Shivering, Lauren pulled the covers up to her neck and listened to the gale-force winds pound against her small cabana. The clock beside her flickered with the threat of a power outage. Damn, this was kind of scary. She wondered whether Danielle and Abby were just as afraid. Deciding to go check on her friends, she climbed from her bed and pulled on a pair of jogging pants and a matching gray jacket. After slipping into her running shoes, she crept to her door. When she pulled it open, lightning crackled overhead and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She glanced back at her clock and noticed it had powered down. When she turned back to her door, she came face-to-face with Ryan. He stood outside in the pouring rain, wearing a yellow slicker with the hood pulled over his head. He reached out and covered her hands with his. “Lauren, are you okay?” She heard genuine concern in his voice. Despite the chill in the air, everything inside her warmed when she looked at him.
