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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm sorry for the long delay in updating, I promise to be quicker at it!!!
Emma patched up the disagreement with Addie later that day and she was grateful that she hadn’t run away. Dealing with things was the better option and Emma was bothered by the fact that she just wanted to escape instead of facing difficult situations; she had done the same thing with Nick and that had gotten her absolutely nowhere. Everyone was going to get a break from each other though with Howie accepting an invitation from his family for him, Addie and the baby to come visit for the week. Emma had decided to go to New York for part of the week to catch up with Michael and his fiancé, Arthur.

“Do you have everything packed?” Emma asked her friend. “Did you get everything?”

“We’re good.” Addie replied. “Are you going to be okay by yourself for a little while?”

“I’ll be fine; I’m leaving for New York in a few days and probably won’t be here until you guys get back.”

“Be careful.” Howie warned, coming in from packing the car. “There’s supposed to be a bad storm coming this way; they said it could turn into a hurricane.”

“I know. I’m pretty sure I’ll be in the air before it gets here.”

“Promise me you’ll be safe.” Addie told her friend.

“I will and I’ll call you to let you know that I made it to New York; I don’t want you worrying.”

Howie finished loading the car and came in to collect his wife and their daughter. The friends said goodbye and Addie promised to text her later on that day. Emma assured them again that she would be fine and that she would be long gone before the storm got bad.

“Have fun and be safe.” Emma called out to them as they left. “I’ll take care of stuff here before I leave.”

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“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”

Michael had called Emma that day before she was leaving to meet him; he didn’t want her flying to them because the storm was getting progressively worse. Her flight was probably going to be cancelled any way but he didn’t want her to risk it; it was far safer for her to stay where she was.

“I’m positive Emma; there is no way I want you travelling in this mess,” he assured her, “Are you going to be ok where you are?”

“Their house is pretty safe and the weather really isn’t that bad here yet. Maybe it’ll just blow over.”

They both knew that there was a slim chance of that actually happening. The force of the storm had been building quickly over the last two days and there were travel safety warnings all over the place.

“You call me if you need anything,” he told her, “I can call someone and have them check on you.”

Emma assured him again that she would be fine and went upstairs to unpack her overnight bag. She would be leaving not long after she got back from New York and had planned on only taking the small bag; dragging a bunch of luggage for a couple of days didn’t seem to make sense. Making her way back downstairs, she hunted around for some flashlights, candles and matches just in case she was wrong about the extent of the storm.

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“Hey Howie, how are you?”

Nick answered the phone when he saw his friend’s face pop up. He knew they were in Florida visiting Howie’s family and he was glad they got out before the storm; it was pounding the Cape pretty good with massive winds and flooding rain. Guessing that was the reason he was calling, Nick beat him to the punch.

“Want me to go check the house?”

“Please!” Howie replied with a laugh, “I can’t believe you read my mind.”

“I’m good like that. Is everything there okay?”

“I forgot to take down the umbrella on the table and I tried calling Emma to check but she’s not answering her phone.”

“Emma’s there?”

“No, she went to New York to visit Michael and his fiancé for a couple of days; that’s probably why I can’t get ahold of her.”

Nick was still unnerved by hearing Michael’s name but he understood that he was simply Emma’s roommate and nothing more.

“Okay, I’ll head out in a couple of minutes.”

Before Nick broke the connection, his brother offered for him to stay at the house; he already had a key and it was easier than traveling back and forth between the hotel and the house. Nick agreed and packed a small bag to bring with him. He doubted there was going to be an issue but he preferred to be on the safe side.

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Emma was racing around the house trying to make sure that everything was in a safe and secure place. She knew she had to try and take down the umbrella on the outside table but it was going to be a major problem to do by herself with the wind whipping around. Her plan to do it earlier was wrecked by the storm coming in a little earlier than expected. Now it was going to be a bitch to take care of.

She placed all of the flashlights and candles on the kitchen island so she would be able to reach them easily. After securing everything, she was going to head back to the living room to watch a movie while the storm calmed itself out. Just as she was opening the door to the patio, she turned to grab a coat and caught sight of someone coming into the kitchen. She grabbed a flashlight and was prepared to throw it at whoever was coming in.