“Brandon, I appreciate your willingness to dive right in, but I don’t have the money for this right now. And to be honest, I don’t know when I’ll get the insurance check or how much it’ll even cover.” She knew what she had to do. Her stomach sank. “I’m going to have to postpone the opening.”

Brandon tugged down his ball cap, peering at her with earnest eyes. “Sophie, this is an emergency, and you’re a neighbor. I’m volunteering my time, and so are Steve and Derrick. Now there’s still the matter of materials, but I think my dad would be willing to start a tab for you.”

“Brandon . . . I can’t let you do that.”

“Sure you can. There’ll come a time when someone else around here has a need—maybe me—and you’ll pitch right in. That’s the way we roll around here.”

Tears stung the back of her eyes. Just then a man she didn’t even know exited her store with an armful of branches, heading toward the Dumpster. She didn’t know half the people working in her shop right now, but they’d seen a need and lent a hand. Brandon was right about this town. What a generous and caring community.

Was it possible they could get this shop done on time yet? Maybe with all this help it was possible. She had to try, didn’t she?

She couldn’t stop the smile of gratitude from tilting her lips. “I’ll pay you back when I get the insurance money.”

Ever since Sophie’s chat with Brandon, the progress had stepped up another notch. By the time the handyman and his crew returned with materials, the tree had been cleared from her shop. The wood floor had some new scratches, but she chalked them up to character and called it a day.

Once the tree was gone, Haley’s dad and brother moved outside with the chainsaw and took down the rest of the tree so it wouldn’t pose further problems.

Ramona from Schooners brought pizza and water for the volunteers. After supper, it was just Sophie, Aiden, and the roofing crew. While they finished up outside, Aiden and Sophie cut and placed drywall for the ceiling.

Brandon, true to his word, had the roof reframed and sheeted by nightfall. It was after ten by the time they left, promising to finish early the next morning. They’d tarped the roof in case of rain.

When the door closed behind them, Sophie let Pippa out of the office and took a few minutes to comfort her. “My poor sweetheart. All those mean old saws and unfamiliar people. It’s okay now. It’s quiet and it’s just us three.”