“That’s not where you’re staying, is it?” Huck asks Tilda.

“No,” Tilda says. “There’s a cottage on the other side.” She and Cash load the provisions into the Gator. “Thank you for bringing him.”

“You two be smart,” Huck says. “Charge your phones. Do you have a generator?”

“Yes,” Tilda says. “And plenty of gas.”

“Your place is shuttered?”

“It is,” Tilda says.

Huck doesn’t like leaving Cash and Tilda all alone on an island, not one bit, but he realizes he doesn’t have any say in the situation and he needs to get out of there.

“Be safe,” Huck says.

Huck is taking his boat to Hurricane Hole, where he will secure it with three anchors, strip it of all valuable electronics, then hope for the best. When he pulls into the Hole, he sees Captains Stephen and Kelly of the Singing Dog heading out.

Where are they going? he wonders.

He sees a few boats prepping in the Hole but not nearly as many as he thought he would. He putters over to What a Catch! “Where is everyone?” he asks Captain Chris.

“Hurricane watch just turned to warning,” Chris says. “And they’re advising everyone to pull their boats. This storm is going to be a monster, worse than anything we’ve seen. Sustained winds of one fifty or higher.”

Huck swears under his breath. The Mississippi can’t handle winds like that. “Where’s the Singing Dog going?”

“They said the boat will be a goner on land or on sea,” Chris says. “So they’re going to try to outrun it.”

“For the love of Pete,” Huck says. “What are you doing, staying here or trailering up?”

“I was tempted to chance it here,” Chris says. “But now I’m having second thoughts.”

Yes, so is Huck—and the decision needs to be made immediately. He waves to Chris, spins his boat around, and heads back to Cruz Bay.

He calls Irene. “I need to trailer the boat,” he says. “Then I have to shutter my house.” Or should he shutter first, then deal with the boat? No, he can shutter in the dark if need be.

“What can I do to help?” Irene says.

“You and Baker are shuttering Hibiscus?”

“Yes,” Irene says. “I’m making clam chowder, white chicken chili, a Mississippi roast, and your favorite cookies. Ayers is here, and so is Floyd. Phil and Sunny are on their way. Maia is at the school.”

That’s right; Maia begged to be allowed to go to the Gifft Hill gymnasium to assemble and distribute hurricane survival kits, which include gallon jugs of water, flashlights, extra batteries, granola bars, and fudge that some of the mothers made (because who doesn’t need fudge in a hurricane?). All of Maia’s friends are doing it, she said. Plus, she wants to help.

“Can you pick up Maia?” Huck asks.

“Already planning on it,” Irene says. “Curfew is at eight. I figure I’ll get her around seven thirty.”