When Hurricane Nadine devastates the Gulf Coast town of Sugar Cove, Florida, former Marine Owen Sheppard expects destruction. What he does not expect is to become the one holding the town together.
Jennifer Higgins arrives chasing a career-defining story. As a driven news reporter, she plans to document the storm's aftermath and move on. Instead, she finds herself rescued by the very people she came to observe, and working side by side with Owen as Sugar Cove begins the slow work of recovery.
As relief efforts unfold, Owen steps into an unexpected leadership role, coordinating aid with the same quiet intensity that once defined his service. Jennifer, embedded in the heart of the rebuilding, begins to see that the most powerful stories are not always the ones that make headlines.
Around them, the town rebuilds in small, human ways. A family-run diner becomes a refuge. Neighbors learn to accept help they never wanted to need. And two guarded souls discover connection in the shared labor of healing.
But when Jennifer is called back to her life in Orlando, both she and Owen must confront what comes next. The futures they planned, or the one they never saw coming.
What Follows the Storm is a character-driven contemporary novel about resilience, community, and the quiet love that can emerge when everything else is stripped away.