Finding Haven (20 page)

The campground owner paused in the doorway for a minute. “All right, but I want you
to make the ferry tonight.”

“No problem. I can do that.” Evan hoped that sometime in the next twelve hours the
storm would change course and he could stay. He would help as long as he could, and
buy some time in the process.

Harry smiled. “Get some clothes on and meet me at the office. Shug will have plenty
for you to do.” He turned. “Thank you.”

Evan looked down and realized he had opened the door half-dressed. He laughed. “Will
do. Tell Shug I’ll be down soon.”

Harry hobbled out of Silver Belle.

Evan turned on the television overhead, and his eyes widened as he saw the circular
shape of the storm hovering in the Atlantic Ocean. What in the hell? Across the screen
in big letters was the name of the storm:
Hurricane Harper
. Evan shook his head and turned for the shower.

S
HUG HAD
given him specific instructions for tying the campers down. It was a useless effort
if the winds were going to be as strong as predicted, but Harry wasn’t going down
without a fight. There were a few scrubby oaks along the backside of the campers,
and Evan looped the heavy rope through the branches before hooking it to the carriage
of each camper. If the wind was that strong, he had a feeling it would rip these poor
trees right out of the sand, but there weren’t a lot of options out on the beach like
this.

He looked down the beach and watched the surfers congregate. This was paradise to
them. Waves higher than they would be all year and surf they could ride for what seemed
like miles.

“Baby, you’re not staying are you?” Charlotte had a suitcase in her hand.

“No, I’m helping Harry and Shug out before I hit the road.” He walked over and reached
for her suitcase. “Let me get that for you.” She looked panic-stricken.

“Oh, thank you. I’m a bundle of nerves with the storm on the way. I hate to leave
Pirate’s Booty like this.” She fiddled with her keys until she finally popped the
trunk for Evan.

“I think you’ll be ok, Charlotte. You’ll make the ferry and you’ll be on your way
to clear skies.” He smiled at her and shoved the bag into the car.

“These storms make me so nervous. What if Pirate’s Booty doesn’t make it? This entire
beach could be wiped out.” A gust of wind blew her bleach blond hair across her face.
“It’s time for me to go.” She threw her arms around his neck. “Don’t stay too much
longer. Get on the ferry before tomorrow, ok?” She slid into the driver’s side and
rolled down the window.

He didn’t want to give her false hope. There was no way to predict Harper’s severity.
This could be a devastating storm for such a small piece of land.

“I’ll be fine. You be safe.”

“If I don’t see you again, it was nice having you as a neighbor, Jay.”

Evan smiled. He had waited all summer for Charlotte to move on, but he had to admit
he felt bad parting like this. She was clearly a nervous wreck. He tapped the top
of her car and watched as his wacky summer neighbor rolled along the campground drive.

He had one last camper to secure, and then he would shower before packing his bag.
The sky was dark, but the rain held off. He still held hope that the storm would turn.

He grabbed the rope and attacked another tree.

H
IS SHOULDERS
ached and his neck throbbed; he had pulled something. The football injuries had a
way of resurfacing when his body needed him. Harry needed help getting the plywood
on the office windows; it wasn’t something Shug could handle. Evan wondered if he
would be pushing his luck by spending another night in Silver Belle. According to
the latest projections, there was still another twenty-four hours before Hurricane
Harper was supposed to make landfall.

The campground was empty. Every one of his neighbors had made it onto one of the ferries.
The vessels were all running in one direction, trying to deliver tourists to safer
territory as quickly as possible.

Evan wondered if there was mass chaos at the store. Would Haven be there all night
selling bottled water and batteries to the locals who stayed behind to face the storm?
She was still stuck in his head, and he knew that part of his reluctance to leave
the island was tied to her. But she had her parents, her family—she would be fine.

However, technically he was supposed to be at work on Sunday, and he hadn’t called
the store yet to tell him he was being evacuated. He owed her a phone call before
he left.

He pulled up the number to the store on his phone and hit send.

“Owen’s,” Nell answered on the other end.

“Hey, Nell, it’s, uh, it’s Jay. Is Haven around?” He kicked himself for forgetting
who he was supposed to be.

“Jay! We have been worried about you, honey. No one has your number—” Nell was cut
off.

“Jay?” Haven must have grabbed the phone from the nosey clerk.

“Yeah. Thought I would check in. How are things going down there?” He leaned against
the counter.

“We’re getting ready to close. What about you? I don’t have your number and I feel
like an idiot for not having you fill out any paperwork.”

“Close?” He figured they would stay open until the power went out.

“Yeah, we’re cleaned out. The shelves are empty except for some gum and a few rafts.”

“Wow. I guess people take these storms seriously.” He tried to get a visual on an
empty store.

“Yeah, it’s crazy. Now we just have to sit and wait for her to hit.” She lowered her
voice. “Do you have somewhere to go?”

The question hit him in the center of his chest. It was the tone in her voice. “Uh,
no, not really. I packed my bag. I was going to hop the next ferry, but—”

“No, don’t!” She paused. “I meant, don’t leave if you want to stay and feel like trying
a hurricane.” She exhaled and her voice was even softer. He knew there had to be a
ton of people near the register. It sounded noisy. “You can stay with me. I have room.”

Evan looked at the bag sitting on the checkered quilt, and then out to the sea that
had turned a dark, murky shade.

She sounded remorseful. “Sorry, I thought you might want to stay. Just forget it.
Be careful, and will you call when you get back?” She backtracked quickly, and Evan
couldn’t handle disappointing her or the pang her words shot through his chest.

“I’ll meet you at your place.” He closed his eyes, knowing he had just lost it. But
he couldn’t stand making a pretty girl sad, not this one.

He grabbed his bag, closed the door, and threw his belongings in the back of the Jeep.
He threw it in reverse before heading straight to Haven, and before he had a chance
to talk himself out of evacuating from this place.

H
AVEN GRIPPED
the steering wheel tightly. She would be home in thirty seconds. As soon as she heard
his voice on the other end of the phone, she felt relief followed by instant panic.
All day she had been trying to figure out when she could sneak out and drive by the
campground. He didn’t know about storms, and she couldn’t remember if there was a
TV in Silver Belle. The need to warn him and help him distracted her from the minute
she knew the storm was going to hit Perry Island. How could she not have his phone
number?

And now he was headed to her place to ride out the storm. She was going to have to
call her mother and come up with some kind of excuse for not driving there tonight.
However, she would figure out an excuse. This wasn’t something she was willing to
undo.

She pulled the car in all the way under the house. There wasn’t much else she could
do to protect it. Taking the steps as quickly as she could, she sprinted into her
apartment and surveyed her room. Total disaster. Her bed was unmade, half her week’s
clothes were on the floor, and there was music everywhere.

The music added charm, she thought. The clothes, however, were a mess. She raced around
her room, picking up armfuls of T-shirts and sundresses. She shoved everything into
the hamper and returned to make the bed. Had she really thought this through? She
pulled the comforter tightly under the pillows. They had been working together for
a couple of weeks, and they had these moments that made her breathless, but should
she harbor him during the storm?

She sat on the edge of the bed while her mind sorted through her reasons for inviting
him to stay. There was the obvious; he was hot and she wanted to spend the night with
him. Did she need to analyze it anymore? Deep down she knew there was a lot more to
Jay than what everyone else could see on the outside. He was smart and creative. He
might be the first guy who understood music the way she did. It didn’t seem to matter
what was going on, he would stop and listen, like every word she said was as important
as the sun in the sky. It was almost too good to be true that someone like him had
washed up on the island this summer.

She headed into the kitchen. It was certainly neater than the rest of the apartment,
but there was an unwashed wine glass and last night’s pasta bowl.

She jumped when she heard the knock at the sliding door. She walked around the kitchen
island to the door and slid back the glass.

“Hey.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and wondered if he could read her
thoughts. She was ready to jump him on the porch. Jay stood, holding a duffle bag,
filling the entire frame of the door with his broad shoulders.

“Hey.” He smiled and hesitantly stepped in the kitchen. “Thanks for letting me stay.
I didn’t really want to evacuate, but the campground is closed. Harry and Shug kicked
me out.”

“Oh yeah, absolutely. You shouldn’t have to leave.” Suddenly, the idea of Jay leaving
the island or this kitchen seemed like the worst possible idea.

Haven jumped as something loud clanged against the side of the house.

Jay reached for her shoulder. “You ok? I think that was your hammock.”

“Yes.” She laughed. “I think I’ve been around too many anxious people all day. The
hammock—I guess I need to take that down.”

“Let me help.” Jay placed his bag on the floor and walked onto the porch. The wind
had kicked up another notch.

Haven followed him. It was nice he was here. He helped her store the loveseat, rocking
chairs, and hammock in the storage shed under the house. Once the deck was cleared,
he worked on the shutters that folded across the windows. She knew this was an advantage
to having an old beach house—the shutters were built in rather than using plywood
and a hammer to cover the windows.

“What about your neighbors? Are they going to secure their part of the house?” He
eyed the apartment next to hers.

Haven hadn’t seen any of her neighbors. Most of them were temporary summer residents,
and they rotated weekly.

“I don’t know. I’ll try them.”

She knocked on their doors, but it was possible they had evacuated for the mainland.
Jay decided it was best to help everyone out and started hauling deck furniture down
below too.

By the time they finished securing the house, it was dark and the rain had started.
Big heavy sheets fell on the roof and the beach.

Haven’s eyes widened when the lights flickered. “I guess I should get some candles
ready.” Most of them were in her room. She walked past Jay and collected a couple
to space out around the apartment.

“I didn’t think the storm was going to hit until tomorrow.” He watched her light the
candles on the kitchen table.

“I think it’s still on course, but if the wind is bad enough, it knocks the power
lines down. We lose power all the time. It doesn’t have to be a hurricane.”

“Ok. So now what?” He arched his eyebrows.

She felt a rush of anticipation race through her veins. She reached for a bottle of
wine. “How about a drink?” The alcohol might soothe her and take the edge off her
jumpiness.

All day she had been surrounded by people on edge about the storm. Would it destroy
homes and businesses? How long would the island be shut down? The locals knew the
drill, but it didn’t make the potential impact any less stressful. Right now, she
knew exactly how she wanted to release all of the building tension.