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A few branches littered the lawns, but other than that there was no significant damage. He hurried up the stairs of the old Victorian and knocked. “Isla!” He knocked again, but she never came. “Where the hell did she go?” He hoped everything was okay. It was strange that she didn’t wake him or leave a note. It was as if she’d never even been there at all.
But he knew for a fact that she was. He couldn’t have imagined the softness of her body riding against his, the sweet taste of her mouth, and the tight heat that wrapped around him. She had most definitely been there with him, but where was she now?
He sent her a text, asking her to call him, and slid his phone back into his pocket and waited for Milo. Milo pulled up ten minutes later and Nolan hopped into the Jeep.
He and Milo headed to Milo’s place first. The street was still flooded, but not nearly as high as yesterday, so they trekked through the water. A water line sat midway up Milo’s door and he opened the door expecting the worst, but somehow the first floor only had a little bit of water in the foyer. The rest of the house, furniture included, managed to stay dry.
Milo fell to his knees and slapped his hands together. “Thank you!” he said out loud, then got a mop and towels to start the cleanup.
His neighbors, whose house was much closer to the street, didn’t fare as well. Their entire first floor flooded, and Milo told them he’d be back later to help them move furniture once they were done sucking up the water.
Next, they went to Mrs. Wheeler’s to check out the tree in her driveway. The tree—which was more like a branch—was easily pulled out of the driveway and left on the yard. Nolan attempted to call Isla again, but still didn’t get an answer. He sent her another text, hoping she’d get it and reply to him.
He just wanted to know where she was and that she was okay. It made no sense for him to wake up without her there.
“You have happened to see Isla before you headed over to my place, did you?” he asked Milo, thinking maybe she’d swung by Harper’s mom’s house.
“No, I thought she was at your house last night.”
“She was, and when I woke up this morning, she was gone.”
“Did you say something to insult her?”
“We didn’t exactly do a lot of talking last night.”
“Oh. Oh!” Milo exclaimed. “Well, good for you, bud. Or maybe not if she took off…”
“Trust me, there were no complaints last night.”
“Maybe she went to check on her parents and the flower shop. I’m sure when you get home, she’ll be there.”
“You’re probably right.” Nolan slid his phone into his pocket and finished helping Milo clean the few little branches off Mrs. Wheeler’s driveway.
A few hours later, after helping out a few more of the townspeople, and stopping at McConnell’s where the entire town seemed to be convening, except for Isla, Milo dropped Nolan off at home. He got out of the Jeep, gave a wave to Milo and went to head up the stairs when he spotted Isla’s car pulling into the driveway.
He bypassed his door and went to her. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, her face free of a makeup, and she was in nothing more than a plain t-shirt and shorts, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
“Hey,” she said, but it was awkward, even for Isla.
“Where did you go this morning?” he asked.
Her eyes darted to the ground, and she shrugged. “I had somewhere to be.”
“At seven in the morning on a Sunday after a hurricane left a majority of the town without power?”
“I’m a girl with a lot of responsibilities. Now if you’ll excuse me.” She pushed past him.
“Isla.” Nolan’s hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him. She closed her eyes, trying to avoid his gaze. “Something’s wrong. I can tell. And don’t give me that crap excuse that you’re a different person and I wouldn’t know because that’s bullshit and you know it. Three years or not, I know you better than anyone. So please, tell me what’s wrong.”
She blinked up at him, lips pursing together, blue eyes full of sadness. “You should have told me.”
What the hell was she talking about? Confusion swirled in his mind and tried to imagine what happened from the time they fell asleep until the time he woke up. “Told you what?”
Her shoulders deflated. “That there was someone else.”
“There isn’t.”
“I saw the ring, Nolan. In your drawer.”
