Page 47 of Crash Over Us
I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss him goodbye. I brushed my lips against his, dragging his mouth closer to mine. He growled against my tongue.
“We have an audience.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered. I smiled into his lips when he roughly grabbed my ass, hiking my leg up to his waist. One of the guys on the crew whistled. I blushed crimson before Caleb released me.
“And I thought you didn’t care.”
I laughed. “Go to your meeting so you can get back here.”
He saluted. “I’ll let you know. We might need to start bracing the marina for the hurricane, too. I’ll know more when I get back, but you might need to shift Movies at the Marina.”
I blinked, and my stomach rolled. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help. We’ll get it taken care of. If everyone is working on hurricane prep, no one will be at your opening night. You’re going to need to secure everything here.”
“It could be in danger?” Panic washed through me. Why had I not paid attention to the weather? I didn’t know what kind of supplies I needed. I didn’t know how to protect the property, the house, and the marina. What about the new drink and ice machines? And all the marketing I had put in for the debut of the movie night. Was it going to be a failure?
Caleb smiled. “Hurricanes are a normal thing around here. It’s going to beat the place up a little, but I’ll help. Try not to worry. People will understand about the movie. When things like this happen, they get it.”
“I’m going to have to cancel?”
“Let me see where they are tracking the storm before you cancel anything. It could turn and blow out to sea. I’ll call you as soon as my meeting is over, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. But as soon as you hear.”
“Yes.” He jogged to his truck. “As soon as I hear,” he called over his shoulder.
I turned to the construction crew. They had witnessed our entire interaction. I looked at them. “Any of you know what I should do about this hurricane?”
TWENTY-FOUR
Margot
I texted Caleb.
What’s going on?
Where are you?
Minutes passed and then another hour.
What have you heard about the storm?
I left a voicemail next.
“Okay, I’m not trying to be anxious, except we both know I am anxious, but can you call me, please? Let me know you’re okay.”
He’d been gone for hours. The project manager had been right. The guys were able to finish, and the boat slips were safe. The pier had been restored. I didn’t have to worry about anyone falling through a rotten board on movie night.
They had also been generous and left huge sheets of plywood for me to cover the cottage windows. One of the guys assured me Caleb would know what to do with it.
I turned on the weather and watched and listened while the meteorologist explained the possible paths the hurricane could take. In New York, I
worried about heat waves in the summer and blizzards in the winter. The hurricane seemed like all the worst elements of both put together. I needed to make a list of supplies, but I would wait for Caleb to tell me what the report was from the meeting. I trusted the Coast Guard would have the most accurate information.
I grinned when I heard his truck outside. Finally, he was back. I had been more worried than I wanted to admit. It was going to take a while for the events of the fishing boat attack to fade. I would never forget how I felt when he was missing. I walked out to meet him.
“How big is the storm?” I asked, standing just inside the doorway of the porch. “It’s bad, isn’t it? That’s why you were gone so long?”
