Page 15 of Sunrise

"Even if he ditches you for some girl at the airport?" I smirk.

He shrugs. "Not the first time and I doubt it will be the last."

The storm appears to be calming down, but none of us seems to have any intentions of moving anytime soon.

"Is Wren the guy from the play?" Brynn asks.

"No, that guy got too greedy during one of the auditions, and Wren stepped in and told me what he was doing. I fired him and hired Wren. I had been acting for about three years when I met Wren. He was the one who really amped up my career," Kade says.

The rain slows, and there hasn't been any thunder. Brynn pulls her phone out and checks the radar on the weather app.

"The worst has passed, so I'm going to head to bed." Brynn stands.

I follow her and fold up the blanket for her to take with her. She hugs me tight.

"Open up and have a little fun. Kade is perfect for it," she whispers in my ear, shocking me to the point I don't even move when she pulls away.

I shake my head and turn to Kade.

"She never fails to shock me, that one. You are heading up or want to hang out here for a bit longer?"

"I think I’m going to go to bed. I like getting up early to see the sunrise here," he says and stands.

He looks at me like he wants to say more, but no matter what Brynn says, I have no intention of being another notch on his bedpost.

"Good night, Kade," I say and walk inside without looking back.

Chapter 8

Kade

The storm seems to have changed everything on the island. When I wake up, it's calm and quiet, and the air even smells different. It smells less like the salty sea air and more like it used to after a long rain on my parents' ranch.

As I head downstairs for breakfast, I can't help but think of last night. Sitting out on the porch with the girls while they told their story gripped my heart. A few times, the emotion was so thick, I was happy for the dark because I was holding back some tears. No one should have to experience such pain, especially at such a young age.

I find both girls in the dining room with food and coffee on the table. They both wear matching serious faces, but they stop talking as soon as I enter the room.

I grab some cinnamon rolls and a cup of coffee before sitting with them.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Ah well, the storm washed out the bridge," Lin says.

"The bridge on and off the island? How? There was no way the storm was that bad."

"Well, a few months ago, there was another storm, and a waterspout hit the bridge. They are thinking it weakened it, and when one of the fishing boats got loose from the harbor and crashed into the bridge last night, it was enough. We haven't been down there, but I'm sure we will get pictures soon," Brynn says.

"Martha, Joe's wife, called and said she was going to change her morning walking path up that way and send us some," Lin adds.

"How long before it's fixed?" I ask.

"A few weeks," Brynn says.

"Okay, well, I will just get a boat to the mainland," I say, thinking of all the boats we saw in the harbor yesterday.

"Ahhh, I don't think you can. The waterway between here and the island is scattered with debris from the bridge, boat, and the storm. The closest port is Wilmington, but only a few boats here can make that trip. But the boats are grounded. They can't get out until the waterway is cleared out," Brynn says.

I can't help but think this might be a joke. Things like this don't happen in this day and age.

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