“That sounds incredible,” Emily said. When he didn’t respond, she added, “I think we might eat in the living room and watch a movie if you want to join us.”
He made eye contact but didn’t say yes or no.
The hard line of his face was softer tonight, but he still wasn’t terribly talkative, so Emily left him and went back into the living room with Blair and Sienna.
“I guess he’s the quiet type,” Blair whispered, eyeing Patrick from across the open space as Emily sat beside her.
Emily shrugged.
Sienna glanced at him, but then turned her focus to the remote, clicking on the television. The wall-sized screen lit up with a symphonic hum.
From the kitchen, Patrick’s phone rang. He wiped his hands on a towel and answered it quickly.
“What should we watch?” Sienna yawned as she clicked through the channels, stopping on a few chick flicks and then scrolling past them.
Blair suggested something, but Emily had sharpened her hearing curiously. Patrick’s brows were pulled together, his jaw set as he mumbled quietly into his phone. She pretended to get comfortable, scooting infinitesimally closer to his conversation.
“No more PR, okay… Hasn’t there been enough press already…? When I hired you, I thought you would take care—” He turned around, his back to her. A few minutes later, he got off the phone, washed his hands, and resumed his food prep.
PR? Press?They’d convinced him to cook for them without any knowledge of the demands of his career. And he’d done it. He could’ve stuck to the musician’s suggestion to leave the food for them that first day, but instead he’d shown up for dinner with quiet resolve. In his unique way, it seemed to Emily that saying yes to them was an act of kindness.
The room darkened. Through the windows, the usually quiet Gulf smashed against the sand, its gemstone hues and light fizz now an angry ashen spray. A red warning beach flag down shore flapped in the wind. Blair got up and turned on the lamps, a glow filling the room.
Patrick seemed unaffected, seasoning the sea bass with some sort of dry rub.
“Maybe there’s a good drama on,” Blair offered. “Or a mystery—something that’ll have us riveted so we don’t have to consider that the storm is coming in pretty fast.” She made a face.
Sienna stopped on the national news, where the storm was being reported. That was enough to give them all pause.
“We’re currently seeing the outer bands of Tropical Storm Claudette moving across the Gulf and beginning to affect parts of the Florida Panhandle. While the storm’s center remains well offshore, we are already beginning to see outer rain bands moving into the area, bringing heavy precipitation, gusty winds, and the potential for localized flooding, especially in low-lying and coastal neighborhoods.
“Stay with us for continuous updates and download our weather app for real-time alerts. We’ll be here around the clock tracking the storm and letting you know what to expect, hour by hour.”
The outside umbrella, secured and strapped, rattled against its holder.
“Think we should bring anything in from the back patio?” Emily asked. “It’s getting really windy already, and with all these windows, I’d hate for it all to start flying through the air.”
“Maybe we should stack the chairs at least,” Blair said.
“The house has staff,” Patrick called over. “I’m guessing they’ll be here any second.” He went back to cooking.
Just as Patrick had predicted, in a matter of minutes, men in coveralls carted the furniture off the patio, covered the pool, and secured the fire pit. They were in and out in a flash.
Blair’s phone went off. “It’s Rocko. He might have seen the weather report. I’ll be back.” She put the phone to her ear as she left the room. “Hello?”
“This weather is killing me,” Sienna said with another yawn.
A loud sizzle came from the kitchen as Patrick flipped the sea bass in the hot pan. He turned around and began cleaning his knives.
Sienna tugged on the waistband of her dress. “I’m going to change into a tracksuit. This dress is tighter than it used to be, and I’m dying for something with a little give.” She handed Emily the remote.
Emily clicked through a few channels just as a loud clap of thunder shook the house.
“Agh!” Patrick shrieked.
Emily jumped to her feet just in time to see him grabbing a towel and wrapping it around his hand.
“Are you okay?” She walked over to the kitchen.
