6. Kate
My hair is almost dry when Aunt Donna’s hair dryer flickers off for a brief second before the power returns. I finish running my hands through the strands, now warm and straight, although not for long when the relative humidity is close to a hundred.
“I’m making us a couple of fried bologna sandwiches,” Aunt Donna calls from the kitchen over the rain’s incessant pounding on the roof of her bungalow.
I grab my laptop and head down the hall, the unmistakable scent of bologna sizzling in a skillet, zipping me back in time.
“I haven’t had one of those in forever,” I muse, swiping a slice of peach off the cutting board on the counter.
“I figured as much, given how it looks like you’re in need of a good homecooked meal.” The power flickers off and on again, and she adjusts the temperature of the electric coil burner.
“In school, I didn’t have a kitchen and the union food was nothing to write home about, but I’ve cooked a meal or two for myself at my apartment in Miami.”
I flip open my laptop and slide into a wooden chair at the kitchen table, relieved to see the data still coming in from the transducers.
“What are you grinning about over there, young lady?” Donna asks, pointing her spatula in my direction.
“The equipment I secured on the pier this morning is transmitting data.”
“And you said something about Aiden helping you out?” She arches an eyebrow, raising the topic of conversation I’d dismissed when I arrived on her doorstep a couple of hours ago.
“Not because I asked,” I assure her, rising from my seat to grab a pitcher of iced tea from the fridge and two glasses from the cupboard. “He was there to secure the beach, and I was an obstacle to that task.”
“I see.”
I ignore the undercurrent of interest in her tone as she transfers the fried bologna to a couple slices of white bread with American cheese while I pour our drinks.
“Still take mayonnaise and mustard?” she asks, grabbing ketchup from the fridge, as well.
“I may have moved away,” I say, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, “but some things never change.”
“Like how you and Aiden still have that spark?”
I shrug off the whisper of pleasure at her observation and divide the peach slices between our plates. “I wouldn’t say that. It was nothing more than surprise you saw last night.”
I don’t want her to get her hopes up. And I can’t get mine up, either. It’s too late for Aiden and me. We had our chance years ago.
Her eyes lift to meet mine, and the butter knife in her hand stills. “You’re telling me you felt nothing when you came face-to-face with Aiden Landry after all these years?”
“I might have felt a little something,” I admit, turning away to deliver the glasses to the table, so she can’t see my expression. “But like I said, Aiden and I are ancient history.”
“The two of you were always good together.”
I can’t argue with that. “We were,” I agree. “But we were also different people back then. We were young and—”
“Neither of you has dated much since you left.”
Frustration bubbles up in my chest. “At least, I have a good reason.”
“And what’s that?”
“I was busy keeping up my grades, so I wouldn’t lose my scholarship and then grad school and then job hunting.” I wave around a hand. “I’ve been a little preoccupied with life these last few years.”
“And what’s his reason?”
“How in the world should I know? He’s the one who sent me packing because he didn’t see a future together.” I mimic his voice, and the pain from that day on the beach, the summer after I graduated from Love Beach High, surfaces as a thick lump filling my throat. “And this morning, it was crystal clear he has no regrets, so maybe you should ask him why he’s still single after all this time.”
For whatever reason, Donna drops the subject as we sit down to eat. Instead, she fills me in on the latest news around Love Beach other than Hurricane Aiden. Like the upcoming art festival, which has grown in recent years and is now quite the tourist attraction.
I focus on enjoying the fried bologna sandwich, juicy peach slices, and her company, the one thing I’ve sorely missed since I left town. As we finish up, the lights flicker once more and the pounding rain seems to intensify. I push aside my plate and open the satellite radar on my laptop. Sure enough, the hurricane’s outermost rainbands are just offshore.
The eye is northeast of us and moving in that direction, which is good news. I thought I’d have more time with Aunt Donna before I needed to get back to the shore to release the radiosondes and start recording firsthand observations, but it looks as if I’ll have to move out soon to cover the entire timeframe of impact.
I swallow the last of my tea and clear my plate. “I need to head back to the beach. The edge of the storm is arriving. I need to release some weather balloons and start recording observations.”
“You’re heading back out there?” Her voice is incredulous.
“I have a job to do, and as much as I’ve loved seeing you, I’m here to collect data. But I promise I’ll be safe. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Where are you going to go?”
“That’s a good question.” I don’t want to run into Aiden on the beach again, so the boardwalk, although not ideal, is the next best option.
“The lifeguard tower is designed to weather a one-hundred-year storm, or so they said when they were raising the money to build it.” Her suggestion sets my mind working. I don’t want to run into Aiden, but maybe…
“If I call over to the emergency response headquarters with my credentials, I should be able to gain access.”
Aunt Donna nods, clearing her own plate. “I bet Ed—you remember Ed, right? Louisa’s husband?”
“Ed Townsend? The assistant principal at Love Beach High?”
“Yup. He’s the town’s manager now and in charge of coordinating any emergency response. I bet he’d send over the Director of Lifeguard Services to let you in, especially when you tell him why. He’d be tickled to hear of your success.”
“All right,” I reply, reaching for my phone.
If Mr. Townsend sends over the lifeguard in charge, then surely Aiden can’t give me a hard time, even if he discovers I’m back at the beach. Plus, the tower, with its reinforced concrete and steel, is probably one of the safest places in town.
And with the eye of the storm no longer headed directly for us, it seems I’ll get my job done and avoid dealing with my ex, a man who’s more protective of me than he has any right to be. Sounds like a win-win in my book.