Page 48 of Fake-Off with Fate
ASHLYN
I’ve never realizedhow quickly time flies when you’re in the middle of a crisis. That’s probably because I’ve never been part of anything like what’s happening to my hometown.
In the week since we found out about Alexander MacDonald, several local organizations have stepped up to the plate to offer help. The grade school is having a carwash this weekend and next. The high school is giving extra credit to students who do odd jobs around town and donate the money to our cause. The senior center is hosting a craft sale, and the Chamber of Commerce has placed donation cans in every local store. And from what I’m hearing, that’s just the beginning.
Every day, I’m more and more convinced that we will raise the money. The only concern that remains is whether Alexander MacDonald will take it.
Even with everything on my plate, I’ve still managed to spend quite a lot of time with Jamie. It’s not even like we’ve always made formal plans, either. One day we ran into each other at Shirley May’s. After eating lunch together, I gave him the tour of the town I promised when we got sidetracked at the farmers’ market. Another day, he came over to my parents’ house and we watched a movie and ordered a pizza.
It’s like we know our time is limited and we both want to see each other. Jamie is so easy to be with and on more than one occasion I’ve wished we were really dating. Barring that, I’ve started to think of him as a good friend.
Another high point in my life has been not having Phillip in the office. He still texts my dad all day, every day, and has even offered advice for how he can recover from his “flu”—some recipe involving horseradish, garlic, and fresh ginger. So gross.
I’ve managed to keep my dad’s assistant occupied with busy work, but I can tell he’s itching to have a real conversation with the mayor. Luckily for me, my parents are due home tonight.
I don’t relish telling my dad what’s happened, but I also feel confident I haven’t dropped the ball in his absence. I’m currently working on the official purchase proposal that I’ve been instructed to send to Alexander MacDonald’s business manager. It’s a pretty impressive piece, if I do say so myself.
The desktop phone in my dad’s office rings, momentarily sidetracking me. But it does this all day, so it’s nothing new. “Mayor Thompkins’ office, this is Ashlyn.”
“Darling, it’s your mother.” I haven’t talked to my mom for several days, so I’m surprised she’s bothering to call me now when she’s going to see me late tonight.
“Hey, Mom.” I look at the clock and ask, “Are you already in Florida transferring planes?”
She responds with a question of her own. “Haven’t you seen the news?”
“No,” I tell her. “I’m a little bit busy trying to save Maple Falls. What’s up?”
“Hurricane Bartholomew changed direction and it’s headed right toward Barbados. They canceled our flight right before we boarded.” She sounds scared which in turn makes me nervous.
“What are you going to do?”
“We came back to the resort. They’re putting us up in the main building. They aren’t sure the bungalows will make it.” The quiver in my mom’s voice catches me off guard. If she’sworried, then they’re in real trouble. Before I can console her, she adds, “It’s a category five storm now and they don’t know if it will slow down before it makes landfall.”
I turn toward the computer and start typing. The first article that comes up paints a very bleak picture.
Hurricane Bartholomew is on a collision course with Barbados. The airport has been closed, and locals have been advised to board up. Store shelves are emptying quickly. Residents close to the shoreline have already evacuated to disaster shelters where the Red Cross has begun setting up.
“Will the resort be able to feed you?” Worry fills my chest and starts to feel like a car is laying on top of it.
“I hope so, but your dad and I bought a bunch of stuff at the gift shop in the airport. Buying granola bars for five dollars a pop nearly killed him, let me tell you.”
Even though my dad has always made decent money, he grew up poor. As such, he’s notoriously frugal. He doesn’t see the point in wasting money on things like name brand toilet paper and designer shoes. It’s no wonder I love my job designing closets so much for people who buy whatever they want without caring how much anything costs.
“When is the hurricane supposed to make landfall?” I ask my mom.
She’s quiet for a moment before answering, “At about midnight our time. You should watch the news to find out what happens. They tell us we may be without phone signals for a good while.”
Real panic sets in and I start to sweat like an uncapped fire hydrant. “How long is a good while?”
“It could be days or weeks even. No one can know until the damage is assessed.”
“Weeks?” This is bad on so many levels. The most serious being my parents’ safety. I sent them to Barbados, which Isuddenly realize is why I got such a great rate at the resort. I never bothered to check the weather forecast.
Then there’s my dad not coming home to take over saving Maple Falls, which means that I have to stay. The least important in the grand scheme of things, but still rather significant to me, is that I have two jobs lined up for when I get back to LA. If I can’t go back, I’ll have to cancel them. Not only will that make a dent in my bank account, but it won’t do wonders for my reputation.
“Can I talk to Dad?” I ask my mom.
She hands off the phone and the next voice I hear says, “It looks like your mom and I are in a bit of a pickle, huh?”
