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“You should get your masters in something. Business, maybe?” her mother had said. “You’ve got such a great degree from Rice. Why would you set that aside to do crafts?”
Colby had stopped trying to explain it. The two weeks she spent at home during Harvey, she was limited in what she could make, but had done some tea towels for some of her mother’s friends. Her mom still saw it like it was a parlor trick or something a child had done. “Oh, how sweet,” was all she said about the gifts. She came back to Texas feeling like she never wanted to go home again. Her mother’s dark moods threatened to overwhelm her every single time. It wasn’t until she had moved to Rice that she even realized how much her mom’s pessimism hung like a cloud over her. Here she felt like she could breathe again.
“Do you have water and supplies? Do you have a generator? Did you get water and food. I’m so concerned.”
“I’m really going to be okay, Mom. I had a friend help me prep Liz’s house. I’ve got water for days and a lot of other food and stuff. This house didn’t flood in Harvey. I’ll be fine.”
“What if a tree falls through the house?”
“Mom! You can’t call and say stuff like that.”
Colby pressed a hand to her chest. She remembered seeing the downed trees after Harvey, some of them crushing cars and houses. That hurricane was more water and rain damage, whereas it looked like Manuel would be more wind. They weren’t getting the dirty side this time. She didn’t fully understand hurricanes or what that meant, only that the news anchors kept saying that as she read the closed captioning, and it apparently meant less water and more wind.
What if a tree came through the top of the house? Colby bit her lip. What if everything flooded and she had to go into the attic with an ax, like Liz said? Could she even chop her way out if she needed to?
She never should have answered the phone. Her mother was propelling her into a nervous panic.
“Where will you go if you have to evacuate? Do you have a plan?”
“No, but—”
“What about your other friends? Can you go stay with them?”
Colby closed her eyes and leaned back against the counter. She’d talked to all of the girls earlier in the morning. Debbi was staying, but Jane and Kara had both gone inland a bit. They had family near or in Dallas. In the past they had invited her, but no one offered this time.
“Mom, I’ll be okay,” she said, but her voice sounded much quieter than she meant it to.
“I just hate to think of you alone. I know you don’t like these storms and this looks to be a bad one. What if I can’t reach you?”
Her mother’s concerns echoed the ones that Colby had been trying to push down all day. Maybe the hurricane wouldn’t be so bad, despite what the news was saying. Everyone always sensationalizes storms, right? With Nate around all day, distracting her with his humor and his handsome face, she had been able to ignore the worries. Now they were flooding her. She didn’t want to be here for this hurricane. Maybe she could still get out…
And go where?
Colby’s lip trembled and she couldn’t find the strength to respond to her mother. She felt like such a big baby. Every so often, she was hit with a moment that highlighted her aloneness in such a way that she felt like she couldn’t bear it.
A gentle touch startled her. Nate stood in front of her and wrapped her free hand in his, palm to palm. When her eyes opened, despite trying to hold it in, a tear escaped and ran down her cheek. Nate’s eyes were so soft and warm. His concern made her eyes fill even more. It was like when she was a child and skinned her knee on her bike or outside playing. She was fine until she had to tell her mother what happened and ask for a Band-Aid. Having Nate see her like this made her come undone. Her shoulders shook.
“Colby?” her mother said.
“Mom, I’ll call you later,” she managed to say before she lost it completely, sobbing and shaking.
Instantly, Nate had her wrapped up in his arms, his chin tucked in over the top of her head, one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders. Though it was comforting, this unleashed even more tears and Colby sobbed against him, distracted by the firm muscles beneath her cheek even as she fell apart.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice shaking and stuttering. “This is so stupid.”
“Sh. Colby, it’s okay.”
She felt the whisper of his breath on her hair. His arms were strong curled around her back, his chest broad and firm. With her cheek pressed to his chest, she felt safe. Colby craved physical touch. Being single and living alone for so long meant that she rarely got hugs or any kind of physical connection.
That was especially on her mind in this moment, smelling whatever cologne he wore—a subtle spice. She was aware of his hands on the small of her back, his fingers gently tracing up and down her spine. He felt safe and solid, but his touch also had her body warming and waking with feelings that had been long sleeping. Her sobs stalled into those shuddering breaths that follow a hard cry. He moved one hand up between her shoulder blades. The other held firm at her waist. She trembled from the touch.
“I don’t like storms,” Colby said, not taking her face away from his chest. “Or being alone.”
He stiffened just slightly, then relaxed again. Had she said something wrong? The silence stretched between them again. She sighed, pulling him closer. This would be embarrassing in the end. It would be hard to even make eye contact with him after getting so worked up over the weather. But for now, she reveled in being so close and feeling his protection and care.
“Colby,” he said finally.
When Nate didn’t say anything more, Colby pulled back slightly to look at him, wiping her cheeks first with her fingertips. His gaze was everywhere on her face—her eyes, her forehead, her cheeks, her lips—making her feel self-conscious. He reached for her hands, lacing their fingers together before him. She sucked in a breath.
