Six Hours Away Read online

  “And I’ll want to kiss you lots. A whole lot. Frequently.” An infectious grin spread across his face. “So, go find her. I’m going to close up the kitchen and see what Lillian needs me to do. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  They walked out of the storage closet and Dana pretended not to notice.

  “Hey, Dana. Why don’t you head out? I’ll finish up here.” Jay headed over to the counter where he’d been working before their little storage closet escapade.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Dana took off her apron, a worried look on her face. “I… could help.”

  “No, I’m good. Go home and stay safe.”

  Dana nodded and left through the kitchen’s back door.

  Robin walked over and gave Jay another quick kiss. “Okay, I’m outta here. I’ll go find Charlotte.”

  Robin hurried off and found Charlotte at the bungalow. “There you are.”

  Charlotte turned to her. “I’m wrapping some of my paintings and putting them over at the loft above the marina. It’s higher there. Just in case there is flooding.”

  “That’s a good plan. Let me help.”

  Charlotte handed her a roll of plastic. They wrapped the paintings and she helped Charlotte load them in her car. Charlotte turned to go, and Robin reached out and grabbed her arm. “Before you leave…”

  Charlotte turned back to her.

  “I… I need to talk to you about something. I mean… just wanted to tell you.”

  “Spill it.” Charlotte looked at her questioningly.

  “It’s about Jay. About me and Jay.”

  Charlotte laughed. “I already know. I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. Anyway, I heard you guys out on the porch last night and glanced out the window. That was some kiss.” She grinned.

  “I thought you were asleep when I got home.”

  “I headed to bed after I spied you two. In case you came inside for some privacy.” Charlotte shook her head. “But you better tell Sara.”

  “She knows.” Robin grinned. “She caught us kissing in the supply cabinet at the inn.”

  Charlotte’s laughter rang out across the courtyard. “So much for your secret.”

  “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. Not from you two.”

  “And now you haven’t. I couldn’t be happier for you and Jay. It was obvious you two were meant to be together. I was hoping you’d work things out.” Charlotte hugged her. “Now I’ve got to run. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “See you later.” Robin watched as Charlotte drove away. Now the whole world could know she and Jay were a couple.

  And she couldn’t be more pleased.

  Robin went back to the inn and pulled out her to-do list. Almost everything regarding the storm was checked off. She picked up a package that had been delivered for Lillian and went to find her.

  Lillian was in the dining room talking to Jay. He gave her a quick smile. “I was just telling Lillian that… um… well, that you and I… worked things out.”

  She walked up to him with what was probably a silly grin on her face and took his hand. “Yes, we did.”

  “About time.” Lillian shook her head. “Took you two forever to see what I could see plain as day. For years. What everyone could see. Now you two just be sure you make it work.”

  “Oh, it will work. I won’t let her get away again.” He squeezed her hand.

  Robin smiled up at Jay, then turned back to Lillian. “This package came for you. It’s from Etta at the historical society. She must have dropped it off earlier.”

  “She said she’d send over some research she did. She’s helping me with trying to figure out if Anna and Johnny in the journal ever got together.” Lillian gave a little laugh. “I so hope they did.”

  Lillian took the package and opened it, glancing inside. “Oh, a note from Etta.”

  Robin watched while a look of sadness swept over Lillian’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  Lillian cleared her throat. “Etta said that she found an article about casualties of a hurricane that went through here back in the late eighteen hundreds. Anna talked about an approaching storm in her journal. Anna Smith was listed as one of the townsfolk who was missing and presumed dead.”

  “Oh, no.”

  Lillian blinked and cleared her throat. “I know it’s silly. I don’t even know her personally. It’s just that I feel like I did know her from reading her journal. I had skipped ahead in the journal a while ago, and she’d mentioned a storm was coming. Then I decided to just read everything in order and went back to the beginning. Now I want to hurry and finish up. I guess it will end with the storm…”

  “I’m sorry, Lillian.”

  Lillian sighed. “I had just hoped that Anna and her Johnny-beau had ended up together.” Lillian slipped the note back in the package. “Well, I should go find Gary. And I’ll go put this in The Nest. Time to concentrate on our own storm.”

  “What can I do to help now?” Jay asked.

  “Did you send Dana home?”

  “I did.”

  “Would you mind checking and seeing if Magnolia House is all battened down?”

  “Yes, of course.” Jay nodded.

  “I’ll go with him unless you need me here?”

  “No, that’s about it. And thank you. You two have been working tirelessly getting things prepared. But I think that’s about it for today. You two have a safe place to stay during the storm?”

  “She’s going to stay with me,” Jay said and turned to her.

  Surprise swept through her. He hadn’t said anything to her or asked her. But she had to admit, she’d feel better staying with him than staying alone in the bungalow.

  “Don’t argue. I’ll feel better if you do. Charlotte can come, too.” His eyes implored her.

  “She’s staying at Ruby’s with Ben.”

  “If it gets bad, you two go to the community center,” Lillian admonished them.

  “We will,” Jay assured her.

  Lillian hurried off and Robin turned to Jay. “So, I’m staying with you, huh? What will the town think?”

  “The town can think what they want. I just want to keep you safe.”

  “Maybe I’m saying yes that I’ll stay with you because I want to keep you safe.” A smile tugged at her lips.

  “That works, too.” He winked then took her hand and they headed over to check on Magnolia House.

  Jay was glad Robin hadn’t argued about staying with him to ride out the storm. There was no way he was comfortable with her staying alone in her bungalow. They’d just hunker down at his house and wait until it passed by them. Didn’t sound like a bad way to spend time…

  He walked around the outside of Magnolia House while Robin checked on things inside. All they had left was to pull the hurricane protection over the back door as they left.

  Jay went inside. “The wind is picking up a bit.”

  “So it begins.” Robin paused and frowned. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what? I just hear the wind.”

  “No, it’s like a crying sound.” She walked around the room a few steps, her forehead creased in concentration. “There it is again.”

  “Probably just the wind in the trees or it’s making the wires sing a bit.”

  “No… that’s not it.” She walked out on the back steps and climbed down the stairs.

  He followed her out, still not hearing anything.

  She stood outside, then suddenly, bending down low, she peeked under the steps. “Ah, ha!” She reached under and came out with a tiny kitten in her hands. “Hello little guy. What are you doing out all alone? Don’t you know a storm is coming?” She petted the frightened kitten and talked soothingly to it until it started to purr.

  Jay climbed down the stairs and stood beside her. “Kitten, this is your lucky day. You don’t want to be out here right now.”

  “Doesn’t look to be more than six or eight weeks old, does it?” She glanc
ed up at him.

  He shrugged. “I’m not the expert on kittens. I just got my first dog, remember?”

  “I’m taking him home with us. He can’t stay out here.”

  “Not sure how that will go over with Barney…” Jay shook his head, not that he’d ever refuse Robin anything. “But you’re right, we can’t just leave the little guy out in the storm to fend for himself.”

  Jay closed the door, pulled the hurricane protection across it, and they headed back to his house. They passed by the inn and Jay frowned. “Is that Dana? What’s she doing here?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I’ll go check.” He jogged toward the side of the inn. “Dana,” he called out as he got close.

  She whirled around to face him. A look of what he could only describe as panic or fear crossed her face.

  “You okay?”

  “Uh… Yes.”

  She didn’t look okay.

  “I thought you left and went home.”

  “I did… I just… forgot something. I’m, um, leaving now.” Dana looked back at the door to the kitchen.

  “You sure you’re okay?”

  Dana looked right at him. “It’s just— I—” She stopped abruptly and shrugged. “Storm just has me jumpy, I guess.”

  “I’ll lock up again.” He nodded to her. “You go home. Wind is picking up.”

  Dana nodded slowly, then turned and walked away. He didn’t see her carrying anything. Wonder what she forgot? He shook his head and locked the door—one of the few hurricane doors on the inn so it needed no extra protection—and trotted back to where Robin and the kitten waited for him.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, she just forgot something. All locked up again.”

  They hurried along the streets and ran into Mrs. Peabody closing the pet shop. “Hey, Mrs. Peabody. Could we grab a bag of kitten food?” Jay asked. “Robin found this little guy hiding under the stairs.”

  Mrs. Peabody reached out and petted the kitten. “Glad you found her before the storm. I’ve got the register all shut down, but I’ll grab you a bag.”

  “It’s a her?” Robin asked.

  “Let me look.” Mrs. Peabody gently picked up the kitten and looked at it. “Yes, you have a female.”

  “Thank you, so much.” Robin took the kitten back. “Now I can name her properly.

  Jay eyed her. So, it was looking like the kitten was getting to be more a permanent resident with Robin. He wasn’t surprised. She had the kindest heart of anyone he knew. Wonder how Barney was going to handle this new addition?

  Mrs. Peabody returned with a small bag of kitten food. “Here, you’ll want to moisten it.”

  “Thanks, appreciate this.” Jay took the bag as Mrs. Peabody locked up the door again.

  “Stay safe,” Mrs. Peabody said.

  “You, too.” Robin said as they turned away and headed down the sidewalk.

  Jay wrapped his arm protectively around Robin while she cradled the kitten snuggled up against her.

  This? Just this walking down the sidewalk with Robin next to him? It felt… well, it just felt right.

  Chapter 8

  Zoe had to admit every muscle in her body ached from the work they’d done the last few days at the community center. Lugging things around. Putting up the hurricane protection. On her feet almost all day long. She was a regular at her gym back home, but this work had exhausted her. Maybe it was the work plus stress of worrying about the approaching storm. She’d never quite gotten used to the stress of the waiting.

  She knew Noah was torn between glad she was here and wishing she’d headed back inland. And he hadn’t been pleased to hear she was staying at the inn instead of coming to stay at his house with him and Sara. But she was glad she’d convinced him that Lillian might need her help.

  She sat on the edge of her bed at the inn, trying to get up the energy to get dressed after her shower. The shower she’d hoped would not only wash off the grime of the day but revitalize her.

  So far, no dice.

  She and Mason had been invited for a light dinner at The Nest with Lillian and Gary. She really needed to get dressed. Like right now. Mason would be here in minutes. She pushed off the bed and shrugged on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. Good enough.

  She answered the door at the first knock. Mason stood there looking refreshed, snappily dressed in khaki shorts and a knitted collared shirt, and not a bit tired.

  “You ready?” Mason stepped inside her room.

  She looked down at her old shorts and faded Lighthouse Point t-shirt. Then she glanced around, wishing she’d picked things up. The clothes she’d been wearing earlier today were in a pile near the bathroom. Clothes spilled out of her suitcase. Three pairs of shoes created a line from the suitcase to the closet. The closet where she’d only hung up a few things and the closet door stood wide open.

  “Uh, yes, let’s go.” They should leave and close the door on this mess. She’d clean it all up when she got back to the room tonight. Maybe he hadn’t really noticed, but she doubted that. Mason was… neat. And dressed much nicer than she was. Well, nothing she could do about that now. She couldn’t actually ask him to stand out in the hall while she planned her wardrobe a bit better, now could she?

  “I’m famished. Glad Lil invited us.” Mason walked back out without saying a word about the chaos that was her room or her very, very casual attire.

  She tugged the door behind them and followed him along the long hallway and down the stairs. They cut across the inn towards The Nest. The inn was eerily spooky with no guests roaming around. The wind had picked up and rattled the shutters over the windows.

  “Kind of creepy,” she admitted to Mason as she moved a bit closer to him.

  “Looks like one of those scenes in a horror film. The darkened empty inn. The howling wind. This is where, in the movie, a woman would walk out into a garage or shed, or up to the attic by herself, to see what the noise was that she heard.” He grinned at her.

  She laughed. “It does look exactly like a scene from a movie like that. But it is creepy like this.”

  “Come on.” He took her hand in his and led her toward The Nest.

  His strong hand wrapped around hers did make her feel better. She took one last glance back at the deserted lobby area.

  They got to The Nest and Gary let them in. “Welcome. I’m not sure what Lillian is making for what she calls a light dinner, but it smells wonderful. Lillian, Mason and Zoe are here.”

  Lillian poked her head out from the kitchen. “It’s just soup and salad. Nothing fancy. And I stole some rolls and a pie from the inn’s kitchen. Gary, why don’t you make them drinks while I finish up?”

  “Beer, wine, soda?”

  “Beer for me,” Mason said as they walked into the room.

  “Red wine?” Zoe asked.

  “Have a nice merlot opened. I’ll get some of that.”

  Gary returned with their drinks and they all stood inside the sliding door to the deck overlooking the beach. The palm fronds danced wildly in the wind, slashing against each other.

  “This door has hurricane impact windows in it so it doesn’t need shutters over it. Lillian said when she had to replace the door a year or so ago, she replaced it with this one. At least we can still look out and see what’s going on.” Gary stood nursing his drink.

  She looked out at the waves that were starting to hammer the beach as the winds picked up. The pure power of these storms frightened her and fascinated her at the same time.

  “Come on to the kitchen,” Lillian called. “Dinner’s ready.”

  She followed Gary and Mason into the kitchen. Lillian had set the table with cheerful placemats and plain white dishes. She noticed that Lillian had placed candles and matches nearby. That made sense in case the electricity went out. One thing she’d learned when she’d first moved to the island with Noah. Always have candles and flashlights ready. Electricity was iffy during any storm here.

 
Gary and Mason talked business while they ate. She chatted with Lillian about a few changes that Sara was making to Noah’s house to make it feel less like a bachelor pad. It felt like a normal family dinner. She’d missed her family dinners with Noah since she’d moved away. For a bit, she even managed to forget about the storm.

  For a bit. Kind of.

  They all sat and ate their dinner and finished it off with peach pie. Not really her definition of light, but she’d amazed herself at how hungry she was. And she was finally beginning to perk up after the meal.

  Over Lillian’s protests, Zoe and Mason sent her and Gary to the living room and did the dishes. Afterward, Zoe looked around at the cleaned-up kitchen.

  “We should probably go,” she whispered to Mason. “Lillian and Gary were supposed to be on their honeymoon right now. Not preparing for a storm, or feeding us.”

  “Yes, their marriage has certainly started out with a bit of chaos. You’re right, we should go.”

  They headed out to where Gary and Lillian were sitting. Lillian had her knitting in her lap, but her knitting needles lay quiet.

  “Dad, we’re going to go now.”

  “You sure? You could stay for a while.”

  “I’m really tired,” Zoe quickly added, wanting to give them their privacy. “But thank you so much for the dinner.”

  Gary rose and walked them to the door. “Good night. We’ll talk to you in the morning. Come down for breakfast and we’ll know better about the storm by then.”

  “Sounds good. We will.” Mason nodded.

  “Good night,” Lillian called from her recliner, her knitting needles finally moving in rhythm.

  “Night,” Zoe answered as she and Mason slipped out the door.

  “So are you really tired?” Mason paused after a few steps. “Want to come to my room for some wine?” Mason gave her one of his impish, impossible to resist smiles.

  “I was tired… but I seem to have found my second wind. Another glass of wine sounds like just the thing.”

  When they got to Mason’s room, he switched on a lamp on the desk. The low light made the room feel intimate and inviting as she followed him inside. He crossed over to the dresser and picked up two bottles of wine, one in each hand. “Merlot or cab?”