Two more sprays with sunscreen on her back had her wondering if she was doing any good. Delanie had positioned herself between two mirrors but she couldn't be sure. Either her back was protected or not. It was tricky using the spray stuff. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, just like life.



She thought she had a great boyfriend in Rhye, but he hadn't protected her. He'd cheated on her, lied to her and didn't come close to having her back. He'd been a jerk and she'd been a fool to believe in him.



She slipped on her jogging shoes and took off for a run. She liked the definition she saw after only a few days of intense training. This hadn't been part of her plan, but the island afforded her the perfect place to run and exercise.



The waves were a little choppy. She wouldn't go swimming at the beach today. She felt a little guilty because she had taken a dip in the ocean even though she had promised Mimi she wouldn't. But she had only swum when the surface had been calm as glass. Being an idiot wasn't something she took pride in so she tried to not do too many stupid things. Of course any stupid thing she did at home the paparazzi parade would emphasize. If she died out here on this island, she'd be talked about for years. Eventually she would only be known as the idiot who had swam alone.



After an hour of running, Delanie drug herself up to the house and grabbed a bottle of water. She plopped down on a lounge chair, pouring a little of the cool liquid over her head. If she had more energy, she would take a dunk into the pool.



The refreshing water slid down her throat, cooling her body. Spending time with Sam had revitalized her. She groaned, why had she thought about that guy. He wasn't her future, and she shouldn't spend time focusing on him, but she couldn't help but think of his chiseled features and his ripped body. He was more than just in shape. Sam was totally hot. He was the type of guy who inspired the traditional alpha hero. Girls would fall all over him. They'd be fools not to want to jump the guy's bones.



She'd wanted to jump Sam. They'd spent the night playing cards in her room. Of all the ways her bed could have been used she couldn't believe that she'd wasted the night playing cards instead of kissing his chest, rubbing against his pecks and loving his perfect mouth.



Delanie screwed the lid back onto the water bottle and dove into the pool. The only way to get rid of thoughts of Sam was to torture her body into exhaustion. Sam was way too sexy and way too nice to be near.



She swam for what must have been an hour when the wind tossed a few palm leaves into the pool. She turned onto her back and looked up to find an inky black sky. She hopped out of the pool, surprised in the change of weather. After hugging a towel to her chest, she spun around, fearful of the massive storm approaching.



Behind the house she'd be able to see the horizon more clearly. She sprinted around the corner, not at all liking what she saw.



The sky was darker than she'd earlier believed. She hadn't known about any major storms. The weather station she'd listened to this morning hadn't spoke of thunderstorms. This was way worse than the other little rain cloud that had blown in a few days ago.



Damn, she thought hurricanes came later in the season. She'd been assured that nothing like this would come up while she was here. The owner couldn't make any guaranties, but they had said that storms usually came later in the year.



As she approached the clearing where the land rose slightly and gave her a three hundred and sixty degree view of the ocean, dread filled her. The clouds looked like something from Armageddon.



A palm leaf was ripped from a tree nearby and flew at her. She screamed in surprise then laughed once she realized it was just a leaf and wouldn't hurt her.



She thought about Sam and his instructions about the shutters. He'd told her how important locking them down would be in a dangerous storm. She ran back to the house rushing to secure the wood over the windows.



The first shutter proved to be more difficult than she had assumed it would be. The window was too high for her to reach. She had to go find a stepstool, and then once she could reach the window she realized that she'd placed the stool in the wrong spot.



The wind ripped the wood out of her hand, and the shutter crashed against the house, then it swung at her, catching her on the shoulder. She cried out as pain raced down her arm.



The stool wobbled as she tried to change her balance, it tilted forward then back. Delanie hopped down and slammed into a tree. Her neck stung. She reached up and came away with blood.



Damn, she had to get the shutter closed otherwise she would be dealing with more than a scratch on her neck.



She worked through the pain, encouraged that she didn't have any more trouble. She thought about Sam out here doing the shutters when the rain had been pelting his back. He really was too nice. Back in LA no one would have pitched in and helped like he did.



On the last window she had to drag the stool around again. This time she carefully placed the stool so she wouldn't be knocked over. A glance over her shoulder told her that the storm was growing in intensity.



Tonight would suck. She could imagine the wind and the rain. Did tornadoes form over the ocean? Damn, she wished she knew more about hurricanes and weather. Was this huge cloud just another storm or worse? She finished fastening the last shutter and went inside.



The owner of the house had installed a sliding wood door over the French doors too protect them. Delanie kept the doors open, hoping to watch the weather until it started raining.



What would she do if the storm hit and wrecked the house? She had no clue how to survive a hurricane.

Copyright Sara Thacker 2011