“Not sure my hubby would like you crashing with us, but I’ve got a room with your name on it. It’s all yours,” Camille said, half serious, half in jest. “Love you, sis.”
“Right back at you.”
CHAPTER SIX
Tabitha turned the radio dial. After that shift, all she wanted was to put on some relaxing instrumental music and let the day filter away with every note. But each station was filled with talk of the storm, something that did the polar opposite of relax her.
Her shoulders inched up to her ears with each description of possible devastation.
Maybe it was because she knew a storm like this would crowd the ER, the potential for injuries exponentially higher when Mother Nature’s fury was involved. When Tabitha was still in her residency, she’d helped out in disaster relief efforts after one of the big hurricanes hit back east, and the things they treated were definitely outside of what she saw on a typical day in the hospital. As a trauma surgeon, Tabitha was always prepared for the unexpected, but “unexpected” had a wide range when impacted by the weather.
She stretched her arm to shut the radio off completely when something the DJ said snagged her attention.
A chartered fishing expedition one hundred miles from the coast had recently gone off the radar, and search crews werebeginning to organize in an effort to canvas the area before the storm fully hit.
Tabitha’s stomach rolled at the thought, the memories of her parents’ ocean disappearance so many years ago slamming to the forefront of her brain like a boulder of grief. The ocean was an unmatched force of power and rage. Thankfully, it wasn’t common to hear of sailors lost at sea these days, especially with so many advances in technology, along with the expertise of the Coast Guard. But it could still happen.
She shuddered as she pulled up to her beach house and powered down her vehicle.
Casey was at Hannah’s and Ben was showing a home to a new client, so the beach house would undoubtedly be empty. Sometimes, that’s exactly what she wanted after a day in the OR. But today, she needed the reassurance of company, something only her sister could provide.
Armed with a bottle of wine and a brave face, she marched over to The Getaway, letting herself in like always.
Seemed she wasn’t the only one with that idea.
Tabitha could hear the chatter from the entryway, voices conversing in the large dining room off the kitchen, almost talking over one another. Bordering on shouting.
“Hey, did I miss an invite to a party I’m unaware of?” Tabitha teased Edie who sat directly between Cal and Josh, poring over some important looking binder.
“We relocated gala planning for now. Figured the venue wasn’t the safest with all of those floor to ceiling windows. Not with the winds they’re talking about.”
“Hey, sis.” Josh rose from his seat to give Tabitha a hug, the greeting—both the words and the physical touch—something she hadn’t quite gotten used to yet. Even months after the discovery, she still sometimes couldn’t believe she had a brother.
“Hey.” She hugged him back, quick to realize the animated conversation she’d caught the tail end of wasn’t as civil as it had seemed. “How’s planning going?”
“It’s going.” Cal let out a huff from the end of the long table. He pushed back from his seat, wearing his agitation visibly. “I’m going to make a pot of coffee. Would anyone like a cup?”
Coffee was probably a better option than what Tabitha currently had in her hand. She also knew that despite his work as a wine curator—one of the best Tabitha had ever met, actually—Josh was sober and had been for some time. While she knew it didn’t bother him when others drank in his presence, she figured coffee was a more appropriate beverage for the hour and the situation, anyway.
“I’ll take a cup,” she said to Cal. “Thank you.”
“Cream or sugar?”
“Both, please.”
Camille shouldered around Cal in the doorway to the kitchen, her eyes immediately landing on her sister. “Oh, good. You’re here too. Just four more ducks to worry about.”
“Ducks?” Tabitha glanced over at Edie for some sort of clarification.
“She’s trying to ‘get her ducks in a row’ before the storm hits, which apparently means having all of her loved ones under one roof.”
“Foster’s on his way, and I’ve already spoken with Ben. He’ll be coming by as soon as he’s done showing that house up the coast.” Camille was never all that great at camouflaging her emotions, and Storm-Ready Camille was clearly no different. “Casey and Hannah said they’d try to be by later tonight, just to check in.” She paused, a wild look flashing across her face. “Oh, goodness. I forgot they’re pregnant! I suppose that means I still have four ducks and one duckling left to get in a row.” Her hand slapped her forehead.
“Why do we all need to be together?” Josh asked, rejoining Edie at the table.
“So I can keep tabs on all of you. I can’t track the storm and keep track of my people if you’re all in different places. And once the power goes out, who knows how that will affect our communication devices.”
“Communication devices?” Edie looked puzzled by the jargon. “You mean our phones?”
