But he couldn’t and it was pointless to even go there or think about it.
Outside the wind was whipping and he could already hear some branches of nearby trees banging against the house. Time to stop walking down memory lane and get back to what was important–securing his and Zeke’s homes and doing what he could to convince his neighbor to evacuate.
Spotting his sandwich, Jake walked over and quickly wolfed it down, then grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink. It was going to be a long night and he needed to keep his strength up if he was going to get everything he needed to done. Grabbing his tablet, he pulled up his to-do list and scanned it.
“Board up the windows, check. Secure the outside furniture and put what I can in storage, check.” Walking to his pantry, he checked on his emergency supplies. “Batteries, radio, water, candles, first aid kit, canned goods…check.”
Next he walked into his bedroom and double checked all the documents he had placed in the safe earlier–insurance policies, photos, birth certificate–it seemed crazy, but the safe was water and fireproof. He knew that if anything should happen to the house, the important stuff should be safe.
Walking through the house, he felt restless. In the last two years he had done renovations on the place and updated so many things. The thought of it all going to waste in a storm made his stomach churn. This was one of the sad realities of living on the coast and it was something he’d lived with his entire life, but it was the first time it was happening to him as an adult, where it was a place that was totally his.
“Don’t think about it,” he warned himself. “There’s a good chance this storm will turn or weaken in the next twenty-four hours. Think positively.”
That was easier said than done when he could hear the wind from inside the house. Turning around, he grabbed his rain gear and put it back on before grabbing his phone and slipping it into his pocket. With a steadying breath, he walked outside and went back to work securing the two properties as best as he could.
2
Mallory sat glued to her television for the next two days, calling in sick because she wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything anyway. It wasn’t a total loss because there was still so much she could do remotely, so she set up her laptop on her coffee table and did as much work as she could while keeping the Weather Channel on non-stop.
With each update, her optimism that the storm might weaken shrunk. It wasn’t going to downgrade to a Category 1 and it wasn’t going to turn and head out into the Atlantic. Every hour, her anxiety level grew. She had checked in every hour with her mother and as of noon, everyone was at Aunt Georgia and Uncle Beau’s townhouse.
Except Pops.
She cried when her mother called this morning and told her how she left the big coastal plantation home and waved goodbye to Pops and Jake as she pulled away. Then they’d both cried for several minutes without speaking. Her heart hurt so much and it felt like she was right there in the car with her mother. Mallory could clearly see Jake and Pops on the grand front porch waving goodbye.
After that, she had tried to call Pops, but the call never went through. Then she had tried to call Jake and it went directly to voicemail.
Not the most encouraging sign…
Right on cue, her phone rang and she knew without even looking that it was her mother. Grabbing the remote, she muted the television before answering. “Hey,” she said breathlessly. “Any updates? Has anyone talked to Pops?”
Susannah sighed. “Not directly, but I did get a call from Colton Hale a little while ago and he stopped by the house on his way out of town. He said that other than some downed branches, everything looked good and both Pops and Jake were fine.”
“Wait…who’s Colton Hale?”
“He’s one of the foremen who works for Coleman. He’s done some work on the house for us and he was part of the crew Jake sent over yesterday to help board everything up.”
“Oh. That was nice of him to stop by and check on things,” Mallory said, feeling at least a little relief at knowing someone had actually gone and seen them for themselves. “So…now what? I’ve tried calling both Pops and Jake and my calls aren’t going through. I hate how they’re cut off from everyone.”
“I know it’s not ideal but cell service is spotty at best right now. Colton said he had tried to call me several times before it actually went through.”
“It’s nice that he kept trying.” She paused. “What are all of you going to do? I mean I know you’re at the townhouse and all, but the storm’s still going to hit that area too.”
“Now we just have to sit and wait, unfortunately. They’re not letting anyone back over the bridge so even if we wanted to go back, we can’t. The evacuation route has all lanes going in a single direction–away from the coast–so for now we can only sit and watch it all unfold on the television.” She paused and then groaned.
“What? What’s the matter?”
“The power’s already flickering. So basically we can only sit and watch it unfold until we lose power.”
“Oh, Mom…I wish there was something I could do.”
“Me too. I’m just glad you’re safe and not having to deal with this. It’s hard enough worrying about everyone here.”
“At least you’re not all crammed in there. I’m guessing Mason, Parker, and Peyton aren’t there with you, are they?”
Susannah chuckled softly. “Mason’s here because he was told to come and help, but Parker went with Tyler to Raleigh for the weekend. That’s where his family is now. And Peyton was already on vacation out in L.A. and decided to extend it until the storm passed.”
“Lucky her,” Mallory murmured. “So now you’re stuck all weekend with Mason the Magnificent?”
Still laughing, her mother gently chided her. “That’s not nice, Mallory. And really, I would think he’s outgrown that nickname–no matter what your brother says.”
“Speaking of Sam, have you heard from him lately?”
“Other than a quick call to make sure I’m all right? No.”
Her twin brother made her crazier than anyone else possibly could. Always the hellraiser of the family, he’d become harder and harder to pin down in the last couple of years. He was living in Virginia now, but no one saw much of him and he wasn’t particularly forthcoming with what was going on in his life.
Although…Mallory managed to get at least two calls a month from him and even though most of the time they talked about her, it made her feel better just hearing his voice.
“I don’t think the storm’s supposed to reach him, is it?” she asked.
“He’s about two hours inland so the most he’ll probably see is tropical storm levels of rain,” her mother replied. “When he called, he mentioned heading to the mountains this weekend to see some friends so, who knows? Maybe he personally won’t be affected by the storm at all.”
“Typical Sam. He always does seem to escape before things get rough.” And although it didn’t particularly sound like a loving comment, it really was. Her brother had a knack for wreaking havoc no matter where he went, but there were never any consequences. It was like some sort of gift he had–always managing to escape bad situations unscathed.