Driftwood Tides by Gina Holmes

Author:Gina Holmes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION / Christian / General, FICTION / General
ISBN: 9781414395845
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers
Published: 2014-09-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

After gathering her belongings from the barn apartment and tidying up, Libby packed Caesar and her suitcase into the Jeep and drove the short distance to Holton’s shack so that she could return the key. She considered just mailing it to him when she got home, but she wasn’t sure how many copies he had, and with him getting ready to lose his place to foreclosure, he might need it sooner rather than later. Besides, if she was being honest with herself, she wanted to see him one last time, if only through the window.

Maybe it was some small measure of closure she sought, or maybe it was a sliver of hope that he might have sobered and reconsidered his feelings.

Climbing the rickety stairs to his porch, she felt old and weary. She paused midway to look out over the ocean, knowing it would be the last time she would ever see this stretch of beach from this exact angle. Moonlight gleamed off the waves softly rolling in as the breeze carried to her the distinct scent of brine.

She would miss this view, this smell, and even constantly brushing sawdust off herself . . . and, of course, Tess. The thing she would miss most of all, though, was the hope she had once felt here.

The barn key felt cold and small in her hand. Beside the front door hung an old mailbox. It creaked as she opened it, while a peppering of rust rained down. Metal clinked against metal as she set the single key inside and closed the hatch. She half expected Holton to hear her and run out screaming, but the only sound that met her ears was that of the ocean.

She peeked through the window and at first saw nothing but an empty couch. When she looked down, she spotted his hand on the floor. The rest of him was out of view, hidden by the wall she stood on the other side of. She’d started to turn around when movement caught her eye and she took another look. His hand had begun to twitch, then shake violently.

She banged on the window, then ran to the door and twisted the handle. For the first time, it was locked. With all her might she pounded her fist against wood, screaming his name as her heart pounded.

Hurriedly she scanned the small porch. Two rusty folding chairs lay in the corner. Without a moment’s pause, she picked one up and swung it hard against the window. The sound of shattering glass filled the air. Using the legs of the chair, she broke away the jagged pieces of glass left behind, clearing the way for her to climb in.

Rufus appeared and was now barking ferociously at her, teeth bared. “It’s me,” she said, hoping he would recognize her voice. His tail began to wag, and his growl turned into whining, telling her that she was safe.

With a thud, she dropped the chair on the porch and carefully climbed through the window, scraping the back of her thigh on a remaining shard.

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