A Saltwater Christmas (The Southern Isles #1)

Chapter Fourteen

S unday morning rose sunny and warm, sending streams of light onto the slumbering pile on the couch. The fire was spent, and the air around them cool—the only source of heat seemed to be the dog, who took up more space on the couch than either human.

“Still no power?” Allie asked when she realized Sam’s eyes were open.

“I’ll try the breaker,” he said.

The circuit breaker was in the tiny garage, pitch black and a veritable conservancy for multiple species of spiders. “Want me to come with you?” she asked.

“Naw, I got it. Gonna have to charge my phone in the Jeep after using the flashlight app, though.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky with the power,” she said, stretching her legs out straight before standing. She padded behind him to the small door at the end of the hallway. A puff of dust fell from the top of the door when he opened it, adding a layer of grayish white to the short sleep-pressed swoops of his hair. He shook like a dog and brushed it off before heading down three steps into the concrete room.

She watched him disappear as Cuppie stayed beside her. A smile spread across Allie’s face. “Watch this, Cup,” she whispered. Carefully, toe-heel, toe-heel, she tiptoed down the steps. She was well out of the way of his flashlight as she ducked behind a rickety highboy dresser stored with other old furniture off to the left. She heard the squeak of the fuse box door and tried to suppress her laughter. If the lights came on, she’d be caught. But if they didn’t, she was about to scare the bejesus out of brave soldier Sam Clare. Giggles bubbled up, and she held her breath. From the top of the stairs, Buttercup howled. Her adults had gone crazy, and there were questions in her tone.

“Cut it out, Cup!” Sam called. “Give me a sec.”

He was flipping switches back and forth, but so far, no light. Allie shook with anticipation. She was about to get him good. Bits and pieces of the room were visible from the wide angle flood beam of his light, and the effect was chilling. The worn antique furniture didn’t help at all. She imagined a creepy old doll coming to life and saying horrifying things in a voice that sounded like a hiss.

She was supposed to be scaring Sam, but instead she was scaring herself.

“No luck,” he yelled, closing the metal door of the box. Cuppie barked, but Allie remained silent, shivering, ready to pounce.

He was almost to the stairs, and it was all Allie could do not to laugh. Should she yell “boo!” or should she scream? He was almost to the highboy, and she was well-hidden from the light. Three, two—

She was about to spring when Sam turned off the flashlight. Now the only source of dim light was from the hallway. Cuppie howled again. Sam walked backward into the pitch black and with the deepest, creepiest voice she’d ever heard, said, “You can’t hide from the garage monster.” He took in a Hannibal Lecter breath and said, “I’ve been waiting for you.”

Allie screamed and ran up the stairs as fast as she could with Sam on her heels. Cuppie barked and jumped maniacally as they both made it down the hall to the front door. She twisted the handle and ran outside, down the front steps, and to the passenger side of Sam’s Jeep, where she finally bent over to catch her breath. Her fuzzy socks were muddy, and her eyes felt as round as his oversized all-weather tires as they took in the sight of him bent over laughing at her from the porch.

“Gotcha,” he said, walking down the steps into the rain. He pulled her into a hug and held her tight, allowing the rain to flow over them both.

She couldn’t be mad. She knew it. She was as stiff as a shotgun and wanted to punch him. But the tighter he held her, the more her body relaxed into him, her heart rate slowly returning to normal. She finally pulled away. “How’d you know I was there? I was so quiet!”

“You forget, I’m a trained warrior. Every sense is honed.”

“Right.” She wiped the wet hair from her eyes. “You’re a ninja.”

“Army Ranger.”

“No, you’re not. You said you were search-and-rescue.” They walked back to the front door together. “Or you have a CrossFit membership, so now you think you’re a Ranger.”

“I’ll show you my Ranger tab.”

“And I’ll show you my Academy Award.” She walked past him, pulling off her socks before she stepped into the house. She acted like she didn’t care at all, but the fact was, she liked that he knew she was hiding in there. He could probably protect her, or at least help her survive, if the bridge to the island washed out and a cyberattack stopped the flow of the gas pipelines so freighters couldn’t reach them and the electricity never came back on and zombies attacked the island. She tapped her pinky finger three times on the corner of the entry table while passing by.

She’d just grabbed two dish towels from the kitchen when there was a boom! and the lights and furnace flicked on. “Power’s back!” she yelled, thinking Sam was still on the porch. Maybe he really was a ninja, because she hadn’t heard or sensed him standing directly behind her. A sharp spurt of adrenaline flooded her body for the second time in the past three minutes. “Stop that!” She pressed a dish towel into his chest, and he used it to dry his hair.

“Too bad,” he said. “I kinda liked life without power.”

“Then feel free to live in a tent in the backyard.” She was a little surprised at how mean she sounded.

“So, the lights come on and you go back to hating me?” He opened the door to the refrigerator to check that it was back up and running.

“Yes.” It somehow felt good to snap at him. She felt powerful and in control.

“So, you hate me,” he clarified, shutting the refrigerator door.

She almost said yes again, but it was too big of a lie. Why was she so hot and cold with him? Just a few seconds ago, she was warm and happy in his arms. “Of course not.”

“Okay.” He wiped down both of his arms. “You want to bite me with your words? Go ahead. Take a chunk.”

Calling her out had the exact effect of making her no longer want to do it. “You make me crazy,” she said, but she couldn’t help but smile. She caught a flash of blond hair flit past the window by the front door. “I think Jessa’s back.” Cuppie was already at her post, sniffing the doorjamb. Sure enough, the doorbell rang.

“Hey, y’all,” Jessa said. “Sorry to bother you again. I just need to tell Allie something real quick.”

Allie stepped back outside and shut the door behind her.

“I have to give you a heads-up,” Jessa said. “Joey said he’s going to the winery to get your phone. He’s gonna bring it to you.”

“Joey’s coming here?”

Jessa nodded. “And I didn’t want you or Sam to be surprised.”

“Thank you, Jessa.” Allie’s heart was racing. “I mean it. Thank you so much.” Jessa turned to leave, and Allie called out one last question. “How much time do you think I have before he gets here?”

“Don’t really know, but I’m sure the streets around here will slow him down. They’ve got to be flooded.”

Allie hadn’t even brushed her teeth since spending the night on the couch, and she was currently sopping wet. She ran forward to lightly hug Jessa goodbye before scurrying inside to hop in the shower, feeling like she’d just had three cups of espresso even though they hadn’t had a thing to eat or drink all morning. The light came on in the bathroom just like it was supposed to. Thank God. She turned on the shower water and brushed her teeth at the sink while she waited for it to heat.

Joey was coming over. Joey, who looked like Mark. Joey, who wasn’t Mark at all. Joey, who she’d tried to kiss. Joey, who saw her so drunk that her eyes floated like inflatable swim rings in a whirlpool. Joey, who brought her coffee, smelled like old man cologne, and looked great in a pair of khakis. Joey, who would probably scream louder than her if startled in a dark garage. She spat toothpaste into the sink and rinsed it, then turned the faucet off and on three times. Then one more time because the number three wasn’t right. Then, two more times because maybe it actually was.

She took off her layers of clothes and shivered before stepping into the steamy water. How was she supposed to act when he showed up? How was she going to apologize? And most importantly, how was she going to keep Joey away from Sam?