Beach House Reunion (Beach House #5)(87)

She sucked in her breath. “No,” she agreed. “The last big one was Hugo. And remember what that storm did.” She shuddered. “Every summer when the hurricane forecasts come out, we all shake our heads and say we’re due for another big one. It’s not if but when.” She looked at David, sought his understanding. “That kind of thinking takes its toll over time. The tension and fear . . .” She paused. “They slowly build up like a disease until, smack, one year hurricane season hits and you’re paralyzed and you realize that you have PTSD. That’s what I have. Really. Too many years of trauma from staying on this island and weathering storms.”

“Why did you stay and not evacuate?”

“Brett,” she answered succinctly. “He never left. Not ever for Category One hurricanes. He had his fleet of boats to take care of. That was his livelihood. They had to be battened down or moved to a different location. Every fall we lived listening to the weather reports round the clock. Even now, the TV is on, blaring the weather stations. The meteorologists all say the same thing over and over, but each time a bulletin is released we come running like it’s the first time we’ve heard it. I live in constant readiness to flee.”

“That’s how you’re supposed to feel. It’s not smart to get complacent.”

“Well, this time, I’m running,” she said emphatically. “I’ve got Hope to think about.”

“Right.” He narrowed his eyes. “Where are you headed?”

“To some hotel in Columbia. Emmi made the reservations. I’ve got it all written down inside.”

David put his hands on his hips. “Why go to a hotel? Come to my place in the mountains. It’s right outside of Asheville.”

Cara was taken aback. “You’ve never mentioned before that you have a house in Asheville.”

“It’s never come up till now.” Seeing her dubious reaction, he grinned and said, “For the sake of transparency, I have a house in Costa Rica, too. Look, it’s no big deal. Lots of folks from Charlotte have cabins in Asheville or a house near the lake. My wife loved the mountains, so we went there.” He rubbed his jaw. “I haven’t been in a while. I’m pretty content on Dewees. But Heather and Bo have gone up a few times this summer. She’s always loved it there, which is the main reason I hang on to it. They’re on their way now, as a matter of fact. With Rory.”

“That’s good. I’m glad they’ve left.” She rubbed her arms in anxiety. All this talk of evacuation was making her nervous.

“It’s a place you can go. Will you come? Bring Linnea, too.”

“But I’m supposed to meet Emmi and Flo.”

“Bring them, too.”

“Is there room for us all?”

“We’ll squeeze you in somehow. It’ll be better than a hotel.”

Cara put her fingertips to her forehead, gathering her thoughts. “Linnea is going home, so she won’t come. The family will go upstate to the hunting lodge. I was invited, of course, but . . .” She looked up and saw David standing like a mountain against the changing sky. He was offering her safe refuge.

And, she knew, so much more.

“Thank you. Yes. I’ll go with you.”



LINNEA WOKE WHEN her phone rang. She reached out to grab it, her first thought being not to awaken the baby. The house felt muggy, the air thick. She put the phone to her ear, noticing that the night was still black. Good news never came in the middle of the night.

“Hello?” Her voice was scratchy for lack of sleep.

“Linnea? It’s Mama.”

Linnea heard something in her mother’s voice that had her sitting bolt upright in the bed, clutching the phone. “What’s the matter, Mama?”

“It’s Cooper,” she said in a hoarse voice. Linnea heard the tears in it. “He’s in the hospital. MUSC.”

“What?” Linnea said on a breath. Her mind was spinning as fast as her heart rate. She envisioned a car accident. Broken glass. Blood. “Is he okay? What happened?”

“Yes. No . . .” She choked back a cry. “It was an overdose.”

It took a few moments for Linnea to take that in. “I’ll be right there.”

“Don’t come yet. They won’t let you see him. He’s still in treatment. It could be hours yet.”

She had thoughts of coma and brain damage. “How bad is he?”

“We don’t know yet. Oh, Linnea . . .”

“I’m on my way.”



LINNEA DRESSED QUICKLY, then hurried down the dark hall to waken Cara. She roused with a start, immediately on alert.

“What?” she said with alarm. “Is it Hope?”

“No, nothing like that.”

Linnea’s voice was shaky as she told her the news. Cara bolted from the bed.

“I can dress quickly. Would you get Hope ready?”

“You don’t have to come to the hospital.”

“But of course I’m going to the hospital.” In typical fashion, Cara began making quick decisions as her hands dug through her drawer. “We’ll caravan to the hospital,” she told Linnea. “We’ll go on to evacuate afterward. It’s good the cars are already packed up. Let’s just close up here and leave now. I’ll call David later and let him know what we will do once . . .” She paused to find the right words. “Once we know the situation.”