Amy jumped from the table, her smile wide. “Good morning. We made some pancakes for you, too. I hope you don’t mind. I know I should have asked if I could use your kitchen, but Rosie wanted pancakes, and—”
“No, no, you’re fine.” He started for the coffee pot, but she managed to get there before him.
“Have a seat, and I’ll get it for you.” She was already plating a stack of pancakes, topping them with more syrup than he’d ever used before. Then, she added sliced strawberries—the ones he’d planned on using in a protein shake later. She set the plate on the table across from Rosie who was grinning at him shyly, her sticky fingers poking in her syrup.
“How do you take your coffee?”
Jerking his head over, he had to think for a second. “Um… black. Just black.” Almost immediately, a cup was placed in front of him. “You don’t have to serve me, Amy.” The words had barely left his mouth when the scent of the pancakes called to him, and he took a bite of the lightest, fluffiest, pancakes he’d ever tasted.
He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed the buttery goodness combined with the sweet maple syrup and strawberries to settle over him. A little giggle met his ears, and he opened his eyes to see Rosie smiling as she stared at him.
Licking his lips, he swallowed. “They’re good. Did you like them, too?”
She nodded, shyly looking over at her mom. Amy walked over with a wet paper towel in her hands and began cleaning the sticky mess from Rosie’s hands and mouth. She bent to kiss the top of her head. “Come on, munchkin. We need to clean the kitchen.”
Swallowing another bite, Liam shook his head. “No, it’s okay—”
“She always helps me in the kitchen when we cook but also knows we have to clean our messes.” Amy plopped Rosie back onto the stool and handed her daughter another wet paper towel. While Amy washed the bowls and utensils, tossing the trash, Rosie wiped the counters.
Liam was impressed seeing Rosie manage to get most of the mess cleaned up. Amy went back over the counter with another wet cloth and then dried the surface before helping Rosie down from the stool. By the time he had wolfed down the pancakes, Amy was sliding the plate away from him. He stood and followed her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Seriously, Amy, please, don’t wait on me.”
She smiled and shrugged. “It’s not a big deal, Liam. After all, I used your kitchen and made myself at home. The least I can do is make sure you’re fed during this storm and ready to do whatever you need to do.”
“Well, I appreciate it.”
“Speaking of the storm,” she said, folding the cloth and turning to face him, her back leaning against the counter. “What happens now?”
He cocked his head to the side. “I’m sorry. What do you mean what happens now?”
“With the hurricane? I know you’re the Sheriff, so I don’t want to load you down with more responsibilities considering the whole county is probably needing you.”
“I appreciate your concern, but the whole county’s hurricane response isn’t resting just on my shoulders, thank God.”
She smiled and nodded. “Well, good. Although, you seem more than capable of handling whatever needs to be handled.”
Her easy acceptance of what he might need to do along with her confidence in him kept the smile on his face. “I do need to check in with my staff and the county emergency response team to see what’s greeting us this morning.”
“Do you mind if I turn on the TV? I wanted to see what was happening and I confess I peeked out your front door. Holy moly, it was scary!”
“Yeah, and the worst hasn’t hit yet.” He nodded toward the living room. “Go ahead and turn on the TV. I’ll just be in my office for a while.” She smiled but hesitated. He realized he was in her way when she turned sideways to get between him and the counter. “Sorry. I didn’t even ask how you and Rosie slept.”
“She was out all night. I slept okay, all things considered.”
His gaze dropped to her stomach. “Baby keep you up?”
Nodding, her hand smoothed over her baby bump. “Of course. Just like every night. This one is active.”
“I… um…” He wanted to ask more. How was she? Did she have a doctor in mind? Was she still having some pains? Did she know the sex of the baby? What were her plans when the baby came? But he stumbled over the words, not wanting to seem as though he was quizzing her. “Um… I guess I’ll head to my office.” Feeling self-conscious, he turned and walked into the office that was just off the kitchen. Closing the door behind him, he moved to his desk and settled into the chair.
He talked to dispatch first, pleased to find out that there had been no major incidents in the county during the night. But then, the worst of the storm will be hitting in a few hours. Tom reported that the jail was secure, and no problems had arisen. Checking in with the deputies that were on duty at the two emergency shelters, the all-clear was another bonus report. So far, so good. The county’s emergency response coordinator was next, and other than downed trees, a few of them on vehicles, and one roof that had blown off a vacant, already-dilapidated house and ended up in the neighbor’s yard, there was no other destruction to report.
He sat for a moment, then moved to the window and raised the hurricane shutter enough to peer out. Strong winds, pummeling rain. But so far, not as horrible as it was going to get. I wonder…
He sat back down and made a call. “Corby? How’s it going?”
“Good, bro. What’s up with you? Mom said you had house guests.”
“Yeah. I came across a pregnant woman and her daughter who needed some assistance. They were trying to get to Baytown but were never going to make it. We managed to get here, so they’ll be safe during the storm.”
“You said pregnant? Is there a chance she’s gonna have the baby anytime soon?”
“No, but if she was, you’d be the first person I’d call.” His brother was one of the volunteers for the fire and rescue squad. “I got a favor to ask but say no if you want to. I know it’s bad out there, but right now it’s not as bad as it’s going to get. We had to leave her SUV that was pulling a small trailer out on Highway Thirteen about four miles from my house. It’s got everything she owns in it, and I was thinking of trying to get it back to my house before things get even worse.”
“No problem, you know I can help.”
“Then we better do this now. If you can get to my house, we can get out there, and I’ll drive it back.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” His brother laughed. “Of course, the Sheriff has said that vehicles need to stay off the road. I’m assuming since I’m going to have the Sheriff in my vehicle, I won’t get a ticket.”
“Very funny, Corby. Just pick me up as soon as you can.” Chuckling, he disconnected, then closed the hurricane shutter once again. After checking in with the other law enforcement leaders, finding their areas were much the same as his, he walked into the living room, finding Rosie playing with her stuffed rabbit and Amy’s attention riveted to the weather station.
She appeared enthralled by the drama from some of the meteorologists, seeing a young man standing on the shore of Virginia Beach, his rain jacket flapping in the wind, his hat long gone, his hair plastered to his head as the rain pelted his body, and his legs spread to help give him a stable foothold. Holding a microphone, he talked of the wind velocity, the inches of rain falling per hour, and warned people to stay indoors.