Free Lovely Shadows by Kendra Kilbourn Page A

mid-July.
    Grandpa sighed. “Well, this is quite a storm. I remember one that blew through when I was a child. Half the town was destroyed. Crops and livestock, demolished. It was too late in the season to replant.”
    “What about now?” I asked, thinking of Levi.
    “No, replanting will not be an option. We can only hope for the best.”
    Ten minutes after the storm first struck—it felt like hours had passed—the chaos died down. We emerged from the basement to survey the damage. Several windows in the west and south side were blown out. Paper, pictures and frames, potted plants, and other trinkets were scattered across the carpet. I begin picking things up and putting them back on the shelves. A couple of small end tables were overturned. Books piled up on the floor. Water trickled in from the rain. A long night stretched out before us.
    Grandpa and Luke stapled and taped plastic over the windows while I swept up the glass. We didn't have power so we did as much as we could by the dim beams of the flashlights. Grandpa decided to save the generator to get us through the night. A shard of glass sliced my finger. I stumbled my way to the bathroom, cleaned the cut, slapped on a band-aid then went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning.
    A short while later I heard someone calling my name. Then I heard someone else calling for Luke. I leaned the broom against the counter and went outside. Levi and Billie were wading through debris as they made their way to the house.
    “I've been trying to call you,” Levi exclaimed as he hugged me. “Is everything okay here?”
    I nodded. “For the most part. We lost a few windows but I think we're intact. How about you?”
    “The storm stayed to the east of us so we didn't get much but rain.”
    Touching his face, I said, “I'm glad.”
    He smiled and kissed me. “Do you need help with clean-up?”
    “Sure.” I looked over at my brother, who had Billie pressed up against the house while they kissed. Locating a small stone on the ground, I picked it up and lightly tossed it at him. He flinched but released Billie.
    “What's your problem?” he demanded.
    “For one, Grandpa is still in the house.”
    “Oh, I forgot.”
    Billie at least had the decency to look embarrassed.
    “For two, we have a lot of cleaning up to do. I really don't want to be up all night. So...” I nodded toward the house. “Fun time is over.”
    “Yes, Lieutenant Pain-in-the-Butt.” Luke snapped a sarcastic salute before marching resolutely through the side door, dragging Billie behind him.
    I rolled my eyes. “How very mature.”
    Levi chuckled. “Now that I've seen them together, they're perfect for each other.”
    “What makes you say that?” I took his hand, and we followed after them.
    “Let me count the ways: They're both immature; they both have no regard for others...”
    “Okay, I get the picture.”
    Billie and I took over the sweeping and cleaning while the guys finished tacking up the plastic.
    “Was it a tornado?”
    She nodded. “A small one, like an EF-1 or something. Dad stayed outside the whole time, just watching it tear across the back of our property. From what we heard, only a couple of houses were destroyed. Most look like yours or were completely untouched.”
    She crouched down and held the dustpan for me. I swept up another pile of glass that she then dumped in the trash.
    “Have you heard from Aidan?”
    I shook my head. “It's only been a day but it feels like a lifetime.”
    She tipped her head as she studied me. The look on her face was one I knew well, and one I rarely saw. Sometimes Billie could be an astute person.
    “You really are in love with him.”
    “Beyond comprehension.”
    “You know, all our lives I always thought of you and Levi as a given, a sure thing that nothing could tear apart. I knew you guys loved each other before either of you did. But Jessa, even I have to admit that Aidan means something to you. I see it in your eyes when you talk