THE DAY GREYHAVEN FINALLY STOOD TALL
Chapter 1
Three weeks after the storm, Greyhaven finally began to look like itself again.
Not completely.
There were still scars.
Fresh boards covered parts of the harbor.
Several buildings carried temporary repairs.
The old pier was functional again, although Ethan still complained about one section being crooked.
The diner had new windows.
The community center smelled faintly of damp wood.
The streets had been cleared.
The boats were back in the water.
People had returned to work.
Children had returned to school.
The town had resumed its rhythm.
And that was what Ethan noticed most.
Life had become ordinary again.
The alarm clock.
Coffee.
Work.
Lunch at June’s.
An afternoon at the harbor.
Conversations on porches.
People arguing about fishing.
People complaining about weather.
People living.
Ethan liked it.
After the storm, ordinary had become something precious.
One morning, Ethan was repairing a damaged section of the harbor when Walter arrived carrying two coffees.
“Good news.”
Ethan took one.
“What?”
Walter leaned against the railing.
“The Harbor Games.”
Ethan looked at him.
“What about them?”
“They’re happening.”
Ethan frowned.
“When?”
“Saturday.”
Ethan looked toward the harbor.
“That’s soon.”
“Very.”
“Are we ready?”
Walter laughed.
“We weren’t ready before the storm.”
Ethan smiled.
“That’s reassuring.”
Walter took a sip.
“Blackridge is coming.”
Ethan’s smile disappeared.
He knew the name.
Everyone did.
Blackridge was only a few miles away.
A larger town.
More prosperous.
More confident.
And, according to Walter, significantly more annoying.
