Gerta slipped her arm into his. “Let’s go,” she said with a tug.
Once inside the house Charles and Thom rose from the chairs. They’d been sitting, deep in conversation. Moira shouted out a joyous greeting. In a playful mood, she grabbed a tray filled with mimosas and came to offer one each to Gerta and Angel.
“Come in,” she exclaimed. “We are celebrating the end of the storm. Grab a seat. Everything is buffet. What kind of eggs do you want?”
The room smelled of bacon and coffee and hot biscuits. Moira was glowing as she waved Thom over to be introduced to Gerta and Angel. Grace watched, still not quite over the shock of seeing Thom appear in the kitchen this morning. One look at the two lovebirds and she knew all was well. Thank God, she thought, overjoyed.
The front door blew open and Elise rushed in, bright eyed and full of energy. She was chic in torn jeans and a ball cap at an angle over her short hair. Dark kohl lined her eyes, making them appear bigger and dramatic.
“Hi and good-bye, everyone. I’m heading out.”
“Already?” cried Gerta in dismay.
“Gotta go,” she said as she hurried to her mother’s side. She gave Gerta a hug, closing her eyes. “I love you, Mutti,” Elise said by her ear, using the affectionate German term. “I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Where?” Gerta asked, worry on her face.
“I don’t know. Don’t worry.” Elise said in a lower tone, “Is it okay for Karl to drive me to Greenville in your car? I have to pick up my wheels.” She turned to wave at Karl at the door. He lifted his hand in greeting. He stayed by the front door, clearly eager to go.
Moira shuffled closer and leaned in close to Elise. “What’s this? You bought a car?”
“Yeah,” Elise said, eyes sparkling. “I bought one online yesterday. So,” she said, turning back to her mother. “Is it okay? He’ll bring it right back.”
Gerta looked like she was in a daze. “Sure, ja. Why not?”
Elise kissed her mother then turned to Moira. “Where’s Birdie? In the back?”
Elise hugged and kissed everyone good-bye as Moira went out to the yard to help Elise collect her dog. The group gathered at the front porch to send Elise off. They called out their good-byes. Karl tapped the horn twice in farewell as Elise waved, and then they were gone.
As the others returned inside the house, Grace searched for Gerta and found her standing alone, watching the car disappear down the driveway. Her fingers were at her lips.
She came to her side. “She’ll be fine, you know that, right?”
“I hope so. She’s my baby.”
“Let’s go inside.” They turned to go back into the house when another car motored up the driveway. Grace stopped to see an approaching black Range Rover, splattered with mud. It circled the driveway, parking in the spot the Mercedes had vacated. “Who on earth is that?”
The tinted window rolled down and she was stunned to see the face of Cara Rutledge.
“Well, hello!” she called out with surprise, arms up in the air as she walked to the car.
Cara stayed in the car. “I just had to stop and say hello and thank you for being my lifeline. We’re heading back to David’s house. We were driving right by.”
Grace bent at the waist to peer into the window. Cara’s hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her face was pale and drawn. But who wouldn’t be tired after what she just went through? The tall man driving the car leaned across the seat and offered Grace his hand.
“Hey, I’m David.”
“My fiancé,” Cara said.
“What?”
“We got engaged in the middle of the hurricane. How romantic, right?”
“Congratulations!” Grace exclaimed. “Come in. We’ve got champagne.”
Cara shook her head. “Thanks, but I can’t. I haven’t seen my baby yet. I can’t wait another minute. I just stopped by.”
“Okay, but first I want you to meet Gerta Klug.”
Gerta came to the window. “How nice to put a face with the story,” Gerta said. “Grace told me all about your trip to Isle of Palms. I’m so glad you’re all right. We were all so worried. Did you have much damage from the storm?”
“Some, but nothing we can’t fix. It’s part of living on a barrier island. And you?”
“We had some wind damage. And there was some bad flooding. But all the animals are safe. That’s most important.”
“Cara?” David said her name in that tone that implied it was time to go.
Grace stepped up to the window again. “Give that precious daughter of yours a kiss from me. And when you’re settled, come for dinner. I’ve been cooking up a storm. No pun intended.”
“I will.” Cara smiled. “Thanks again.”
As she drove away, Gerta turned to look at Grace and said, “You have such an eclectic group of friends.”
Grace smiled. “Some people collect china or paintings. I collect interesting people.” She changed the subject. “By the way, how serious is the damage to your farm?”
Gerta’s face clouded. “Considerable.”
“Oh, Gerta. I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t want to bring it up in front of Elise. She’d want to return home and help, but it’s her turn to take care of herself. Besides, I have Angel. He’s very resourceful.”
“Please,” Grace said with a laugh. “I doubt he knows which end of a hammer is up.”
Gerta smirked. She let her gaze travel across the property. When it returned to Grace, she appeared thoughtful. “You know, I’ve become quite partial to this area. And the people. I might look at property while I’m here.”
Grace linked her arm through Gerta’s and gave it a squeeze. “I’d love that. In fact, I know the perfect place. . . .”
Once inside, they joined the others in the dining room. They were standing around the buffet and adding food to their plates. The conversation flowed easily, everyone sharing news they’d heard about the aftereffects of the hurricane. Grace was putting a bit of biscuit in her mouth when she looked over to the front door to see Hannah stepping in. She paused in the entry, looking insecure about coming farther in. Grace set her plate on the table and hurried to the foyer to greet her.
“There you are! I would’ve been very hurt if you’d slipped away without a good-bye.”
“I’d never do that to you.”
The two friends hugged, longer than just a hello.
“You okay?” asked Grace.
“Yeah,” Hannah said, and she sounded like she meant it.
She looked beautiful, as usual, with her long hair flowing like rivers cascading down her shoulders and back. She wore a soft pink blouse that complemented her skin tone, and Grace could see she had taken extra care with her makeup and appearance. Her heart softened when she caught Hannah’s gaze float across the room, then settle on Angel and Gerta, together in the dining room.
“I just stopped to say good-bye and give you your key.”
“Nonsense. Have some coffee and breakfast. We’re all saying our good-byes.”
“No. Really. It’s too awkward.”