Page 5 of My Thursday Throwback

“I bet that looks so cute. I will call you soon,” he told her, hanging up the phone. Truthfully, he was sitting in his feelings as well.

He walked to the door, nodded his head to a cute young lady, with black curly hair, pretty brown eyes, and a 1,000-watt smile. At another point in his life, she would have been his dinner date and a little something to snack on later, but his mind was on Pip. He left the office, headed to the second potential site with high hopes which dropped like a bouffant in humidity. The building was a train wreck which would require demolishing in order to bring it up to code. The assessment took the better part of the afternoon and by the time the evening rolled around, the only plane he wanted to be on was the one home.

Michael never made it to his hotel. Over the radio came a broadcast which brought real fear into his heart. Hurricane Harvey was headed for Houston. He drove directly to the airport, turned his car in to the rental office and took his luggage from the trunk. His head hurt. A swirl of emotion hit him about being the big savior for not only his sister but also Persephone.

Pip’s mother sounds like bad news. I barely survived my own mother, do I really want to deal with hers?

Maybe my life is fine as is...single is okay.

Before he boarded the plane, he made two calls, the first to Pip. “Hey, I was checking in and there is a Hurricane headed towards Texas. I need to get home to make sure my Grandma and Wilke are prepared and safe,” he told her.

“Okay,” she mumbled in the line. “I understand.”

“I will call you soon and see you in Las Vegas,” he told her.

“Michael, I get it. If you come to Vegas, fine. If you don’t, I understand,” she said.

“Persephone?” he said, but all he heard was dead air. Only three hours. Three hours had passed and insecurity snuck up on Pip making her doubt his true intentions. She’d hung up on him. Instead of calling her back, he called his sister.

“Hey, Sis. I’m headed back. I heard about the hurricane. Are you somewhere safe?” he asked.

“No, I am in the air headed to Vegas,” she said. “Are you headed to Pip’s?”

“No. That may not work out, but it’s too soon to tell. When you get a chance, call me later. I am headed back because of the hurricane.”

“Okay. Make sure you check on Poppa Bear,” she pleaded.

“Will do.”

“I love you Michael and thank you for giving me time,” she confessed. “You are a great brother.”

“Love you too, sis, and you are still a pain in my ass,” he said.

The life-changing moment he had planned for with Pip was altered by a storm which nearly tore apart his world.

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