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Palmer looked worried. “What about Whiskey? I can’t leave him at home alone.”
“Bring him,” Harlee said. “He’ll love Lou Lou. But bring some food for him, because Lou Lou is on a special diet for her bladder.”
A wide smile erupted across Palmer’s face. “Whiskey is going to have his first sleepover!”
Sutton laughed and shook her head. “A sleepover sounds amazing. But you do realize we might be stuck at your house once the storm comes in, right? Should we stop at the store and grab some extra food?”
Harlee looked hurt that Sutton had even suggested we’d need more food. “I’ve got plenty of food and booze.”
“Count me in! Gannon was called in early, so he’ll be at the port authority tonight. Do you have any Valium? I may need it,” I said with a humorless laugh.
Harlee gave me a sympathetic look before we all got back to securing the shop. None of us said anything else until it was time to lock up and leave.
Giving the shop one last look, Sutton turned and faced us. “It’s all in the hands of God now.”
“Yep,” Harlee said as she wrapped her arm around Sutton and they walked out to the parking lot.
Palmer reached for my elbow to stop me. “You know, if you asked Gannon, I’m sure he’d let you stay in the port authority office tonight.”
“He already said I could. I don’t think I could stand to watch him go out in the storm, though, knowing what he’s going to do.”
She nodded. “I get that. I’d probably feel the same way. We’ll keep your mind off of it, I promise.”
I tried to say thank you, but all I could manage was a small smile. If I was going to marry Gannon someday, this was something I’d need to get used to. I had to keep reminding myself of that.
The wind howled outside of Harlee’s windows as I stood and watched the rain come down in sheets. The hurricane had been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved deeper into the Atlantic, but it was still one hell of a gale. Brody had called and said that the flooding hadn’t been too bad so far since Seaside had seawalls to help protect the downtown area. He’d gone by Coastal Chic and all was okay for the moment. That had been a relief for Sutton. She’d thanked Brody over and over for checking on the store and putting her mind at ease.
“Have you heard from Gannon?” Sutton asked, handing me a glass of water.
“No, not in a few hours. He didn’t give me his schedule, I think on purpose. Chip has been texting me though.”
She smiled. “Smart man.”
My phone dinged. It was another message from Chip.
Chip: We’re headed out, I’ll let you know when he’s safely onboard.
My hands shook as I responded.
Me: Thank you, Chip. You’re the best for keeping me updated. Please keep him safe.
Chip: No problem, and we will. We’ve got two deckhands today.
Me: How is it out there?
Chip: I don’t think you really want to know…
I felt the threat of tears springing up again, but I pushed them away.
“Who was that?” Sutton asked.
I cleared my throat. “It was Chip. He said Gannon’s on his way out to a vessel. I guess they have two deckhands to help him board.”
“That’s good.”
Nodding, I forced myself to smile. “Yeah.”
We stood there for a few moments in silence before Sutton decided to go watch a movie with Harlee and Palmer.
Five minutes later, the power went out.
“I’ve got the candles in the kitchen!” Harlee shouted.
I quickly turned on the flashlight on my phone and called out, “I’ve got the lights on this side of the house.”
We had planned ahead and put flashlights or lanterns in all the rooms. We might not get a lot of hurricanes up our way, but we still had plenty of storms that knocked out the power.
Once the main rooms were lit by either candlelight or lanterns, we all stood in the living room and looked at each other nervously.
A sudden, loud banging noise from someone outside caused all of us to scream.
My phone rang seconds later. I glanced down to see it was my mother calling.
“Mom? Do you guys have power?” I asked.
“Yes. I tried calling Palmer and Sutton. You’re all still together at Harlee’s, right?”
“Yes, we’re all here.”
I heard her telling my father we were all still together before she came back on the line. “At least the cell phones are still working. Check in every now and then to let us know you’re okay.”
“We will,” I said, glancing over at Sutton and Palmer. They were both now sitting on the sofa. Palmer had her legs pulled up under her while she watched me, and Sutton was reading something on her phone. “Brax is there, right?”
“Yes, sweetheart, he’s here. We’re all taken care of. Do you have portable chargers for your phones?”
