He was in trouble. He knew it. Squirming, he got up and offered the men another beer. Taylor and the ladies were sharing the bottle of chardonnay and whispering to each other. They kept looking over at him, and he wished he knew what they were saying.
Jamie was on the fly bridge, resting in the sun after his busy day.
The sea was calm, like the calm before the storm. Just because the skies were blue right now, didn’t mean they would stay that way. A wind had picked up and the air smelled different. Colt got on his radio for the latest report on the weather—which confirmed his worries. Tropical Storm Erica had been a slow moving storm hanging around the Caribbean, but it’s direction and history brought to mind Hurricane Wilma, and more recently Sandy. That had been the highest storm surge the northeast coastline had ever seen. Wilma in 2005 had come close to wiping out the Florida Keys.
Colt truly hoped his instincts were a thousand miles off base just this once.
“Pack up everyone. Checked the storm status and Erica’s gathering strength as it heads toward Cuba. We are fine right now, but you all should go inside,” he called to his passengers.
He exchanged a look with Taylor, who nodded, and escorted her guests inside. “Jamie,” he called to his son. “Time to come down from there. We’re heading back to the marina—full steam ahead.”
The anchor came up, and he hit full throttle. The Hatteras crested the waves as he drove the boat home. If the storm was coming, “Bait Me” needed to be prepared.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
When Colt got back to Paradise Cove, he helped everyone off the boat then told Taylor he was going to take “Bait Me” to Coral Bay Marina. Whenever he needed service on his boat or yearly maintenance he’d take it there. The fact that it was on the bay side instead of the ocean gave it better protection. He knew they had dry storage for boats as large as 65 feet, but didn’t think he’d need that at this time. Removing everything from the upper deck and tying it down good should keep it safe from the approaching storm.
“I’ll catch you later,” he told Taylor. “I want to take Jamie to his mother’s and hopefully convince her to leave for a couple of days. Just have a bad feeling about this one.”
Taylor nodded. “You go do what you have to do, and I’ll see to my guests.”
Once Colt had his boat secured he had someone drive him back to his truck and went home to pack a bag for Jamie. He called Sharon to let her know he was coming and to give her a heads up on the latest status.
An hour later, she opened the door to her apartment and her troubled eyes met his. “I have a shift tomorrow,” she told him.
“See if you can get someone else to step in,” he told her. “Failing that I think once you’re through you should take Jamie and go to Miami. Stay with Grandma and Aunt Chrissy,” he told them, his hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “I’ll call them and let them know you’re coming.”
Jamie glanced up at his mother. “I’m not afraid. Are you?”
“No but it’s always best to be safe than sorry.” She pulled him in for a hug, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. “You get to skip school and take a little trip with me. We’ll both play hooky.”
“What about you, Dad? Are you leaving?” His son sounded sixteen instead of eleven.
“No. I’ve got to take care of the boat, and our home. Need to board up if things escalate the way I expect they will.”
He reached for his wallet in his back pocket. “You need some emergency cash?” He pulled out two one-hundred-dollar bills and handed them over. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Not a problem. You take care too.” She put the cash on the table. “And thanks.”
“Bye, Daddy.” Jamie hugged his middle. “I love you.”
Colt stroked the top of his head. “Love you more. See you soon, buddy. Have fun in Miami.”
“Wish you could come too.”
“I’ll see you in a couple of days. You had fun snorkeling today, didn’t you? Tell your mom all about it.” He bent down and kissed Jamie’s cheeks. “You take care of your mom, okay?”
“Okay.” He kicked his shoes off and flopped on the couch. “Is Taylor staying too?”
“I hope not,” he answered. “It won’t be safe for her either.”
“But she has the cafe and the cottages to look after.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “She should stay and look after you too.”
Colt tried not to smile, but the idea had merit. He avoided the look his ex gave him, and headed for the door. “You two just take care of each other, and we will stay safe. I promise.”
He drove right back to Paradise Cove Cottages and knocked on Taylor’s door. Taylor answered it with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Mom isn’t here. I tried calling her, but she didn’t answer.”
He folded her in his arms, and felt her tears on his neck. “She’ll be fine. You know your mom. She’s probably kicking up her heels somewhere. What’s her favorite place for happy hour?”
“She’s always here for happy hour.” Taylor frowned. “She was supposed to get a pedicure and come home.”
“She’s probably on her way back now,” he said soothingly.
“I hope so, but I wanted her to catch a ride with John and Phil. They left already. Packed their bags once we got back and headed out of town.” She let out a sigh. “Why won’t she answer her phone?”
He held her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I’ll find your mom and bring her back, then you two should go spend a day or two with Kayla. She’ll love that, and I’ll feel better about it.”
“What about our cottages? I need to board up. Miguel can’t do it alone.”
“I’ll help Miguel with this place and he can help me with mine. We can get it all done tomorrow if the storm actually heads this way.”
“No matter what, the weather will affect us at some level, even if it drops down to a tropical storm—but I’m not leaving. I’ve got the supplies loaded into waterproof bins and I cooked the food that might go bad. I’ll divide it up for you, Miguel and his family, and give some to Mom to take with her to Kayla’s.”
“That’s a good idea. You do that while I search for your mom.”
She took hold of his arm as he was about to depart. “I forgot to ask. What did you do with your boat?”
“It’s tied down at Coral Bay in a good spot. I need to get back there first thing in the morning and secure it better. Got a checklist of things to do at times like this. It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried about your boat. I’m worried about you, and mom. And the cottages.”
“Then stop.” He put a finger to her brow and then kissed the spot. “You’ll get permanent worry lines right there, and I don’t want that.” He smiled. “Keep your cell phone close and call me if you hear from your mom. I’ll do the same.”
“Thanks, Colt.” She closed the door behind him, and he cursed his luck. He had more on his mind than running after Taylor’s mother, but she was a good-hearted woman who cared about everyone she came into contact with. If somebody needed her help? She’d be there in a heartbeat.
With any luck Anna had gone in search of a different happy hour since she had the day to herself. He knew just the right spot. Lorelei’s.
The white clapboard building was the “hot spot” for viewing the sunsets, listening to live bands and sipping on your favorite beverage. When he arrived the lot was busy, and the bar was pretty much filled. Lots of people sitting around the outdoor tables, too. Enjoying the music and the view of the bay. Grabbing the last of the good weather while they could. People around here knew how quickly weather could change, and they were adaptable. Rolled with the punches. Bad one day meant fine the next.
Colt waved to some familiar faces, and then paused as Anna’s laugh reached his ears. She sat at the inside bar, chatting up the bearded, younger man seated next to her. He watched her for a minute, more amused than angry. After all, she’d been working everyday for the p
ast year and a half, and deserved a good time too.
Anna was a vivacious and slim woman with a lot of fire. All three of her daughters had that same spark in one form or another.
“Hey, Anna.” He put a hand on her shoulder.
Smiling, she turned around. “Wow. Colt. What are you doing here?” Her flashing brown eyes narrowed. “Are you meeting someone?” Her lips pressed tightly together in disapproval. “Where’s Taylor?”
“She’s at home looking for you.” He quirked a brow. “She left messages on your cell phone. Lots of them.”
“Oh, the battery died. I never plug it in.” Anna shrugged and laughed, bumping shoulders with the man next to her, who eyed him with curiosity.
“Taylor’s worried about you. Have you been tracking the storm?”
“No. I’m here to forget about it for an hour or two. Why don’t you rush on back and take care of Taylor yourself?” She gave him a wicked smile.
“She wants you to go to Kayla’s. I tried to convince her that she should leave too.” He patted the bar counter. “I’ll take care of your tab.”
“Oh, no, you don’t need to do that.” She picked up her frothy drink, as if afraid that he might take it away. “Call her for me, and say that I’ll be home in a few hours. I’ll leave first thing in the morning. I promise.”
“I’ll give you the phone. You call.”
“No. You know how convincing she can be. She’ll want me to leave right now, and I’m not ready.” Her eyes twinkled. “I know she’ll be in excellent hands while I’m with Kayla. You will take care of her, won’t you?”
He felt the trap she was setting for him as the cage came down with a loud snap. “Of course I will. I would never let any harm come to her.”
“Good. Neither would I.” She placed a hand on his arm, and her long nails raked gently over his skin. “You treat her right, Colt. My girls mean a lot to me.”
“I’m sure they do. As they should.” Colt glanced at the younger man seated next to Anna, and lifted an eyebrow. “Would you talk some sense into this woman? She knows the storm’s coming, but here she sits.” He gestured to the cool pink drink in front of her. “What are you drinking anyway?”
“A hurricane. Bill bought it for me. Yummy. Sweet though. Lots of rum and passion fruit and lime.” She lifted the tall glass. “Here, try it.”
“No, thank you.” He shook his head. “Want me to tell Taylor what you’re up to?”
“Why, I’m not up to anything.” She giggled, and her knee bumped Bill’s. “Not yet, anyway. Still, a woman hopes.”
Bill chuckled and put his hand on Anna’s thigh.
Colt backed up, his hands in the air. “I’m outta here. I’ll call Taylor—but you promised to drive to Kayla’s first thing in the morning.” He looked at Bill, who looked like he’d won the lotto. “See that she does.”
He raced back to his car, thinking it was a good thing his own mother and sister lived far enough away that he couldn’t keep an eye on their shenanigans. There were certain things a son or a daughter didn’t want to see.
Taylor picked up on the first ring. “Did you find her?”
“She’s okay,” Colt said. “She’s having her happy hour at the Lorelei.”
“Why didn’t she call?”
“Dead phone battery. I think you should leave her be,” he suggested. “She’s sitting with a decent guy.” He willed himself not to think where Bill’s hand was going. “Anna seems…determined.”
“Determined about what?” Taylor asked angrily. “To be foolish?”
“To have a good time. She deserves it too. Like you, she works all the time. You know that.”
There was silence as fair-minded Taylor considered that. “I know, but why tonight?”
“I guess the opportunity presented itself and she took it.” Anna was a bit of a free spirit, like her youngest daughter. “It’s okay. She knows what she’s doing.”
“She darn well better. Hope she’s got some condoms in her purse.” Taylor spoke in a snappish tone and he could practically see fumes coming out of her pretty ears. “How embarrassing.”
He laughed, glad it wasn’t his mom. “Your mother is still young. And attractive.”
“Don’t you dare even think about dating her!”
“Me? Are you serious?” He laughed again. “She’s hot but she has a much hotter daughter.”
“Brittany’s not around.”
He frowned into the phone even though she couldn’t see his face. “No, but you are.” With that he hung up, feeling with this conversation less was better.
Colt checked in with Jamie, who told him they were on their way to Miami. Sharon got on the phone and said it was bumper-to-bumper and would take hours.
“I wish we had left last night,” she told him, “but now they’re saying it could be a Cat two and everyone’s on the road. Oh crap!”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, noting the change in her voice.
“There’s an accident ahead. Now, we’ll be stuck here for God knows how long.”
“Dammit. Well, nothing you can do I guess, but wait it out. You need gas or something to eat? Pull over somewhere and take an hour’s break. Maybe the traffic will move better after that.”
“I can’t,” she said miserably. “It’ll be worse then. Everyone’s heading north it seems. You should too,” she added.
“Got to take care of the boat first. Then board up the house. Don’t worry about me. I’ll hunker down someplace and keep safe.”
“Okay. We’ll call you when we get moving again.”
“Good. Bye, Jamie. See you soon, son.”
He had called from the car, and a few minutes later he pulled into the parking lot at Coral Bay. It would take him a few hours to ready his boat for a significant storm.
First on his list was to reduce the windage by removing the bimini canvas top, doubling up all the dock lines, and adding spring lines for storm surge. He stowed away all loose objects from above, and used duct tape to protect the exposed instruments on board and seal off the hatches. He made sure he had chafe protections on all the lines, beefed up the cleats, and had plenty of fenders so the boat wouldn’t be damaged by the wharf.
Once he was satisfied that “Bait Me” was secured, he made the trip to the cottages to check on Taylor, and help out Miguel. The long day was just beginning.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Anna got home by six a.m. with dark circles under her eyes and her chin length hair wild and tousled. It was role-reversal, Taylor thought, not questioning her mom about the man she’d obviously slept with.
“Nice night?” she asked in a neutral tone.
“Very,” her mom answered without going into detail, although her smile spoke volumes. It occurred to Taylor that her mother had behaved like a naughty teen—no phone calls, sneaking in at dawn.
“I’ve just been talking to Kayla. She wants you, Juanita and the kids to go and stay with her.”
“That’s probably a good idea. I was thinking about going to Miami to see Brittany, but I couldn’t face that long, long drive.”
“Sean can’t leave the hospital or his patients, so Kayla won’t leave either. And it’s away from the ocean, and she has hurricane impact windows, so it’ll be good for all of you to hang out there.”
“Yes, that is best.” Anna gave an elaborate yawn.
“You should take a shower and head on over,” Kayla suggested. “I have some food for you to take.”
“Oh, honey, her home is only about twenty miles away. I think I’ll just nap for awhile and go after lunch.”
“No, you won’t. The traffic going north is crazy now. Everyone’s panicking since it might be a Hurricane Two. Haven’t you been listening?”
“Hurricane Two? Oh dear! I didn’t know. Sorry.” She gave a mischievous smile and a shrug of her shoulders. “Guess I had better things to do.”
“I don’t want to know about them. Just go. Take your shower. You should leave as soon as you can. Pick up
Juanita and Meri, they will be waiting for you. Miguel wants Raul to stay and help here. If we get it all done by tonight, Colt, myself and Miguel will join you at Kayla’s.”
“Oh, that would be a good idea.” She sauntered to the bathroom. “I wonder what I should wear.”
“Put on your best Hurricane clothes, and your party boots.”
Anna stopped in her tracks. “What party boots?” She shook her head and laughed. “Are you giving your mother a hard time?”
“Maybe just a little.” Taylor smiled. “But you know I love you. Now go get cleaned up and pack enough for a couple of days.”
“Okay, dear. This is kind of exciting. We can have a hurricane party at Kayla’s. She does have a lovely home.”
Taylor rolled her eyes. Her mother lived in a different dimension. Clearly. Thinking of a hurricane as a form of amusement was just wrong. During her conversation with Kayla, they had discussed the repercussions in great depth, remembering the devastation that Hurricane Sandy had wrought to the New Jersey shore.
They hadn’t seen it firsthand as they lived inland and were spared, but they’d never forget the television coverage. The faces of the victims as they looked upon what was left of their homes. The streets were flooded, leaving them cut off from everything. The boardwalk disappeared. Their whole way of life destroyed in an instant. It was heartbreaking, and anyone who lived through it would tell it so.
Miguel and Raul arrived while Anna was having breakfast. He accepted an offer of a cup of coffee, but refused to take the time to eat. After he downed his coffee, and Raul ate a warmed cinnamon roll, the two headed for the pool to secure the patio furniture and store the loose pottery.
About an hour later Colt showed up.
“Morning, Taylor. How’s your mom?”
“She made it back safe and sound.”
Anna strolled out of the bedroom wearing a pair of canary yellow Capris and a flowered loose top. Her hair was freshly washed, and fell in soft curls around her flushed cheeks. “Hi Colt. How’re things?”
“Things are good. Jamie and my ex are safe in Miami with my mother and sister. And my boat’s snug as a bug in a rug.” He grabbed a cup of coffee, leaned against the counter and gave her an appraising look. “You look all bushy-tailed this morning. Looking forward to the hurricane, are you?”
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