Hard rain continued to mercilessly pound the roof. Howling wind whipped loud drops against the windows and she shivered at the ominous sound. Earlier in the day as the mist had turned into a sprinkle, Ashley had brought up the beach chairs. Having never lived this close to the shore, she’d been surprised at all the sounds that marked the coming storm. The waves had rushed in angrily and she pictured the frothy white caps and darkened sky. The breeze gusted in cold bursts and sent goose bumps dancing across her skin. The sound seemed to echo like a roaring giant in her little private alcove. After storing the chairs in the garage, she’d come inside the sand room to strip off her raincoat and rubber shoes. The light tinkling of the sprinkles had whapped against the window as the wind slashed it sideways, but now, Ashley didn’t need to see it to know those sprinkles had turned to heavy drops of water. They hit the house with such force she was reminded of a hailstorm she weathered with Ellie ten years ago.
