Luke leaned forward, his blue eyes full of concern. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
There was something in his voice that made it feel safe to let down my guard. I hadn’t planned to say more, but the words came anyway. “She didn’t have any vacation time left after that trip, so when Hurricane Katrina hit, she had to stay and work. My mom was an incredible artist. Watercolors, acrylics… she could paint anything. But it wasn’t enough to pay the bills, so she worked as an aide at a retirement home. She used to bring me to work with her, even though she wasn’t supposed to. The rest of the family had already evacuated, so I stayed in her office while she worked.” I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat growing. “Then, just hours before the hurricane hit, they decided to evacuate the nursing home.”
Luke’s brow furrowed. “Why did they wait so long?”
“It’s not an easy decision,” I explained, my voice steadying as I slipped into the memory. “Moving elderly residents can be dangerous. Some don’t survive the stress. But as the storm’s path became clear, staying wasn’t an option anymore.”
He shook his head in disbelief. “That must have been agonizing for everyone.”
“My mom and I went home to pack, thinking we’d drive until we found a hotel. But by the time we were ready to leave, the roads were closed. The storm was almost here. We had no choice but to stay and ride it out.”
Luke’s gaze held mine, a mix of horror and empathy washing over his features. “That’s terrifying.”
“It was,” I admitted, remembering the worst day of my life. “The storm itself was chaos. The wind, the rain… it was as if the world were breaking apart. But the real nightmare started after. The levees broke, and water started flooding the city. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky anymore, but everywhere you looked, water was rising. Our house was one level. My mom knew we couldn’t stay.”
I took a shaky breath, my fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. “We got in the car, trying to outrun the water. It felt like it was chasing us relentlessly. Everywhere we turned, there were downed trees and debris blocking the roads. But my mom kept going. She believed we’d make it to high ground. Then the car just stopped. Water started seeping in.”
Luke’s hand reached for mine and held it. “What happened?”
“My mom managed to force the door open against the pressure. She pulled me onto this makeshift raft. It was a door or something, I don’t even know. But then she got swept away. I was alone, floating, until this man in a boat appeared and pulled me out.”
I didn’t realize I was crying until Luke handed me a Kleenex. “Anna… I’m so sorry.”
His eyes were full of so much compassion that it made my throat ache. He didn’t look away, didn’t rush to fill the silence; he just held my hand. And for a second, I wanted to tell him everything. About the panic that grips me when I even think about leaving New Orleans. About how every time I pack a bag, I feel like the water’s rising again, and I can’t breathe. About how terrified I am that someday he’ll finally see how broken I really am.
Luke’s eyes stayed locked on mine. For the first time, I felt like I could share my secrets with someone. I might have told Luke everything, right then and there, if the piercing wail of a siren hadn’t cut through the air.
26
LUKE
Tom burst through the door,his expression grim but controlled. “A tornado’s been sighted a couple of miles from here. We need to get you both to an interior bathroom. Now.”
I glanced at Anna, catching the flicker of fear in her eyes. She’d just opened up to me about her mom and shared pieces of herself I knew weren’t easy to remember. And now this storm was bearing down on us, like the universe had decided she hadn’t been through enough. My chest tightened, not from fear for myself but from the overwhelming need to keep her safe.
Without thinking, I squeezed her hand tighter. Her fingers were cold, and the slight tremble in her grip tugged at something deep in me. “We’ll be fine.” I kept my voice steady and calm. “We’ll be fine.”I’ll make sure of it. You have to believe that, Anna.
All I wanted at that moment was to shield her from everything, to wrap her in something so solid even the storm couldn’t touch her.
“Come on,” I said, guiding her as we followed Tom. Her hand was still in mine, and I wasn’t letting go. Not until I was sure she was safe. “Tom and Hal are pros. They’ve planned for every possible scenario.”
The wind howled outside, shaking the windows. I glanced back at her as we moved, and something about the trust in her eyes, even through the fear, nearly leveled me. She didn’t let go of my hand, and that simple act filled me with a determination I couldn’t quite put into words.
Whatever happens, I’m not letting anything hurt her. Not tonight. Not ever.
Tom led us to a sleek, high-tech guest bathroom on the first floor. “You’ll be safe here.” He gestured toward the spacious, marble-clad room, then pointed to the sculpted bathtub at its center. “If you hear loud winds or crashing sounds, get into the tub. It’s anchored and will give you extra protection.”
“And you and Hal?” Anna asked.
Tom nodded reassuringly. “We’ll be nearby, in safe positions, to monitor the property. Just stay here, and we’ll let you know when it’s clear.”
I tightened my grip on Anna’s hand as Tom left, the door clicking shut behind him.
Anna’s eyes darted around the space, her shoulders visibly relaxing just a fraction. “Of all the places to ride out a tornado, this has to be the fanciest bathroom I’ve ever seen.”
I scanned the bathroom, taking in the marble countertops, the gilded mirror, and the chandelier overhead. It was the kind of place that felt more suited to a palace than a house. “Yeah.” I glanced up at the absurdly opulent light fixture before my eyes landed on something even more baffling—a plush ottoman tucked in the corner. “Why would you even need an ottoman in a bathroom? Are people just… lounging in here?”
She let out a laugh, the kind of laugh that snuck under your skin and made you feel like maybe things weren’t so bad.
