Waiting for the Storm (8 page)

I smoothed out the paper. “What would a volunteer do?”

“Odd jobs mostly,” Shelley replied, slipping behind the desk and sitting in her swiveling chair. “Shelving books, unpacking boxes of new arrivals, that sort of thing. I’m hoping to get someone young and creative to maybe help me come up with a literacy campaign for the next school year. I’m also hoping to find a replacement for our story time reader who’s going on maternity leave in mid-July.” She cocked her head to the side and studied me. “Any of that interest you?”

As a matter of fact, it did. Maybe not the story telling part—I didn’t have much experience with kids—but I’d love to be around books, and I could probably come up with some ideas for the literacy campaign.

But
…there was that annoying little voice in my head again. I wasn’t sure who it sounded like this time, and I tried to ignore the thought that it simply sounded like me. I wasn’t used to being around people anymore. Plus I was an insomniac, up all night and sleeping half the day. That would make it pretty difficult to commit to regular hours.

Shelley must have sensed my hesitation. “You think about it. I know it’s summer and you probably just want to take it easy, but any help you could give would be greatly appreciated.” She smiled warmly at me.

I was saved from having to answer when a college-age girl came to check out a pile of books.

With a little wave to Shelley, I headed into the stacks. I meandered around for a bit, picking up a couple of books by local authors, then found Dad in the history section.

“Oh good, you found something,” he said. “If you hadn’t been able to find anything you wanted, I was going to take you to the bookstore and let you pick something out.” He gave me the first genuine smile I’d seen from him in ages. He instantly looked ten years younger. It was just a quick flash, but I’d seen a glimpse of the old Dad, and it gave me hope. “I suppose we still could. Your mother used to say…” He faltered and looked away. I didn’t expect him to finish the thought, so I was surprised when he did. “Your mother used to say I’d spoil you. I said there were worse things to spoil a child with than books.”

I laughed lightly, imagining Mom telling Dad that with a teasing glint in her eyes. “It’s true,” I agreed. “Parents these days spend hundreds of dollars on video games that rot kids’ minds. At least yours was—”

“An investment in your future,” he finished for me, his voice quiet. “Your mom used to say that, too.”

I noticed the change in him instantly. His shoulders slumped, and his eyes took on a faraway haze as if he was seeing something I couldn’t. I wondered if it would always be like this when we talked about Mom. I desperately wanted to talk about her to someone, but Ella was out of the question, and now it seemed Dad was too if he was going to shut down every time.

“I forgot to bring a list of what I need, so I think I’m done here,” he said in a hollow voice. “I’m just going to go wait in the car. You take your time.”

“Dad, wait,” I called after him, but he walked past me, nodding absently at Shelley as he passed on his way to the door.

Shelley glanced my way, concern and sympathy etched on her features. When she’d introduced herself, she’d been one of the first people who hadn’t looked at me with that ‘poor little Charlotte’ look. I told myself that wasn’t how she was looking at me now, but I felt resentment and embarrassment bubble up inside me over the fact she’d witnessed a moment I wished could have been private.

I considered putting the books back on the shelf and slipping out, but I knew that would be ridiculous, so I walked slowly to the counter and set them on the desk.

“I got a library card all ready for you,” Shelley said, her expression back to normal. I smiled at her gratefully, and when she nodded I thought she understood. “It’s a two week loan, one renewal allowed. You can do that online, or here at the desk.”

“The library has a website?” I asked.

Shelley grinned at my surprised tone. “We do. It’s actually quite popular—even off-island, believe it or not. We have a blog section where we get locals to contribute reviews, talk about signings and events, that sort of thing. It’s falling a bit behind because I haven’t had time to update it lately, and with summer vacation here most of the kids who contribute are busy doing other things.” She shrugged and pushed my books across the desk toward me. “That’s something else I was hoping a volunteer might be willing to help me with.” She gave me a meaningful smile. “No pressure, but you think about it, okay?”

“I will,” I promised. “Thanks, Shelley.”

When I returned to the car, Dad wasn’t in the driver’s seat. I glanced up and down the street, and was about to go searching for him when he walked out of the diner carrying a take-out bag.

I slipped into the passenger seat, and he got in beside me, handing me the bag. “I could smell fish and chips as soon as I stepped out of the library, and since they’re your favourite…” He angled his head to look at me, his expression half apologetic, half pleading. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to do more exploring today. And I’m sorry about…” He waved a hand in the general direction of the library.

“Don’t worry about it, Dad,” I said, peeking into the bag at the grease-soaked containers so I could avoid looking into his sad eyes. He’d remembered to get extra tartar sauce—which I loved—and which proved he did have moments of clarity. “We have all summer to explore.”

“You’re too good to me,” Dad said softly, pulling the car away from the curb. “I’m supposed to be the one taking care of you, not the other way around.”

I sighed quietly. “We take care of each other,” I told him. I hoped the words rang truer for him than they did for me. “That’s what you do when you love someone.”

*****

That night after sunset, I planted myself in the sand behind the little hill on the beach. I didn’t really feel like being social, but I also didn’t want to sit in the house any longer, especially when I’d probably end up being awake all night.

When Dad had pulled into the driveway after our little excursion, my gaze automatically went next door, but Ezra’s car was still gone. I hadn’t seen any sign of him the rest of the evening, but lights shone from inside his house now.

I recited his phone number in my head and briefly considered calling him, but I had no idea what to say. I’d probably just end up embarrassing myself and making him think I was crazy.

Laughter and happy shouts came from further down the beach, drawing my attention in that direction. The bonfire had been lit right at sunset, and there seemed to be even more kids around than usual.

“Why are you hiding all the way over here by yourself?”

I jolted, kicking up sand and showering my legs with the coarse grains.

Ezra laughed lightly, plunking down in the sand beside me and brushing off my legs. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” He was sitting so close the entire right side of his body was pressed against mine from shoulder to ankle. My skin tingled at the contact. I wondered if he was the type of guy who normally sat so close to girls he barely knew, or if it was just me.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m just…kind of jumpy lately.”

“How come?”

It seemed like a simple question, but there was no simple answer. When I didn’t respond, he said, “Never mind,” and I got the feeling, as I had yesterday, that he understood without me having to say a word.

The two of us sat in silence staring out at the water. After a few minutes, he said, “So why
are
you sitting over here all alone? I thought I told you last night to go make friends.” His tone was light, teasing.

“I didn’t realize it was an
assignment
, Mr. Rhodes,” I said.

“Oh, but it was.” Ezra shook his head in mock disappointment. “And I’m afraid you failed.”

“You’d be wrong there,” I told him, nudging him with my elbow. “I actually made a couple of friends…maybe.”

“A couple of maybe friends?” Ezra asked, looking dubious.

“Yes, exactly. I don’t know yet. They seem nice, but…we’ll see.”

Ezra bobbed his head thoughtfully. He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around his legs and glancing back at me over his shoulder. “Good for you.” The light, teasing tone was gone now. “Good for you.” He looked back out over the water and let out a long breath.

“Tired?”

“Yeah. Exhausted.”

The way he said it made me think he didn’t just mean physically tired. With him leaning forward, I had an urge to reach out and rub his back.

What would he do?
Probably jump up and ask what the hell you’re doing since you’ve only known each other two days,
I thought. I tucked my hands under my legs so I wouldn’t be tempted further.

Down the beach, a group of fully clothed kids ran into the water. They splashed around, yelling and laughing as they tried to dunk each other under.

Ezra shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile on his face. “Want to go in?” he asked. “We could stay down here so we don’t get drenched.”

“I’m good,” I said quickly, shrinking back into the sand and praying he wouldn’t pursue it.

He glanced over his shoulder at me again, and rested his chin on his arm, watching me. “Don’t like the water?”

“I-It’s not that,” I stammered.
Liar
. “I just…”

He held up a hand, stopping me. “It’s okay. Some other time.”

“Yeah. Definitely. Some other time.”
How does
never
work for you?
I added silently.

He smiled and leaned back beside me. “So where were you this morning?”

“Sleeping.” I was glad it was dark so he couldn’t see my cheeks turn red. “I, uh, kinda have a really screwy sleep schedule. It started when my mom was sick, and now…”

He nodded again. “I’m the same way. Screwy sleep, I mean. I guess that either makes us two peas in a pod, or it makes our friendship doomed because we’ll keep missing each other.”

“I prefer the two peas thing, personally.”

One side of his mouth lifted in a sexy, crooked grin. “Me too.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but his phone beeped. He pulled it from his pocket, frowning as he read a text. “Unfortunately, I guess we’re not meant to share that pod tonight.” He tucked his phone back in his pocket and smiled apologetically. “I have to go. I’m really sorry.”

He stood, brushing sand from his shorts. I waited for an explanation, but none came. That seemed to be a recurring theme with Ezra. He looked down the beach, then squatted so we were eye-to-eye. “Your assignment for tonight, should you choose to accept it…” He paused, his eyes glittering with humour, and I couldn’t help but smile. “I want you to keep talking to people. There are some good kids around here. Don’t sit here by yourself all night; go make friends. Or go find your ‘maybe friends’ from last night.”

I stared at him for a long moment. I wanted to ask why he cared. I wanted to ask where he could be going after ten o’clock at night, when he was obviously tired and should just go home and get some sleep. But it was none of my business. Yet.

“I accept your assignment,” I told him. He held out his hand and we shook. His hand stayed wrapped around mine past the regular length for a handshake, and his eyes remained steady on mine, searching—but for what? Did he feel that strange little tingle starting where our palms connected and zipping up his arm, or was that just me?

He finally pulled his hand slowly from mine, as if he hated to break the contact. Straightening, he lifted his hand in a wave and turned.

“Ezra?” I called when he was a few feet away. He paused and looked over his shoulder. I took a deep breath, hoping this wouldn’t make me sound crazy and desperate, but I had to know. “Will I see you tomorrow?”

A slow smile spread across his face, and I knew asking him had been the right decision. “Yeah, you will, Charlotte. G’night.”

He took off across the beach and cut through the path between our houses. A few seconds later, I heard his car door slam and the engine rev.

I got to my feet and brushed sand from my capris. I spotted Kennedy and Miranda on the far side of the bonfire and headed in that direction. I had an assignment to complete.

CHAPTER EIGHT

When I woke up at eleven the next morning, I felt surprisingly well rested, even though I’d only slept for five hours. I’d stayed down on the beach with Kennedy and Miranda until after midnight. When I started to get sleepy, I ignored it and stayed, knowing from experience that the drowsiness would pass the minute I got into bed. When I returned to my room, I surfed the Angel Island library website, then managed to fall asleep—in my bed—around sunrise.

Progress? I didn’t want to get ahead of myself, but it felt like a baby step.

I showered and dressed before heading downstairs. I could hear Dad working in the kitchen, his fingers flying over the keyboard of his laptop. It was quiet out front, and when I peeked through the window I didn’t see Ezra, but figured he was around somewhere since his tools were out there.

I went into the kitchen and planted a kiss on top of Dad’s head.

He smiled absently. “Morning, honey.” He checked his watch, then, satisfied that it was indeed still morning, went back to his work.

He hadn’t seemed to notice my odd sleeping patterns, or if he did, it had just become another of those things we didn’t talk about. One more thing he didn’t want to have to deal with, like his feelings or the fact that Ella stayed out half the night, or that our roles got reversed somewhere along the way and I had somehow ended up the parent in this bizarre scenario that was now our life.

“I made you a smoothie,” Dad informed me, pointing over his shoulder toward the fridge.

That was new. An unexpected but pleasant surprise, like the fish and chips last night. Maybe I just wasn’t giving him enough credit. He was trying in his own small way. “Thanks, Dad.” I grabbed the smoothie from the fridge and took a sip. Strawberry-banana—my favourite. Yes, he was definitely trying.

I patted his shoulder, thanking him again before crossing the living room and stepping outside. It was a beautiful day—the sun glistened on the lake, the sky was a vivid blue without a cloud in sight, and a gentle breeze blew off the water, sending my hair dancing around my shoulders. I didn’t miss the sweltering temperatures or humidity of the city, where heat often shimmered from the pavement like ghostly vapours.

In fact, I didn’t miss the city at all. That kind of surprised me, since I’d only ever lived in the city and would have thought I’d feel confined and claustrophobic on a small island. But then there was really nothing for me back home—I was finished with school, I had no real friends, no commitments there. Nothing but my memories, which were too raw and painful to face right now anyway.

Voices drew my attention in the direction of Ezra’s house. A woman my parents’ age stepped out the back door and onto the porch, followed by Ezra. She said something and smiled affectionately, touching his cheek. His mother? She would be about the right age, but I wasn’t getting a mom vibe from her.

A horrific thought occurred to me, and my stomach turned sour. What if that was where Ezra disappeared to every night? What if he was, like, some cougar’s dream come true and he…
no
. I shuddered, unable to finish the thought.

The woman laughed at something Ezra said, then hugged him long and tight before turning toward the porch stairs. Halfway down, she glanced up, and when our eyes locked she froze.

“My god,” she said breathlessly, gripping the railing. “It’s like seeing a ghost.”

I felt like a bug trapped under glass. The woman’s eyes had widened to the size of saucers as she took in my face.

My gaze moved past her to Ezra, who was watching silently, still standing near the back door. I don’t know whether my expression—which I imagined looked a lot like it was conveying ‘save me!’—was comical or what, but he started to laugh. Not the reaction I’d been expecting, but it seemed to snap the woman out of her daze.

“Aunt Lilah, I think you’re scaring her,” Ezra said, still chuckling lightly.

The woman covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing red. “I’m so sorry,” she said in a rush, coming down the final few steps and standing at the base of my porch. “It’s just…you look so much like your mother. I’m sure you hear that all the time, and I’m sure it doesn’t…help.” Her eyes filled with tears, and her embarrassment seemed to kick into high gear. “Ezra, help me out here,” she called over her shoulder.

Ezra came down the stairs and joined her in the sand. “Charlotte, this is Lilah. She’s the one I was telling you about. She owns your house, and she and our moms used to be best friends.”

“This isn’t how I hoped our first meeting would go,” Lilah chimed in, dashing her tears away and composing herself. She gave me a watery smile, her gaze still intent on my face. “It’s so good to finally meet you.”

Behind her, Ezra cocked his head as if to say ‘come here’, so I crossed the porch on stiff legs and made my way down the stairs.

“I’m sorry for my…unconventional greeting,” Lilah said, a self-deprecating smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “I just didn’t expect you to look so much like her. I feel like I’ve gone back in time thirty years and Annie is standing here in front of me.”

I never knew what to say when people told me I looked like my mom. It pleased me, but made me feel uncomfortable at the same time, especially now. I always prayed nobody would say it in front of Ella and give her another reason to resent me.

“She really loved you,” I said quietly, unsure where the words had come from. Lilah’s brows arched in surprise. Apparently she wasn’t the only one whose mouth wasn’t currently connected to her brain. “She always talked about her summers here,” I explained. “How much fun she used to have with you and Izzy.”

Lilah’s smile turned wistful. “Those summers were the best of my life. The three of us had some amazing times.”

“I…I’d like to hear about them sometime,” I ventured. I’d take any connection I could get to my mom.

“I’d love to tell you,” Lilah replied. “I’ll even dig out old pictures if you’d like. I might have a few short videos stashed away, too.”

“That would be great.”

“It’s settled then.” She hitched her purse higher on her shoulder and checked her watch. “I have to get going, but we’ll set something up soon. Maybe you could come out for lunch someday and we could have a visit.”

We agreed we’d be in touch soon, and Lilah left.

I sat down on the bottom porch step and looked up at Ezra, shielding my eyes with my hand. “Aunt Lilah?”

“Yeah.” He sat down beside me, his knee resting against mine. “She’s been in my life since I was a baby, and I’ve always called her Aunt. She’s been really good to my mom and me.”

“Everyone needs someone like that in their life,” I commented.

He nodded. “You have someone like that?” He leaned back and to the side, resting his shoulder against the railing so he could look at me.

“Not really. Mom was pretty much the heart of my family. She was always there, always doing stuff for us. She was like…Supermom.” I smiled to myself as I thought of the apron I’d bought her for Christmas several years ago that had a huge Supermom logo in red and blue, like a superhero. Sometimes she’d flip it over her shoulders and wear it like a cape, then pretend to fly around the kitchen just to make me laugh. I shook the thought away. “Anyway, no. Both my parents were only children, so no aunts and uncles or cousins, and nobody we considered family the way you do with Lilah.”

He seemed to think that over, his eyes serious. “I’d be happy to share.”

A laugh bubbled up in my throat and burst out. “That…is the best offer I’ve heard in a long time,” I told him. “Thank you.”

He bobbed his head, a small smile playing around the edges of his lips. “If it makes you smile and laugh, it’s my pleasure.”

Heat crept into my face, and I ducked my head. I took a sip of my smoothie, buying time while I thought of something to say.

“By the way…” he said slowly. He waited until I glanced at him, and my heart tripped in my chest when I saw the wicked smile on his face. “I saw your expression when Lilah and I came out of the house. You totally thought something was going on between us, didn’t you?”

“No!” I cried, my face getting even hotter. “Of course not. That’s just…”

“
Wrong
?” he supplied. He was laughing hard now, and the deep, throaty sound of it made my lips twitch as I tried to suppress a smile. “You should have seen your face. It was pretty great.”

“Shut up.” I nudged his leg with mine, and in his precarious sideways angle, he almost toppled down the stairs. His face registered surprise as he caught himself, and then we were both laughing. He pulled himself up beside me and we leaned against each other for support as the laughter rolled through us. Every time one of us would wind down, the other would start laughing harder, and we’d set each other off, until we had tears streaming down our faces.

When the laughter finally subsided, I wiped my cheeks and covered my face with my hands. “Oh my god.” My voice was hoarse. I felt exhausted and energized at the same time. I hadn’t laughed like that in…I thought about it—
really
thought about it—and I couldn’t remember the last time. “I needed that.”

“So did I.” He was still grinning as if the least little thing would set him off again. I didn’t imagine he was usually the type to lapse into fits of giggles. That thought made me smile. “Don’t start.” He pointed a finger at me, then pried my smoothie from my hand, bypassing the straw and taking a sip from the glass. “Mmm, good.”

“I can make you one if you want,” I told him. “Or I could make you something for lunch.”

Ezra screwed up his face and thought about it. “
Or
we could go with option three: you could let me keep
this
one, and I’ll take you into town for lunch in an hour.”

I stared at him, unsure if he was serious.

He leaned toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. I could see little flecks of blue and green in the ever-changing depths of his irises, and I swallowed hard. “I’m not hitting on you,” he said quietly, his eyes dancing.

My answering laugh was shaky, and I shoved him back.

“You know, unless you want me to,” he added, and again, I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not. When I didn’t respond, he looked down at the smoothie but I could still see the hint of a smile on his face. “Let me get back to work, and in an hour we’ll go down to the diner and get something to eat.” He didn’t phrase it as a question, apparently deciding not to wait for me to make up my mind.

“Okay.”

He stood and held out a hand to pull me to my feet. Like the other day when we’d met, he held onto my hand longer than necessary, and I felt those same tingles racing up my arm and spreading through me.

“See you in an hour,” he said, letting my hand slip from his. He walked backward toward the path between our houses, his eyes never leaving mine. “Hey Charlotte? I might have been hitting on you. You know, just a little.” He flashed me a quick grin and turned, heading for the front of the house.

I wondered if it was possible for a person’s heart to actually jump out of their mouth. I laid my hand over my chest, feeling my heart banging like a jackhammer inside. Would I ever be able to figure out Ezra Rhodes?

*****

I met Ezra outside and we walked together to his car. Until now, I hadn’t gotten a good look at the car, I’d just seen it from the back of the house or caught a glimpse of it in the garage.

“Is this a Chevy Impala?” I asked, standing at the passenger door and looking over the top of the car at Ezra, who cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

“Yeah. You a car girl or something?”

I blushed. “No, I just…recognized it.”

“From…” Ezra prompted, and I had a feeling from the glint in his eyes that he already knew the answer.

“From
Supernatural
, okay? I loved that car from the very first episode, but I’ve never actually seen one in real life.”

Ezra grinned. “Well today’s your lucky day. Hop in.” I slid into the passenger seat and Ezra turned the key in the ignition. The car roared to life then purred quietly like an overgrown kitten. “It was my old man’s,” Ezra explained. “I always loved this car, but he never let me drive it. Now it’s mine.”

I studied his profile, waiting for more. I always seemed to be waiting for more with Ezra. I didn’t think he was being purposely cryptic. He was probably just used to everyone on the island already knowing his history, and he forgot I wasn’t from here, so I couldn’t know. And as much as I
wanted
to know, I figured he’d tell me if and when he was ready.

We parked on the street between the general store and the Angel Diner, and went to the take-out window. After ordering a couple of burgers, fries, and milkshakes, we took our food and cut down an alley that came out at a little park by the water.

Ezra claimed a picnic table, and we sat across from each other. While we ate, we talked—not about anything important, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, someone who didn’t know all I’d been through in the last year and didn’t look at me like I would break if he said the wrong thing.

“I’m kind of surprised how many stores and restaurants there are around here,” I commented. “I’ve been to some of the larger islands around here and they don’t have half as much.”

“The island has a bigger population than most people think,” Ezra said. “It looks like a lot of farmland and scattered houses, and it
is
, but there are a ton of permanent residents here along with the tourists. The general store and a few other places have been there for decades, but shortly before I was born a bunch of islanders got together and decided they didn’t want to have to go to the mainland every time they wanted to buy something special or go out to eat. They got funding from somewhere and built the place up. Created a whole bunch of jobs, and increased our standing as a tourist island.”

I thought about that as I sipped my milkshake. “So, since you don’t really
need
to go to the mainland, do you go often?”

“Nah.” He shook his head and popped a couple of fries into his mouth. “I did when I was younger and still in school. Bunch of friends and I would head over most weekends to catch a movie or go to a concert. Now I don’t really have time for that stuff.” He cocked his head to the side and regarded me with a little smile. “I’ll take you anytime you want to go, though.”