Chapter 5 - THE STORM
I pulled her inside and handed her a towel. Tyler stepped out of his room, freezing when he saw her dripping onto the hardwood floor. Before he could retreat, Vanessa shoved the soaked papers toward him. It was a cease-and-desist letter, drafted by her own attorney, legally blocking her father from using her name, Tyler's name, or any association with Whitlock Cove for his resort project. She had spent the last three weeks fighting her own family to protect ours.
Before Tyler could process the documents, a horrific crack echoed from the lake. The old willow tree had splintered in the gale, crashing directly onto the edge of the dock and tearing the mooring lines of the boats. If we didn't secure the pylons immediately, the whole structure Earl and I built would be ripped away into the dark water.
I grabbed my raincoat. Tyler grabbed the ropes. To my absolute shock, Vanessa didn't hesitate. Dressed in her ruined silk blouse, she grabbed the heavy canvas sandbags from the shed and followed us into the tempest. For two hours, in the freezing rain, we fought the storm. Vanessa’s hands were bloodied by thick rope, her knees bruised against the wet wood, but she never complained. She pulled her weight, fighting desperately to save the very dock where she had once humiliated me.
