Page 8 of Rain Delay

I grabbed a ball from his tote and he followed me out the door. We made our way to the sandy beach and I tossed the ball for him to chase. Running at full speed, he grabbed the ball and brought it straight back to me and I threw it again.

My hair blew against my face and I wished I’d thought to secure it with an elastic. A loose knot won’t do in this wind.

Finn and I played fetch until he got tired, then I sat in the sand and he walked around exploring. I laughed out loud when he got too close to the water and a wave crashed into the shore soaking his legs, chest, and face. He ran over and plopped down next to me. The beach probably wasn’t the best idea the day before a car ride, but at least I’ll be able to rinse him off in the outdoor shower.

Resting back on my elbows, I looked out at the horizon. It had been sunny earlier, but it’s overcast now and the wind helps the heat and humidity from being too overwhelming. Lying down, I tucked my hair beneath me. I’ll have to shower sand out of my mass of curls too, but at least this keeps them from whipping against my cheeks. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly enjoying the moment. Finn rested his head against my hand and I looked over at him and rubbed his ear.

For ten months, one week, and two days, Finn has been the only man in my life and I’ve honestly been okay with that. That is until I saw Christopher “Rusty” Russell in that shower last night. Now I can’t help but wonder what it would feel like to be with a man so tall and muscular and confident. Not to mention well-hung.

“Yep, it’s a good thing we’re leaving tomorrow,” I said to Finn.

Chapter Four

Rusty

When I hadto circle the supermarket parking lot three times before snagging a spot, I should have known something was up. But I’d parked the Mercedes coupe Sam had said I could borrow and grabbed a cart that had escaped the corral on my way toward the store blissfully ignorant of the chaos I’d find inside.

As the doors swished open, I walked into a store full of people and found the shelves not so full.

“What’s going on?” I asked the guy who was attempting to stock the bread display just inside the doors. Every time he added a loaf to the shelf, someone grabbed it.

He gave me a sarcastic side glance and continued doing his work.

“Didn’t you hear there’s a hurricane coming?”

“A hurricane?” He nodded. “It’s July.”

I’m guessing he took pity on me since I’m an uneducated non-local because he explained, “Hurricane season is technically June 1st through November 30th. Just because we normally get them between August and October, doesn’t mean it can’t happen now.”

“How bad is it supposed to be?”

“Bad enough to be a pain in the ass but not so bad that we have to evacuate.” The guy looked at me and tossed a loaf of bread into my cart. “Do I know you?”

“I doubt it. I’m not from here.”

“You look really familiar.” His eyes narrowed then widened when he figured it out. “You’re Rusty Russell. Holy shit.”

He looked around, as if trying to decide if he should shout what he’d just discovered to the whole store or keep it to himself. I was so relieved when he chose the latter.

“You a baseball fan?”

“A huge fan and the Waves are my second-favorite team.”

I held out my hand to shake his.

“Well, it’s always nice to meet a fan. Mr.—” I paused so he could supply his name.

“Walters.” He pumped my hand up and down, more vigorously than was necessary. “Tom Walters.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Tom Walters,” I said, then directed my cart toward the produce. “I better get shopping before everything is gone.”

“What are you looking for? I’m the only one stocking shelves right now and as you can see, what I’m putting out isn’t lasting long.” I pulled my list from my pocket and showed it to him. “There’s no plain water over there right now, it’s all in the back. See those double doors over there?” I looked across the entire store to the back corner and nodded. “You go back there and ring the bell when you’re ready and the guy working the warehouse will get you the water and anything else you need.” He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his back pocket. “I’ll let him know you’re coming.”

“Thanks Tom. I really appreciate it.” He held out my list, but instead of taking it I said, “Do me a favor and write your address on that paper. I’ll send you a couple jerseys so you can represent your second-favorite team every once in a while.”

He smiled and pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled on the paper before handing it back to me.

“Thanks again for your help. It was really nice meeting you.”

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