Page 82 of Stuck in Paradise with You

‘Carrie!’ I yell louder, finally making her jump, startling her out of her transfixion.

‘It’s incredible,’ she says. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it.’

‘And it’s a killer, Carrie! Inside, now!’

She nods, thankfuck, and steps toward the door, but her path is blocked as Jessie dashes out of the house as fast as I’ve ever seen her run. Terrified.

‘Jessie!’ Carrie shouts.

Before I have a chance to even consider my next move, Carrie is running after the dog.

‘Carrie, leave her! You need to get inside!’

I’m not even sure she can hear me now over the sound of the wind that’s almost upon us.

‘It’s my fault she got out!’ Carrie shouts back without slowing down.

‘Shit!’ I have to go with them.

I’m chasing her, closing in on her over the cliff top as the wind is back, almost bowling me over. I can barely keep running, and Carrie is struggling too.

She shouts something and she’s pointing down at something on the other side of the hill. I follow blindly over the peak, fighting the storm, as a small concrete building comes into view. At best guess, it’s some kind of pump house or utilities store.

As I see it, the wind blows Carrie off her feet. She falls in slow motion, the force of the elements keeping her from hitting the ground.

I’m right next to her and grab her waist with one arm as the hurricane fights us both. Together, we manage to open the steelslatted doors to the building and as we’re dragging them shut, Jessie bursts inside with us, barking.

It’s a utility room, with laundry machines, a heavy work bench and tools inside. Carrie and I wrestle the doors shut, pushing back against the wind, and pull down a steel slat to lock them in place.

I doubt that alone will hold in the force of Isabel, so I drag one of the machines out from under the counter and ram it against the doors. As I do, Carrie finds a flashlight in a drawer and shines it as I try to lift the worktop, which, unexpectedly, comes loose with ease. She helps me lean the heavy load against the machine and the doors.

Finally safe, she lights two chunky candles with matches and preserves the flashlight battery.

I move around to her. ‘Are you fucking crazy?’ I scream, grabbing her face in my hands. ‘You could have gotten yourself killed.’

‘I couldn’t leave her out here alone,’ Carrie says, gesturing to Jessie and bursting into tears that, despite my anger, make me pull her against my chest and hold on to her as tightly as I possibly can.

‘I only just got you back, Carrie, for fuck’s sake,’ I grind out through my teeth. ‘I only just got you back.’

Then I’m kissing her hair, her head, her cheeks, her lips, anywhere I can to somehow tell my mind she’s real and she’s fine. She’s here.

To somehow tell her that she’s safe and I’ve got her and I want to look after her.

‘I’m sorry,’ she sobs.

Behind her, Jessie is lying on the concrete ground, whimpering and scratching her ears. She’s in pain.

‘It’s okay,’ I say, still holding Carrie, saying the words to her, to the dog, and to myself. ‘We’re okay now.’

Carrie peels herself away from my chest, looking up to me. ‘I didn’t mean to put you in danger. I never would.’

I’m not sure which of us moves first but our lips meet. Long and steady, in a way that seems to calm us both and the situation. In a way that feels natural. As if there’s no question we’d be together through this.

And I have to tell her… ‘It’s me who should be apologizing. You wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for me.’

‘It’s just work, Luke. You didn’t know we’d get caught up in a hurricane.’

I shake my head. It’s not that straightforward. Not since Joe told me the truth.

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