Page 143 of Banter & Blushes

Her pulse thumped loudly in her ears as shadows danced around her, feeling like the walls were closing in.

Trembling, she frantically rummaged through her tote, its contents a chaotic jumble as she desperately searched for her phone.

Finally, she found it, but her hands were shaking so much she struggled to swipe up the screen. Her eyes darted over her contacts until they landed on Beck’s number. With each passing second feeling like an eternity, she listened to the three rings before his voicemail clicked on.

“Beck! I’m…,” she started, only to be interrupted by the automated message.

“Hey, you’ve reached Carter Beckett. I don’t check this voicemail. Send a text.”

“Arrrgh!” she growled in frustration, quickly disconnecting and pressingGigi’s button with a sense of urgency. Her voice trembled as she whispered, “Come on, come on,” a plea mingled with the tension in the air as the lights flickered and went out, plunging her into complete darkness. The oppressive silence was pierced only by the thunder and relentless rattle of rain pounding against the windows, a chilling soundtrack to her mounting anxiety.

“Caroline!” Gigi’s voice crashed through the void, clear and reassuring on the first ring.

“I’m at the bait shop…” Caroline blurted, her voice strained.

“Where?” Gigi’s voice now crackled with static, the interference grating against Caroline’s already frayed nerves. “Bait shop,” she repeated, louder, despite the pressure building in her head.

“I can’t hear you,” came the distorted reply before the call abruptly ended. Caroline looked at her screen, her heart sinking as she realized the signal had dropped. With a resigned sigh, she understood she had no choice but to bide her time, until someone found her.

She rested against the counter, wedged between a heap of paint-splattered drop cloths and something resembling a minnow trap.

She wouldn’t cry.She wouldn’t.

Pulling her tea from the diner bag, she gave the bottle a few shakes and twisted the top. She took a long swallow and surveyed the room. There was so much to do, and they had ten days before Memorial Day and the summer kick-off.

Hoisting herself onto the cool, smooth surface of the checkout counter, she attempted to scroll through her phone to check the weather. Her brow furrowed in mild frustration as she realized it was futile without a signal. The screen remained stubbornly blank, mocking her efforts. Undeterred, she tried calling Gigi once more, only to be met with the cold, mechanical voice of an automated message informing her the call couldn’t connect. With a resigned sigh, she powered off the device, the screen momentarily flashing before going dark, and set it down gently beside her.

Another loud crash of thunder rattled the walls. Caroline yelped, clinging to the edge of the counter.

“Fantastic!” she muttered to no one, hoping the roof didn’t cave in before the weather let up.

Rain pounded against the windows, drowning out any sane thought. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching the drink to her chest. It was just a storm, and she was no longer a kid hiding in her parents’ bedroom.

“You’re too tense, Caroline,” she mocked herself, channeling Gigi’s relentless pep. “You need more waffles and fewer worry lines.”

With each burst, the room grew darker, and the ceiling pounded above her.

Well, this would certainly fix her worry lines.

Opening her eyes, she looked outside. The rain was a sheet of gray fuzz, unyielding and thick, making the piercompletely disappear.

As the storm clattered against the walls, rattled the windows, a steady hiss vibrated through the air, as if the storm were staging a full-on assault.

Caroline felt a drip of water hit her on the head and looked up.

As if I didn’t have enough on my list, she thought.

The rain was leaking through the roof. She gnawed at the edge of her lip and looked back toward the corner of the building where a small storage room with a large open door lay waiting.

She considered making a mad dash towards it, wondering if hunkering down in the tiny interior space would spare her if the rest of the building blew away, when she heard the dull roar of an engine.

Vroom. Vroom.Vroooom.

Then it disappeared.

Racing to the door, she could see headlights approaching the end of the road, but they turned down the alleyway and disappeared.

“Hey!” Caroline banged on the door, but no one could hear her over the storm. She tried to shake the door loose again, but it wouldn’t budge.

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