to you out there.”

“I’m coming.” She followed him out.

He pushed the button to open the garage door, letting in lots of light.

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