Unfinished Ex (Calloway Brothers, #2)(53)

Jessie, one of the other crew members making the trip, hands me my laptop. “Better get on this thing. The storm has shifted. Not only will we make it, we might end up in the fucking eye.”

Cheers erupt from all four of us.

My adrenaline spikes.

I’ve waited my whole life for this.





Chapter Twenty-one



Jaxon




I check the weather app during my planning period and almost drop my phone. The storm has shifted, and it’s headed right for… Nags Head?



Me: Uh, Nicky? Have you seen the radar?



I don’t get a single paper graded or lesson planned. Is it horrible of me to hope traffic was so bad they couldn’t make it? What am I thinking? Everyone will be leaving Nags Head, not driving toward it. Only crazy people do that. Unless they do that traffic flow reversal where they use both sides of a freeway to evacuate. Surely they won’t be able to go out to an island everyone is trying to get off of.

In the absence of her reply, I stalk The Weather Channel. Louisa is a full-on tropical storm now.

It’s not expected to become a hurricane by the time it makes landfall, so I guess there’s that.

The final bell rings. I head to the cafeteria for the team meal.

Drake, my defensive coordinator, doesn’t fail to notice my unusual pre-game silence.

“Everything okay?”

I nod and barely look up from my phone.

“Damn,” my strength and conditioning coach says, looking over my shoulder. “Hell of a storm.”

“I’m quite aware.” I slap my phone on the table and choke down some barbeque.

“Why do you care about a storm down in North Carolina?” the athletic trainer asks. “It won’t affect the weather up here.”

Eric and I share a look. He’s the only one of my guys who knows about Nicky and me.

“I guess I shouldn’t care, then.”

After our meal, the players and coaches head off to the offensive and defensive meetings, then the players get taped and dressed. The whole time, I’m trying to keep my thoughts off Nicky. After all, this is the biggest game of the year. The last thing I need is for my mind to be four hundred miles away.

Just before warm-ups, I get a text.



Nicky: I have. It’s amazing.



Me: Where are you?



Nicky: Nags Head.



Me: Shit, really?



Nicky: Don’t worry about me. I’ve got a cameraman and two crew members who will be spotting for me the entire time. We’re one of the few teams that got here before they initiated the contraflow lane reversal. Do you know what that means? Other stations may even carry my feed. NBC, ABC, CBS. Jaxon!!!!!



Me: I’m… excited for you. Damn, it was hard to even type that. Be careful, Nic.



Nicky: I have to go. Please don’t worry. Bands are coming in stronger, and the power has been going in and out. If you can’t contact me, don’t panic. Cell towers may either go out or be overwhelmed.



Me: You’re making this so much better.



Nicky: Sorry. Just trying to prepare you. Hey, good luck tonight. Go Cavs!!!



Me: Somehow I feel I’m the one who should be wishing you luck.



Nicky: Not necessary. Bye.



Not necessary my ass. TWC is saying this may only be a tropical storm, but it’s a strong one, and it’s moving slowly. That could mean more rainfall, higher storm surge, and possibly higher wind gusts.

I think.

Fuck.

The urge to call her and beg her to get somewhere safe is strong. But I’m not going to be the boyfriend who keeps her on a short leash. Hell, I’m not even sure I’m her boyfriend. We never finished our conversation. At this point, the only thing I know for sure that I am to her is her ex.

A hand grips my shoulder. “She’s a big girl, Jaxon,” Eric says. “This is what she does for a living.”

“Is it?” I shake my head. “I don’t even know if she’s done this before. Yeah, she chased tornadoes and shit, but those come and go quickly, and you don’t actually put yourself in the direct path. This is different. She’s on an island with no way out, and it’s coming for her.”

“I watch that Cantore guy all the time. He’s usually the one in the direct path. As far as I know, he never has problems.”

“He’s a lot older and has decades more experience.”

“I’m sure her team isn’t going to let her do anything dangerous.”

I laugh. “Simply by being there, they’re doing something dangerous.”

“You know what I mean.” He picks up a football and twirls it on the tip of a finger. “So, hey, is this going to fuck up your head? We do have kind of a big game tonight.”

“No. I’m good.” I look at my phone and check my messages. “But listen, you may have to hold on to this for me, or I might check it obsessively.”

He takes it. “Good idea. Nothing you can do about it anyway. But what you can do is coach our guys to a win. You up for it?”

“Hell yes, I am.”

“Then let’s get through warms-ups, and then you go give them the best damn pep talk of your life and lead them out on the field like you mean it.”