Falling Star

by Laura DeLuca

  “Thank God you’re here! Erin is about to have a nervous breakdown.”

  Stephanie placed her hand over the receiver long enough to offer that odd welcome before returning to comforting the customer on the line. Lainey understood why her friend couldn’t chat. She could hear the incensed voice screaming at Stephanie through the other end of the phone. Meanwhile, five other lines blinked incessantly. In the background, Lainey heard Erin’s frazzled voice and she guessed both her co-workers were in a similar position. Sensing the urgency, but knowing she needed to be briefed before daring to answer any calls, Lainey jogged back to the office she shared with Erin just in time to see her friend slam down the receiver.

  “Aghhh.” Erin let loose a frustrated scream and put her head in her hands when it began ringing again instantly. “This is a nightmare.”

  “Erin, what’s going on?” Lainey demanded. “Is everything all right? Is Nate okay?”

  “What?” Erin lifted her head, noticing Lainey’s arrival for the first time. She nodded absently and took a pull from her coffee mug, though she appeared in need of something a lot stronger than caffeine. “Oh Nate’s fine,” Erin assured her. “He’s completely over that bug.”

  “What then? What has everyone so wound up?”

  Lainey was relieved things were all right on a personal level, but she still knew something major had happened. The last time she’d seen the phones ring like this was when a huge company they worked with went belly up and had to be bailed out by the government.

  Erin stared at her as though she’d lost her mind. “For goodness sake, Lainey. Haven’t you been watching the news? Didn’t you even listen to the radio on the way over?”

  “I haven’t turned on my T.V. in months, and I had my Phantom of the Opera CD playing in the car.”

  Erin ran her fingers down her face in an exaggerated motion. “There you go flitting off into Lainey’s world again. I’m sure someone at the airport had to be talking about this.”

  “I don’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Besides, I was reading most of the time.” Lainey folded her arms, losing patience as her anxiety grew and she didn’t get any straight answers. “Would you tell me what’s going on already?”

  Erin cringed as she stared down at her ringing phone. It hadn’t stopped once since Lainey stepped in the door. “Sandra is coming.”

  Lainey made a face. “Is that your overweight aunt who smells like mothballs and still pinches your cheeks?”

  Erin wasn’t laughing, and Lainey’s smile died on her lips when her co-worker elaborated. “Hurricane Sandra,” she explained. “They’re predicting a category three at least with winds upwards of a hundred miles an hour. It’s going to be bad, Lainey. We’re talking that once in a hundred-year type disaster.”

  Lainey’s legs suddenly felt wobbly, so she sat down in her rolling chair. “Oh my God.”

  Erin nodded. “I haven’t even told you the worst of it. The eye of the storm is supposed to pass directly over South Jersey—Ocean, Atlantic, and Cape May Counties specifically. All the barrier islands are being evacuated, and every customer we’ve ever written a homeowner’s policy for is calling today to make sure they’re covered.”

  Shock rolled over Lainey in waves as she digested Erin’s words. Even though she’d spent most of her life on the island of Wildwood, Lainey had never before been forced to evacuate. Hurricane Sandra. Category three. Eye of the storm. These were scary terms to anyone, but especially to an insurance agent who understood the law of averages and who’d spent the better part of a decade studying exactly what sort of damage Mother Nature was capable of. Cape May County hadn’t been hit with a major storm since the sixties when, as her grandmother was fond of telling her, the ocean had met the bay. That meant they were due. This was going to be bad—like history books bad.

  “We need to get to these phone calls,” Erin said finally when Lainey sat there with her mouth hanging open. “Though there’s not much we can do other than console people at this point. Our binding authority has been pulled by every company until the storm passes. Anyone who let their policies lapse are on their own.”

  In perfect synchronization, each of the girls agreed and grabbed their receivers. Lainey swallowed back her anxiety for her hometown, and forced herself to concentrate on her work. As she went through the motions of soothing at least two dozen customers, her voice remained level and composed, but on the inside she sensed something brewing, something definitely akin to fear. Outside her window, the weather presented a similar deceptive tranquility. A few dark clouds had gathered overhead, but there wasn’t a breath of wind stirring the remaining leaves. Most people might have scoffed at the possibility of an impending threat, but Lainey was aware enough to catch the subtle hint of danger. There were no signs of animal life. No birds soaring across the sky. No butterflies enjoying the last blooms of fall. It was the calm before the storm, literally, and the wildlife knew it was time to take cover in their nests and burrows.

  “Lainey?” Stephanie tapped on the doorframe to get her attention. The frizz of strawberry blonde curls framing her face spoke to her frazzled nerves. “Mrs. McLaughlin is here to see you.”

  Lainey held back a sigh. While it was hardly the best time for one of Blanche’s extended visits, which usually ran even longer than her bi-weekly phone calls, Lainey couldn’t be annoyed. She was certain her older client felt the worry everyone was experiencing on an even deeper level. After all, she’d lived on Lafayette Street for over sixty years. The possibility of losing her home and every memory she’d made there couldn’t be easy for her.

  “Show her in, please,” Lainey advised Stephanie, taking a fraction of a second to examine the flashing red light that signaled she had another seventeen messages waiting to be returned. Lainey sighed again and was listening to Erin arguing with someone who wanted to lower their deductible when Blanche finally shuffled in a moment later. She smoothed down her knee-length skirt. Orthopedic shoes squeaked as she finally came in and slowly lowered herself into the padded seat beside Lainey’s chair. Once she was comfortable, she rested her faded leather handbag on her lap.

  “Good morning, Blanche!” Lainey offered with as much cheer as she could muster. “What can I help you with today?”

  Blanche turned her deeply outlined lips into a half-smile and patted her hair, which still had a few streaks of red entwined with the gray. Unlike most women her age, she wore it long with bejeweled combs holding it in place on the sides. “Well now, dear, I wanted to be certain all my ducks were in a row, so to speak. I had to be certain I had all the coverage I needed on my home. The Doll Hospital is a landmark here in Cape May, you know. Did I tell you my husband’s grandfather built it brick by brick back in eighteen-eighty-two? It was in the family for three generations. I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to it.”

  “It’s a lovely home,” Lainey agreed. “And you can rest assured, Blanche, you have the best policies available. I promise you, if you have so much as a fallen shingle, I’ll be there to walk you through the claim process every step of the way.”

  “Such a good girl.” Blanche freed one hand from her purse strap long enough to pat Lainey on the shoulder. “Not many nice girls like you left in the world. Don’t take this the wrong way, dear, but your generation has yielded a bunch of disrespectful asses that spend all their days up to shenanigans on that BookFace or whatever they call it. I don’t trust all that technology, you know. People should talk face to face and not through some damn machine.”

  The unaccustomed swearwords made Lainey’s lip twitch. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  Blanche gave her a shaky but heartfelt smile. “So tell me, where are you heading to wait out the storm? All of the islands are being evacuated, you realize.”

  Lainey paused because she had no answer. In fact, she’d been so busy coddling customers, she hadn’t even considered her own situation. She had no family left and the majority of her friends lived along the coastline. Of cours
e, Drew came to mind, but he was renting a townhouse in Wildwood and was in the same predicament Lainey was in. She was actually surprised she hadn’t heard from him. They could rent a hotel room somewhere offshore, but at a time like this, Lainey needed to be surrounded by friendly faces and a familiar setting. Besides, she couldn’t take Misty to a motel and there was no way her feline familiar was getting left behind. Really, her best hope was either Sharon or Elisa. They both lived about thirty minutes inland and while they’d still have high winds to contend with, they should be safe from rising water.

  “I suppose I’ll have to give one of my girlfriends a call and see if I can crash on their couch,” Lainey finally admitted. “Hopefully they won’t mind if I bring my boyfriend along too. Since he’s from L.A., he won’t have anywhere else to go.”

  “Good for you. I’m glad you have someone to turn too.” Blanche’s whole demeanor changed, and her voice held a slight tremble. “I suppose I’ll be forced to go to the shelter. Since my husband passed and our son didn’t survive to adulthood, I’m all alone these days, except for a few nieces who live too far away to get here in time to be of any assistance. I’d be happy to hunker down for the night in my home—I did it in sixty-nine—but the local authorities are forcing folks out of their houses whether they like it or not.”

  “Oh, Blanche!” Lainey’s heart ached for her favorite customer. “That’s terrible.”

  “Don’t worry about me.” She waved her hand. “I lived through worse than a little hurricane.”

  While Lainey knew that was true, she was still concerned. Over the years, Blanche had become more than just another client. Lainey had come to think of her as a friend—someone who knitted her a scarf each year for Christmas and often dropped off homemade cookies for the whole staff. And even though Mrs. McLaughlin wasn’t the spitfire Lainey’s grandmother had been before her illness, Lainey still couldn’t help thinking how worried she would’ve been if Nana had been all alone in this type of crisis. Lainey couldn’t walk away. She had to do something.

  “Blanche.” Lainey touched her weathered hand. “I know this is unprofessional, but would you excuse me. There’s something I have to take care of.”

  Erin shot her a dirty look, knowing she’d be the recipient of Blanche’s chatter until Lainey returned. Since Erin would understand later, Lainey ignored her friend’s righteous indignation, flung her handbag over her shoulder, and pushed her way through a sea of frustrated co-workers and clients. Along the way, the overhead loudspeakers crinkled to life and the stern voice of the head of the human resource department made a robotic announcement.

  “Attention all employees. The office will be closed for business effective twelve noon today so all personnel has time to take adequate safety precautions. You can—”

  The voice continued to prattle directions, but Lainey ignored it and pushed her way to the rear of the building. At last, she was able to find a quiet spot outside the back entrance. Few customers knew it existed and only the occasional smoker wandered out that way. The scent of extinguished tobacco still lingered, and the pavement was smudged with soot. As soon as Lainey stepped outside, she was greeted with an unseasonable burst of cold air. The wind was definitely picking up, but it would get much worse before it got any better.

  “Please make sure all windows and doors are secured before leaving the premises.”

  Outside, the speakers were muffled, but still audible as Lainey pulled her cellphone from the bottom of her bag. She checked the time and noticed it was already after eleven. There was no way she was getting out of there by noon. She wasn’t going anywhere until every message was returned. But at least no new calls could come through once the main lines shut down. Hopefully she’d manage to escape before dark. Of course, before she worried too much about leaving, she had to make her reservations or she’d have nowhere to go.

  Lainey punched in the familiar digits and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for someone to pick up. A cheerful voice answered on the third ring.

  “Why hello, Lainey,” Sharon chirped. Lainey had visions of her wiping her clay-covered hands off on her apron and was sure it wasn’t far off the mark. “How did I know I’d be getting a call from you today?”

  “We all know your psychic, Sharon.”

  “It doesn’t require the sixth sense to know you’d need a place to stay tonight,” Sharon teased. “Consider this an open invitation.”

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Lainey fretted. “I wouldn’t want to impose and you know I wouldn’t be coming alone. There’s Misty of course...”

  “Shadow Cat and Phoenix will be happy to have the company,” Sharon insisted. “Though Snowfox might be a little put off about it. Sometimes she doesn’t even like having me around.”

  Lainey chewed her lower lip. “And how would you feel about having another human guest?”

  “I already figured Drew would be tagging along.” Sharon snickered. “You two are inseparable these days. Besides, it’s not like he can catch a flight back to California. The planes are already grounded.”

  “Wow.” Lainey took in a deep, steadying breath. “I don’t remember things ever getting this bad so quickly.”

  “Try to stay positive,” Sharon reminded her. “We’ll make it through this. It might even be fun having a slumber party. So, when can I expect you and Drew to arrive?”

  “About that...” Lainey paused. “There was one other person I’d like to bring along.”

  This time she did take Sharon by surprise. Lainey could sense her friend’s eyes creasing behind her glasses. “And who would that be? Did you pick up another lost soul on the beach?”

  “Not on the beach, no.” Lainey almost laughed, but she also knew she needed to wrap up this call if she wanted to get everything accomplished before the weather became hazardous. So she pushed forward. “It’s one of my clients,” she said quickly. “She’s eighty-nine years old, all alone, and I know I’m crazy to get this personal, but ... Sharon, I don’t want her going through this all alone at the shelter. She’s the sweetest lady. I’ll go with her if I have to and I know I’m asking a lot, but—”

  “Whoa ... whoa ... Lainey!” Sharon cut off her rambling with a good-natured chuckle. “Take a deep breath. No one is going to the shelter. Bring her along. It’s fine by me.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely!” Sharon promised. “You know I take in all the strays. But remember I only have one extra bedroom, so you and Drew will have to sleep on the living room floor. Crones get first dibs on the bed.”

  “Not a problem at all,” Lainey assured her. “And I know you’ll love Blanche. She owns the Doll Hospital here in Cape May.”

  “I went there a few times when I was a little girl,” Sharon recalled. “All the more reason to welcome her. Now go, Lainey. Get yourself situated. I’ll be here waiting with tons of blankets and candles. And wine.”

  “Can’t make it through a hurricane without wine,” Lainey teased.

  “It’s the staple of all my emergency plans.”

  Lainey smiled as she played with the ends of her hair. “Sounds good. Then we’ll be there in a few hours, all four of us assuming I can get in touch with Drew. Sharon,” Lainey whispered, more seriously. “Thank you. You’ve been a blessing to my life in so many ways. Sometimes, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Now stop that before you make me cry,” Sharon told her. “And Lainey, drive safely.”

  “Always.”

  With that, the two women exchanged their goodbyes. Before heading back to Blanche, Lainey tried Drew’s line, but it went straight to voicemail. Shrugging, she left him a message about Sharon’s invitation and figured she could swing by his place on her way to grab Misty and some other essentials. Traffic would be heavy so it would be best to take one car for everyone. In the meantime, she had to give Blanche the good news.

  Back in the office, not much had changed. Erin was a step away from ripping her hair out, and Blanche sat demurely
beside Lainey’s desk, her hands folded in her lap, every inch the debutant. All sense of professionalism forgotten in this very human moment, Lainey knelt down beside her old friend and squeezed her frail fingers. Blanche studied her with a mixture of surprise and affection. Again Lainey remembered her own grandmother, and a lump rose in her throat. She knew she was doing the right thing.

  “Lainey, dear, is something wrong?” Blanche fretted. “You seem upset.”

  Lainey shook her head. “Not at all, Blanche. But I need you to do something for me. I need you to go home and pack all your favorite things.”

  Again the old woman smiled sadly. “Oh no, dear. We aren’t allowed to bring much to the shelter. Only the bare necessities.”

  “You aren’t going to the shelter,” Lainey informed her. “You’re coming with me to my friend’s house. That is, if you don’t mind a few cats hanging out with us.”

  Blanche’s hands trembled as she lifted them to cover her mouth. A single tear leaked from her vivid green eyes and trickled down her withered cheek. Before Lainey could console her, Blanche had the younger girl wrapped in a surprisingly strong bear hug.

  “You’re an angel,” Blanche whispered. “How can I ever repay you?”

  Hugging her back, Lainey prayed the real angels would be by their side the next forty-eight hours.

  Chapter Twelve

  While Lainey was away on her business trip, Drew spent his time working as well. After tracking down the realtor for the property Lainey had admired in Cape May Point, he made an offer not far off the asking price, which thanks to a slow market, was promptly accepted. In a few days’ time, agreements were signed and they were currently in attorney review. Since it was a cash deal, it alleviated the need for a lot of inspections and credit checks. His realtor assured Drew the house would be his by the end of the month. In the interim, he agreed to pay twice the regular rent to stay at the townhouse he’d leased a few weeks longer. His temporary landlord knew Drew was stuck and whined about how he’d planned to bring his kids down for a fall vacation. As soon as Drew flashed a few extra zeroes at him, family time was put on the back burner.