“I don’t—” He palmed the back of his neck, refusing to defend his job or mention all the safety precautions he took.

“It’s only a Category 1, and I’ll be safe inside my SUV.”

“And if a power line comes down? Or some projectile pierces the windshield? What will you do then?”

“That’s highly unlikely.” Sophie stared at her phone and seemed to sink in on herself. “Her power’s out too. And I don’t have anyone else’s number.”

The amount of relief he felt was disturbing. But why shouldn’t he care about Sophie’s well-being? Of course he didn’t want her hurt or injured. He wasn’t a monster.

She was tapping away at her phone again.

“What are you doing now?”

“Maybe the shops are closed, but the hotels are definitely open, and they’ll have generators.”

“I’m not sure Wi-Fi will be their number-one priority.”

“That’s what I’m checking on.”

Shaking his head, he went upstairs to fill the bathtub with water. When he was finished Sophie was still on the phone, so he went to the master bath and filled the tub in there too. He tried not to notice the flowery scent of her shampoo hanging in the air or the delicates draped over the towel bar.

Afterward he made his way back to the living room. “The tubs are filled, and we have plenty of candles and flashlights. You should probably unplug your—What are you doing?” A rhetorical question since he could plainly see she was slipping into her raincoat.

“The Marriott still has power and Wi-Fi, and they agreed to let me use it.”

“The Marriott is at least fifteen miles away.”

“Great. I can charge my phone as I drive.” Caught in the beam of his flashlight, she snatched up her purse and laptop.

He imagined all manner of trouble that could happen during the thirty-minute drive. If she got stuck he’d have to go after her. And God help her if anything terrible happened—the emergency crews no doubt had their hands full.

“Stay here, Pippa.” Using her phone to light her path, Sophie whizzed past him on her way to the garage. “Be back soon.”

“I’m going with you.”

She stopped so suddenly he nearly plowed into her.

“I don’t need a babysitter, Aiden. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m going with you,” he repeated in a no-nonsense tone.

They stared each other down, neither giving an inch for a good thirty seconds. Maybe he couldn’t stop anything bad from happening, but he was trained in emergency medical response. That had to count for something.

“Fine,” she finally said. “Suit yourself.”

chapter nine