Chapter 9
9
T abitha, Mel, Deb, and April met on the deck the following morning, and they had one thing in mind. They had to find a dress for Mel to wear for her aisle walk. There were three boutiques in downtown Melbourne Beach that they identified as places they might find what they were looking for.
They drove because it was still raining, but they were all Floridians, so they didn’t worry. Every rainstorm was not destined to be a hurricane. Tourists were fleeing the town who thought Hurricane Martha was coming straight for Melbourne Beach.
“I can’t count the number of times the people from coastal towns evacuated and our family stayed put,” Tabitha said. “With a father named Tank, nothing was going to take us down.”
“I like it when everyone leaves. We have the entire town to ourselves,” April said.
“Deb, I’m taking your word that I shouldn’t buy online,” Mel said. “I saw some cute little numbers, but I trust you.”
They were walking and ducking into every other storefront for a respite from the rain.
“No, you don’t have enough time to send it back and get a replacement if you don’t like it or it doesn’t fit. As long as you’re not looking for a long white dress, we’ll be fine,” Deb said. “Please tell me you aren’t looking for a long white dress?”
Mel shook her head. “I did that once, and this time, I’d like something blue or lavender. I haven’t asked you, Deb. Will you do my hair?”
“I would be completely offended if you trusted anyone else with your locks on your wedding day,” Deb said as they neared the first boutique. “I want the least traditional wedding I can pull off.”
Mel, April, and Tabitha stopped dead in their tracks. They looked at Deb with mouths agape.
“Is there something you forgot to tell us?” Mel asked.
“Like that you’re getting married?” April asked.
“Oh, no. That was if I ever got married. You ladies will be the first to know if I plan to put a ring on my perfectly manicured hand.”
They let the subject go, but everyone was suspicious. Deb had never talked that way before.
“Your wedding is so much better than throwing an end-of-summer party. Remind me to thank Dale for the perfect timing,” Tabitha said. She put her had on the knob to the boutique and noticed a sign on the door. Not Messing with Martha. Try Back Another Day and Stay Safe.
Similar signs were popping up on businesses throughout town.
“Well. This is going to have to wait. Don’t worry, Mel, we have plenty of time. I guess I’ll help Deenie pack because I know Greg will want to get moving soon,” Tabitha said.
Tabitha and the other women were confident that they were going to be safe because the house was a modern concrete structure. The deck was wooden, but the rest of the house could withstand a category-five storm. She was worried that Deenie and Greg would be stuck in traffic, but at least she wouldn’t be in the car for the drama.
“No matter what, I plan to stay and not evacuate. That house is a fortress against the wind. Any storm surge will flow right underneath it because it’s raised so high,” Mel said.
“I’m in,” Tabitha said.
“I’m staying, too,” April said.
“Count me in, too,” Deb said.
Deenie drove under the carport at the same time they did. Tabitha jumped out of the car first to see how her daughter was doing. Having to say goodbye to Dalton must have been excruciating.
“How’d it go?” Tabitha asked.
“It was the hardest thing ever. I don’t feel whole without Dalton by my side. Why does love have to hurt so badly? I should have set him free to enjoy his freshman year of college, but I couldn’t,” Deenie said through the whipping wind.
“You’ll see him at the wedding, and both of you will be less emotional by then. None of this is easy, and there’s no handbook for first love,” Tabitha said. “Let’s get inside and give your father a hand with packing.”
Tabitha was familiar with the way Greg looked when he was hungover. You could see his bloodshot eyes from across the room.
“Everything is closing in town. Was there a drastic change in the forecast?” Tabitha asked.
“No, but I advise you ladies to keep your wits about you and be prepared to get to higher ground if necessary. I wouldn’t advise you to stay if I didn’t think it was safe.”
Deenie and Kylen brought her bags out to the car, and Tabitha grabbed food for them from the refrigerator.
“There goes the electricity,” Mel said.
“There’s no cell service either. I was in the middle of talking to Dale, and the call dropped.”
“Who’s pulling into the driveway? It says Seascape Realty on the side.” For a quick second, Tabitha thought it was Marcus, but Donny Nix stepped out.
“What can I do for you, Donny?” Tabitha asked.
“You ladies and your guests have twenty minutes to evacuate.”
Everyone looked on in awe. How were they all going to find a way out?