Born into a completely dysfunctional family with a mentally challenged younger sister, Gale found life particularly hard. The Navy a good place to hide and to grow despite his guilt over leaving his sister unsupported by other family members.<br><br>Nine years later, he returns to civilian life to find the old home abandoned, his family gone, and his sister missing from the group home her special education teacher Dave had arranged for her. Dave was Abigail’s only constant during the time Gale was away.<br><br>Worse, a major storm is on the way, promising flash flooding and damaging winds. Gale reaches out to Dave only to discover he doesn’t know where Abigail is, either. The two team up to find her, and in weathering the storm, they find solace in one another. But what will happen when the storm is over?

Number Nine on the Beaufort Scale

Wait,” said Dave, gripping my hand harder. “Let’s try another of those mouth to mouth courage-sharing things,” and this one was wonderful. “I’ve been waiting and hoping, and you never knew, did you?”


No, I had never even guessed, but I certainly knew now. My heart, which was already pounding, felt like it was going to jump off a cliff now, and I felt—well, it’s not a flutter by any means—but something like what a bulldozer would do if it were to fall in love, and thus, flutter. Okay, I guess you’d say I fell, hard. Oh, well, yeah, sure, I was hard, too, geez, you people.


Chapter 5