Page 13 of Broken Bonds

“Hey,” he roughly cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck in a way that shouldnothave been adorable, “sorry to scare you, but can I have a shower, too?”

I dumbly nodded my head. “Crap. Yeah, of course. Ryan should have some clothes in his room, and I can wash our clothes from today and start making one of those pizzas.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Celine. I’m starving.” He walked into Ryan’s room when I pointed to it and closed the door behind him.

The rain hadn’t stopped since I had been in the shower. Instead, it had only gotten worse, now pounding down on the roof. Looking through the window, I frowned at the ocean waves crashing angrily against the shore. A chill went up my spine at the thought of those waves crashing through my home.

Shaking the thought away, I headed for the kitchen and set the oven to four-fifty. By the time the oven had warmed up and I’d gotten the pizza on a cooking sheet, Ace was bounding down the stairs.

“While you were showering, I found some Cokes and rum. You up for a drink?” Ace asked as he pointed toward the dining room table, where a bottle of Captain Morgan, a bottle of Coke, and two glasses sat. I hadn’t had a drink since the night of the accident, and tonight seemed like the best night to have one. I needed to stop worrying, and alcohol would loosen me up a bit.

“I’d love one. Don’t forget some ice.” He nodded, a small smile touching his lips.

“Is this your dad’s? Will he mind if we drink it all?” He was handing me a glass now, and I brought it to my lips. I forgot how much I loved the smell of my favorite rum. Taking a sip, the cold liquid ran down my throat, warming me from the inside out.

“No, it’s mine.” I looked into his blue eyes and had to bite back a smile at the shock residing in them. The timer for the pizza went off, and he abruptly looked away.

“Pass me the oven mitts,” he ordered. He placed the pepperoni pizza on the counter, and I handed him the pizza cutter. He transferred the pizza to a wood board, cutting it into eight pieces for us to share.

“I’m not sure how hungry you are, but I only need three slices,” I told him when he began plating the slices.

“Fine by me,” he said. “I’ll have the rest. I wouldn’t want to lose any weight during this storm.” He was smiling, and it touched his eyes, making him look younger and nicer. Nothing like the jerk I’d been coming to know.

“Please,” I scoffed, “losing some weight would do you some good. You are a little on the big side.” His eyes grew big again, amusement flickering in them.

“I’ll have you know I’m pure muscle, sweetheart,” he laughed, digging into his pizza.

“Don’t worry. You can get back to working out in a few days when the hurricane is over.” I didn’t receive an answer, and we sat in silence, eating quietly.

“Another drink, Celine?” He lifted his empty glass, raising an eyebrow in question. I nodded, giving him mine. I put our dishes into the dishwasher, quickly wiped the counters, then went to wait for him in the lounge.

My phone rang as he sat beside me on the leather couch, immediately flicking the TV on.

“Hey, Mom,” I greeted as Ace lowered the volume on the TV. “Did you guys make it out of Florida yet?”

“Hello, my love.” I smiled a little. “No, we still have another three hours until we reach the state line, and then another four until we reach the Airbnb.” I could hear Ryan snoring in the car and my father’s obnoxious music blaring through the speakers. I wished I was with them, and it made my chest ache.

“Dad and Ryan can take turns driving, and you can stop for dinner and a little rest. I miss you guys already.” I heard my dad agree to some food, which woke Ryan who started to moan and groan. I swore, any mention of food in even the tiniest context, and he was alert and ready to grub.

“Have you and Ace eaten? Was there any food and water in the house? I can’t remember what I left when we were last there.”

“Yes, we’ve eaten,” I assured her, “and there’s enough food for two or three days. Hopefully, the storm will be over before we run out of food.”

“That’s good, Honey. I’m worried about you two being there by yourselves. How does the water look? Has it risen?” I heard my dad shouting questions at my mom, and Ryan butted in as well. I grimaced at all the commotion. I had no idea how my mother put up with it.

“The rain hasn’t stopped since we got here, so it’s risen, but the waves haven’t touched the wall yet. Any more questions, Mom?”

“Dad wants to know if you checked about sandbags. There might be a risk of flooding sometime tomorrow. He says he left a stack of them in the garage in case of an emergency. Oh, Hun, can we stop at Outback for dinner?” she asked Dad, quickly growing distracted. “I just saw a sign.”

“I’ll look into those sandbags,” I told her, trying to get her back on topic. “Get something to eat, and call me when you get back on the road. I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, my darling.” The line dropped. When I looked back at the TV, I saw that Ace had found a movie for us to watch.

“You must be joking.The Game Plan?”

“What do you have against The Rock? Are his muscles too big for you, princess?” I rolled my eyes and got up to check the sandbags like I’d been instructed. “I didn’t mean to upset you; please come back,” he pouted. Why did he look so good with every single face he made?

“Please,” I scoffed. “As if you couldactuallyupset me, Asshole. I’m checking the sandbags you have to put out tomorrow morning.”