Turtle Bay

by Tiffany King

  "What?" I asked self-consciously, feeling like I should cover the half of my face that was swollen.

  "You're so damn beautiful."

  "I'm a mess," I said, ducking my head.

  "Beautiful," he repeated, reaching a hand out to stroke my cheek.

  I shivered as goose bumps that had nothing to do with the rain popped up on my arms. We were crazy to be standing out in the middle of a hurricane, but it felt exhilarating. "You're not too shabby yourself," I said, watching with hooded eyes as he lowered his mouth to mine. The wind continued to howl around us and the rain poured down in buckets, but we were lost in our own world as his tongue gently teased its way past my lips.

  I lost track of how long we stood there. Maybe it was only a moment or it could have been an hour. Only when the sound of wood being split snagged our attention, did we finally come up for air. Another tree had snapped, not thirty feet from where we stood.

  "I think that's a sign that we better go in," Josh said, tucking me protectively under his arm. The wind was so strong that it felt like it could have lifted me off the ground if not for Josh holding on to me. I huddled against him, suddenly anxious to get inside. I didn't realize we'd stepped so far from the safety of the building. A palm frond blew into us, slapping my bare legs painfully. Josh picked up our pace, sidestepping more debris. The wind and rain seemed to be working against us, making the journey treacherous. Water sloshed up past our ankles, soaking our shoes.

  I let out a sigh of relief as Josh pulled the door open and ushered me inside. "That wasn't my best idea," he said sheepishly, pushing a wet lock of hair off his forehead.

  "At least I'm not hot anymore though," I giggled. Now that I had gotten the hurricane experience out of my system, I preferred the security of being inside. "I can't believe you guys have been out there all day," I added, stepping into the supply room to grab two towels for us.

  "It wasn't quite this intense an hour ago. I won't be surprised if it's shifted more toward us," he said, drying his hair.

  "You're right, it did. The governor has already declared a state of emergency for the coastal area, and Mitch already announced that no other crews will be sent out. It's time to hunker down and ride out the storm," Vanessa said from her perch behind the reception counter.

  I shivered even though I really wasn't cold despite my wet clothes. It was more to do with nerves. At least none of the guys would be going out in the horrible conditions again, but I was concerned about what the newest update would mean. The way Vanessa said we had to "ride it out," scared me. Suddenly, the building that just moments ago had seemed secure and solid felt as flimsy as the house of straw in the Three Little Pigs story. "I'm going to change into something dry," I said, needing a moment to get my inner freak-out under control. I grabbed my backpack and a flashlight and headed for the dark bathroom in the back.

  The bathroom had a spooky feel with my flashlight casting shadows on the walls. I locked the door behind me and leaned against it. A kaleidoscope of feelings ran through my head as mushy butterfly thoughts about Josh mixed with my fears over our current circumstances.

  "Hey, you okay?" Josh asked when I finally emerged from the bathroom in dry clothes.

  I flushed slightly, glad that he'd missed my meltdown. "Yeah, it was just a pain to get my wet clothes off," I answered without thinking about it.

  "I could have helped with that," he quipped, winking at me.

  "Perv," I snorted, swatting his arm as we headed to the crowded break room.

  Butch and Buttercup were sitting at a table with Larry when we entered. Judging by the distressed look on Butch's face he had already seen the van.

  "You said you'd tell him," Buttercup chastised me as Josh and I sat down with them.

  "Oops. I got sidetracked," I said, flashing a guilty smile Josh's way.

  Josh squeezed my hand. "Sorry, that was my fault. I wanted to show Rain something out back. That's a drag about your van."

  Butch lifted his head, displaying his saddened puppy-dog eyes. "Dude, did you see it? It's crushed like a can."

  "At least you can get a jeep now," I said, attempting to pacify him.

  "Maybe, but it won't be the same. That van held a lot of memories."

  We all did our part to help Butch grieve over his loss. After a few minutes, I got him talking and he launched into a description of the exact jeep he had in mind, complete with removable top and doors like the one Larry drove. Larry offered to hook him up with a buddy who owned a used car dealership once the storm passed. Butch's response was so enthusiastic that Buttercup and I exchanged a grin over their bromance.

  The patrol station became more crowded as the rest of the crews returned. We moved the fans from out front into the break room since that was where everyone seemed to have gathered. They helped to circulate the air but did little to combat the body heat from everyone shoved in the same space. No one complained though. We accepted our forced confinement and turned it into a party. There were still plenty of sodas and bottles of water in coolers and leftover bags of chips from lunches during the week. A few of the guys had decks of cards on hand and a mini poker tournament broke out at some of the tables.

  Josh snagged a deck of cards and a bag of Doritos for him and me and we spent the next hour playing War while we exchanged random facts about ourselves.

  "Seriously?" I asked, laying down a ten of hearts next to his five of spades before scooping both cards up and adding them to my own stack. "You've never been to a renaissance fair?"

  He turned over another card. "Guilty."

  "How is that even possible?"

  He shrugged. "We're talking about a renaissance fair, not a theme park. Lots of people have never been to one."

  "I know, but everyone should go at least once."

  "Says the girl who's never been to a theme park."

  "Theme parks are expensive. Renaissance fairs are for the everyday person. "

  "Fair enough," he teased.

  I laughed at his cheesy pun.

  "Besides the environment, what else are you into?" I asked, laying down a king of hearts and grinning when he dropped the king of diamonds. "War," I chortled gleefully. We both counted out three cards, pausing dramatically before turning over our fourth card.

  "I'm into you," he said as I squealed with delight when I won the round of War. He reached over for my hand and drew a heart on my palm with his finger.

  "That sounds like a song," I teased, even though the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to us. Thankfully the room was loud and everyone seemed wrapped up in their own games. "What about school? Is Seabreeze any good?" I asked, watching his finger trace the lines on my palm.

  He shrugged. "It is, but school really doesn't interest me much. I'd rather be here working all day. History bores me, but I've always been good with numbers, so math is pretty easy."

  I shuddered. Math was not my forte. "Ugh, trigonometry freaks me out. I can hardly handle algebra. I want to know what jackass came up with mixing numbers and letters together. I love history though, and English."

  Josh chuckled. "Algebra's not that bad. It's kinda like solving a puzzle. Maybe I'll tutor you in math and you can help me stay awake in history class."

  "Deal," I said, lacing my fingers through his.

  "I wish we were anywhere but here," Josh murmured, leaning in close until his knees rested against mine.

  "Why?"

  "Because when you look at me like that all I can think about is how much I'd like to kiss you again, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't go unnoticed."

  I glanced around the crowded room. "You might be right." I picked up my cards as a distraction even though all I could think about was his lips pressed against mine.

  Mitch came into the room with the news that the storm had slowed down and seemed to be maintaining its strength. The party-like atmosphere in the room changed as everyone began discussing the ramifications to the coast. Flooding and dow
ned power lines could be dealt with, but beach erosion was a serious problem to handle.

  The conversation came to an abrupt close when Vanessa entered the break room and announced that water from the flooded parking lot was now making its way into the lobby under the front door. Everyone jumped into action. I wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation; the fact that we had all worked so hard filling sandbags and no one thought to stack some in front of the station door. Buttercup and Vanessa mopped up the water as best they could with the remaining towels from the supply closet while Josh and I wrung them out in the oversized sink in the break room. It was a tedious process since the towels were completely saturated. By the time I made my fifth trip to the bathroom, I was soaked again and my arms felt like cooked spaghetti from wringing out the towels.

  "Are we having fun yet?" Mitch asked, joining me with an armload of wet towels.

  I snorted. "Tons. I just hope the roof doesn't blow off next."

  "Don't worry about that. This puppy isn't going anywhere."

  I couldn't tell if he was being truthful or just trying to make me feel better.

  We no sooner cleaned up the mess in the lobby when Vanessa pulled Mitch aside to speak to him privately. "You're kidding," Mitch said, shaking his head. Whatever the problem was, he got Larry involved and before I knew it they were both suiting up in raincoats.

  "What's going on?" I asked Josh.

  "Not sure, but if Mitch and Larry are heading out, it's got to be serious. Maybe somebody's stuck on their roof or something. That's the only reason I could see them going out now."

  "Isn't it unsafe?" I asked.

  "You see what the wind is doing out there, so yeah. It's really not safe. I'm going to go check," Josh said, rising from the table.

  A group of patrol officers had huddled around Vanessa, Mitch, and Larry. Judging by the animated conversation, it was clear that no one was thrilled about Mitch and Larry venturing out in the storm. After a few minutes, curiosity got the best of me and I stood up to join them. "What's going on?" I asked, pulling Josh aside.

  "The sheriff's office contacted us about a call that came in from a parent out of state. His son called him while he was drunk saying he was going surfing in the storm."

  My hand moved unconsciously to my swollen eye. "Evan," I stated, knowing instantly. "Is he—" I asked, unable to finish my sentence.

  "We don't know. Evan's dad got a hold of the housekeeper who had no idea how long Evan had been missing. She thought he was still in his room. The Coast Guard is being dispatched, but Mitch and Larry are heading over since we're closer to the scene," he said. "They're hoping it's a hoax."

  "I hope so too, but Evan's pretty messed up, and if he's still drinking I could see him doing something stupid," I said.

  No one else had seen the condition Evan was in the night before. I wanted to kick myself that I didn't have Butch stop by his house earlier to at least make sure he had made it home. His father had to be majorly second-guessing the decision to send Evan back to Turtle Bay. I could only imagine the agony of feeling helpless in a situation where all you could do was sit and wait.

  "Well, if he is out there, Mitch and Larry will drag his dumb ass back in. Maybe they'll even punch him in the face for me," he said, smiling.

  We all watched as Mitch and Larry headed out together. I wasn't even aware that I was gnawing on my thumbnail until Josh placed an arm around me and led me to the break room. He sat me in a chair and handed me a cup of coffee. The storm raged outside, matching the current condition of my stomach. I took one sip of the coffee before nervous energy took over and I stood up to pace the room. Even that didn't work, so I joined Vanessa at her desk, figuring she would be the first to get any updates. The incoming calls had slowed down dramatically. Probably because of the loss of power throughout town. The storm must have affected cell service also because no one in the station was able to get anything on their phones.

  I was pacing nervously in the lobby, gnawing my fingernails to the nubs, when Mitch's voice squawked over the radio. Everyone in the station huddled around Vanessa's desk since the swirling wind on his end made it difficult to hear Mitch clearly. "We've reached the location and spotted the surfer in the water, clutching his board. The waves are tossing him around, and it looks like he's trying to stay afloat but having a hard time," he said. "We'll call back with an update once we get him to shore." The silence after his update was deafening. If the looks on everyone's faces were any indication, there was still a long way to go before we could stop worrying.

  The wait was maddening for all of us, especially since more than an hour had passed since Mitch had radioed in. Even Vanessa looked jittery, which did little to help my state of mind. She picked up the radio and pushed the button to see if it was still working, but acted just as frustrated when it chirped like it was supposed to. Every imaginable scenario ran through my head. Evan had been swept out to sea. A rogue wave crushed Mitch or Larry. My mind was my own worst enemy.

  "Maybe I could try the sheriff's office to see if they know anything," Vanessa said right before the lights and computers in the main room abruptly cut off.

  "Great. There go the generators," John said, grabbing a flashlight. He was next in command with Mitch out of the office. "Chris, let's go check it out," he said, tossing another flashlight to one of the patrolmen. Although it had been covered by clouds for most of the day, the sun was beginning to set, which only made matters worse.

  "We should move everyone into the break room in case they can't get it back on. That way we can conserve the batteries in the flashlights," Vanessa said, looking reluctantly at the dead radio. I felt her pain. We had no lights, phones, computers, or even cell service. We were all but cut off from the outside world and any more contact from Mitch. We had no way of knowing what was happening.

  Chapter 14

  John returned shortly after with the news that the generators were shot. Apparently water had been flooding the shed that housed the generators all afternoon. The water ended up shorting them out, putting them out of commission.

  "Damn, the city commission," John said, slamming his fist on the desk. "Mitch has been on them for months about updating that generator enclosure."

  There was nothing we could do but try to conserve the flashlights. With no emergency lighting, it was pitch black in most parts of the building. We all moved to the break room as Vanessa suggested, but the people in the room were becoming antsy. Several of the patrolmen wanted to go out to check on Mitch and Larry, but John ordered them to stay put. "No one goes anywhere yet," he said. "We know the Coast Guard was en route, and Mitch and Larry know what they're doing. If we don't hear anything in the next couple of hours, I will take a couple guys to go see what's happening."

  I couldn't help feeling a little guilty that I was also worried about Evan, who was responsible for Mitch and Larry being in danger. John pulled out a portable radio so we could at least listen to weather updates on the local talk station while some of the other guys moved extra chairs into the break room so there were more places to sit. "Do you think they're okay?" I asked, sitting next to Vanessa.

  "I'm sure they're fine. This is what they were trained to do. Both have more experience than anyone here," she said solemnly. "They're going to be fine," she repeated with tears in her eyes. At that moment, I realized I had learned something new about Vanessa. Someone she cared about had gone into the water. I reached for her hand and she squeezed mine in return.

  Time trickled by slowly. The break room soon became unbearable without any air conditioning or fans. Eventually some of us migrated into the hallway near the back door that we had partially open to let a little fresh air in the building. The overhang above the door kept the rain from coming inside too much, although it seemed like no one cared either way.

  Josh and I sat cross-legged on the floor, leaning against each other while we talked quietly. The moon must have been bright behind the dark clouds because the sky took on a soft white hue.

&nb
sp; "Are you worried about Mitch and Larry?" I avoided mentioning Evan's name for obvious reasons.

  He took a moment to answer. I turned to look at him, wondering if he'd fallen asleep. His eyes were open and he was watching me carefully. "Truth?" he finally asked.

  "Truth," I whispered, ignoring the acid that was churning in my belly.

  "I think if things were okay, Mitch would have come back by now. He would want to be back here at the station. I mean, he is the chief. Come hell or high water he would have returned to check on things. Something must have happened to keep him from doing that."

  I was afraid that was the case. Resting my head on Josh's shoulder, I swiped at the tears that had escaped my overflowing eyes. Josh put his arm around my shoulder and began stroking my hair to comfort me. Neither of us spoke again. The hours continued to tick slowly by and eventually I must have drifted off to sleep.

  I woke up lying by myself with no idea of the time because I didn't wear a watch. It had to be morning because there was light outside. Even better was the somewhat cooler breeze that was blowing through the open door and the absence of pounding rain and brutal wind. Feeling groggy, I sat up feeling rumpled and definitely gross. I wanted to sneak into the bathroom to freshen up, but a bigger part of me was dying to know if any word had come in during the time I was out.

  I made my way to the break room and sidled up to Butch and Buttercup. "Any news?" I asked.

  "Not from Mitch, but Josh said that John took two other guys out a couple hours ago to find out what happened. They haven't returned yet. The news on the portable radio said the storm has already lost most of its strength and has moved up the coast," Butch said, taking a drink from his water bottle. "Josh also said by this afternoon we can go outside and start assessing the damage."