Page 29 of Serenity at Seagrove
As she walked back to Serenity, Luna couldn’t shake the feeling that something had fundamentally changed between them. She had shared pieces of her past and seen glimpses of his, and they had crossed some invisible line. She wasn’t sure what waited on the other side.
* * *
Luna stood on the porch and watched storm clouds gather over the ocean. The air had a heaviness about it, and it definitely signaled some rain coming. In the distance, she watched the seagulls zip around in the sky, but their usual lazy circles were replaced by urgent flight.
"Storm's coming," Dixie said when she appeared beside her with a stack of books. "Weather report says it's going to be a big one."
Luna nodded. "Yeah, I've never felt wind like this before, and I've never been on the coast when a storm happened. Any advice?"
"Well, you just want to batten down the hatches, as they say." Dixie gestured toward the beach. "Secure anything that could blow away, stock up on supplies, and hunker down until it passes."
Luna thought of the large windows and the delicate wind chimes on the yoga deck. "Well, I’d better get started then."
"Want some help?" Dixie asked. "Many hands make light work."
"I'd love some," Luna said, grateful for the offer. "I was planning on asking SuAnn and Julie to come over and help me, too."
"Oh, they'll be here. You know, SuAnn's probably already baking up a storm, getting ready to feed everybody in town," Dixie chuckled. "That woman has never met a crisis that she didn't think a casserole could fix."
Luna laughed. She loved having Dixie around. She knew that Dixie had Parkinson's, as did her husband, but you would never know it. She acted like nothing was wrong and played tennis several times a week.
As if on cue, SuAnn's car pulled up, followed closely by Julie's. They both jumped out, their arms laden with bags.
"We come bearing supplies," Julie announced. "I've got you some flashlights, batteries, and enough of Mama's comfort food to last a good week."
"Y'all are lifesavers,” Luna said.
They set to work securing the outdoor furniture, checking the flashlights, and filling water jugs. As they worked, the wind continued to rise, the first drops of rain coming with it. By late afternoon, Serenity was as ready as it was going to be. The large windows were shuttered, the yoga deck was cleared of anything that could take flight, candles stood at the ready, and SuAnn's food filled the refrigerator.
"Well, I think that's everything," Julie said, wiping her hands on the front of her jeans. "We should be all set to ride it out. It's not going to be as big as some of the ones we've had before, but you're a newbie here, so we wanted you to feel comfortable. And if you don't want to stay here, you can definitely come to my house or stay at my mom's."
"Oh no, I don't need to do that. I appreciate it, though."
"That's what community is for," SuAnn said, pulling her into a hug. "We take care of each other around here."
A loud crack of thunder made them all jump, and rain started lashing against the shutters, the wind howling around the eaves.
"Well, looks like it's here," Dixie said, peering out a crack in the shutters. "Gonna be a wild night."
"And you're sure you don't want to come stay with one of us?" Julie asked. "Might be safer than staying out here alone, although the inn is right on the beach as well. We're just a little bit further back than you are."
Luna hesitated. Part of her did want to accept the offer, to surround herself with the comfort of company, but she had grown used to being alone in all kinds of situations, and this was no different.
"I appreciate it," she said, "but I think I need to be here, prove to myself that I can weather the storm, so to speak."
"I get it. But you call us if you need anything, okay? Anything at all," Julie said.
They all hugged each other and promised to check in when the storm was over, and Luna found herself alone, listening to the storm rage outside. She lit a few candles, made herself a cup of her grandmother's tea, and settled in to wait it out.
* * *
Luna sat by the window with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and watched as the wind whirled past her. The wind was so strong that it seemed like it was going to blow her away right along with the house.
The power had gone out over an hour ago, which left Serenity lit by only candlelight and the occasional flash of lightning. Luna was so happy that she had bought some of those candles that are battery-powered, and she had plenty of them in her drawer. In the flickering shadows, she found herself thinking about her own life. How many storms had she weathered over her years? The tempest of her parents' divorce, the whirlwind of her own short-lived failed marriage, and then the long years that she'd spent longing to make a family with someone and just not finding the right person.
Each time, she’d thought she’d found shelter in someone, but ended up being disappointed. So, she’d kept busy helping others, trying to desperately outrun her own pain.
She never dealt with it until recently. Just like the makeshift shutters that were rattling against the windows during the storm, all of those moments had been only temporary. And that is why she had come to Seagrove—not just to start something new, but to learn how to withstand the storm and find her own solid ground.
