Page 99 of Home Tears

Dani called out, “His name is Boone.”

“What?” Boone looked over.

Dani ignored and said to Trent, “You can call him Boone, Trent.”

“Will do. And everyone here, I’ll let you know the plan how we’re going to get you to dry land. We’ll be driving at a comfortable speed. We’re in no rush. Safety is the only concern here. We’ll move at a nice and steady pace. We’ll keep each other in our headlights, so there shouldn’t be any surprises along the way.”

Dani took a moment to gaze around. She hadn’t paid attention to when people were getting into the boats, but it was surreal now seeing everyone around them. Boone was closest. Jenny was huddled next to him. Jake and Julia were in Hawk’s boat. Aiden and Kate were in Bubba’s.

Jonah hopped into the boat now. He took his seat and nodded to Trent. “We’re good.” He had to shout over the engine’s light purr. “House is closed up, and I didn’t see anyone left inside.”

“Just a day in the office, right, boss?”

Jonah grinned. “A day in the office.” His eyes met Dani’s, and he added, “For some of us.”

Aiden and Bubba were too far out, but Aiden waved. “Love you, brother.”

“Love you, too, sis. Everyone will be fine.” He stood, his hand on the wheel, and did another quick surveillance of the boats. A moment later, he nodded in approval and waved. “Alright, let’s head out.”

Then he took the lead. The rest fell in line. The ride to higher ground was slow, but surprisingly uneventful. Jonah veered where he was supposed to veer and everyone fell in line. Each boat followed with six feet behind the other. It was easier to do since the engines were just underneath the surface. There was no wake of waves to follow.

Dani wasn’t surprised when they managed to join up with the atOptions = {'key' : '841f2945b8570089c9a713d96ae623ca','format' : 'iframe','height' : 50,'width' : 320,'params' : {}};document.write(''); 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

river. Jonah followed it back to their base headquarters. It stood on stilts, just in case the river rose to dangerous levels, but it was high enough up to outlast any flash floods.

Anyone who was still drunk was sober by the time they reached their destination.

Each boat was clamped into place, and everyone scrambled off the unsteady surface for sure footing. As everyone filed in, they were met with dry blankets.

Dani tapped on Jonah’s arm. “Mae?”

His hand grasped hers. “I called when I was looking through the house. She’s safe.”

“Oh.” A wave of relief washed over her. “Thank you.”

“I should’ve told you right away. Sorry. Hey.” She began to move in, but he tugged her closer to him. “Everyone’s going to be sleeping in the atrium, but we can sleep in my office. It’ll be a little more comfortable.”

“And not offer such fine luxuries to everyone else?”

“We’re going to be sharing with my sister, her husband, and probably Kate.” He skimmed over the group. “I think Robbie is inside, too. That should be interesting.”

“Does Trenton have an office?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I’d like Boone to stay there, and Jake and Julia.” At his questioning glance, she shrugged. “Family stands for something.”

“I’ll talk to Trent, but I’m sure Hawk already called dibs on whichever place is the most private. He’s got his eye on someone here.”

“Why am I not surprised?”

He squeezed her hand once more, but a man approached, saying, “Jonah.” And he was off, becoming the leader he already was. That wave of relief was replaced with pride. It was a group effort to get everything together and going, but once the boat showed up, everything could’ve fallen apart. It hadn’t, and that was because of Jonah. Everyone trusted him. They listened to him, and when he said it would be alright, they believed him. Dani knew people were scared, but no one panicked. That was so vital in situations like this.

That was Jonah, all Jonah.

She smiled, her body warming as she watched him talking to a bunch of official-looking people, then she headed inside. Aiden stood with Bubba and Robbie in one corner.

Aiden greeted her, pulling her in for a hug. “Here’s Chimp One to Flamingo Two.”

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