We had two days of storm, no electricity. Even George’s cell phone didn’t work anymore. We ate everything in the refrigerator and freezer as time went by.
Eliasi drives to our house to make sure we are fine.
“This should be the last bad day of the storm,” he says, hugging Boots.
Tess is happy to see a new person. He pats her and she leans on him.
“I’m ready to get back outside with my car,” says Jake.
“Louisa and I have liked it—with the people and sheep inside,” says Boots. “Would you like to take a sheep home?”
Eliasi laughs. “No, thank you, Boots. But you’re right. It changes the nature of life on the island. We realize we are small when the weather comes.”
“Want me to come home?” asks George.
Eliasi shakes his head. “No. Willa and I are having a lovely romantic time together.”
“Dancing probably,” says George.
“You betcha,” says Eliasi. “You can be more help here, I think. There will be limbs to haul and some damages to barns and sheds.”
“What about the ferry?” asks Theo.
“It will be ready to go day after tomorrow,” says Eliasi. “Maybe,” he adds.
I know Theo is thinking of our parents visiting for a day.
“The paintings are all hanging in the library, Micha told me,” Eliasi says. “They knew the storm was coming and finished all the work early,” said Eliasi.
Eliasi kisses George good-bye. He pauses, then leans down to kiss me good-bye too. Then he is out the door in the rain and wind.
“I have something to do if you don’t need me,” says Theo.
“What?” I ask.
“Something,” says Theo, already going upstairs.
“Your fault, that ‘something,’ ” I say to Boots.
“What are you talking about?” asks George.
“I’ll explain it to you later,” I say. “It kind of involves my meeting you in Jake’s garage that first morning.”
“I was right about that, wasn’t I?” says Boots. “That ‘something’ was really ‘something.’ ”
“Oh, that kind of something,” says George.
Boots and I look at each other.
“Hey, how about I make poached eggs on toast for dinner,” says George happily. “Then we can dance!”
“We’ll have no music,” I say.
George peers at me. “You know it isn’t about the music, Louisiana,” he says softly.
Boots doesn’t say anything.
Jake doesn’t say anything. But he takes Boots’s hand and pulls her into the middle of the kitchen. They dance, the sheep watching them as they move, closer together. The sheep eyes follow them as they turn around and around.
“See?” says George.
George takes my hand and puts his arm around me, and we dance, turning around, his face close to mine.
“We’ll have eggs later,” George whispers in my ear, making me smile.
He pulls his face away from mine so I can see him smile too.
We don’t know how long we dance, Jake and Boots, George and I. It could be minutes or longer. An hour maybe. George puts his hand on my cheek. I suddenly remember the day he first put his hand against my hair and how that changed me.
I move closer to him, our faces almost together. I think about kissing him.
Then he stops dancing.
“What?” I whisper.
He begins to dance again.
“Silence,” he whispers.
And suddenly I know that George doesn’t mean no music.
The storm is over. Only rain. No whining wind. No hail against the windows. Silence.
I kiss him.
Too fast for Boots and Jake to see.