dandelion // h.s.

s i x

Garret Fordham wasn't lying; Monroe really was beginning to advance down onto Jack Creek. Several times during unpacking, Boo had taken a moment to peek out the window and each time her heart sunk closer to her knees. The skies were a billowing dark grey and the wind only picked up as the day wore on. By the time Boo and Martha left the apartment, the gentle rain had transformed into merciless sheets of water.

Inside the safety of Martha's home, Boo plants herself at the dining table while Martha tries several times to reach Lori. Her grandmother's restless pacing about the kitchen only makes Boo more anxious; she has to fight to keep the storm in her stomach at bay. The rain outside sounds like the distant roaring of a crowd as it beats down onto the roof. Trees scrape against the windows, threatening to shatter the glass at any moment.

"She's probably at the shelter already," Boo says aloud while chewing on a hangnail. Boo has no doubt in her mind that Lori's finagled her way into some sort of sanctuary; she was good at cutting corners and getting what she wanted.

Martha presses the phone to her ear and holds it there with her shoulder while she frantically rifles through the phone book. "When was the last time you heard from her?" she asks, mild panic in her voice.

"Last night," Boo says with a roll of her eyes. "She texted me asking for money."

"Of course she did," Martha mutters to herself, dialing a new number and planting the phone back on her ear. She abruptly straightens and clamps the phone tightly as someone presumably picks up. "Yes, hi, I'm looking for my daughter, can you tell me if she's at your shelter?"

A pause. Boo drums her fingers on the table and sneaks another peek at the waterfall of rain rushing down the nearest windows.

"Lori Taylor. She may be with a man named Shawn."

Boo huffs in annoyance. Her own phone then begins to ring, and Martha whirls around expectantly.

"Is that her?" she hisses at Boo, covering the receiver with one hand.

Boo is surprised to see her boss' name flashing across the screen. She shakes her head to Martha and hesitantly answers. "Hello?"

"Taylor, thank God," Frank says. "I need you to come in."

Several noises of disbelief leave Boo's mouth. "Are you insane? There's a literal hurricane outside."

"It's a silly little rainstorm, it won't hurt anybody," he snaps. "I've already had half my staff call in, you're my last hope."

"Frank, I asked off for this entire week months ago," Boo retorts.

"If you're not here in thirty minutes, you're fired," Frank replies before hanging up. Boo gapes at her screen, her fist balling up in annoyance.

"What is it, honey?" Martha asks, still on the phone to the shelter. One hand remains on the receiver as she gazes expectantly at Boo.

Boo looks back at her, feeling the blood drain from her face as she realizes she won't be home the one night she really needs to be. "They're calling me in to the store. He said I'm fired if I don't go."

Martha seems to be wrestling with this decision as much as Boo is. She licks her lips after a moment and says, "You should go. You need that money, and a big store like that will be safe against the hurricane."

"Nana, no, I won't leave you," Boo protests. "I'll find another job."

Martha shakes her head, already shooing Boo away from the table. "If you leave now you can make it before the roads flood."

A bitter sensation floods Boo's mouth as she struggles for an excuse. "Nana-"

"Melita Taylor, not another word," Martha says hurriedly, phone still in hand. "Go before you get stuck here." She tugs Boo to her feet and gently pushes her toward the door. "I'll be here when you can get home again."

Boo feels sick to her stomach. Martha buzzes about the foyer, gathering a jacket and rain boots in addition to the car keys. Boo halts at the front door as her grandmother hands her everything with an encouraging smile.

"Nana," she says in a small voice. "I'm scared of the storm."

"Don't be scared," Martha says assuredly. She squeezes Boo's shoulder gently and smiles. "We'll be just fine. I'll be here when you can come back. Now go, before the rain is too heavy."

Boo feels tears spark in her eyes. "I can't."

"You can and will," Martha counters firmly. "Don't be afraid, Melita. You'll be safe at the store."

Martha has a strange look in her eyes; a deep, underlying worry that seems to stem from more than just a hurricane. Boo wants desperately to stay, to be by her grandmother on such a dangerous night, but now that Martha's mind is made up she knows that's impossible.

Boo swallows the lump in her throat and nods obediently. "Yes, Nana."

Martha grabs her in a vice-like hug. "I love you."

Boo buries her face in Martha's shoulder and struggles to swallow the lump in her throat. "I love you too, Nana." Her lungs fill with her grandmother's familiar perfume - rosemary and lemon.

Martha pulls back and takes a brief moment to hold Boo's face in her hands. "Drive safely. Tell me when you get there. Keep me updated until you can come home."

Boo nods and Martha gives her one more nudge. "Go on."

Without a better option, Boo runs out into the driving wind and rain. The last thing she sees as she slowly backs out of the driveway is her grandmother's face in the front window, peeking out and waving goodbye.