Turtle Bay

  "What, this?" I asked, pointing to my face. "This is nothing. I want to stay. Besides, I already told Vanessa we'd help with the phones and stuff," I answered.

  He looked like he wanted to argue, so I threw out my last plea card. "Plus, it's part of my sentence. You wouldn't want the judge to throw me in jail, would you?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest to emphasize my point.

  "I think a judge would understand under these circumstances," he said dryly. You didn't get to his position by falling for bullshit. "If I didn't think we needed all hands on deck, I'd send you and your folks packing, but I'm going to need all the manpower we can get. We're organizing crews to evacuate as many residents as we can. We have a few short hours before it will no longer be safe to remain outside and all travel will be stopped. Busses have been dispatched, and they're waiting to take the residents to Taylor High School."

  "Will we evacuate after that?" I asked.

  "We won't need to. This building was built to withstand hurricane winds, and we're high enough to avoid any flooding. It's the beachfront residents who will need to be evacuated if they haven't already left," he said.

  "I can help evacuate too," I said, ready to jump in and do something useful.

  Mitch was already shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

  Our conversation was cut short when Vanessa joined us. "There's a report of a downed tree blocking Anderson Way. It's caused a mess of problems over on Beach Avenue," she told Mitch, handing him a slip of paper.

  "Josh, go out with Larry and Butch and see what kind of mess we're looking at. A blocked Anderson Way puts a damper on evacuation access. The sheriff or fire department may already be on hand. Watch out for any downed power lines, got it?" Mitch barked out. "And you," he said sternly, pointing at me. "Stay in the building. I catch you trying to leave, you'll be answering to me," he added before leaving the room.

  "Yes, sir," I answered, not overly happy I wouldn't be doing anything more useful.

  "I guess I better head out," Josh said, looking like he wanted to say more.

  "Be careful."

  "Always am," he answered, winking at me.

  We parted ways outside the break room. Josh headed out the back door followed by Larry and Butch who had been given his own beach patrol rain slicker. Buttercup and I headed out front where Vanessa sat at her desk on the phone. She had several Post-it notes scattered about. She held her hand over the phone and asked me to take them to Mitch while she continued. "It's going to be a bitch of a day," he muttered when I handed him the stack of notes. He took a swig of coffee before heading back toward his office.

  His words proved to be true. In our first hour at the station the phones didn't stop ringing. Buttercup and I jumped in to help Vanessa field calls as much as we could. Everyone who had waited to evacuate were now demanding instructions on what they should do. Our job was to instruct them on the safest routes out of town since new road closures were being reported every few minutes. Every patrol person at the station was out with crews trying to keep the roads clear, but as the storm continued pushing inland it began to feel like we were fighting a winless battle.

  With the outer bands of the storm wreaking havoc on the coastline, evacuations hit a new sense of urgency as the wind viciously whipped around the building, moaning like some sort of monster. My desire to be outside changed when I peeked out the front door and saw someone's patio table blowing down the road. The glass top was missing, making the aluminum frame easy to lift. I watched in awe as it struck a palm tree with enough force to make the frame bend around the tree. A second later, a stray shopping cart from the drugstore on the corner rolled across the parking lot and slammed into the side of one of the patrol vehicles. It was like a scene from some disaster movie.

  "People were warned to secure lightweight belongings," Josh said, sneaking up behind me. "I guess they didn't listen, huh?"

  "It looks really bad out there. I wasn't expecting it to be this intense. The wind has turned into a serious beast. I'm used to tornados that are a quick in-and-out type of thing, but this is serious stuff."

  He squeezed my shoulder. "This is just the beginning. Unfortunately, these slower storms can last hours."

  "And this happens every year?" I asked, wondering if living beachfront was worth the trouble.

  "Not every year," he laughed. "It's been, like, five years since we had a serious storm we had to worry about. Normally, several tropical storms form out in the Atlantic, but they fall apart before they turn into a hurricane and make it to shore. I guess you could say we were due," he said. His words were chilling, like he was saying devastating hurricanes were just a matter of time.

  Josh placed an arm across my shoulders, pulling me against him. His body heat comforted me like a warm blanket. "Are you cold?" he asked, rubbing my bare arm. "Or scared?"

  Snuggled up to his chest, I couldn't help thinking that if I tipped my head back slightly our lips would meet. I'd be all for it, but Josh would have to make the bold move first. Anyone watching could tell there was something between us, but making out in the patrol station might be taking it a step too far. "Both," I finally answered.

  "Don't worry about the storm. This is a tough town. Some of these houses are over a hundred years old. Turtle Bay isn't going anywhere," he said, rubbing a hand over my goose bump-covered arm. "There's probably some jackets or sweatshirts in the supply closet. If you ask Vanessa I'm sure she'd get you one."

  "Yo, Josh, we need you," Mitch called out, stepping from his office.

  Josh gave me one last squeeze before releasing me. "I'll be back soon," he said, flashing a grin.

  I turned around to find that Buttercup and Vanessa had both witnessed the exchange between Josh and me. Vanessa winked while trying to attend to the caller on the phone line. Buttercup smirked satisfactorily. I knew that look well. I was sure she felt she and Butch had something to do with getting Josh and me together. She would be expecting details when things calmed down.

  The heavy rains continued to fall, blowing sideways into the reception area every time the patrol officers walked in and out through the door. The tile floor began to look like a pigpen from the mud and sand being tracked inside. In between passing notes to Mitch or handing out his assignments when he was on the phone, I stayed busy mopping up the water so no one would slip. Buttercup helped out, becoming the gofer for anyone who needed anything. As the conditions outside continued to deteriorate, flooding on the streets became an issue. Mitch stood in the break room in front of large maps of the city coordinating over the phone with the sheriff's department to establish alternate routes around town.

  By early afternoon evacuations had to be suspended due to the high winds that no longer made it safe for the busses to travel. The street in front of the station, covered in a steady flow of water, looked more like a stream than a road. I realized they were doing their jobs, but I felt bad for the patrol officers who barely had time to rest between calls. Butch remained with either Josh or Larry and each time they returned to the station, I felt like I could breathe again. Josh would shoot me a wink and a smile, letting me know all was good. The day was hectic and scary and the majority of the time my stomach remained tied up in knots, but I was glad we had decided not to evacuate.

  Finally, Josh and I found a spare moment to sneak off to a private corner so we could grab a quick bite to eat in between calls.

  "How is it out there?" I asked, taking a nibble from my sandwich since that's all my stomach would allow.

  "Uh, wet and windy," he joked.

  I threw a chip at him. "I guessed that much."

  "The town is a mess, but it's actually pretty awesome in an 'appreciating Mother Nature' kind of way. If that makes sense. She is definitely showing her strength with this storm. I've lived here all my life and I've never seen waves this high or the sky looking the way it does out there. I've got mad respect."

  If it wasn't for all the flooding and damage happening, I would say Josh was right in his element the way
he described the scene outside with such enthusiasm. "The way you talk about it makes me wish I could go out with you," I said wistfully. The storm frightened me, but I was also morbidly intrigued. Some of the other patrol officers had claimed the ocean was washing over the bottom steps of some of the beachfront houses. The idea that the water had moved that far inland sent shivers up my spine, but I still wanted to see it for myself.

  "No way. Mitch would have my head if I took you out."

  "I know, but maybe we could—" I continued excitedly, but he cut me off, shaking his head.

  "For one thing, there's no way I'm jeopardizing your safety like that. And two, I wouldn't want to compromise my position here."

  Of course he was right. Even though it sucked. "I wouldn't ask you to risk your job," I said, brushing away the lock of hair that had escaped my ponytail. I winced when my fingers grazed my sore eye.

  Josh reached over and gently lifted the lock of hair, tucking it behind my ear without touching my injured face. "See. You can't even handle your hair right now," he teased. "Kidding," he added when I glared at him from my one good eye. "How are you feeling?"

  "Okay. I kinda want to slug Evan for giving me this," I said, pointing to my eye.

  "Get in line. As a matter of fact, I'll do it for you so you don't bruise your knuckles," he said, lifting my hand. I held my breath as he softly grazed my knuckles with his lips. It was the lightest of touches, but made my insides practically liquefy.

  I struggled to remember what we were talking about, but my mind seemed distracted by one thought—Josh's lips. "Hey, wait, you can't hit him," I finally said as he leaned in close toward my mouth.

  "Why not? Have you seen what he did to my girl?"

  My hand moved to his bicep, holding on as he slid his knee between my legs. "Your girl? I like to hear you say that," I said breathlessly.

  "Good." He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb. It tickled a bit, but I liked it. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, seeing the way he had made me tingle. "Hey, you know what? As soon as things calm down here, I need to take you out on an actual date." It was funny to think we hadn't been on an official first date yet considering how much time we had spent together.

  Mitch entered the room before I could comment. "You ready to go out again?" he asked Josh.

  "Absolutely. What do you got?" Josh said, standing up to throw away our paper plates.

  "We got a report of some old-timer stranded in his home. It's just up the road in the Basin, so we can get there quickly. Take one of the super-duty trucks. We don't know what type of conditions he's sitting in."

  "Basin?" I asked.

  "It's a low-lying area at the tip of the county. Why they decided to build houses there is beyond me. Most of the newer homes there are built up higher, but there are some older houses that are at risk for flooding," Mitch answered as the lights flickered before going out. "I'm surprised they lasted as long as they did," he said as the emergency lights illuminated. "Start unplugging anything that doesn't need juice to ease the burden on the generators," he barked out as everyone scrambled.

  With the sky covered in dark clouds, it felt like the evening in the station even though it was only mid-afternoon. We rounded up flashlights for bathroom visits and I kept one on hand for my back-and-forth trips to Mitch's office.

  I walked Josh to the back door, along with Butch, who decided to tag along for the trip into the Basin. Butch wasn't the type of person who could sit and do nothing. He liked helping people. I was glad to see him back to his normal self. Quiet and brooding Butch was discerning. "Stay safe," I told them.

  "Not an issue. Your young man here is more responsible than me," Butch said, slinging an arm around Josh's shoulders.

  "Um, that's not saying much," I quipped, making Josh laugh.

  "Okay, he's more responsible than you," Butch clarified.

  "Much better," I said, waving as they ran out in the torrential downpour. I stood in the doorway even after they drove off, watching the rain roll down the drive in a never-ending stream. It was like a fast-moving river, which was kind of scary since the rain wasn't letting up anytime soon.

  I closed the door and headed back to the front room to help Vanessa.

  I was more anxious this time as I thought about Butch and Josh out in the storm, fighting the rising water. It was abundantly clear now why these storms should be taken seriously.

  "Is this normal?" I asked Vanessa in between calls.

  She laughed. "Honey, I've been doing this eighteen years and every storm seems to be different. We always have precautions in place, but you never know what kinds of problems you will encounter, like losing power."

  "Yeah, and no air," I said, tugging off my sweatshirt. The power had only been off for a few minutes, but the temperature in the building was noticeably warmer. Probably from all the people running in and out.

  A sudden gust of wind blew hard against the building, shaking and rattling the shutter protecting the window. We heard a loud snapping noise from outside, followed by a crash and breaking glass.

  Vanessa and I rushed around her desk and toward the door, followed by Mitch and Larry who had been down the hall. We struggled slightly against the wind to get the door open, but once we did all we could do was gasp at the sight in front of us.

  "Oh, shit," Larry whistled. "Is that your parents' van?" he asked, slinging an arm across my shoulders.

  "It was," I croaked out. A large palm tree that bordered the sidewalk had somehow been uprooted and fell directly across the top of our van. If I didn't know any better, I would think the wind placed the tree there deliberately since none of the cars around our van sustained any damage.

  Another gust of wind yanked the awning from the scooter rental shop across the street, sending it blowing madly in our direction. Mitch pulled the door closed before it could strike us. "We'll have to deal with that once the storm passes," he said as Vanessa mopped up the fresh puddles of water.

  "I better go tell Buttercup." I brushed the rain off my arms as I walked. I didn't mind getting a little wet since it had become so warm in the station. Buttercup was in the break room cleaning up when I found her.

  "What's up, Rain? Boy, your name fits now, doesn't it?" she laughed, taking in my somewhat soggy appearance.

  "Bad news. The van has a new hood ornament. Unfortunately, it's on the large scale."

  "Oh no. How bad?"

  I shook my head mournfully. "Pancake," I said, clapping my hands together.

  "Butch is going to be crushed."

  "He'll match the van," I said, giggling. I couldn't help it. "Do you want me to break it to him when he returns?"

  She shot me a relieved look. "Do you mind? You know how I hate to give him bad news. I never like seeing that disappointed look on either of your faces."

  I gave her a one-armed hug. "I know. Maybe he can get one of those jeeps he was eyeing the other day."

  "Maybe," she said, shaking her head. "He's going to be heartbroken though. That van was his baby."

  Chapter 13

  A couple hours later, Josh staggered in looking like a drowned rat. He was followed by a cranky elderly gentleman who seemed to be on some kind of rant.

  "I don't see why you can't drive me to my kin's house," he complained.

  "Because my men aren't running a taxi service," Mitch answered, coming out of his office. "Perhaps you should have thought about joining your family during the mandatory evacuation for low-lying areas two days ago."

  "Do you know how many damn times them newscasters get their storm coverage wrong? If I jumped every time they said boo, I'd be a damn kangaroo."

  "That may be, but by Thursday we knew this storm was for sure coming," Mitch said dryly. "You're going to have to hunker down here for the night with the rest of my patrol. There are cots in the back two rooms. The room with the three cots is for the ladies. The rest of us will have to sleep in shifts," he said, leaving no room for Mr. Cranky to complain, though he tried.

&nbs
p; "That must have been fun," I told Josh as we stood against the wall. "Where's Butch?"

  "He's outside," Josh laughed. "Just put it this way, rescuing a feral cat out of an enclosed space would have been more fun," he said, making me giggle. "Seriously, I thought he was going to chomp down on my hand at one point. Not to mention the fact that he tried to con Butch into packing a suitcase for him."

  "Oh god, I bet that went well."

  "Actually, your dad showed a lot of patience until William Banks hit him with his cane. Then he all but dragged the old guy outta there. I would have cracked up even more if we didn't need to get the hell outta Dodge."

  "William Banks?"

  "That's another funny part. The old guy insisted we call him by his formal name."

  "And now he's here. How fun," I said as Buttercup and William Banks got into an argument over the coffee she was preparing for the patrolmen.

  "Never a dull moment," Josh said, laughing.

  "Did you see our van, by the way? A palm tree decided to get up close and personal with it."

  He winced. "No, we came in through the back. How bad?"

  "Like I told Buttercup, pancake time," I said. We slid down the wall and sat on the cool tile floor. "Hmm, this is nice." We only had a few fans running throughout the building, which had left all of us feeling sticky from the humidity.

  "Man, with all the bodies in here, it almost feels better outside. At least my damp clothes help a little," he said.

  "Yeah, I am a little envious about that. I was tempted to step outside for a quick shower just to cool off," I said in the wistful tone I'd used earlier.

  "That I can do," he said, pulling me to my feet.

  "You mean it?" I asked, barely able to contain my excitement.

  "Heck yeah. Mitch didn't want you to go out on any of the calls, but we can step out the back door for a minute. Just stay close to the building," he said, leading me down the hall.

  We passed several patrol officers who all smiled as we headed for the door. I laughed with glee as Josh pulled me outside and we became soaked immediately, but I didn't care. I tilted up my battered face, twirling around as the rain cascaded down me, rinsing the stickiness from my skin. It felt so good to be out of the stifling building. Opening my one good eye, I saw that Josh was watching me intently.