Page 108 of Phoenix

Chapter 26

Nora

I pace the breakroom at the hospital with my cell phone pressed against my ear.

“Come on, Amelia. Answer the damn phone,” I whisper to myself.

“Hello?” a voice comes through the phone, but it’s not my friend.

“Hello?” I say in return.

“Hiiiii, Nora.” It’s Cadence.

“Cadence. Hi, sweetie. Where’s your dad? Or Amelia? And how did you know it was me?”

“Your picture pops up, silly.”

“Cadence? Who is that?” I hear Amelia ask in the background.

“It’s Nora. Here you go! Bye, Nora!”

“Bye, Cadence.” I smile a bit.

“Nora?” I hear my friend finally, loud and clear.

“Oh my God. You’re so hard to get ahold of. You can’t disappear during a hurricane. You know how I panic,” I say, finally sitting in a chair.

“Signal has been a shitshow around here. Sometimes it’s there. Sometimes it’s not. Same with power.”

“Where are you? You’re not at your house, are you?”

They live on Tybee Island, literally two blocks from the ocean. The last place they should be is at their house.

“No, of course not. We took the sentimental things and are staying at Gray’s parents until this all ends.” I can hear the exhaustion in her voice.

“How bad is it?”

“Not as bad as they said it would be. Just a lot of rain. Too much rain.”

“Cadence seemed okay. Not too scared.”

“She was at first. It was really windy for a minute, but that’s died down. She can handle the rain.”

I can hear her pull the phone away from her ear and talk, but I can’t make out what she’s saying.

“So everyone is safe?”

“Yes, everyone is safe. Gray is a bit on edge though. Case is obviously out working in this tonight, so he won’t be settled until this passes or Case comes off shift.”

I prop my head up with my hand to forehead. “Case is working in it?”

“Well, yeah, all emergency responders are on call or on shift tonight. Just in case.”

“Yeah, that make sense.” I check the time and sigh. “I have to get back. Be safe tonight.”

“We will. I’ll stay in touch, okay?”

“Okay, and Amelia—please let me know that Case is all right? I just...please let me know.”

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