“Well, you’ll probably want to get into dry clothes,” Sienna said. “We’ll leave you to it.” She patted Blair and Emily on the shoulders. “Let us know if you need anything.”
Emily nodded.
The three of them went back into the room and got in their respective beds. No one spoke. Emily was still in shock from what she’d just witnessed. Her eyes stung and her heart pounded. Things could’ve gone so terribly wrong tonight, but they hadn’t, thank God. She sent up a little thank-you prayer and then tried to get back to sleep.
SIXTEEN
Emily awakened to complete silence. Sometime during the night, the storm had ended. She’d lain in bed as it raged, thinking about everything. Who was this new version of herself and what did she want in life? What would her future look like? She’d shed her old life like a worn blanket, but now she wasn’t so sure what she needed to stay warm. Her wide-open future sent a chill down her spine.
She kicked off the covers; her bare legs holding a thin film of perspiration. The room was muggy and hot. With no electricity, any cold air had dissipated overnight. She turned quietly on the twin-sized mattress. Blair was already awake, staring at the ceiling, and Sienna stirred.
“Morning,” Emily whispered.
“Morning.” Blair ran her fingers through her long hair and piled it on top of her head, twisting it into a knot. “Can you believe what went down last night?” She rolled onto her belly and faced Emily. “It feels like some sort of nightmare.” She put a hand over her mouth and shook her head.
“I know,” Sienna agreed. “It took me ages to relax enough to fall back to sleep. Between that and the heat, I’m exhausted.”
Emily rubbed her aching shoulder. “I finally did fall asleep, but I slept on edge. And I woke up again in the middle of the night. I think Patrick might have actually had a nightmare. Did you hear him?”
They shook their heads, frowning.
“I heard him call out and say something indecipherable,” Emily said. “His voice was so loud I almost shot out of bed.”
“I slept through it. Did you go out there?” Blair asked.
Emily shook her head. “I listened for a while, but there was no other noise after that. In my groggy, sleep-deprived mind, I guessed he was talking in his sleep. He looked really unnerved last night when he came in, though.”
“I noticed too,” Sienna said, rolling over.
Emily chewed on her lip, thinking. Breakfast might be interesting. Did they need time as a family? “Should I check to see if the coast is clear before we all descend upon them? They might want a quiet morning.”
Sienna repositioned her pillow. “We could hang out in here and talk for a while. Then we could all go out together.”
“Maybe we should,” Emily agreed.
“I’m afraid to go out, honestly,” Sienna said. “Patrick looked pretty rattled. And he seemed contemplative even before that.”
Blair propped her chin on her hands, leaning on her elbows. “What did he say when you went out to talk to him earlier last night?”
“Yeah, I’d like to know too. I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth, and you two were so deep in conversation you didn’t even notice. You sure are chummy.” Sienna’s last few words came out slowly, suggesting more than just “chummy.”
“I assure you, it was nothing,” Emily said.
Sienna wadded her sheets and balled them under her, propping herself up farther. “That’s not what it looked like. Thetwo of you were lost in each other’s eyes by candlelight.” She threw a dreamy look at Blair, making her laugh.
“During a tropical storm.” Emily laughed, too, but then sobered. “It wasn’t at all like that. He actually told me something pretty heavy.” She filled them in on the highlights regarding Daniel’s accident, figuring it was safe to tell them anything that had already been published.
“Oh wow,” Blair said, her features dropping in alarm. “That’s so sad.”
Emily stood and pulled the blankets up on her bed. “Yeah. He’s still struggling with it.”
Sienna pushed herself into a sitting position. “Can you imagine if something happened to one of us?”
Emily bit her lip. “No, I can’t.” Her friends were her support system. She couldn’t fathom going through what she was going through without Blair and Sienna.
The loud whine of a drill silenced them, and then the wood covering fell off their window. Sunlight poured into the room.
Emily squinted, trying to acclimate to the brightness. Patrick caught her gaze through the glass. He paused for a second, but his expression didn’t offer any insight into whether his state of mind had improved. He just disappeared, and the drill started back up again.
