Someone Else’s Life(41)

Julia pointed her finger at the phone. “Exactly. See, guys, someone understands.”

Annie caught Izzy’s look, and they both rolled their eyes.

“I saw that.” Julia pinched her lips together, glaring at her friends.

Annie laughed. “I’m happy for you, Julia. When are you going to tell your parents?”

Julia’s face immediately dropped, her mouth turning down. “I don’t know. You know how my parents are. They’re always making anti-gay comments, like how unnatural it is. Like it’s a disease or something.”

Annie felt Julia’s pain. Her parents were a bit more open, but they still had some hard-and-fast ideas of what relationships should be like. At the same time, maybe it was time Julia finally confronted her parents. “You’re thirty-eight years old, Julia. Don’t you think it’s time to live your life the way you want and not be afraid of what your parents think?” Julia was four years younger than Annie and Izzy. She’d been only eighteen when they met all those years ago, and Annie and Izzy liked to tease her about how much younger she was.

“I know.” Julia’s chin dropped to her chest so all they saw was the top of her head, making her voice muffled. “I’m scared. But I don’t want to hide Sheilah. I don’t want to pretend she’s my ‘special friend.’”

“I wish I was there to help you.” Annie felt helpless all the way in Hawaii and glanced at Serena, who was looking on, sympathy shining in her eyes, making Annie certain again that she was going to be a great friend.

Julia’s head popped back up. “Hey, that’s a good idea. Can you come back here and go with me to tell my parents? They love you. They’d listen to you more than me. Maybe you can convince them.”

Izzy piped up. “Julia! She just got to Kauai. She can’t fly all the way back here just to hold your hands while you talk to Mommy and Daddy.”

Annie shook her head. “I wish I could. But I’m just getting settled here. And besides, you need to be a big girl and do it yourself.”

Julia nodded glumly. Then her face brightened. “But you could take a quick break and come home and help me. I mean, you don’t even have a job yet, do you?”

Annie opened her mouth to answer when a booming crack of thunder shook the house. She turned to look at Serena, whose eyes had widened in alarm.

“What was that?” Izzy asked, bringing the phone close to his face again.

“Thunder.” Annie walked to the window just as lightning jolted across the sky, lighting up the darkness for a moment. What she saw made her blood freeze. The driveway, illuminated by the outdoor lights, and front yard were completely under at least a few inches of water.





22


“Annie, is everything okay?” Julia peered at her, concerned.

“I need to call my sister. It’s starting to flood.” Annie exchanged a look with Serena, who was clutching her wineglass with both hands.

“Oh no.” Izzy gasped. “You need to get out.”

“My father thinks we’re safer staying here since we’re up high from the river.” Annie bit her bottom lip. “I have to call them.”

“Okay, but call us right back, okay?” Julia’s worried eyes focused on Annie’s face.

“I will,” Annie promised, then disconnected.

She immediately dialed her father and was relieved when Sam picked up. “Did you see the river is flooding?”

“Yes.” Sam’s voice was calm. “Baba thinks we’re okay. He thinks it will be fine.”

“What do you think? Do you think we’re safer trying to drive somewhere?” Annie was worried. What was the right thing to do? Stay or leave? But where would they go?

“Unless there’s a surge from the mountains, he thinks we’ll be safer here.”

“But the news said earlier that parts of Kauai might need to evacuate.” Annie tried to keep her voice from rising in panic, turning to the TV to see whether there was any breaking news.

“Yes, the low-lying areas. I don’t know.” Sam sucked in a breath. “We’ve had flooding before, and it never reached the house because of the way it’s built. But then again, we’ve never had a storm this bad since we moved here.”

Annie swung her attention to the news. On the breaking news ticker at the bottom of the screen, they were warning people to stay put because of damage from the storm. Kuhio Highway was partially closed between Lihue and Kapaa, due to downed trees across the road. Annie gasped when she saw that. There was no way Brody was getting home anytime soon, since that was the only way into Kapaa from Lihue.

“The news says to stay put,” Annie said into the phone to Sam.

“I think that’s for the best too. So does Baba. You okay over there?”

Annie swallowed before answering. “Yes, okay.”

“Come over,” Sam urged. “If this is freaking you out.”

Annie looked at Serena and admitted to a reluctance to leaving the cozy Ohana. If her father thought it was okay to stay here, then she’d rather stay inside and dry and not get soaked running over to the main house.

“We’re okay. Give Finn a hug and kiss from me, okay?”

“Okay. I’ll let you know if anything changes.” Sam said goodbye and then hung up.