In Jewell Cove, the day was sunny and warm, slightly muggier than usual thanks to the tropical air pushing north. At first glance it seemed ridiculous that a huge weather event was on its way. But the sea was already sending a warning, rougher than normal, and boats were being either taken out of the water or secured as much as possible. The public beach was closed and hurricane warning flags whipped in the breeze. Not a sharp, stormy wind, but an ominous hush of chaos to come. Lizzie had experienced big storms before, but never right on the coast. Even with the wind and waves, she stood on her back deck on Friday afternoon and got the strange sensation that the atmosphere was holding its breath. Nancy was a Category 2 storm but expected to be downgraded to a Cat 1 by the time it reached landfall in Maine, then onward to a direct hit on the Fundy coast in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Everyone said it was going to get wild. They’d closed the clinic to walk-in hours for the afternoon, and Lizzie had gone home to look after storm prep.
