As Brandi and the other dispatchers made their way to the school, she realized that she didn’t have a rain jacket or umbrella with her. She had thought she would be home, safe and out of Serenity Harbor long before the storm started. By the time she got to the gym her hoodie was soaked so she took it off and proceeded to help set up tables, bottles of water, and anything else that was brought over by the Emergency Management Agency from the fire department for the people who would make their way to the school for shelter.
A lot of residents would be used to Maine’s storms and would take shelter at their homes. But there were tourists and out of towners getting trapped in the storm and they would need somewhere to stay for the night. It was a solid few hours before she could catch her breath, and when she did she pulled her phone out of her pocket and just stared at it while she sat on a bench.
There were no missed calls, text messages or even notifications from her email or social media. She was alone, again. And it was depressing. Not for the first time, she wished that she had someone at home waiting for her. Even a dog would be preferable to the silence that she would find when she finally made it home. She needed a change. Maybe after they finished picking up the pieces from this storm she could go to the animal shelter and adopt a dog, or a cat. Cats were easier to take care of. She felt tears building up in her eyes, and wished that she could make it so that she never cried again. Instead, she let them roll down her cheeks unchecked. No one would notice anyway.
She was sitting there staring at her phone waiting for it to go off, when he found her.
Chapter 3
Travis saw her sitting in the gym, staring at her phone with an empty look in her eyes. He couldn’t help the words that came out of his mouth, “Are you just going to sit on your ass all night? Or are you going to come help me clear some roads?”
She looked up at him, and he felt like a dick. Her eyes were puffy and red; it was obvious she had been crying. Her blonde hair was sticking out in every direction, and he knew that something was wrong. He turned to leave, but something stopped him. Instead, he reached down and plucked her phone out of her hands and held it in his.
“Come on, Brandi. Time for us to go. We need all the help we can get. You can put whatever is going on aside, just for now.” She looked up at him, and then sniffled.
Without saying a word, she got up from the bench and followed him out. He pulled her phone out of his pocket and held it out. She silently took it and slipped it into her back pocket. She walked by his side to the doors leading out into the storm but hesitated before going outside. It was then that he noticed she wasn’t wearing a jacket.
“Oh shit. I’m sorry. Stay here, I’ll pull the cruiser around so you can run to it. I think I have an extra jacket in it you can use.” He left her standing there.
When he pulled up in front of the doors, she ran out with her hands over her head, and jumped into the front seat with a screech as lightening lit the sky above her. She was shaking, and Travis felt like a tool for making her go out in the weather like this.
He pulled the jacket from the floorboard next to her feet and handed it to her. “Here. Put this on.”
She sniffed in response, but pulled it on. There was something strange that he couldn’t place with her silence. She was never this quiet around him. He swallowed the feeling that something might be wrong and pulled out of the school’s parking lot.
For the next six hours they drove up and down the roads of Serenity Harbor and helped clear trees that were in the road, drove people needing a ride to the school to wait out the storm. It was hard work, but Travis found himself enjoying the silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable after the first hour or so, as they found a comfortable rhythm working together.
Travis would pop the trunk, and Brandi would jump out of the front seat and grab the orange cones that would mark the road that they were out of the car working. He would get the chainsaw, and she would hand him his safety goggles. She would plug her ears and wait for him to cut up the tree into sections that they could easily move together. He would help her get the pieces out of the road, and he would pretend that he didn’t see if he noticed that she was crying. When they were done, he would load the chainsaw and she would pick up the cones. Then they would drive onto the next tree in the road.
As the night wore on, even he started to feel exhausted. He could only imagine how she was holding up. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and saw that it was after midnight.
“Hey. Why don’t we call it a night? It’s after midnight and I’m pretty beat.” Travis didn’t look at Brandi, but he could almost feel the tension in her body.
“Yeah. Sure. I guess just drop me off at the school. I’ll crash there tonight with everyone else.”
“Shit, that’s right. You don’t live in town, do you?” He had forgotten that she lived in Birch Creek.
“No. But it’s okay.” Travis couldn’t tell why, but her response set his teeth on edge. He knew what he was going to have to do.
“You can just stay at my place. I’m pretty sure I have something that will fit you tonight, and you can use the washer and dryer to clean your clothes. My generator will have kicked in with the storm.” He could kick himself for rambling, but the idea of spending the night with her in the same house set his nerves on fire, and not in a bad way.
She didn’t answer him, not for a long time. She stood, facing away from him. And he would give anything to see the look on her face. Instead, he knew her answer when the tension in her shoulders lightened just a little.
He got into the cruiser, and let her take the time she needed. He took a deep breath, and squeezed the steering wheel in both hands before he used the radio to let dispatch know that he would be clear of the scene. When he got to his house, he would have to sign off duty but not until then. While he waited for Brandi, he opened his mobile computer and entered his mileage and information for the work he had done. His service phone started to ring and he answered it without checking the caller ID.
“Masterson.”
“Yeah, how do you feel about staying in Serenity Harbor for a few more work days? They’re asking for a deputy to assist with the cleanup as part of their contract with us.” The Sheriff’s brisk voice sounded in his ear, and Travis couldn’t help but smile. It would be a ton of overtime.
“Yeah, of course. Sounds good.”
“Great. I’ll see you in a few days then. I think Jake is going to come down and help out too, when the roads clear.”
“All right. I’ll talk to you later.” And Travis disconnected the call, just as Brandi opened the passenger side door.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on your offer.” Her voice was softer than usual, and it caressed his skin.
* * *
Brandi looked at him in the dim light of the cruiser after she buckled herself in. He was holding his phone in one hand and gripping the steering wheel tightly with the other.
“Y-yeah. Of course you can stay.” He turned away and put the vehicle in drive, heading down the road.
They didn’t talk as Travis took them down the roads that would undoubtedly lead them to his house. When he swung into the driveway of a dark brown house with a white picket fence, Brandi could have laughed out loud. She had pictured him living in an apartment above his parent’s garage or something. But that wouldn’t make sense, especially since he had to be in his early thirties.
She followed him out of the car after he signed off duty with dispatch, and up to the front door. The outside light was on, and she could hear a faint hum from the generator in the garage. While he unlocked the door, she looked around and the porch swing caught her attention. While Travis went inside the open door, Brandi turned and looked at the view he had. The yard was landscaped tastefully, but there were branches down across the lawn from the storm.
“You coming?” He asked her, sticking his head out the front door.
“Yeah, I’m right behind you.” Taking a deep breath, she walked through the door
and shut it behind her.
Brandi wasn’t expecting what she found. They were in a mudroom that was clean and organized. Travis was peeling off his boots and he nodded to her feet. She removed her Muk Boots before following him into the living room. It was gorgeous. The walls were a light brown, the color of cocoa, with bright pictures hanging. There was a decent sized couch facing the television, and a coffee table in front of it. Down the hall she could see a light on in the kitchen, and it illuminated a walkway that held more photos.
“Wow,” she managed, “I think your house is really nice.”
“Thanks. I think my mom comes in here while I’m at work to clean and change out pictures. Honestly, it wouldn’t stay clean if she didn’t come in here. I work too much to pay attention to it.”
“Well, your mom does an amazing job.” She looked up at Travis and noted that he was blushing. She smiled at him.
“Well… If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to get a shower and maybe get these clothes in the wash for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, of course. The bathroom is up the stairs, first door on the right. Let me show you where the towels are, and get you something to wear.” He walked down the hallway, and Brandi followed behind him.
They came into the kitchen, which was immaculate. Black appliances against light blue walls gleamed in the soft fluorescent lighting. He turned left and started climbing a carpeted set of stairs, and she found herself staring at his back as he went. He definitely looked good in his uniform.
Brandi felt her cheeks flush, and she was glad that the lights weren’t on upstairs. He let her pass him into the bathroom as he opened a cupboard in the hallway to hand her a towel. She looked at herself in the mirror, glad that her tan hid any residual blush. When he handed her a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, she shut the door practically in his face and slid down against the door with her head in her hands.
Chapter 4
It was a few minutes before he heard the shower turn on. Instead of standing there listening to her shower like his body was telling him to, he got into his pajamas and grabbed a blanket and pillow from the hall closet and headed downstairs to make a bed for himself on the couch. For the first time, he wished that his office had a bed or at least a futon in there. Sighing, he went into the kitchen to see what type of food there was to snack on. Neither of them had eaten dinner. The clock above the stove said that it was only 12:45 but it felt so much later than that.
Scrounging in the fridge he found salad makings along with lunchmeat, cheese and condiments. Not knowing what she would want to eat, he just set about making a sandwich for each of them and a salad that she could pick at if she wanted. By the time she came downstairs, he had finished one and was working on finishing another sandwich.
She was wearing his Sheriff’s Department shirt, and it was big on her. She didn’t try to roll the sleeves or tie the bottom either. It fell to her knees, and she hadn’t bothered with the sweat pants he had given her. He found himself wishing that she had. He could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, either. There was a bundle of clothes in her hand that she set on the counter next to her.
After swallowing the mouthful of food he said, “I didn’t know what you liked so I just put everything on it.”
She smiled back at him, “I like everything. Thanks.” And without another word she started shoveling the sandwich into her mouth, ignoring the salad completely.
He watched her eat, his own sandwich pretty much forgotten. She finished her food and eyeballed the rest of his sandwich. He held it out to her.
“Are you sure? I’m starving.” She didn’t bother waiting for him to answer, instead grabbing his food and proceeding to eat it.
“Wow. You know how to eat.” He was impressed
“Mhm,” she managed around bites of the sandwich.
He waited for her to finish, and when she did, he led the way through the kitchen to the laundry room where he let her put her clothes in and started the machine.
“It’ll be done in about twenty minutes; it plays a stupid little jingle when it’s done so you know to change it over. These stupid high-efficiency appliances are all like that. This one came with a sheep decal attached to the front of it.” He didn’t know why he was rambling, and found himself staring at her while he pushed a hand through his hair.
She nodded at him, and turned around and walked back through the kitchen to the living room. He wasn’t ashamed to admit to himself that he stared at her as she went. Her hair was lying flat for the most part, still damp from her shower. He smiled to himself as he watched the way her hips swayed from side to side in his shirt. She definitely had curves the way a woman was supposed to.
“Oh, thank you for bringing me a pillow and a blanket.” She said, turning to smile at him.
“Um, no. I’m sleeping on the couch. You can take my bed. Don’t worry about the laundry. I’ll change it over. You get some rest.” He didn’t give her a chance to argue. Instead, he sat down on the couch and made a show out of fluffing the pillow he had thrown on it earlier.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to put you out.”
“No. I insist. You take the room.” There was no way that he was going to let her sleep on the couch in his house, especially after she spent all night busting her ass to help him clear trees out of the road.
“Okay, thank you. I’m a lot more tired than I thought I was. I’ll see you in the morning.” A slight flush spread on her cheeks, but she didn’t meet his gaze.
Travis knew that he wasn’t going to get any rest with her in his bed. He heard her plod up the stairs and the soft click of his bedroom door shutting. He sighed, and shook himself to get his composure back.
He thought about turning on a movie, but knew the white noise wouldn’t do anything to make it easier to sleep. Instead, he got up and cleaned the kitchen and their dishes while he waited for the washer to finish her clothes. When the familiar jingle went off, he transferred everything over to the dryer being extremely careful not to pay any attention to what he held in his hands. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he saw the kind of underwear she wore. Just thinking about it made him hard.
Once he pressed the start button, he shut off the light to the laundry room, the kitchen, and the hallway and made his way back to the couch. Lying down with a sigh he adjusted himself and got settled into his makeshift bed for the night. He was definitely going to get a futon or daybed for the office after this.
When Travis shut his eyes, he remembered why he stayed away from Brandi. Exactly who she reminded him of, and why this was an astronomically bad idea. But he couldn’t help thinking that maybe she was different, maybe it was a good thing that they got stuck together tonight. Although, no one made him go and pick her up from the school. He could have left her there all night, or taken her back after they got done cleaning up the trees that were down in the road. But he didn’t, and not once did she complain the entire time they had been out in the rain, and then the cold once the rain had stopped.
Travis woke up to the sound of the wind howling in the distance and wondered if it was going to knock some more trees down.
He listened to the noise for a few minutes before he realized that it was coming from inside his house. She was crying, screaming hoarsely, and before he knew what he was doing he had jumped up from the couch and rushing upstairs. His heart was racing, unexpected fear gripping him deep in his gut.
The door to his room was closed, and he noted that the bathroom light was on too. He stood in the doorway, afraid to make her mad by intruding. But she didn’t stop crying, and it was only getting worse. Her cries turned into choking sobs, and he turned the handle on the door, pushing it open as quietly as he could. When the tears didn’t stop, he moved into the room.
“Brandi? Are you okay?” He touched her shoulder and she screamed.
“Oh my God, Travis you scared the shit out of me. What’s going on?” Her hair was sticking up in every direction, and she was oblivious to the tears streaming down her face.
“You were crying in your sleep. It woke me up. I’m sorry, I was just checking on you. Are you okay?”
Rubbing a hand through his hair, he knew that he needed a drink. Something strong. She could probably go for something too.
“I’ll be right back, okay?” And she didn’t answer him, so he turned and left the room unsure of why his heart was racing.
* * *
Brandi couldn’t focus. She could feel the tears sliding down her face still, and she knew that she had been having another nightmare. There really wasn’t a night that she didn’t have one. Not since Maya’s attack. It wasn’t like anything had actually happened to Brandi, but she felt so responsible. She wasn’t there to protect her friend. She had almost lost the only person that she had left and there was nothing she could do about it. Maya would slap her for thinking that way, but Brandi couldn’t help it.
For a week after it happened, she hadn’t been able to sleep. When she finally did, it was with Maya and her both on the couch downstairs in their house. But after Maya had moved out, the nightmares had started with a vengeance. The problem was that Brandi could never remember exactly what happened in them. She just knew that she couldn’t do anything to stop them from coming back every night and they left her with a gut wrenching fear that she couldn’t control no matter what she did.
She heard Travis’s footsteps climbing the stairs and she tried to wipe her eyes before he came back into the room. She was already mortified that he had woken up to her nightmare. He was going to hate her even more than he already did, and all because she was acting like a child who had a bad dream.
He walked back into the room and held out a glass with ice and brown liquid. She took it and tossed it back, almost choking as the sweet burn of alcohol ran down her throat.
Coughing, she said “Oh my God. What the hell is that?” Not ice tea for sure. She wiped her mouth with the back of her free hand and handed him back the empty glass.
Instead of taking it, he pulled a bottle of Jack Daniels Honey Whiskey from behind his back with a mischievous grin. “Sorry, this is the only hard stuff I have in the house. And it looked like you could use a drink.” He refilled her glass, and then took a swig straight from the bottle. “So. You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?”
Welcome to Serenity Harbor Page 39
