Chapter 36 : Not the Greatest Rescue

Cat POV The helicopter hovered above us, and a thick line came down. Luke grabbed me and pulled me out of the way. I didn't understand at first, but then a guy came gliding down the line. He landed hard on the ground and lifted the visor on his helmet. "Luke Carter?" he asked, pointing at Luke. "That's me," Luke called over the sound of the helicopter. "Are you well? Are you injured?" the man asked. Luke nodded and shook his head. "We found shelter through the storm. We didn't have any reception and our phones died." "I have an emergency kit if you need it, but this helicopter can't bring both of you back to the resort. Do you want to go one at a time?" the rescuer asked. I grabbed Luke's arm. "Neither of us should be alone out here." "We're not separating," Luke shouted over the loud helicopter. "Your father sent us to find you when he couldn't get you on the phone all night. Almost all the roads are washed out, but we can send a rescue vehicle that is equipped to go off-road. We'll send it your way. Stay here. We'll send the coordinates to your location, and they'll get you in about an hour or so." Luke nodded, and the man clipped himself back to the helicopter line, and he pulled himself back up to the helicopter. With my shoes still off, I hobbled back to the fallen tree and sat down again. "Looks like all we can do is wait," I muttered. We played a few more rounds of twenty questions before the rescue vehicle pulled up. In the back, they had food, water, and electric blankets. "Oh, thank you so much!" I gushed, wrapping myself in one of the electric blankets. I started guzzling water and stuffing my face with the snacks they'd brought. "Would you like to go back to the resort, Mr. Carter?" the driver asked. "Take us to the villa, please," Luke instructed. "I have a satellite phone if there is anyone you need to call," he offered, stretching the phone back to us. "We're all set, thanks," Luke muttered, waving the phone away. I handed him a bottle of water, and he smiled gratefully. He sat close to me, and I wrapped a corner of the electric blanket around him. Luke grinned and snuggled under the blanket with me. We didn't have much else to say on the drive back. I was just happy to be wrapped up in a warm blanket with a full belly. Luke thanked the driver for us, and I reluctantly handed back the electric blanket when we got to the villa. I was greatly looking forward to taking a warm bath and then getting in bed for a long, much-needed rest. I'd sleep through the whole wedding if I had to. By the time we got to the cabins, I was still wearing Luke's coat. Mr. Carter was standing outside Luke's cabin. His arms were crossed, and he glared at us as we approached. "Luke! Where have you been? The whole family has been worried about you," Mr. Carter started, the moment we were within earshot. "Good morning to you, too, Dad," Luke muttered. "All night, during a furious storm like that, no one could get in touch with you," his dad said sharply, pointing at him. "We didn't have any reception," Luke said, pulling out his cell phone. "This morning, we tried to call, but our batteries were dead," I added, wondering why Luke's father was so pissed about his adult son being out all night. "Everyone was so worried. Your mother was a mess. I sent rescuers out for you! Why didn't you call when the rescuers picked you up? They have satellite phones," his father ranted. "Dad, I'm fine. I had shelter from the storm. We've survived a lot worse down here," Luke said. He had purple bags under his eyes. I could tell he was exhausted and probably looking forward to showering and resting, just as much as I was. "Your mother was so worried that she wanted to come right down here and check on you, with the entire family! I had to lie to them so they wouldn't follow me when I came to find you," Mr. Carter said, raising his voice. "Why would you have to lie?" Luke asked, crossing his arms. "Well, seeing as you've probably spent the night f*cking your employee, it wouldn't be seemly to have Victoria come down here," Mr. Carter snarled, glaring at me. "Would it?" I took a half step back, shrinking into Luke's coat. Were we that obvious? It probably didn't look that good. We'd been out all night, at an undisclosed location, and we were wearing formal clothing. We hadn't called to check on anyone or tried to get in touch. Now, we wandered up to the villa with bare feet, and I was wearing Luke's coat. Mr. Carter's eyes raked over me, and he wrinkled his nose like I was garbage. My cheeks got hot, and I buried my face in my hands. Did everyone suspect we'd been alone together doing something we shouldn't? Not that nothing had happened, but it was no one's business! I glanced at Luke, noticing that he was calmly looking at his father. "So, what do you have to say for yourself?" Mr. Carter snapped. Luke sighed heavily. "Father, I'm an adult. I do not need to explain to you or anyone else my whereabouts or what I do with my personal time. I do not need my father to cover up for me," Luke stated. Mr. Carter sniffed, still glaring at me. Luke stepped between us, coming between his father's sharp gaze, as if protecting me. "And if you ever speak to Cat like that again, I will cut you out of my business, and I won't speak to you again. Do you understand, Father?" he continued. "What of Victoria? Is this woman really worth losing her?" Mr. Carter countered. Luke growled and shook his head. "I broke up with Victoria months ago. She wants to announce it on her own terms and threatened that she'd stop her father from selling me the land for this project if I made a big deal of it. Is that really the kind of woman you think I should be with?" Luke countered. Mr. Carter's eyes widened. He looked taken aback by Luke's response. He glared, then uncrossed his arms. For a moment, he looked impressed. "Clearly, I didn't know the details of your relationship with Victoria. You should have told me, at least. I would have helped," he said. Knowing Mr. Carter, it was the closest Luke was going to get to an apology and an admission that his father was in the wrong. "I can handle my own affairs, just fine," Luke insisted. He stepped back to my side and put an arm around my shoulders. My cheeks got hot again, and I looked down at my bare feet. This was getting awkward. "My apologies, Miss Catherine," Mr. Carter said. His voice was sharp, flat, and unapologetic. I nodded at him. "Thanks." "Oh, because of the storm, the wedding has been postponed until tomorrow," Mr. Carter said, almost as an afterthought. "Tomorrow?" I asked. When Luke and Mr. Carter looked at me, I winced and bit my tongue. I shouldn't have said anything at all! The only good thing about having it today was that the wedding would soon be over, and Fiona and Aaron would leave the island on their honeymoon. I'd been looking forward to that. Now, I'd have to wait a whole extra day. "Yes, the resort is without power. A lot of guests were delayed because of the storm. Flights only resumed a few hours ago," Mr. Carter explained. "And Fiona is willing to wait for the rest of her guests to arrive?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow. Mr. Carter chuckled. "Actually, it is the lack of power that is causing the delay. Fiona is very distraught. Your mother came up with a solution, though. She is getting generators sent in to provide power." "And the show must go on," Luke said softly, his eyes on the ground. "Yes. Postponing for a day gives us time to get power back on so Fiona can have her twinkling lights and her chocolate fountain. All the things she so desires," Mr. Carter said, a fond smile on his lips. I looped my arms around my stomach and looked down. If the wedding was happening tomorrow, I'd be curled up under my covers all night and day. "Thank you for updating us," Luke said a little curtly. "I will see you at the wedding, then. Tomorrow." Mr. Carter said, sweeping by us. Luke nodded and waved absently to his father as Mr. Carter headed down the boardwalk to the car he had waiting. "Cat, I'm really sorry about him. He can be… abrasive," Luke said, turning to me and slipping his hands around my upper arms. I gave him a weak smile. "I'm okay. I don't think your parents have liked me since they met me. I can see why our closeness would make them even more uneasy about me." "You look pale. Are you still cold?" he asked, cupping my chin in his hand. I pulled away. "I'm fine. I just… you know, the wedding and all. I thought it would be happening today, and I wouldn't have to think about it again. Now, it has been drawn out even longer." "Ahh. That's right. I am sorry that my sister continues to make things difficult," he apologized again. Smiling lightly, I shook my head. "I don't think Fiona has enough sway to control the weather," I teased. Luke smirked. "No, probably not. Though, she can be a bit of a witch." I laughed and slipped my arms out of Luke's coat, handing it back to him. He took the coat and folded it over his arm. "If you don't need me today, I'm going to take a long, hot bath and then catch up on sleep. I'll probably sleep all day tomorrow, too," I said. As I headed toward my own cabin, Luke caught my arm and turned me back toward him. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked. "After tomorrow, I'll be fine," I insisted, patting Luke's hand. "You think crawling into bed and ignoring the wedding will make you feel better?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "Did you have something else in mind?" I countered, recognizing the look in his eye. Luke smirked, his eyes flashing brightly. That was the look he had whenever he was thinking of something unusual. "Sure. Maybe it sounds a little crazy, but what if we went to the wedding together?" Luke asked. I just stared at Luke, unable to form a response. "Think about it. If you show up dressed nicely and have a good time with me, that will feel a lot better than sulking all day," Luke tempted. "You want me to go to my cheating ex-fiancée's wedding?" I snapped.