23. Margot
TWENTY-THREE
Margot
Within a few days, I had to call both the drink and ice machine companies and increase the delivery dates. I couldn’t keep either of them stocked fully. Something as simple as drinks and ice had given new life to the Blue Heron.
I greeted the construction crew who was working on the pier repairs. I laughed when I thought about my very first day here and falling through the boards. I had been lucky not to have broken my ankle or been pierced by a long nail. Those worries were gone. I was going to have every rotten board replaced, and there would be no more trip hazards.
The opening night for Movies on the Marina was tomorrow. The project manager of the crew promised they would be done by lunchtime today. At the pace they worked, I believed him.
John hadn’t fished since they started. I guessed the buzzing of saws and hammering disturbed him. Even though he was quiet and some days we never spoke, I missed him being here. I could look out and see him cast his rod. Somehow, that was reassuring, especially on my hardest days since I had moved to the island.
The screened door creaked. I looked over to see Caleb jogging down the porch steps. He was wearing his Coast Guard uniform. He had returned to work, but I didn’t think today was a patrol day for him.
“I thought you were off today?” I was confused.
He nodded. “Supposed to be. I just got a call. I have to go in for a meeting.” I saw the way his jaw flexed. Something was wrong.
“What is it? What kind of a meeting?”
“Probably about the hurricane,” he explained.
“There’s a hurricane?” I looked overhead. The sky was bright blue. I had to shield my eyes from the sun. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky to create a single shadow.
“It’s tracking to come this way. We haven’t been watching much of the weather channel,” he teased. He snaked an arm around my waist and kissed the side of my neck. “There are a lot of preparations, and we have to watch the channels. Keep surfers out of the waves. There’s a protocol that has to be followed with every storm.”
“Oh.”
He sensed the disappointment in my voice. “I know we were going to do work on the projector for the movie. We can still do that tonight.”
I nodded. “I know. It’s a storm. I shouldn’t be upset. You can’t control the weather.” I cracked a smile. “Or can you?”
He laughed. “Maybe one day.”
I had looked forward to having a full day with him. So much had happened in the past week. The family dinner. The blow-up with Dean over the benefactor funds. It had rocked us. Yet, I’d never felt so connected and so close to him.
I reached up on my tiptoes to kiss him goodbye. I brushed my lips against his, dragging his mouth closer to mine. He growled against my tongue.
“We have an audience.”
“I don’t care,” I whispered. I smiled into his lips when he roughly grabbed my ass, hiking my leg up to his waist. One of the guys on the crew whistled. I blushed crimson before Caleb released me.
“And I thought you didn’t care.”
I laughed. “Go to your meeting so you can get back here.”
He saluted. “I’ll let you know. We might need to start bracing the marina for the hurricane, too. I’ll know more when I get back, but you might need to shift Movies at the Marina.”
I blinked, and my stomach rolled. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help. We’ll get it taken care of. If everyone is working on hurricane prep, no one will be at your opening night. You’re going to need to secure everything here.”
“It could be in danger?” Panic washed through me. Why had I not paid attention to the weather? I didn’t know what kind of supplies I needed. I didn’t know how to protect the property, the house, and the marina. What about the new drink and ice machines? And all the marketing I had put in for the debut of the movie night. Was it going to be a failure?
Caleb smiled. “Hurricanes are a normal thing around here. It’s going to beat the place up a little, but I’ll help. Try not to worry. People will understand about the movie. When things like this happen, they get it.”
“I’m going to have to cancel?”
“Let me see where they are tracking the storm before you cancel anything. It could turn and blow out to sea. I’ll call you as soon as my meeting is over, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay. But as soon as you hear.”
“Yes.” He jogged to his truck. “As soon as I hear,” he called over his shoulder.
I turned to the construction crew. They had witnessed our entire interaction. I looked at them. “Any of you know what I should do about this hurricane?”