My phone rings, cutting him off. I pull it out of my pocket, an unknown number scrolling across my screen.
“I don’t know who this is,” I say. “What’s the area code?”
“Miami. That’s weird. Should I answer?”
“I would. What if you won the lottery?”
“When the majority of the state is under a hurricane warning?
Please.” I slide my thumb over the screen. “Hello?”
“Is this Quincy Monroe?”
“Yes, it is. Who am I speaking with?”
“This is Dr. Feldman, director of the National Hurricane Center.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and hit mute. My mouth drops open in surprise. “Shit,” I squeak.
“Who is it?” Sebastian asks.
“Dr. Feldman. Director—”
“From the NHC? Why the hell is he calling you?”
“I don’t know! I’ve read some of his graduate research, but I’ve never met him. Oh,fuck. He’s probably going to ream me for denouncing their track on national television. My career is over.”
“Speakerphone.” Sebastian taps the screen, taking the call off mute. He lifts his chin my way, and I swallow.
“Sorry about that, Dr. Feldman. The reception is spotty where I am,” I say, proud of the lie I pull out of thin air. “How are you doing this afternoon?”
“Besides being in a packed media room with local and national news outlets and having my ass chewed out by the Secretary of Commerce? Peachy,” he deadpans, and I wince.
“That … that can’t be good.”
“No, Dr. Monroe. It’s not.”
“Is there a reason for—”
“You saw something people in my department missed today, and your observation saved lives,” he says, and Sebastian wraps his arm around me. “Choosing to publicly break from our projected track was a gutsy move, and even though it turned my day into a shit show, I’m glad you did it.”
“I’m not the only meteorologist who went against the track. I just … Dr. Feldman. How did y’all miss that? Isn’t your job to get this data right? We have so many resources available to us. Hurricane hunters, planes, ocean buoys. How did a mistake like this happen?”
“We’re understaffed. Is it an excuse? No. But when my team isworking twenty-hour days, they miss things. There’s media responsibilities and emergency management on top of forecasting. Unfortunately for us, missingthiswas a huge misstep. It happened back in 2004 with Charley, too, and my predecessor didn’t hear the end of it for years. The general public doesn’t focus on the cone of uncertainty. They see the centerline that shows where the eye is going to travel and assume that’s the only part of the storm they need to worry about. I hope today is a learning opportunity for everyone.”
“I hope so too. I’m not sure how much assistance I can offer, but is there anything I can help with?”
“No. You’ve got a hell of a head on your shoulders, Monroe. You’re an independent meteorologist?”
“I am. I run a … well, a blog? I guess? And social media channels. Academia was never for me. I prefer educating people on our field outside the classroom.”
“This is my personal number. If you ever need anything, you give me a call and I’ll make it happen. You should be proud of yourself. Not many people I know would’ve been comfortable making the decision you made today, and I’ll make sure they put your name in all the postcyclone documentation.”
“I don’t … I don’t need any of that.” I hide my face in Sebastian’s shirt, smiling when he rubs his hand up and down my arm. “I just want to help spread awareness and save lives.”
“And you do it well. Stay safe. Are you in Oak Valley riding Georgianna out?”
“No. I’m in Punta Gorda.” A pause. “With a friend.”
