Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73537 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I nodded. “Okay. Let me go pack a bag.”
He smiled then and held out a hand for me to take. I let him help me up, then excused myself to go get my things. I wasn’t sure how long we would be stuck there. It could be a week or more if it was a Category 4. Electricity would be out everywhere. I couldn’t just leave Jeremy here. I knew Mrs. Mildred would be taken care of, and I had been planning on going to see if I could convince Harold to come sleep in my apartment.
Once I was in my room, I grabbed all the essentials and several outfits. Folding them neatly, I worked at a quick pace because I wanted time to help Jeremy and Harold before we went to the club. Grabbing my cell phone off the dresser, I saw where I’d missed a call from Momma and two texts from Pepper.
Get your ass to the club. NOW!
And…
I swear to God, if you are not at the club when I get finished prepping the bar for the storm, I am going to be furious.
I typed back.
Headed there now.
Then, I tucked it in my pocket without calling Mom back. She would be worried, but I didn’t have time to reassure her I was going to be safe. I needed to think up a good lie to tell her too.
Brick was standing in the living room with his arms crossed over his chest, staring out the window at the rain and winds that were already here. He glanced back at me. “Ready?”
“I need to check on Jeremy and Harold before we go,” I told him.
“Already handled. Jeremy and his dad are gone. They went to a friend of his dad’s. Harold is at the Baptist church shelter.”
I frowned. “How do you know?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Because Micah handled things before he left. He knew you’d want them safe.”
I just nodded. What else could I say? He was the most confusing man I had ever known. I wanted to hate him for not wanting me, yet he made it impossible by stepping in when I needed him and handling things for me. Dang him!
“Let’s go,” Brick said as he walked over to me and took my overnight bag.
I followed him out the door and down to the parking lot.
He stopped at the covering. “You stay here and wait with the bag. I’ll go get the truck and pull it up so you don’t get wet.”
I didn’t argue. “Thank you,” I said as he took off running into the sideways rain.
My phone began to ring again, and I pulled it from my pocket, expecting to see my mom. Instead, it was a blocked call. I stared at it for a moment more, then hit Decline before shoving it back into my pocket. The only person that could be was Canyon.
Did he think I was slow too? Who else would call me from a blocked number?
Brick pulled his red truck up as close as he could get it and jumped out to run around and help me inside. Once he had my bag and me safely inside, he went back to the driver’s side and climbed in. He was soaking wet, and I felt bad about that, but I was also not the one making him do this. Micah was.
“Do you mind getting the towel out of the backseat and handing it to me?” Brick asked.
I unbuckled and turned around to find a beach-sized towel folded up beside where he had put my overnight bag. Grabbing it, I handed it to him, then sat back down and reached for my seat belt again. Brick dried off his arms and face, then ran the towel over his hair before laying it down and finally driving out of the parking lot.
We hadn’t gotten far when my phone rang again. Pulling it from my pocket, I saw my mom’s name and figured I’d better do this now and get it over with. Hopefully, I could manufacture up a lie that she believed.
“Hey, Momma,” I said, mentally preparing for what I would say to her.
“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” she asked. “There is a hurricane about to hit Miami. You’d better be in your car, almost back to Stuart by now. Men from the church came and boarded up the windows, and I got gas for the generator, along with plenty of bread and milk.”
She finally stopped long enough to take a breath, and I took it as my cue to start lying.
“Sorry, Momma. I was busy getting myself to safety. I’m not headed home. I just got off work an hour ago. I don’t have time to drive there now. The weather here is already deteriorating.” My word of the day from my app. I didn’t have time to enjoy getting to use it though. I had to finish this before we got to the club. “I’m with Pepper. We are safe and sound. Ready to ride this storm out.”