Her face was etched with worry. Probably not worrying about the approaching storm or the fact they’d missed the last ferry. Worried about Winston.
They headed off to Main Street, then Cliff took First Street over to Bayview. The wind whipped the tree branches, and a lone scrap of paper danced down the street, twisting in the wind.
He kept calling out for Winston but worried his voice was being carried away with the wind. They had to find the dog. He was sure his mother would still be out looking through the actual hurricane if they didn’t find Winston first.
He glanced at his watch and realized the last ferry was gone now. Fear crept through him. He hadn’t ever planned to sit out another hurricane on this island, but here he was.
He looked down the long street, wondering where to look next. The wind picked up, sending leaves skittering across the pavement. He was at a loss. How long could they wander around calling for Winston?
Suddenly, an idea came to him. His mother would often go over to Bayside B&B to visit with her friend, Darlene, and she often took Winston with her. He turned and cut over to Darlene’s B&B and walked around the back to the porch, calling out Winston’s name. His heart leapt when he climbed the stairs and spied the dog huddled in the far corner.
He approached slowly. “Hey, buddy. It’s okay. Shh… It’s okay.”
Winston’s tail was firmly tucked beneath him with no welcoming wag.
“Hey, Winston. Good to see you. Let’s head back home. How about that?” He kept his voice low and calm. When he reached the dog, he carefully hooked the leash on his collar. Relief swept through him.
He snagged his phone and sent out a text. Found him.
As he started to lead Winston off the porch, the dog sat down. The dog was having none of it. He reached down and scooped up the dog. “Okay, buddy. You win. I’ll carry you.”
The dog snuggled against him with a sigh. He climbed down the stairs and hurried back to his mother’s house. She was waiting for them as they arrived and rushed out to grab Winston from him. She buried her face in Winston’s fur. For a long moment, she remained like that, then she lifted her head. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Thank you, Cliff. Thank you so much. I just… I can’t lose him.”
He stared at her for a moment. He’d never seen her cry. Ever. Not when her father died. Not when her husband died. Tears were not something Eleanor Whitmore Griffin ever gave into.
Except now.
The sight of her vulnerability tugged at a place in him he didn’t know could still be touched. She had always been a fortress of composure, sure of herself, her emotions carefully guarded behind walls of propriety and pride.
Jonah stepped forward and took her arm, leading her back to the protection of the porch. “Okay, as I see it, we have two choices. We stay here and ride out the storm, or we take my boat and head to the mainland. We won’t have all the things you packed up in your car, Ellie.”
“I don’t care about my things. I have Winston.” Her voice cracked.
“I can get us to the mainland, and we’ll have to see if we can rent a car to go further inland to safety. It will be a rough ride, but I think that’s our best choice.”
“I vote taking your boat.” Cliff had no desire to stay on the island.
“We could just stay. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” His mother cuddled the dog closer to her.
“Ellie, we should leave. It’s safer.”
She finally nodded. “Okay. Let me just grab the bag of Winston’s food.”
“We’ll take my car, Mother. Yours is crammed full of your stuff.”
They piled into his car, and when they got to the marina, they followed Jonah to his boat. “Cliff, take Winston for a moment while I help your mother aboard.”
By now, he was soaked through and through but hardly cared. He was getting off the island. He wasn’t stuck there, sitting out another hurricane. That was all that mattered.
His mother got on board, then Jonah took the dog and climbed on. “Cliff, can you untie us, then climb aboard?”
He did as he was told, then jumped aboard. He joined them in the cabin as the boat sprang to life. Jonah maneuvered it out of the slip and into the bay. The wind had picked up, and the bay was filled with choppy, white-capped waves.
“Cliff, grab the life jackets in that cabinet. I think it wise we put them on.” Jonah looked over at his mother. “Ah, it’s going to be a rough ride.”
He found the life jackets, and they all slipped them on. Jonah’s face was etched with concern. “Ellie, why don’t you sit down with Winston?”
She settled on a bench with Winston in her arms. She murmured into the dog’s ears. “We’ll be fine, Winston. We’ll get you all safe, you’ll see.”
