“John not been down today?” she asked, looking round as if he might be lurking in a corner somewhere.

“Not today,” said Annie.

“Oh!” said Maeve. “I thought John pretty much had a foot in the Nook at all times these days.”

—

Just before seven the next evening, the wind buffeted Saltwater Nook so hard that the locks on the kiosk shutters gave up, causing the wooden shutters to slam back loudly and repeatedly against the wall.

Annie fumbled about in the store cupboard until she found a bag of cable ties. She pulled on her raincoat—though there was no chance of the hood staying up—and fought her way round to the front of the kiosk. It took three tries before she managed to fasten the shutter closed and pull the cable fast through the hooks. The rain lashed at her back as she checked the rest of the locks on the other windows, the wind undecided whether to flatten her to the walls of the café or sweep her out to sea. The crash of waves behind her was deafening; salt spray stung her eyes and lips. Half blinded, her hands red raw from the cold, hard rain, she secured the rest of the windows, including Alfred’s, since he was tucked up in the shelter in the next town. Thank heavens for small mercies, she thought, and silently gave thanks for John’s tenacity in preventing him from being out in this storm.

“Need a hand?” Maeve yelled. Annie hadn’t heard her pull up in the tumult caused by the storm.

“I’m just finishing up!” Annie shouted back. “Go on in and warm up.”

She heard Gemma shriek and looked round to see Maeve trying to push Sally’s wheelchair against the wind, while Gemma leaned her full force against the door to stop it slamming shut so they could get in. Annie tightened the final cable tie and pushed her way against the wind, nearly falling into the café behind the windswept women.

Gemma gave a kind of hysterical laugh that was mirrored by the others.

“I’ve not known a storm this bad for twenty years!” exclaimed Maeve. “Had to help the girls get the sheep in the barns, poor old things were at risk of taking off.”

“I’m glad you were driving tonight, Maeve,” said Gemma, shaking her coat out and hanging it up on the hook behind the door. “I don’t think I would have been able to do it.”

“It wasn’t fun,” said Sally. “My car was all over the place coming down here, I think it was only the shingle on the promenade keeping it from skidding.”

“God, yes!” agreed Gemma. “I thought that. I could hardly see a thing through the rain, it was coming down so fast!”

Sally was mopping her face with her jumper. Annie handed round clean tea towels for blotting hands, faces, and hair.