Page 57 of Half Baked

“We’ll reschedule.”

I’m confused by what I’m doing as well, I just feel like I need to dosomething. And the mayor’s appearance gives me the perfect excuse to avoid Tara until Hayden returns.

Hannah doesn’t try to stop me. There’s one person from Small Town Table I can appreciate it seems. It would be useless of her to try anyway; I’m already running down the wharf.

“Fitzy! Wait!” I call, my voice drowning in the forceful wind and rain. I wave an arm in his direction, successfully catching his attention.

Mayor Fitzgerald moves towards me, pulling his raincoat off and wrapping it around my shoulders when he reaches me. For this episode, I had donned a matching linen shorts and sleeveless top set, and my muscles are tense from the combination of chilling rain and minimal clothing.

“What are you doing out in this?” he asks, leading me to his waiting car.

“I—”

Thunder rumbles overhead, and I glance over my shoulder at the terrifyingly dark sea. It’s just so… angry.

I have always felt that the ocean was alive with its own personalities. But I never made a point to study this terrifying one.

My words feel caught in my throat as I take in the scene. “I chased Hayden,” I admit a little breathlessly.

He opens the passenger door of his Cadillac and ushers me inside. Then coming around the other side, Fitzy climbs into the driver’s seat with a stern look on his face. “It’s not safe to be out in this,” he tells me.

“You’re out in it,” I point out.

“I had to see the inaugural rescue takeoff. And oh my, am I glad I did. Wait,” he turns to me in surprise. “You were out here for Hayden?”

“Yeah, he was with me when he got the call.” I brush my wet hair back off my face and lean forward towards the heat blowing from the vents.

“Oh, so you two made up then. I’m glad. I thought it was silly, him asking me to keep it a secret. It could have ended your fight if?—”

“What secret?”

“Come again?” Fitzy falters.

“What secret did he ask you to keep from me?”

“Well… just that he withdrew his claim to the building voluntarily. Hayden asked me to give it to you instead, there was nothing unsuitable about it for him. But he wanted me to keep that detail out of things.”

I sit back and stare into the storm raging on.Pretty girl, nothing was wrong with it. I asked Fitzy to give the building to you. Hayden had said just as much. The night he stayed over to take care of me, he’d told me the truth and I’d been too out of it to hear him. Or too stubborn.

But his words were unwavering, even then. As if there’s never been doubt in his mind that I come first. The realization is enough to tilt my world off its axis. No, it would seem, I certainly haven’t known Hayden at all.

A crackling noise echoes in the car, pulling me from the memory. “Is that a radio for first responders?” I point to the box mounted on his dashboard.

“It is, that’s how I heard the dispatch call.”

“How did you know to come to the wharf?”

“I can get the emergency comms on it too. I heard one pilot tell the other that they were taking off without Hayden and picking him up here.”

My hand flies forward. “What channel?”

Fitzy locates the channel Hayden’s team is using, and together, we sit in the harbor parking lot listening to everything playing out.

Roger. Seven souls reported on the vessel in distress.

We don’t have visual with the water above 300 feet today, boys.

Roger. Won’t be able to drop to 15 either.

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