Turtle Bay (20 page)

Looking out the window with my one good eye, I felt hypnotized watching even the largest and tallest trees sway back and forth. At any moment, I expected them to snap in half.

"Look at that," Buttercup said, commenting on the way the traffic lights bobbed up and down on the wires they hung from.

As we turned down Beachside Drive, we got a clear look at the ocean. The waves looked angry and imposing, like they were daring anyone brave enough to take their chances to enter the water. I saw no one that stupid, but there were people standing on the beach who seemed to be taking in the sights.

I could only remember Butch being this stressed one other time, and that was when Buttercup got pneumonia. Initially, she had refused to see a doctor, relying instead on the homemade remedies she claimed had never let her down before. Eventually, Butch intervened. He loaded her up in the van in the middle of the night and drove to a doctor's house. How Butch had the doctor's address, or why he even allowed Butch to show up with Buttercup in the middle of the night, I never learned. Logic told me Butch had to know him somehow or maybe the doctor sensed his desperation, but I never asked.

It took us twice as long to get there even though the roads were eerily empty, but just as Josh had predicted, the station was bursting with activity. In my anticipation to see Josh, I forgot about my face until Vanessa gasped when she saw me. Coming around from her desk like her feet were on fire, she stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, demanding to know what had happened.

"I was stung by a bee," I joked, trying to make light of my mangled appearance.

"Really, you allergic or something?" she stuttered, mystified.

I laughed, although I paid the price when my face vehemently rejected the movement.

Vanessa's exuberant reaction caused a crowd to form around me, so I launched into a brief replay of what had happened. It was an uncomfortable story to retell since even I could hear how ridiculous it sounded. The only part I changed for the benefit of the people at the station was how Evan had ended up on the floor. I lied that he had lost his balance because of his drunken condition. Josh walked into the reception area, immediately zeroing in on my eye. My words dried in my throat as his eyes swept across my face. His features tightened and from the way he tenderly stroked my arms, it was clear our relationship was no longer a secret.

Chapter 12

"Did I hear you say Evan did this?" he asked in a deadly serious voice. "When?" he inquired when I stepped away from the crowd.

"After you left," I answered. "He came by wasted off his ass.

"Damn it. I knew I should have walked you to your door and made sure you got in your room safely. What kind of chump drops a girl off and drives away?"

I shook my head. "This was an accident. Sure, it was enhanced by an abundance of liquid dumbness, but Evan didn't mean to hurt me. He was hurting, and I was just trying to be his friend."

He snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that's all he wanted. The Evan I know has all the friends he needs."

A mixture of emotions coursed through me as I categorized his short statement. If I were in Josh's position I would be skeptical of anything Evan did. Truthfully, I felt the same way, but in spite of the differences in our economic standings, I honestly felt I understood where Evan was coming from. Strangely, Josh would discover that considering their parents, he and Evan had a lot in common if they ever got to know each other. I never saw that happening in anyone's lifetime though.

"You're not disgusted by this monstrosity?" I asked, lightly changing the subject to make a joke.

Josh frowned, not appreciating my lame humor. "The only disgust I feel is at
the asshole who did this. I seriously want to pound his face in. I don't care how it happened. He should be sporting his own black eye."

I sighed. "It was an accident," I muttered for what felt like the millionth time. Reaching for Josh's hand, I squeezed it gently, silently appealing for him to let it go. With the heavy winds battering against the building, we had bigger worries on our plates. Judging by Vanessa's nonstop ringing phone, things were a little more intense than what everyone had originally thought.

As if to prove my point, Mitch appeared at our side. "Rain, your face?" He sympathetically grimaced like everyone else had. "I could really use your help today. We got a solid category two hurricane and its path shifted slightly to the west, meaning it's going to hit us harder than we anticipated, but I'm thinking in light of your injury, you and your parents should evacuate."

"What, this?" I asked, pointing to my face. "This is nothing. I want to stay. Besides, I already told Vanessa we'd help with the phones and stuff," I answered.

He looked like he wanted to argue, so I threw out my last plea card. "Plus, it's part of my sentence. You wouldn't want the judge to throw me in jail, would you?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest to emphasize my point.

"I think a judge would understand under these circumstances," he said dryly. You didn't get to his position by falling for bullshit. "If I didn't think we needed all hands on deck, I'd send you and your folks packing, but I'm going to need all the manpower we can get. We're organizing crews to evacuate as many residents as we can. We have a few short hours before it will no longer be safe to remain outside and all travel will be stopped. Busses have been dispatched, and they're waiting to take the residents to Taylor High School."

"Will we evacuate after that?" I asked.

"We won't need to. This building was built to withstand hurricane winds, and we're high enough to avoid any flooding. It's the beachfront residents who will need to be evacuated if they haven't already left," he said.

"I can help evacuate too," I said, ready to jump in and do something useful.

Mitch was already shaking his head. "Absolutely not."

Our conversation was cut short when Vanessa joined us. "There's a report of a downed tree blocking Anderson Way. It's caused a mess of problems over on Beach Avenue," she told Mitch, handing him a slip of paper.

"Josh, go out with Larry and Butch and see what kind of mess we're looking at. A blocked Anderson Way puts a damper on evacuation access. The sheriff or fire department may already be on hand. Watch out for any downed power lines, got it?" Mitch barked out. "And you," he said sternly, pointing at me. "Stay in the building. I catch you trying to leave, you'll be answering to me," he added before leaving the room.

"Yes, sir," I answered, not overly happy I wouldn't be doing anything more useful.

"I guess I better head out," Josh said, looking like he wanted to say more
.

"Be careful."

"Always am," he answered, winking at me.

We parted ways outside the break room. Josh headed out the back door followed by Larry and Butch who had been given his own beach patrol rain slicker. Buttercup and I headed out front where Vanessa sat at her desk on the phone. She had several Post-it notes scattered about. She held her hand over the phone and asked me to take them to Mitch while she continued. "It's going to be a bitch of a day," he muttered when I handed him the stack of notes. He took a swig of coffee before heading back toward his office.

His words proved to be true. In our first hour at the station the phones didn't stop ringing. Buttercup and I jumped in to help Vanessa field calls as much as we could. Everyone who had waited to evacuate were now demanding instructions on what they should do. Our job was to instruct them on the safest routes out of town since new road closures were being reported every few minutes. Every patrol person at the station was out with crews trying to keep the roads clear, but as the storm continued pushing inland it began to feel like we were fighting a winless battle.

With the outer bands of the storm wreaking havoc on the coastline, evacuations hit a new sense of urgency as the wind viciously whipped around the building, moaning like some sort of monster. My desire to be outside changed when I peeked out the front door and saw someone's patio table blowing down the road. The glass top was missing, making the aluminum frame easy to lift. I watched in awe as it struck a palm tree with enough force to make the frame bend around the tree. A second later, a stray shopping cart from the drugstore on the corner rolled across the parking lot and slammed into the side of one of the patrol vehicles. It was like a scene from some disaster movie.

"People were warned to secure lightweight belongings," Josh said, sneaking up behind me. "I guess they didn't listen, huh?"

"It looks really bad out there. I wasn't expecting it to be this intense. The wind has turned into a serious beast. I'm used to tornados that are a quick in-and-out type of thing, but this is serious stuff."

He squeezed my shoulder. "This is just the beginning. Unfortunately, these slower storms can last hours."

"And this happens every year?" I asked, wondering if living beachfront was worth the trouble.

"Not every year," he laughed. "It's been, like, five years since we had a serious storm we had to worry about. Normally, several tropical storms form out in the Atlantic, but they fall apart before they turn into a hurricane and make it to shore. I guess you could say we were due," he said. His words were chilling, like he was saying devastating hurricanes were just a matter of time.

Josh placed an arm across my shoulders, pulling me against him. His body heat comforted me like a warm blanket. "Are you cold?" he asked, rubbing my bare arm. "Or scared?"

Snuggled up to his chest, I couldn't help thinking that if I tipped my head back slightly our lips would meet. I'd be all for it, but Josh would have to make the bold move first. Anyone watching could tell there was something between us, but making out in the patrol station might be taking it a step too far. "Both," I finally answered.

"Don't worry about the storm. This is a tough town. Some of these houses are over a hundred years old. Turtle Bay isn't going anywhere," he said, rubbing a hand over my goose bump-covered arm. "There's probably some jackets or sweatshirts in the supply closet. If you ask Vanessa I'm sure she'd get you one."

"Yo, Josh, we need you," Mitch called out, stepping from his office.

Josh gave me one last squeeze before releasing me. "I'll be back soon," he said, flashing a grin.

I turned around to find that Buttercup and Vanessa had both witnessed the exchange between Josh and me. Vanessa winked while trying to attend to the caller on the phone line. Buttercup smirked satisfactorily. I knew that look well. I was sure she felt she and Butch had something to do with getting Josh and me together. She would be expecting details when things calmed down.

The heavy rains continued to fall, blowing sideways into the reception area every time the patrol officers walked in and out through the door. The tile floor began to look like a pigpen from the mud and sand being tracked inside. In between passing notes to Mitch or handing out his assignments when he was on the phone, I stayed busy mopping up the water so no one would slip. Buttercup helped out, becoming the gofer for anyone who needed anything. As the conditions outside continued to deteriorate, flooding on the streets became an issue. Mitch stood in the break room in front of large maps of the city coordinating over the phone with the sheriff's department to establish alternate routes around town.

By early afternoon evacuations had to be suspended due to the high winds that no longer made it safe for the busses to travel. The street in front of the station, covered in a steady flow of water, looked more like a stream than a road. I realized they were doing their jobs, but I felt bad for the patrol officers who barely had time to rest between calls. Butch remained with either Josh or Larry and each time they returned to the station, I felt like I could breathe again. Josh would shoot me a wink and a smile, letting me know all was good. The day was hectic and scary and the majority of the time my stomach remained tied up in knots, but I was glad we had decided not to evacuate.

Finally, Josh and I found a spare moment to sneak off to a private corner so we could grab a quick bite to eat in between calls.

"How is it out there?" I asked, taking a nibble from my sandwich since that's all my stomach would allow.

"Uh, wet and windy," he joked.

I threw a chip at him. "I guessed that much."

"The town is a mess, but it's actually pretty awesome in an 'appreciating Mother Nature' kind of way. If that makes sense. She is definitely showing her strength with this storm. I've lived here all my life and I've never seen waves this high or the sky looking the way it does out there. I've got mad respect."

If it wasn't for all the flooding and damage happening, I would say Josh was right in his element the way he described the scene outside with such enthusiasm. "The way you talk about it makes me wish I could go out with you," I said wistfully. The storm frightened me, but I was also morbidly intrigued. Some of the other patrol officers had claimed the ocean was washing over the bottom steps of some of the beachfront houses. The idea that the water had moved that far inland sent shivers up my spine, but I still wanted to see it for myself.

"No way. Mitch would have my head if I took you out."

"I know, but maybe we could—" I continued excitedly, but he cut me off, shaking his head.