Willa presses the heel of her hand to her forehead, trying to wake up her brain. They need to find a safe place. But where? She’d meant her text as a joke, but it’s also terribly true. With sparsely populated barrier islands to the east and swamps to the west, they are literally in the middle of nowhere.

“Willa!”

Taylor’s shout jolts her back to reality. “Sorry. What did you say?”

“He wants to talk to you.”

Willa’s hand is shaking as she takes the phone. “I don’t know what to do. Please tell me what to do.”

“Start by taking a deep breath.” The steady deepness of Captain Norm’s voice is an oasis of calm. “Now, tell me where you are.”

“We’ve just reached the north end of Sapelo Island, but we’re still about a day out from Brunswick. Maybe more with the current.”

“Well . . .” Norm is quiet for a beat. “There’s no shortage of little creeks around those parts, so grab your chart book and find yourself a safe place to tie up. A floating dock would be ideal—especially if you get a tidal surge—and if you can take shelter on land, do that. Otherwise, button up and say inside unless the boat is sinking.”

“I can’t do this.”

“Sure you can,” he says. “How many dock lines ya got?”

“Too many.”

Norm’s deep chuckle is another shot of calm. “Good. You’ll probably want to use about eight. And even at a dock, you should put out an anchor.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t forget to strip the sails, and you’ll wanna tie down anything that might blow away.”

“Okay.”

“Once you’ve settled on a spot, text the coordinates to your family and to me,” Norm says. The idea that these might be her last-known whereabouts punches a giant hole in her wobbly confidence. She draws in another deep breath, but it isn’t enough to still the erratic beat of her heart.

“What if—” she ventures, but he cuts her off.

“Don’t even let your mind go there,” he says. “Focus on what needs doing and do it.”

“Okay.”

She disconnects, then sends a quick text to Wyatt. We’re looking for shelter around Sapelo Island. I’ll let you know when we’ve found a place.

Wish you were here.

Me too. But I’ll see you again soon.

Counting on it, so stay safe.

She smiles at the little red crab that has become his signature at the end of every text conversation. They haven’t reached heart emoji status yet, but crab emoji status might actually be better. Willa tucks her phone in the pocket of her weather jacket and opens the chart book.