CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX. Pat watched the weather forecast in disbelief

Pat watched the weather forecast in disbelief. Tropical storm? It was barely June. And the bright sunshine outside did little to change her mind.

" Additional strengthening is expected in the next twenty-four hours. We'll have an update at ten. Stay tuned."

Well, it was still far out in the gulf. Maybe it would turn and Louisiana could worry about it. Pat hated storms. She hated the buildup, the preparations, the boarding up of her house. And she especially hated it when she went through all of that and the damn storm hit hundreds of miles away. But still, she never took a chance. She had lived on the coast too long for that.

Her phone rang immediately. It would be Aunt Rachel. It always was when a storm formed.

" Did you hear? "

" Yes. I heard."

" You'll stay here, of course. Alice has already called. They'll be here tomorrow to start securing everything."

" Aunt Rachel, it's still in the Caribbean. It'll be days before they even know which way it's going."

" You can't be too careful, " she said.

" You get like this every time the first one forms. By November, you hardly care."

" And bring your own liquor. I'll not have you stranded here for days and expect to share mine."

Pat laughed. It was another standing joke between them. Aunt Rachel laughed, too.

" But seriously, don't take any chances, Pat. Board your house when the time comes. I don't want to worry about you."

" You'll never let me live that down, will you? That was years ago, " she said. In fact, it was the first year she'd lived in the house. She'd lost nearly everything, all because she didn't believe the forecast. She'd escaped with her cameras and made it to a bar on the bay side. She'd had a wonderful time as they watched the storm rage around them.

" No, I won't. And perhaps you should check in with Dr. Cambridge. I'm sure she could use some help out there. To think they just finished with the construction. It would be such a shame to lose all that in a storm. Why, remember Carla? "

" How old do you think I am? "

" Old enough to have heard my stories a hundred times."

" Okay. I'll check in with Dr. Cambridge, " Pat said.

" You like her, don't you? " Aunt Rachel said unexpectedly.

" Of course I like her."

" Good. She's gay, you know. Elsa told me."

" Elsa told you? "

" Well, I asked her, " Aunt Rachel admitted. " I thought that perhaps she was, but you never know nowadays."

" Don't meddle, " Pat warned. " She's fragile."

" Fragile? She is no such thing. She can handle you."

Pat laughed. " But I'm not so sure I can handle her."