Page 63 of Big Sexy Love
I try to yell sorry over the sound of the storm, but it’s too loud. Seth grabs my hand and yanks me back inside the bar, blood trickling from hisforehead.
‘Shit! Shit! I’m so sorry!’ I shriek, panting as Seth touches a hand to his head. ‘Are you allright?’
Phyllis hurries over at thecommotion.
‘Baby, your head! Let me get you a Band-Aid.’ She jogs off behindthebar.
‘I’m fine!’ Seth assures me. But there’s bloodeverywhere!
I reach into my satchel and pull out the handkerchief Mrs Ramirez gave to me, pressing it againstthecut.
‘Thanks,’ Seth says, putting his hand over mine to stop the bleeding. ‘Honestly, I’mcompletelyfine.’
‘Good. Good,’ I say, removing my hand fromunderneathhis.
‘Looks like we’re gonna need to get a cab back to theferryport.’
‘Definitely,’ I say wide-eyed. There’s no way I’m going back out there again without the cover ofacar!
Phyllis returns with a plaster and some cotton wool, instructing Seth to sit back down in a booth so she can tend to him. While she’s fussing over him, Seth pulls his phone out of his hoodie pocket and taps out a minicab number, while I unbutton my coat and use my dry jumper sleeve to dab at mywetface.
‘A cab from Trickys on St Mark’s Place to St George Terminal,please.’
Sethfrowns.
‘What? Really? Why? Well… can we get a cab straight to Manhattan then? And theferries?’
‘What are they saying?’ I whisper nervously. ‘Is there a long wait? I mean, I’ll be okay as long as I can get to Wall Street before close ofbusiness.’
Seth presses a button on his phone, endingthecall.
‘I can’t believe it!’ he says. ‘The cabs aren’t running. The storm is getting really bad. The drivers have been told to stay off theroads.’
Shit!
I start to pull my coat back on. I’m gonna have to walk it. I need to get to Wall Street this afternoon! ‘You stay here,’ I say. ‘But I really need to go. I’ll justbraveit.’
Seth puts his hand on my arm. ‘Olive… the ferries have been cancelled until the stormclears.’
I frown. ‘When… when will that be? An hour? Oh jeez, two hours? It’s Tuesday and my flight back is on Thursday morning at 3 a.m. I don’t have much time to get this letterdelivered!’
‘I’m not sure,’ Seth says apologetically. ‘The cab guy just told me they were allcancelled.’
‘Ohno!’
‘Sonny!’ Phyllis shouts into the kitchen. ‘Have you heard anything about thisstorm?’
Sonny shuffles into the room, grim-faced. He grabs the remote control and flicks through the channels on the TV. I’ve already got my phone out and am googlingStaten Island Storm Ferries. But I needn’t bother because Sonny finds a news channel showing pictures of a very stormy Hudsonriver.
The news anchor on screen looks into the camera solemnly. ‘Sources suggest that the eye of the storm will pass through at around 1 a.m. While some treacherous weather was expected, a gale of this magnitudewasnot.’
I flop onto the booth. ‘One a.m.?’ I mutterworriedly. ‘What?’
‘Both of you will stay here,’ Phyllis says, clapping her hands together, stirred into action. ‘I have a bunch of roomsupstairs.’
‘Are you sure, Phyllis?’ Seth asks. ‘That’s real kindofyou.’
‘Nonsense. I gottheroom.’
