Remind Me Read online

  And she has…

  Oh, man, the last time she was back in Magnolia Sound–which was a year ago–he had been shocked at the changes in her. She was still beautiful–maybe even more so–but she carried herself with such grace and elegance that made her even more attractive. Everything in him had reacted to her in such a powerful way that he left town for most of her visit just so he wouldn’t be tempted to seek her out.

  It was the sight of her standing out on the dock next to the boathouse that had done him in. Late one afternoon, he had been walking over to talk to Zeke when he spotted Mallory down by the water. She’d been in a long, flowing dress and there was a soft breeze that had the material molded to one side. It had reminded him of all the days and nights they had spent down there together. One look and it had taken every ounce of will he had not to go down to her because he knew if he did, he would have kissed her and begged her to go into the boathouse like they used to and make love to her all night long. He fought to remember how things had ended–how she ran and refused to listen, how she cried and apologized, and how he had been the one to say it was all too much.

  And it was.

  She was a distraction and his life was at a point where he needed total focus. Naturally she hadn’t taken his rejection well and when she was on the verge of wearing him down–of convincing him they could still make things work–he had done something he swore he’d never do.

  He lied.

  Looking back, he knew it was a mistake to go that route, but at the time he had needed to make a clean break so he could get his head in the game with college. Taking a six-year break between high school and college hadn’t been part of his plan, but that’s the way things had worked out and once he finally had his opportunity, he wasn’t going to blow it by distracting himself with a long-distance relationship. It seemed logical back then, but right now? Not so much. If he could go back in time…

  But he couldn’t and it was pointless to even go there or think about it.

  Outside the wind was whipping and he could already hear some branches of nearby trees banging against the house. Time to stop walking down memory lane and get back to what was important–securing his and Zeke’s homes and doing what he could to convince his neighbor to evacuate.

  Spotting his sandwich, Jake walked over and quickly wolfed it down, then grabbed a bottle of water and took a long drink. It was going to be a long night and he needed to keep his strength up if he was going to get everything he needed to done. Grabbing his tablet, he pulled up his to-do list and scanned it.

  “Board up the windows, check. Secure the outside furniture and put what I can in storage, check.” Walking to his pantry, he checked on his emergency supplies. “Batteries, radio, water, candles, first aid kit, canned goods…check.”

  Next he walked into his bedroom and double checked all the documents he had placed in the safe earlier–insurance policies, photos, birth certificate–it seemed crazy, but the safe was water and fireproof. He knew that if anything should happen to the house, the important stuff should be safe.

  Walking through the house, he felt restless. In the last two years he had done renovations on the place and updated so many things. The thought of it all going to waste in a storm made his stomach churn. This was one of the sad realities of living on the coast and it was something he’d lived with his entire life, but it was the first time it was happening to him as an adult, where it was a place that was totally his.

  “Don’t think about it,” he warned himself. “There’s a good chance this storm will turn or weaken in the next twenty-four hours. Think positively.”

  That was easier said than done when he could hear the wind from inside the house. Turning around, he grabbed his rain gear and put it back on before grabbing his phone and slipping it into his pocket. With a steadying breath, he walked outside and went back to work securing the two properties as best as he could.

  2

  Mallory sat glued to her television for the next two days, calling in sick because she wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything anyway. It wasn’t a total loss because there was still so much she could do remotely, so she set up her laptop on her coffee table and did as much work as she could while keeping the Weather Channel on non-stop.

  With each update, her optimism that the storm might weaken shrunk. It wasn’t going to downgrade to a Category 1 and it wasn’t going to turn and head out into the Atlantic. Every hour, her anxiety level grew. She had checked in every hour with her mother and as of noon, everyone was at Aunt Georgia and Uncle Beau’s townhouse.

  Except Pops.

  She cried when her mother called this morning and told her how she left the big coastal plantation home and waved goodbye to Pops and Jake as she pulled away. Then they’d both cried for several minutes without speaking. Her heart hurt so much and it felt like she was right there in the car with her mother. Mallory could clearly see Jake and Pops on the grand front porch waving goodbye.

  After that, she had tried to call Pops, but the call never went through. Then she had tried to call Jake and it went directly to voicemail.

  Not the most encouraging sign…

  Right on cue, her phone rang and she knew without even looking that it was her mother. Grabbing the remote, she muted the television before answering. “Hey,” she said breathlessly. “Any updates? Has anyone talked to Pops?”

  Susannah sighed. “Not directly, but I did get a call from Colton Hale a little while ago and he stopped by the house on his way out of town. He said that other than some downed branches, everything looked good and both Pops and Jake were fine.”

  “Wait…who’s Colton Hale?”

  “He’s one of the foremen who works for Coleman. He’s done some work on the house for us and he was part of the crew Jake sent over yesterday to help board everything up.”

  “Oh. That was nice of him to stop by and check on things,” Mallory said, feeling at least a little relief at knowing someone had actually gone and seen them for themselves. “So…now what? I’ve tried calling both Pops and Jake and my calls aren’t going through. I hate how they’re cut off from everyone.”

  “I know it’s not ideal but cell service is spotty at best right now. Colton said he had tried to call me several times before it actually went through.”

  “It’s nice that he kept trying.” She paused. “What are all of you going to do? I mean I know you’re at the townhouse and all, but the storm’s still going to hit that area too.”

  “Now we just have to sit and wait, unfortunately. They’re not letting anyone back over the bridge so even if we wanted to go back, we can’t. The evacuation route has all lanes going in a single direction–away from the coast–so for now we can only sit and watch it all unfold on the television.” She paused and then groaned.

  “What? What’s the matter?”

  “The power’s already flickering. So basically we can only sit and watch it unfold until we lose power.”

  “Oh, Mom…I wish there was something I could do.”

  “Me too. I’m just glad you’re safe and not having to deal with this. It’s hard enough worrying about everyone here.”

  “At least you’re not all crammed in there. I’m guessing Mason, Parker, and Peyton aren’t there with you, are they?”

  Susannah chuckled softly. “Mason’s here because he was told to come and help, but Parker went with Tyler to Raleigh for the weekend. That’s where his family is now. And Peyton was already on vacation out in L.A. and decided to extend it until the storm passed.”

  “Lucky her,” Mallory murmured. “So now you’re stuck all weekend with Mason the Magnificent?”

  Still laughing, her mother gently chided her. “That’s not nice, Mallory. And really, I would think he’s outgrown that nickname–no matter what your brother says.”

  “Speaking of Sam, have you heard from him lately?”

  “Other than a quick call to make sure I’m all right? No.”

  Her twin brother made her crazier than
anyone else possibly could. Always the hellraiser of the family, he’d become harder and harder to pin down in the last couple of years. He was living in Virginia now, but no one saw much of him and he wasn’t particularly forthcoming with what was going on in his life.

  Although…Mallory managed to get at least two calls a month from him and even though most of the time they talked about her, it made her feel better just hearing his voice.

  “I don’t think the storm’s supposed to reach him, is it?” she asked.

  “He’s about two hours inland so the most he’ll probably see is tropical storm levels of rain,” her mother replied. “When he called, he mentioned heading to the mountains this weekend to see some friends so, who knows? Maybe he personally won’t be affected by the storm at all.”

  “Typical Sam. He always does seem to escape before things get rough.” And although it didn’t particularly sound like a loving comment, it really was. Her brother had a knack for wreaking havoc no matter where he went, but there were never any consequences. It was like some sort of gift he had–always managing to escape bad situations unscathed.

  There was some static on the line and it didn’t take long for either of them to realize they were losing their connection. “I’ll either call or text you later and let you know what’s going on, Mal. I love you!”

  “Love you too, Mom!” And when they hung up, Mallory reached for the remote and turned the volume back on so she could hear the updates.

  For hours, nothing changed. The only updates on-screen were the images and, considering the size of the storm, it wasn’t only Magnolia Sound that was getting hit. Mallory sat patiently and tried to work and not obsess about things she couldn’t change, but…

  Grabbing her phone, she tried to call Pops again and unfortunately had the same results. It was maddening. She received texts from her mother and other than sitting back and accepting the fact that there was nothing she could do, well…there was literally nothing she could do other than work.

  Which sucked because her eyes couldn’t seem to focus on the reports she was reading and the last thing on her mind was computer system optimization.

  Closing the laptop, Mallory stood and stretched, then called in an order for Chinese takeout. “No sandwich for me tonight,” she said, feeling proud of herself for remembering that she needed to eat. And as she sat back down on the couch, that opened a whole other can of worms for her.

  Her life.

  What was she doing with her life? It was work, work, and more work. Her social life was almost as non-existent as her sex life. Sure there had been Mark, but that lasted less than a month and they’d never gotten to the bedroom.

  Not for lack of trying on his part, but lack of enthusiasm on hers. He was a nice enough guy and they both worked in the same field and had a lot to talk about, but there wasn’t anything about him that got her excited or even remotely thinking sexy thoughts of him.

  Yeah, something had to give. Soon. This was so not her dream life. Sure, things were beginning to look up at work and she was really excited about this new position, but she was tired of being alone–missed being in a relationship and having some companionship.

  And she really missed sex.

  With a weary sigh, she let her head rest back against the cushions. What else could she possibly do? She took her job seriously and had a strong work ethic. It wasn’t a crime, right? But it certainly didn’t leave a lot of time for a social life. Hopefully that would change, but…even if she suddenly had an abundance of time on her hands, how was she supposed to go about meeting people again? Dating apps? Bars? Joining a sports league or something? Or maybe…something along the lines of finding a hobby?

  A hobby!

  Sitting up, she felt the first twinges of excitement. A hobby would be the absolute perfect thing to keep her from spending her free time reading technical magazines and reports and meeting new people! But what did she want to do…

  Her mind immediately went to the work she had done on the boathouse at Pops’ place. Doing the decorating had been something she enjoyed so much and as she looked around her condo, Mallory smiled at what she created there as well. Decorating certainly wasn’t a hobby–after all, how many times could she possibly re-do her own place?–and it wouldn’t particularly lead to meeting eligible men.

  “Okay, scratch that idea,” she muttered, then looked over at the color on the opposite wall and thought about maybe re-doing that, at least. “Great, there’s four hours of my time to play around with.”

  Ugh…it shouldn’t be this hard, she thought. People had hobbies, right? She had friends who did crafty things like scrapbooking and painting, and then there were more of the activity variety like yoga or Zumba…maybe she should join a gym! That was also a great place to meet single guys and make new friends!

  Her excitement lasted all of one minute before the thought of it exhausted her. She’d have to remember to bring a gym bag and a change of clothes to work every day. Then she remembered how out of shape she was and worried she’d make a fool out of herself and fall off a treadmill or something. Plus, at the end of a long work day, the last thing she was going to want to do was work out and get sweaty.

  And…scratch another idea.

  Glancing at the clock, Mallory saw she still had another twenty minutes before her food would arrive. She didn’t want to open her computer and work, and she didn’t want to simply sit and stare at the TV and listen to more bad news.

  When her cellphone rang, she let out a loud scream. Sam’s name came up on the screen and she instantly relaxed. Swiping the screen, she said, “And you say twin telepathy isn’t a thing!”

  “Huh? What are you talking about?”

  “I was just sitting here trying to think of something to do and then here you are–calling me!” She curled up on the sofa, tucking her feet under her to get comfortable. “So how are you?”

  Chuckling, he replied, “You’re so damn weird, but yeah, you were on my mind and I figured I’d give you a call while I was driving. What’s going on?”

  “I’m sitting here freaking out while watching the news.”

  “Then turn off the TV, dork,” he said, still laughing.

  “Sam…”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. This storm is bad and you’re worried about everyone, but Mom says it’s all under control. She’s at Aunt Georgia’s place and other than the power flickering, they’re all okay. What’s freaking you out?”

  “They’re not all okay, you idiot!” she cried. “Pops refused to leave! So he’s at home and probably has no power by now and I hate it! Just the thought of it makes me want to cry!”

  “Oh, right. Yeah, she told me about that, but you know Pops, Mal. He’s as tough as they come and storms like this don’t freak him out.”

  “That’s just the thing, Sam. Magnolia Sound has never had a storm like this! He has no idea what he’s in for and I can’t believe no one would force him to leave!”

  “He’s not completely alone. Jake’s there with him…”

  She groaned. “Great. So if something happens, they’ll both be in danger. Way to make me feel better, Sam.”

  He let out a long breath. “What do you want me to say, Mal?” he said irritably. “I get it. You’re worried. We all are. But there’s nothing we can do but hope they’re going to be all right, so…let’s talk about something else, okay?”

  “Fine,” she grumbled, knowing her brother was right. It was a vicious cycle to keep obsessing about the storm and her family’s safety. “Who are you going to visit in the mountains?”

  “How’d you know about that?”

  “Mom told me.”

  “Oh. One of the guys I work with has a cabin and we’re going to do some fishing. We figured it was better to get away for the weekend than to sit here and deal with this weather. There’s about five of us going so…you know…guys’ weekend.”

  “Nice. Maybe I should look into planning a girls’ weekend.”

  A snort of lau
ghter came out before he spoke. “Right. Like you’d take time off for something so frivolous.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.

  “It means you are a bit of an obsessive workaholic. The only time you take time off is when we have some sort of family thing down by Pops. So while I think it’s adorable that you’re even mentioning a girls’ weekend, we both know it’s never going to happen. Unless you’re counting hanging out with Parker and Peyton while you’re already visiting with everyone.”

  Dammit, she hated when he had a point.

  “Fine, so I don’t do a lot of that kind of thing. So what? It’s not like your fishing weekend is the most exciting thing in the world!”

  Gah! Could I sound any pettier?

  “You’re so competitive, Mal. Unclench a bit,” Sam said reasonably. “How’s work going?”

  “Actually…I got a promotion! Effective this coming Monday!”

  “Wow! Congratulations! So what is it that you do? Build computers or something, right?”

  She sighed. It didn’t matter how many times she described her job to him; Sam never seemed to get it. So rather than explain it again, she simply replied, “Not exactly. It’s just…you know…all boring tech stuff.”

  “And why did you opt to go into that field again? Because I have to tell you, you have never sounded enthused about your career. Ever.”

  “Oh, and you do?” she replied sarcastically.

  “Clearly you’re in a pissy mood and I shouldn’t have called…”

  “No, no, no…you’re right. I’m sorry. I really am being a brat.” She groaned. “I’m glad you’re going away for the weekend. And…I’m jealous.”

  Mallory could practically feel him grinning triumphantly.

  “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

  She laughed. “Yes, it was!”

  “Yeah, but you’ll survive. So what else is going on with you? Anything?”