Page 75 of Sandbar Storm
The other half of the main drag was not as lucky.
One month after the tornado, the landscape of downtown still looked shockingly different.
The spot where the grocery store used to be, was now a pile of rubble. Buildings on the south side of the street were covered in tarps, and one entire wall, on what was supposed to be an anchor on that block had crumbled. Bricks continued to fall, and police barriers kept people off the sidewalk.
On one side of Irish Hills, they had adorable shops and a lure for vacationers staying on the lakes this summer. The other side looked bombed out.
HairDo or Dye had survived the initial disaster but had since been condemned. It had sustained structural damage that had to be leveled. Experts said it had quite literally been lifted and plopped down on the same spot.
Shelly, the owner, said she was too old to rebuild. She’d packed up and moved to Florida already.
Viv stood outside the main scrum of concertgoers crowding the center of downtown. Tag handed her a bottle of water as Burgundy Four played a short set for the event.
They were joined by Goldie and Joe.
“You boys see about refills? Viv and I need to head over to Siena’s for a minute.”
“Yep.”
Viv and Goldie were on their own. They linked arms. This concert was Goldie’s doing. She had stepped in while Libby took care of a million other things. Goldie was still a star, and when she called, big names answered the phone.
“I’m proud of you,” Viv said as the two walked toward Siena’s.
“What? Me?”
“I was just thinking that about you, getting this concert fundraiser going in the blink of an eye.”
“Eh, Drake Denver is always in my debt. Trust me. You’re the one who’s come out of your shell, my dear. You’re letting Siena fly, you’re a rock for J.J. Libby told me you helped her get her head on straight. I mean, where did Wednesday Addams go?”
“She’s in there, especially when I see people wearing jean shorts. I can’t stomach them. I just can’t!”
“There she is.” A worried look crossed Goldie’s face. “I had hoped J.J. would come today. It’s been a month. They’re even dedicating the gazebo in Dean’s name.”
J.J. had seemed to retreat further and further into herself. It was so different than her normal outgoing personality.
“A month isn’t very long, you know that,” Viv said.
“True, she put on such a brave face before.”
“Yeah, she got through the big stuff, and we just have to be there for her as the little stuff tries to do her in.”
They’d all visited almost every day. They’d sat with J.J. But she’d stayed home any time they tried to get her to come float on the raft or boat around the lake.
“She needs space. We just have to be on the edge when she’s there, too,” Viv said. They would all go to the end of the earth for J.J.
Viv was happy to see Siena’s store buzzing with customers, people new to Irish Hills, and people who lived here year-round.
“Look at what our girl has got going on!” Goldie whispered to Viv.
Today, thanks to a crowd, Siena had Alison at the cash register and Cole helping take things to people’s cars.
“That’s looking more and more serious,” Viv said.
“Wow, so maybe a wedding and babies, and we’ll be grandmas!”
“Oh, boy.”
“I call GiGi.”
