“The tropical storm offshore is gaining speed.” He wiped down the grill and packed it away in haste. He was moving with incredible swiftness.
An awkward hush fell between them, and she turned to the window.
“Oh no,” she said, squinting at the menacing dark gray in the sky. “The clouds are rolling back in.”
“Late last night, they were warning people to evacuate. I figured you all would be packed and heading home.”
Emily’s mouth dropped open. “Sienna took a walk down the beach. I hope she’s turned back.” She peered outside, but there was no sight of Sienna. “Let me run up and get my phone to call her.”
“Yeah, you’d better.”
She ran upstairs. On the way to her room, she knocked on Blair’s door. “You might want to get up. A big storm’s coming.”
A groggy Blair opened the door as Emily rushed past, swiping her phone off the dresser and dialing Sienna’s number. A phone rang down the hall.
“Shoot.” Emily ended the call.
“What’s going on?” Blair asked, padding into the hallway.
“Sienna went for a walk. She’s nowhere to be found, her phone’s here, and the storm that’s been brewing is now a tropical storm.”
Blair’s shoulders jerked in panic. She followed as Emily rushed down the stairs.
“No luck?” Patrick asked as he packed his final few things.
“She left her phone here.”
Blair got the remote and turned on the TV. On the screen, lines of cars, bumper-to-bumper, streamed out of town while newscasters discussed the impending storm.
Blair whirled around. “How quickly is it coming?”
Patrick remained focused on the screen. “Faster than I thought.”
Outside, the palm trees bent in the high wind, the usually docile waves slamming onto the shore. Emily frantically looked outside again.
“Do you know which way your friend went?” Patrick asked, his tone direct and confident—controlled despite Emily’s growing panic.
“I didn’t pay attention.” Emily’s mouth dried out, her heart slamming in her chest.
“The wind could knock her down,” Patrick said.
Emily rushed over to Patrick and took hold of his biceps. “She’s pregnant.”
The information visibly sank into his eyes, but he remained steady, not rushed in any way. “I’ll go look for her. Stay here until I get back. Don’t. Move.”
As the first giant drops of rain began to plonk onto the decking, Patrick opened the French door and darted out.
“Shouldwedo anything?” Blair asked, terror flashing across her face.
“He said not to move, so I’m not doing a thing. He knows better than we do.” Helpless, Emily ran to the door to watch, but Patrick was already down on the beach and fading out of sight. “Let’s pack up our stuff,” she said as the forecasters chattered on. “If we can get Sienna back in time, we can try to get out of town.”
“I’ll pack for her,” Blair suggested.
They both ran upstairs.
Emily ran to her room and wrestled her way out of her pajamas. She pulled a T-shirt and shorts from her suitcase and threw them on. She’d grown up in Virginia, and they’d had their share of tropical storms and hurricanes, but she’d never been this close to the shore before. If this thing hit, the devastation could be widespread. With trembling hands, she brushed her teeth, then jammed her toothbrush and a comb into her purse and lumped everything else in her suitcase, then zipped it up. She rushed around the room, gathering her phone charger and her jewelry off the nightstand. Within minutes, she was ready to go. She pulled the covers up on the bed and rearranged the pillows to double-check that she hadn’t left anything.
When she had her bags in the hallway, she ran over to help Blair. The click of a door and the sound of the wind over the balcony drew her attention.
