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“Think nothing of it, lassie. We sea-folk know what a storm is, and we know that when your back’s to the wall, it’s better to man the breach and save yer gripin’ for later. I’m going to go check on the other places. You two enjoy your breakfast now!”
And with that, Niall was gone. He pulled a pipe from his pocket and put it in his mouth, and he stepped out of the door, which, after Eric had kicked it in, was swinging unsteadily from its hinges without a lock. He marched off down the beach, humming a tune to himself.
I turned and looked at Eric, and saw there was an enormous smile on his face.
“What?” I said.
“What?” said Eric.
I rolled my eyes, took a fork, and chowed down on the most delicious pancakes I’d ever had in my life. After I’d eaten, I took a shower and tried to get myself halfway presentable. Then, I realized that I needed to call my dad.
“He’s going to be so worried,” I said, as I came back into the kitchen.
“No need,” Eric said. “I called him first thing this morning after my phone came back online. And I got your car towed as well. Along with mine.”
“Where is it?”
“Boston,” said Eric as he quietly washed the dishes. He did everything with quiet precision which reminded me just how incredible he was. A man who’d raced over land and sea to find me when I needed to be found. Who’d sheltered me and helped me out.
“Boston?” I said. “How?”
“Easy,” I said. “After I called your dad, I called my company and asked them to send a truck. They’ve picked up the cars. Although the police are gonna want to speak to you about yours because of the accident.”
“Wow,” I said. “That’s pretty efficient.”
“What can I say?” said Eric expressionlessly. “I guess sometimes it pays for me to take a short vacation.”
There was a rumble outside, maybe of the thunder. With the sink clean, he was about to brush past me, but as he did I couldn’t help but catch his arm. I had things I wanted to say to Eric, and I was just going to get on with it and say them.
“Look,” I said. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?” he said, his voice softer. His dark brown eyes bore down on me, and I shivered with a thrill of excitement to be caught in his gaze once again.
“I owe you my life,” I said.
“No, you don’t,” he shrugged.
“Well, you came for me when I needed you. Even though I’d told you to get out of my room yesterday. Even though you had no reason to want to.”
“I had a reason,” said Eric.
In the silence, I heard the rumbling in the distance grow louder. There was more I wanted to say to him. But I turned my head and looked out of the window.
“Sounds like the thunder’s back,” I said.
“That’s not the thunder,” Eric grinned. “That’s our ride home. Come on. Get your things.”
Chapter Fourteen
Eric
Aswetookoffin the helicopter, I saw Jamie’s chest heave with excitement. We rose into the air as Paul expertly navigated through the treacherous winds that were still buffeting the peninsula. But before long, we were sailing over the land back to Barnstable. Beneath us, the sea was no longer gray, but blue, and it shone in the sunlight. As we watched the sparkles trickling over the water, Jamie reached out and took my hand. I held hers in mine, feeling the warmth, and she met my eyes and smiled.
“Look,” I said, over the microphone attached to my headphones. “We’re almost there.”
Jamie looked down and beamed. From up here Barnstable and the surrounding towns were nothing more than tiny, dark dots. But as we lowered through the clouds and sailed over the fields, past the ruined wrecks of trees and places where the storm had tossed and turned the landscape, the houses slowly distinguished themselves. When we finally landed, it was right by the hotel on a narrow strip of green that separated its grounds from the sea.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but once I’d informed Tom what had happened, he’d spent the morning proudly telling people about how I’d found Jamie and brought her home. There were crowds of people gathering on the grounds of the estate. It was a story of triumph and success in the storm. There were even a few reporters there, taking pictures.
