Hurricane Bay by Heather Graham Page A

“You’re the golden girl. The idea lady. The creative genius. You’re safe.”
    â€œIs that coffee done, Kelsey?” Nate asked.
    â€œLooks like it. Why don’t you pour me some, too?”
    Larry jumped when the phone on the counter in front of the coffeepot rang.
    â€œWho the hell would be calling at this hour?” Larry asked.
    â€œYeah, two o’clock in the morning,” Kelsey murmured. “Answer it.”
    Larry did so. Even from where they were sitting, the others could hear Cindy’s voice over the phone. She had recognized Larry’s “Hello?” But she wanted to know what he was doing in Kelsey’s place in the middle of the night.
    â€œTime is relative,” he told her. “Actually when I talked to Kelsey earlier, she sounded a little down, and I thought seeing you and Dane sounded really good, so I decided to play hooky from work and drive on down. For the weekend, at least.”
    Cindy said something Kelsey couldn’t quite catch. Larry hung up the phone.
    Kelsey and Nate both stared at Larry.
    â€œShe’s on her way over,” Larry said.
    â€œWhy not?” Kelsey said. “Time is relative.” She got off her bar stool to walk to the front door and let Cindy in when she appeared in just a minute’s time. It didn’t take long to get from one side of a duplex to another.
    â€œHey!” Cindy said when Kelsey opened the door. She swept on in. Larry had come from the kitchen and greeted Cindy with a big hug.
    â€œWow!” he said as she hugged him back. “Little but powerful. I feel like I just got a hug from an anaconda.”
    â€œSorry, too tight?” Cindy said.
    Larry shook his head. “Hugs are never too tight. I just never realized before how powerful you are.”
    â€œIt’s a short thing. Being small, I work out a lot, so the big guys can’t push me around. Kelsey, you should come to the gym with me tomorrow. I have a membership over at the new hotel. They’ve got all kinds of machines, a pool, a sauna…. If you work out, you’ll feel better about everything.”
    â€œIf Sheila shows up, I’ll feel better about everything,” Kelsey said.
    Nate had joined them in the passage between the living room and kitchen. Along with Cindy and Larry, he stared at her. They were all looking at her as if they were adults and she was a child still convinced there was a Santa Claus.
    â€œShe’s gone off for more than a week before,” Cindy said.
    â€œShe left me for lots more than a week,” Larry said. There was no pain in his voice. He was matter-of-fact about Sheila.
    â€œShe acts on whims,” Nate said softly.
    They still had that look in their eyes as they watched her. Kelsey shook her head. “Come on, now, we’re her friends. We’ve got to be concerned.”
    Larry cleared his throat.
    â€œOkay, so I was barely in touch with her for a couple of years. But you know what it’s like. We all grew up together. We have a bond. At first Sheila just e-mailed me, and I e-mailed back. Then we talked. Then she said that she really needed to see me, because I knew her so well, and she could trust me with her deepest, darkest secrets. Then she told me she was feeling desperate, and please would I make arrangements to spend time with her. So, you see, don’t you, why I’m so worried?”
    Larry groaned softly. “Kelsey, don’t you remember how pissed off Sheila was when you took my side during the divorce?”
    â€œI didn’t take your side. Larry, I don’t take sides in the breakup of a marriage, which is always a very sad thing.”
    â€œOkay, you didn’t take sides,” Larry said. He stood staring at her for a moment, then groaned. “Well, great, I’m glad we’re all best friends because it’s still kind of embarrassing to admit all this. Don’t you remember? She cheated. I was hurt. Really