Page 20 of The Restaurant on Plum Island
As Carly pulled into her driveway, she noted that Harley and Daniella were there, which meant Uncle Sam would be, too, as he’dgotten a ride with one of them. She climbed out of her car with her heart beating in her throat and forced a smile on her face when Reef, his cousin Emily, and Shay bustled out the front door.
“Hi, Mom.” Reef stopped in front of her to warn her. “We have a full house.”
“I see that!” Carly answered, turning to greet Shay and signing a greeting to Emily.
“Reef and Em are coming to my house for a while. Is that okay?” Shay told Carly.
“Of course.” Carly nodded, secretly relieved. She didn’t want to speak to Reef or Emily until a plan of action was in place.
The teens took off and walked over to Ethan’s house. Carly was still trying to take in that Ethan was her neighbor and made a mental note to speak to her uncle, who managed the development, about not warning her.
When she walked into her house, Harley, Uncle Sam, and Daniella gathered there, and she noted that Uncle Sam had made coffee. At least she hoped Uncle Sam had made it because her cousin and brother made dreadful coffee. She was welcomed with a chorus of greetings.
“Hi, everyone,” Carly tried to say as cheerily as she could. “Thank you all for coming, and sorry you had to get here on such short notice.”
She put her purse and keys on the table near the living room entrance.
“No problem, kiddo,” Uncle Sam assured her. “I made some coffee and found the cookies.”
“Thank you, Uncle Sam.” Carly smiled warmly, but she could tell by the look in his shrewd eyes he probably already knew what she was about to say.
Carly took a deep breath and looked around at her family gathered in the living room. Her uncle Sam sat in his favorite armchair, his brow furrowed with concern. Her brother Harley sat on the large, overstuffed sofa, cradling a mug of coffee. Her cousin Daniella sat beside him, dunking a cookie into her coffee.
Carly decided to stand as she addressed her family and began hesitantly. “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I asked you here as a matter of urgency. Something happened today, and I’m afraid it will affect us all.”
Her eyes fell on Daniella, and her heart slammed into her chest. Daniella and her daughter Emily were the ones she was most worried about. Like Carly, Daniella had come to Plum Island to seek refuge from a bad situation and protection from Uncle Sam.
Carly would hate for them to be exposed. Her eyes sought her uncles, who smiled at her encouragingly. As always, even though he wasseventy-five, Sam Donovan was still an imposing figure with contacts everywhere, which made her feel calmer. If anyone could help her, it would be her uncle.
“It’s finally happened,” Carly informed them and frowned as none of them looked surprised. “Either you don’t realize what I mean, or you all already know what happened at the restaurant.”
Her head swiveled, and her eyes narrowed in on her brother.Jennifer must’ve told him!
“Yes, Harley told us.” Daniella gave her a tight smile and glanced at Uncle Sam. “Harley and Uncle Sam have already started to talk strategy.”
“Danny and Em are going to move in with me,” Sam told Carly, looking at Harley. “That way, Harley and I can keep an eye on them.”
“See? Building the guest house next to Uncle Sam’s house has turned out to be a good idea,” Harley said smugly to Carly, who had thought Harley was crazy not to build on his own plot of land.
“Danny, how do you feel about moving back into our childhood home?” Carly looked at her cousin.
“Honestly, it’s a relief,” Daniella admitted. I’d already given notice on the house I’ve been renting since we moved to Plum Island, as I’m just not making ends meet.” She looked at Harley and Sam and thenback at Carly. “And even if this hadn’t happened, I was going to ask Uncle Sam if Em and I could move back home for a while.”
“You never have to ask!” Sam tutted at Daniella. “The house is your home.” He looked at Harley and Carly. “If you need Reef to stay there, you know there is plenty of space.”
“Maybe that would be the best for the both of you right now.” Harley’s voice was soft and concerned as he addressed Carly.
“I’ll have to talk to Reef,” Carly told him.
She agreed that maybe it was best for Reef to move in with Uncle Sam for a while—just until Carly knew where this situation was going to lead. At least she’d know he was safe, as between Harley and Uncle Sam, no one would go near her son or cousins.
Uncle Sam lived on the edge of town, where the town met Cobble Cove, within walking distance of the town center and Cobble Cove Beach. Carly was relieved that her family was now aware of the situation, and her heart filled with love for them as they all jumped in to support her. For the next hour, they talked through ideas—scheduling carpools, using the back entrance to the clinic, and keeping the kids close to home.
As Sam was talking about installing more security cameras outside their houses, there was a knock on the door. Carly went to answer,and her heart did a somersault when she saw Ethan standing on her doorstep.
“Hi,” Ethan greeted her with a small smile. “When I saw the teens at my house and all the cars outside yours, I realized you’d be addressing your family. I thought you may need some support.”
Carly was touched by the gesture, but before she could say anything, Harley loomed behind her.
