Page 54 of Crash Over Us

“Okay. I mean plan B, I guess. If the water keeps rising, we need to be on the upper level. Let’s take the supplies and go upstairs. We have a long night to get through. We can do this. I know we’re going to be okay.” I squeezed her hand.

“And if another waterspout springs up?” she asked.

“That closet upstairs under the attic stairs is still a stable spot to ride out the storm. It’s better than letting the lower level flood us out.” I had been considering our options for a while.

It only took a few minutes for us to gather provisions for the upstairs. By the time we settled in the closet, it was dark. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t see what was coming. There wasn’t enough light to alert us anyway.

Margot leaned against one wall with her legs stretched across the floor. Her toes can almost touch the opposite side. I positioned myself against the other. I had to bend his knees to fit. Margot jerked forward.

“It’s just one of the shutters caught in the wind,” I explained as the wind banged it against the side of the house.

“Right.” She exhaled.

“Let’s see what the latest report is.” I flipped on the radio. I had to bang on the back and cock the antennae in different directions before we could hear.

“Storm surge is at a record high. Find high ground. Tornado activity is prevalent in the area. Bridges are underwater. Evacuation routes are closed.” The announcer sounded far away.

I tossed the radio in the hallway. “We don’t need to hear anything else. We’re here for the night. That’s all that matters right now.”

I pushed the lantern closer to the door and slid toward Margot. My hand curled around her thigh. My fingers traced the inner softness of her skin. The floor creaked under the shift of my weight. We paused, listening to the wind howl and the rain batter the house.

“We’re safe in here, Margot,” I promised.

She smiled. I felt the familiar pull tugging us closer together. The adrenaline that had raced through my veins now begins to drain from my limbs. I wondered if we could replace fear with need.

“What if we aren’t any safer up here?” she asked. It seemed like she was testing me.

“Then we’ll die very happy and distracted,” I answered with a cocky smile.

“Distract me first before the hurricane rips off the roof,” she dared.

“Hell of a way to end the summer. Don’t you think? First the sailing accident, now a hurricane.”

She touched her thumb to my lower lip. It was a move I usually made. “Caleb.” Her voice was breathy and unstable.

“Yeah?” I couldn’t wait to see what she did next.

“You really came back for me?”

“I did. I traveled through a hurricane for you.”

“Why did it have to be like this?” she asked. “You didn’t say goodbye. You left without saying anything.”

I hung my head. I didn’t know if I could explain it to her. If I could tell her how gutted I’d been. How it was like my heart had been ripped out of my body. I didn’t know something could break me the way leaving her had. I had to try to explain it. She deserved an explanation.

“I couldn’t see you. If I did it would have broken me, Margot.”

A tear slipped down her cheek.

“It did break me. You wouldn’t answer my texts, my calls, nothing.”

“I know. I know. But if I had tried to say goodbye after all those promises I made, I wouldn’t have left the island. I wouldn’t have been able to see you and know it was possibly for the last time in who knows how long.”

“But then why did you come back?” Her eyes searched mine for answers.

“Because I realized that it didn’t matter what I was worried about. I can do a hundred different jobs on Marshoak.” I looked toward the tiny ceiling. “Okay, maybe not a hundred, but I can do other things here. I was obeying orders, trying to keep my rank and my position. I didn’t want to disappoint my family and destroy the legacy all the men before me created. I’m supposed to be an upholder of that legacy.”

She stroked the side of my face. “I’m so sorry, Caleb. I’m so sorry Dean went after you because of me.”

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