Annie shook her head. “I wish I could. But I’m just getting settled here. And besides, you need to be a big girl and do it yourself.”
Julia nodded glumly. Then her face brightened. “But you could take a quick break and come home and help me. I mean, you don’t even have a job yet, do you?”
Annie opened her mouth to answer when a booming crack of thunder shook the house. She turned to look at Serena, whose eyes had widened in alarm.
“What was that?” Izzy asked, bringing the phone close to his face again.
“Thunder.” Annie walked to the window just as lightning jolted across the sky, lighting up the darkness for a moment. What she saw made her blood freeze. The driveway, illuminated by the outdoor lights, and front yard were completely under at least a few inches of water.
22
“Annie, is everything okay?” Julia peered at her, concerned.
“I need to call my sister. It’s starting to flood.” Annie exchanged a look with Serena, who was clutching her wineglass with both hands.
“Oh no.” Izzy gasped. “You need to get out.”
“My father thinks we’re safer staying here since we’re up high from the river.” Annie bit her bottom lip. “I have to call them.”
“Okay, but call us right back, okay?” Julia’s worried eyes focused on Annie’s face.
“I will,” Annie promised, then disconnected.
She immediately dialed her father and was relieved when Sam picked up. “Did you see the river is flooding?”
“Yes.” Sam’s voice was calm. “Baba thinks we’re okay. He thinks it will be fine.”
“What do you think? Do you think we’re safer trying to drive somewhere?” Annie was worried. What was the right thing to do? Stay or leave? But where would they go?
“Unless there’s a surge from the mountains, he thinks we’ll be safer here.”
“But the news said earlier that parts of Kauai might need to evacuate.” Annie tried to keep her voice from rising in panic, turning to the TV to see whether there was any breaking news.
“Yes, the low-lying areas. I don’t know.” Sam sucked in a breath. “We’ve had flooding before, and it never reached the house because of the way it’s built. But then again, we’ve never had a storm this bad since we moved here.”
Annie swung her attention to the news. On the breaking news ticker at the bottom of the screen, they were warning people to stay put because of damage from the storm. Kuhio Highway was partially closed between Lihue and Kapaa, due to downed trees across the road. Annie gasped when she saw that. There was no way Brody was getting home anytime soon, since that was the only way into Kapaa from Lihue.
“The news says to stay put,” Annie said into the phone to Sam.
“I think that’s for the best too. So does Baba. You okay over there?”
Annie swallowed before answering. “Yes, okay.”
“Come over,” Sam urged. “If this is freaking you out.”
Annie looked at Serena and admitted to a reluctance to leaving the cozy Ohana. If her father thought it was okay to stay here, then she’d rather stay inside and dry and not get soaked running over to the main house.
“We’re okay. Give Finn a hug and kiss from me, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll let you know if anything changes.” Sam said goodbye and then hung up.
“Do you think we’re safe here?” Serena asked.
Annie pasted a cheerful look on her face. “I think we’re better off here than out in the storm. Let me just call Brody to see where he is.”
She dialed his number, but he didn’t pick up. She texted him, asking if he was still at the airport, but no answer. She waited, but still nothing. Frustration and worry bubbled up inside her, wondering if he’d lost cell signal at the airport. A new text popped up, making her heart jump, but it was only Izzy, asking if they were okay.
“I should call them back. I know Izzy, and he won’t go to bed until he sees that we’re fine,” Annie said.
Serena nodded and Annie called her friends back on FaceTime.
Both of them immediately connected to the call.
“How bad is it?” Julia asked.
“Bad. But we’re fine. Let’s not talk about the storm.”
“Fine. Did you get a job?” Trust Julia to get right to the point.
“She’s volunteering at the Kauai Humane Society,” Serena said. She took the phone and angled it so they could see Marley, who rumbled low in his throat. “You know she adopted Marley, right? He was so sad, but now he won’t leave her side.”
Annie laid a hand on Marley’s head. “I’m so glad I adopted—” She broke off. Something hovered at the edge of her mind.
“That’s great, Annie. I know losing Lili almost killed you.” Izzy’s voice was soft.
“Yeah.” Annie frowned.
“Lili was such a great dog,” Serena said. “She was so cute in her pink harness and leash. Marley would look better in a different color.” She looked down at Marley and missed the look Julia and Izzy exchanged, but Annie caught it.
“What?” Annie mouthed.
“How do you know about Lili, Serena?” Julia’s voice was sharp.
“What?” Serena flushed, as if overheated.
“I told her,” Annie said.
“All about Lili, down to the color of her harness and leash?” Julia’s eyes lasered out from the phone.
“Yes.” Although, wait, had she told Serena that? Annie turned to Serena. “I did, right?”
“Oh, um. I think so.” Serena brought a hand up to her face. “Plus, I think there’s a picture in here somewhere . . .” She gestured around the Ohana.
“Well, whatever. Lili did have a pink harness, and she was cute.” Annie jumped in to take the heat off her new friend.
Serena worried her lip, and Annie gave her a slight nod to reassure her everything was okay. Serena spoke again. “Yes, and she loved taking walks around the lake, right? I remember wishing I had a dog like her. She was so devoted to you.”
Annie’s head swam. What? For a second there, she thought she’d heard wrong. Was she drunker than she thought? But before she could gather her thoughts, Julia’s voice hissed out from the phone.
“Annie . . . abort . . . you . . . abort . . .” The phone crackled as reception went in and out. Julia’s face froze on the screen for a moment as she said the code word they used to whisper to each other whenever one of them needed to get away from a situation. Annie would have laughed, but the look on Julia’s frozen face made the laughter die before it could erupt.
“You need to pee now?” Annie was confused. They were on the phone. Why did Julia want to go to the bathroom with her?
“Yes . . . badly.” Izzy nodded his agreement. One minute, she could see and hear her friends clearly, and the next, they froze for a few seconds.
Julia said, “Sorry, Serena . . . right back. It’s a thing . . . We . . . together. You don’t mind if Annie takes us to the bathroom, do you?” The last part of her words came in loud and clear.
“I don’t have to pee.” Annie didn’t want to be rude and leave Serena in the middle of the conversation when they were all getting along so well.