Dream

Chapter 23

           

The storm was headed right for them. A voluntary evacuation had been done the day before and the parish had now called for a mandatory evacuation . They were an hour northwest of New Orleans which offered them a little more safety but not much. Lucy had been pleading with Etta to leave for the past twenty-four hours. She hadn't mentioned Zeb's offer yet, she had been saving it as a last resort, and unfortunately she was finally there.

"Etta, we have to go somewhere safe," she pleaded with her stubborn grandmother one more time.

"I have lived through more storms than I can count, and all of them right here in this house. I have no interest in leaving." She shook her grey head once more. "But if it makes you nervous, you go."

Lucy closed her eyes in frustration. "You're being unfair, you know that I could never leave you here. The worry would be worse than staying through the storm."

"I've made my choice child, I leave you to make yours."

"Would you at least consider going down the road to LeClair and waiting out the storm there? Zeb has a generator and the house isn't under all of these trees, nor is it right over the water."

Her grandmother stopped to look at her, considering the option and Lucy held her breath, waiting.

"If the roads are closed you could walk home after the storm if you needed to, it's only a few miles down the road," Lucy coaxed.

"Will Zeb be there?" Etta tilted her head as she waited for Lucy to answer.

"He didn't say, but I imagine so, it would be safer than staying in New Orleans. Why?"

Etta looked away from her. "I wouldn't feel right staying in the man's home if he wasn't there too."

"So, you'll consider it?" Lucy asked, feeling a sense of relief.

"What about Shy?" Etta asked.

"We can try to take him, but he's already hunkered down, somewhere. He did this last time remember? He disappeared a few days before the storm and came back a few days after, but if we're at Zeb's it'll be easy to get back here and check on him right after the storm." Lucy assured her.

A knock on the door startled her and she turned to see Zeb standing on the other side of the screen. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, as if he had come expecting to help board them up if necessary, but Lucy had already taken care of that the day before.

"I take it you're not leaving Etta?" he asked, waiting to be invited into the house which Etta did.

"No, I've lived through too many storms to be afraid of this one."

Lucy rolled her eyes in frustration at her words, she had heard it all many times before. Zeb looked as if he was about to disagree, but Lucy shook her head to tell him is wasn't worth it. He wouldn't say anything she hadn't said in the past.

"Will you at least consider coming to stay with me at my house?"

"You're sure you wouldn't mind having us?" Etta asked, meeting his eyes. "You have plenty of room?"

"Yes, it's a big house. There will be a few others staying as well and I borrowed some cots from Fred Kane at the church. He'll be staying along with Thomas, Hope, and the baby."

Now Lucy didn't want to go, and both Zeb and Etta must have sensed that as they looked at her.

"My sister and her little girl will also be staying too, but there is plenty of room."

Etta nodded. "We'll come along later then," she said, moving toward the kitchen. "We have some things to do here first."

Zeb looked at Lucy. "Where's Shy?" he asked.

"He always takes off before a storm, he has somewhere he goes. I think it would be more stressful for him trapped in a house with strangers than it would be for him to be out on his own in the storm."

"If you want me to help look for him I will," he offered.

"No thank you, he would run from you anyway."

He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but Etta was pulling out stuff in the kitchen behind them. "Walk me out?" he asked.

Lucy nodded and walked with him down the pier and towards the car. When they reached it he turned and leaned against the car crossing his arms.

"Is there anyone local that you can think of that might want me gone or out of the LeClair house?"

"Is this about being shot at?"

Zeb nodded, looking down at her. "In part, but there have also been a few other things that have happened around the house and site."

"Such as?" Lucy asked, turning to lean against his car as well.

"Minor petty things, flat tires, broken windows, all things that could be contributed to a work site but seem to happen to frequently to be accidental."

"What about Joel Bradley?" he asked.

"He definitely has the personality for it, but I can't imagine what he would have against you?" Lucy shook her head. She had thought about it and it didn't make sense.

"I'm keeping him from you, he thinks I'm stepping on his turf," Zeb suggested.

"No, he's a bully and likes to harass me, but he wouldn't be caught dead with me in this town, on any level." She shook her head.

"It doesn't mean he doesn't want you Lucy. The fact that he does and can't have you makes you even more desirable." Something in his voice made Lucy look up at him and she saw fire in his dark eyes.

She wanted to tell him he could have her, he could easily maker her his any time he wanted. All it would take was a simple kiss.

"Is there anyone else?" he asked, getting back to the subject.

"Perhaps the shooter and the vandal aren't the same person, did the vandalism at the house happen before or after Thomas fired Steve? He doesn't fit the timeline for the shooting, but maybe everything else?"

"It's a thought," he said.

"What about your girlfriend Gianna? You said she had stalker like tendencies."

"Maybe." He sounded like he had already thought about that. He stood and moved towards his car door. "Call me if you need help with anything and remember the curfew, sundown."

The parish had issued a curfew after the mandatory evacuation to keep people off the roads and out of trouble.

"Thank you for taking us in Zeb," Lucy said as he climbed into his car.

"Is it worth a kiss?" he asked with a grin.

"Probably, I'll let Etta know she owes you one, I'm sure she'll be happy to oblige!" Lucy laughed as she turned and walked away with a smile on her face. It was a happy moment in a day fully of worry which would only get worse as the storm approached.