Wet

by Rose Wulf

  Brooke set her two perfectly filled glasses on her tray. “That’s good, because I imagine they won’t disappear until Tuesday.”

  “Wait,” Georgia called as Brooke had turned to re-enter the dining area. “I thought Spring Break ended on Sunday?”

  “It does, but that doesn’t mean everyone goes back to class when they should.” Laughing again at the look of horror on Georgia’s face, Brooke looked forward and walked out.

  She navigated to the table that had ordered the drinks, setting the two iced teas in front of her customers before pulling out her notepad and taking their orders. Once that was done, she turned to her newest table and the young couple that had been seated while she’d been talking to Georgia. She was nearly at the table before she realized that she recognized them. Angela Hawke and Eric Matthews.

  An easy smile in place, Brooke curved one hand over her hip and said, “I’m not expected to chaperone, am I?”

  Both teens looked up at her and grinned. Angela’s was simple and honest, and Eric’s was lopsided and humorous.

  “Hey, Brooke,” Angela said easily. “This must be our lucky day.”

  “I’d say so,” Brooke teased. “So how’ve you two been?”

  Angela looked over at her boyfriend. “We’ve been good.”

  Eric nodded. “Yeah.”

  Brooke rolled her eyes teasingly. “Well, don’t go getting all descriptive on me.” She paused and reached out to playfully nudge the eighteen-year-old in the shoulder. “And you had better tell your sister I said ‘hi’ when you get home.”

  With a faint laugh, Eric nodded again. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Angela flashed Eric a smirk before looking up at Brooke with a faux-innocent expression. “So you and Blake are official now, right?”

  One of Eric’s eyebrows went up at this, and he turned a curious expression to Brooke as well.

  “Yes, yes we are.”

  “Well, don’t worry,” Angela said, her lips twitching with her effort to contain her laughter. “I promise to be nice to you. You see, I learned from my mother, not from my brothers.”

  Brooke echoed her laughter a moment later. “That’s certainly a relief. I appreciate it.” She extracted her notepad and pen from her large apron pocket. “All right, then, let’s see what I can get you so I can leave you two alone.”

  The teenaged couple ordered their drinks and their meals, and when they were done, Brooke turned and headed for the kitchen. She had four meals to put in for, and two more drinks to prepare. As she navigated around Georgia, who was delivering meals to another table, Brooke spotted one of their other regulars and offered him a quick smile and a wave before pushing through the doors that separated the eating space from the working space.

  She passed the drink station easily and let herself into the kitchen. Ed was focused on slicing fish, so she opted to keep quiet as she attached the slips of paper to the rotating metal ring. With that done, she let herself out in order to get Angela’s and Eric’s drinks.

  Brooke had finished Angela’s tea, and was in the middle of filling Eric’s Coke, when the doors to the kitchen slammed open. The drink station was oddly designed, and so anyone coming or going from the kitchen had to be careful, or they could slam right into someone filling a drink. Because of this, as Brooke started and turned in surprise, she was suddenly bumped by someone’s side. The motion jarred her, her arm jerked, and the next thing she knew Eric’s soda was all over her shirt.

  But she couldn’t even focus on that, because almost as soon as the pressure of the other person’s side had moved beyond her, she recognized the yelling voice that belonged to him. It was Ed.

  “—give a damn anymore! If you don’t like it, cook it yourself!” Ed bellowed, stomping through the drink station even as he tore the hair net from his head and tossed it angrily to the ground. He pushed through the doors that led to the dining area as he continued yelling. “I’ve had it with this place!”

  Mortified, Brooke stepped away from the mess at her feet to move to the still-swinging door that he had just stormed through. She watched as every head in the diner—customer, server, and hostess—swirled in Ed’s direction with wide, startled eyes.

  Ed continued his stomping rampage through the diner, nearly colliding with a costumer’s chair in his rage. “I hope this whole damn building burns to the ground!” As he walked, he tore his chef’s coat off, ripping the buttons and sending them flying like small missiles. He crumpled it haphazardly in one hand and then pitched it at the register, forcing Shelly to stumble backwards to avoid it. “I’m out!” Ed roared even as he shoved through the main entrance. The doors slammed shut behind him, as if echoing his sentiment.

  For a long moment, no one dared breathe.

  Brooke shifted her gaze to lock eyes with Georgia, who had been in the process of taking someone’s order and was still wide-eyed and slack-jawed. As she shifted her gaze, she noticed belatedly that two of Ed’s sous chefs had gathered a few feet behind her.

  And then Paula came bustling out of the backroom. The sous chefs moved aside quickly, Brooke pressed herself awkwardly to the door frame as she had nowhere else to move, and Paula strode right past them. She paused in the dining area, earning everyone’s attention, and after bending to retrieve Ed’s discarded hair net, she said, “I’m so sorry about all of the commotion! Please go back to your meals. I promise nothing like that will happen again. If anyone has any questions or complaints, I’ll be happy to hear them in just a few minutes.”

  Everyone watched as Paula quickly moved through the diner, paused to drop the hair net into the nearest garbage, and then pushed through the door.

  It was another long moment before anyone shook themselves out of their shocked stupor. And then Brooke looked down at herself, realizing she was still wearing Eric’s soda, and groaned faintly. She still had over an hour left in her shift.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Apparently, Blake had decided to put a slight spin on the traditional dinner-and-a-movie date, because when they climbed back into his car after the movie, he pointed them in the direction of the beach, a direction which was not the shortest route to either of their homes.

  Before she could say anything, though, Blake was speaking. “Now, I know the beach isn’t all that original, but I want you to trust me. It’s worth it.”

  Intrigued, Brooke looked over at him. “And what are we going to do on the beach at six o’clock at night?” She certainly had a few cliché ideas she wasn’t nearly above trying out, but she wanted to hear his first.

  Blake’s lips curved in a grin, but he never took his eyes from the road. “You’ll see.”

  Brooke laughed, allowing him his mysterious moment, and let her gaze return to the road ahead. They talked a little about the movie, until Brooke interrupted herself when she realized they had just driven past the parking lot. “Um, Blake…?”

  He chuckled, clearly unsurprised by her confusion. “You don’t think that’s the only decent beach around here, do you?”

  Not wanting to admit that the thought hadn’t even occurred to her, Brooke was silent a moment before she finally said, “Is this the ‘trust you’ part?”

  “I suppose it could be,” Blake replied easily as he slowed.

  Brooke watched silently as he eased the Mustang off the interstate and onto a gravel road. The road curved, descending gradually, until it came to a stop on a large, flat outcropping made of dirt and gravel. There was room for probably about six average-sized vehicles, but there weren’t any others there at the moment. The rough parking area was just a few yards from the sandy shore of the beach.

  And it was then that Brooke realized this part of the beach was separated from the main section by a large formation of rock; rock she had looked at before, from the other side, and wondered what was hidden behind it. I guess now I know. She almost felt stupid for not figuring it out before. The gravel road was less than five minutes from the public beach.

  As Blake pulled the keys from the ign
ition, Brooke looked over at him and asked, “Are we even allowed to be here?”

  Blake raised an eyebrow at her and teased, “Do you think I’d risk getting you arrested? This beach is just as available as the other one. But it’s a little rockier, so they consider it more dangerous, and they think if they don’t pave the roads or advertise it that people will stay away.”

  “Right,” Brooke said, understanding. She rolled her eyes. “They aren’t very bright, are they?”

  “I do have my doubts. Now come on.” With that, he pushed open his door and climbed out.

  Brooke wasted no time following him and paused to take a deep breath of the salty air after she’d shut the door. Sure, it was pretty much the same as the air in town, and she had spent enough time at the beach to be acclimated to the very slight change, but the air somehow felt different in that moment. She rolled her eyes at herself. Unless he hid his brother behind one of those rocks, the air’s exactly the same. It’s not going to change just because you’re on a date, you idiot.

  The solid thunk of the closing trunk drew Brooke’s attention, and she looked over as she realized Blake had retrieved something that had been hidden there. He walked around to her side before she could ask anything, and her eyes landed immediately on the quilt draped over his arm and the small ice chest hanging from his hand. Her eyes widened and darted back up to his face.

  Blake was grinning again. He held out his free hand. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Her own lips curving broadly, Brooke accepted his hand and walked beside him. “Not at all.”

  They reached the smaller beach in no time, and Blake released her hand to set the ice chest down and unfold the quilt. As he shook it out carefully, Brooke allowed herself to look around.

  From the waves crashing against mostly hidden rocks a short ways out to sea, she could see what Blake had meant by it being more dangerous, but that didn’t take away from the beauty. The sun hadn’t fully set yet, though it was well on its way, and the sky was alight with color. The typical coastal fog was only beginning to roll in, adding a strange, mystical feeling to the atmosphere. And when she tilted her head up a bit more, she realized the moon and stars were just beginning to shine.

  Deep, gentle chuckling drew her attention back to her companion, and she flushed despite herself. “Sorry,” she said as she realized he was already sitting patiently. “It’s just … kind of perfect right now.”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I was hoping it would be. And when the sun’s fully set, we’ll stay a little longer so you can see the stars.”

  Brooke returned the smile and moved to settle herself on the quilt beside him. “Just don’t get lost in the fog on the way out.”

  Blake reached back for the ice chest. “I’ll put in a little extra effort, just for you,” he promised. As he popped open the lid, he added, “I thought I’d go light. I hope that’s okay.”

  “That sounds great,” Brooke replied honestly.

  With another grin, Blake dove one hand into the box and wrapped his fingers around the first sandwich.

  Brooke’s gaze travelled, without conscious direction, back to the sky. She wanted to see a bit more of the sunset before it was gone, but what her eyes found themselves focusing on was something she hadn’t seen a minute before. As she watched, the few dark clouds multiplied. It looked almost like they were building upon each other—like they were alive. It was the strangest thing she’d ever seen, and quite possibly the most ominous as well.

  Her stomach plummeted to her feet, and she swallowed heavily before saying, “Blake … turn around.”

  Blake paused, two sandwiches clasped carefully in one hand, and lifted his head from his task. He followed her gaze to see that the black clouds were nearly covering the sky now. And the fog was rolling in far too quickly.

  Then the first crack of thunder sounded. It was so loud, and so close, that it practically shook the air around them.

  Dropping the sandwiches carelessly back into the ice chest, Blake said, “We need to go—now!”

  “Oh my God,” Brooke breathed as she scrambled to her feet. Apparently, he thought it seemed pretty unnatural, too. Her heart was already pounding against her ribcage, and her arm hurt with the memory of the glass that had torn into it. She hated storms. This kind of situation wasn’t helping that in the slightest.

  “It’ll be okay,” Blake said, his tone assuring her he remembered her fear. He used his foot to shove the ice chest out of the way as he hurriedly pulled the quilt off the ground, not bothering to fold it.

  The sky above them, now darkened by a thick blanket of clouds, flashed brightly. Another crack sounded, but this wasn’t exactly the same as thunder. The couple froze for an instant, and as one their heads turned toward the road they’d driven in on. Lightning had struck the ground between them and Blake’s car. Thunder crashed again, seeming to echo the fire that suddenly roared to life.

  Blake shoved the bunched-up and dangling quilt under his arm before using that same hand to grab the handle on the ice chest. He reached out and took Brooke’s nearest hand into his, holding tightly to reassure her. “Let’s run.”

  Brooke gaped at him. “Toward the fire?” Her incredulous tone was understandable, if fortunately misplaced.

  “Yes,” he replied. “My car’s on the other side. We’ll be fine.”

  The sky flashed again, and Blake pulled her against him. Brooke forced herself to keep her eyes open, remembering that lightning was poisonous to him. She could only pray it didn’t strike too close.

  The lightning struck the sand, but apparently not close enough to incapacitate Blake as he remained standing strong. “Trust me,” he said.

  Still pressed against him, Brooke forced her hands to release his shirt and nodded. “I do.” She wished her voice were stronger.

  Keeping hold of her hand, Blake began running forward even as another round of thunder rolled overhead. It was so close they could almost feel it now.

  Brooke ran beside him, dragging in deep breaths and trying to stay calm. She needed to stay rational and she knew it. But she really wished her boyfriend’s mortal enemies had some other kind of power. Really, there are lots of other terrifying things. Like zombies, or magical, man-eating spiders.

  The flames were close now. Or, more accurately, they were closer to the flames. The fire was, for the moment, largely contained on the small field of mostly dead grass between the parking area and the beach. But they would have a serious problem if it went backwards and made it to the car.

  “Blake,” Brooke said again as they continued running.

  “It’s okay,” Blake said, his voice stable and strangely calm.

  And then, even as the sky lit up again and another crack of lightning hit the sand behind them, Brooke registered the sound of crashing waves. The sound was stronger, more urgent and violent than it had been before the storm rolled in. But she doubted the storm had caused the change.

  Before she could think more on it, her eyes widened as a veritable tidal wave rose up, towering over and above them.

  Blake drew her nearer before releasing her hand and wrapping his arm entirely around her waist. He held her against him tightly as the water crashed down in front of them, landing squarely on the flames. But he didn’t seem to trust that the flames were entirely smothered, because a portion of the wave separated, swirling around the couple and pulling them literally off the ground. The term ‘flying water’ slowly echoed through Brooke’s mind as she twisted her hands tighter in the back of his shirt. Her feet were suddenly half-submerged in water and very much not on the ground. Thunder rolled overhead, but she focused on the continuous crash of the waves around her. And she allowed herself to be somewhat amazed as they seemed to glide forward on the wave, curving around the burnt earth safely. It seemed impossible, even fantastical. She might have described it as ‘awesome’ were they not fleeing for their lives.

  The water lowered them almost as quickly as it had lifted them, and Brooke realized that hard
-packed dirt and gravel were once again beneath her feet. They were standing beside Blake’s car, on the other side of the now-smoldering fire.

  “It’s still unlocked,” Blake told her as he released her entirely. “Get in. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Brooke barely took the time to nod before she darted around the car and yanked open the passenger door. As she quickly clambered inside, noticing that Blake was throwing their would-be picnic dinner into the trunk, lightning lit up the sky once more. Everything was white for a long moment, and Brooke felt her heart lurch.

  Surely, after that strike, the air around them was charged with electricity by now. At least enough to do some damage.

  “Blake!” Brooke cried, turning to jump back out of the car. She might be afraid of storms, but she wasn’t so afraid that she would cower while he risked his life for her.

  The driver’s side door was yanked open before she could get her second foot back on the ground.

  “I’m fine, but we need to go.” Blake nearly leapt into the driver’s seat. “That last strike was way too close.”

  Brooke turned, her eyes examining him to see how much he might have been exaggerating.

  He looked a little more pale than usual, his eyes were bloodshot, and his breathing was something less than stable. She’d never seen him like this before, and she didn’t want to ever again.

  “Should I drive?”

  Blake paused a moment after he pulled his door closed solidly and looked over at her. With a slight shake of his head, he replied, “No. But you should buckle up.”

  Brooke obediently yanked her door shut and snapped her seatbelt into place. By the time she was done, Blake had put the car into motion and was moving up the gravel road.

  The storm still raged above them, reminding them of the continued threat as the sky lit up again and lightning tore across their line of sight. It crashed onto the road several yards away, and Blake increased his speed.

  Neither spoke as he did his best to put the unnatural storm behind them.