Their idyllic life on the island hit a snag when it was announced that a hurricane was on the way. At the news Erin became filled with a sense of dread. She tackled Francine in the kitchen.
“What’s a hurricane like? Will it destroy the island? Will we be in great danger?” The words shot out in rapid succession, clear evidence of her fright. She was not afraid to admit it. She’d never experienced a hurricane before and she was scared.
She’d heard horror stories of tidal waves taller than ten storey buildings and people getting sucked out to sea. She’d heard of heavy winds flattening houses, people getting electrocuted by downed power lines and people getting sick from contaminated water supplies. Nothing she’d heard about hurricanes was good.
“Ah, nina,” Francine sighed, “hurricanes are dangerous but we will survive. And you, in this well built house, you will be safe. I’m happy that you have a strong man to protect you.”
“But what about you, Francine? You will stay here with us, right? I want you to be safe." Erin grabbed the older woman’s hand. Although Francine spent a lot of time in Dare's house she also had her own home on the island. Erin was worried that she would go back there. She could not explain it but she felt an affinity with Francine that was far more than an employer-employee relationship.
“No, nina. Senor Dare, he arranged for me to go to Atlanta to be with my son. I will leave long before the storm hits.”
Erin breathed a sigh of relief. One less person to worry about.
Next day Erin accompanied Francine into the airport where they hugged and shared well wishes. The housekeeper waved goodbye as she stood at the entrance to the international departure lounge and her eyes glistened with tears. Erin, too, felt choked up but she bit her lip and held on. She would not give in to tears. She was not the emotional type and couldn’t figure out why tears seemed to come so easily these days. It must be the baby hormones.
Erin spent the rest of the day shopping. Like everyone else she was making sure to have adequate supplies in case the hurricane devastated the island. It was not unheard of that, following a natural disaster such as this, electrical power would be out for weeks. With that in mind she stocked up on flashlights, lanterns and batteries, canned and packaged foods and dozens of cases of drinking water. When the chauffeur bundled her into the car to take her home there was hardly enough room left for her to sit. She didn’t mind, though. She’d much rather be over prepared than in need.
That evening when Dare got home he told her he’d arranged for workmen to come in and board up the huge bay windows and French doors. The hurricane winds would easily shatter the panes, sending glass flying. They had to prevent that at all costs. He spoke calmly, almost casually, as if boarding up a house was the most natural thing to do. Meanwhile, Erin was quaking in her shoes.
Dare must have seen her fear because he stepped forward, looking like he was about to take her in his arms. But then he let his hands fall to his sides. Instead, he gave her a gentle smile. “It will be alright. This isn’t the first hurricane to hit Santa Marta. We’ll pull through just fine.”
"But they say this will be the worst one in a decade. And what if we get a tidal wave? We’re so close to the ocean.” She spoke quietly, her voice steady, but she felt far from it. Her eyes searched his, desperately seeking the reassurance she needed right then. At that moment she would have welcomed his embrace so she could feel the strength and power of his body against hers and revel in the comfort of his arms.
But it was not to be. She’d set her boundary, one he’d vowed never to cross until she made the first move. And she wanted to. Even now as he stood looking down at her she wanted to.
But she could not.
Dare shoved his hands into his pockets and on his face was a look of determination. “We’ll beat this, Erin. We just have to prepare the best way we can. I’ve already taken the necessary precautions at the resort. They’re the ones that are close to the ocean, not us. This house is on a hill, remember?”
“You’re right,” Erin said, frowning. She hadn’t thought about the resort at all. “What about the guests? How will they manage?”
“Half of them have already left and a few more will go tomorrow. For the ones who decided to stay we’ve moved them to the villas farthest from the beach. They’ll be on a grade so they should be fine.” He gave a sigh. “Thank God for loyal employees. We’ve got a skeleton staff staying on to serve them. They’ll all be paid triple time for staying."
“Because they’ll be away from their families?”
“Yes. I want them to know I appreciate the sacrifice they're making.” He smiled. “They don’t know it yet but I already spoke to the director of finance to factor in an extra bonus for them at the end of the year.”
“That’s generous of you,” she said and her heart warmed to him. He’d been a jerk, no doubt about that, but after seeing this other side of him how could she stay mad?
And how could she stay unaffected by this enticingly sexy man? She’d vowed to keep saying no but with her pregnant hormones raging she seemed to constantly be in a heightened state of arousal. She wanted him so badly she could almost taste it.
But she had to stay strong. For the sake of her heart she could not put herself at risk a second time.
The next day dawned clear and bright. You would never know a hurricane was on the way. It was perfect weather for the workmen to complete their task and within just a few hours they were done.
That evening she and Dare went through their list of supplies, making sure they had everything they needed. At the last minute Dare remembered one critical piece - they hadn’t checked the first aid kit. When they found it they realized that all the painkillers had expired and had to be thrown out. Dare made a quick dash to the local drug store, arriving just ten minutes before it closed. After that, with the kit filled with bandages, iodine for cuts and bruises, painkillers, gauze and a splint they were ready.
On the third day Erin and Dare woke to a sky that hung low and gray like an ominous shroud. Everywhere was still. There was no chirping or whistling in the trees this morning. Not a single bird had remained behind. Even the tree frogs seemed to have disappeared. The animals knew what was coming and they, too, had gone to seek shelter from the coming onslaught.