Lost in the Storm

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: Storm Warning

  Chapter 2: Birds of a Feather

  Chapter 3: Staying or Going?

  Chapter 4: Swimming Session

  Chapter 5: Abuelo’s Tale

  Chapter 6: What Will Happen?

  Chapter 7: Where’s Bogart?

  Chapter 8: Fishy Behavior

  Chapter 9: Found and Lost

  Chapter 10: Man Overboard

  Chapter 11: Getting Closer

  Chapter 12: Aftermath

  Teaser

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Abby Feingold stepped out of the woods into the sheltered cove. The water was calm, ruffled only slightly by the breeze coming off the ocean.

  “Anybody here?” Abby called. She took another step toward the rocky shore’s edge. “Dolphins? Yoo-hoo!”

  She let out a loud whistle. A second later, a sleek gray head popped into view.

  Abby smiled. “Rascal!” she called. “I’m glad the weather report didn’t scare you away.”

  A gust of wind blew her wavy brown hair into her face. Abby pushed it back, squinting out at the dolphin. He was bobbing in the water, watching her with his big, dark eyes. Where were the others?

  She got her answer a moment later when five more dolphins popped into sight. One of them, Echo, leaped up and dove back into the water with a splash.

  Abby laughed. “Do it again,” she called, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “I told Daddy and Rachel I’d take some photos for the resort’s website.”

  Abby lived on Barnaby Key, a small island in the Florida Keys. The island had been a wedding gift from a relative to her father and brand-new stepmother. Now Abby, Daddy, and Rachel lived there full-time and ran Dolphin Island Family Resort. The resort had only been open for a month, but Abby already couldn’t imagine living anywhere else! She especially loved the cove, and the pod of dolphins that came there every day. She and her friend Bella had named all of the dolphins: Rascal, Echo, Domino, Graygirl, Nana, and Neptune.

  Abby snapped some photos of the dolphins playing. They dove and jumped, doing flips and twists in the air or skimming along just below the surface. She laughed as Neptune did a loud belly flop. Just then another gust of wind almost blew the phone out of her hand.

  “Wow,” she said to Graygirl, who was floating near the shore. “I guess the hurricane must be getting closer.”

  She frowned, a little worried. She wasn’t afraid of hurricanes—as a lifelong Florida girl, she had been through several. But she wasn’t sure how a hurricane would affect the island and its wildlife, including the dolphins.

  Then she shrugged off her worries. “Oh well,” she murmured. “The forecasters don’t even know if the storm is coming toward us or not.”

  Just then the phone buzzed in her hand. It was a text from Rachel:

  Guests heading out soon—come back if u want to say bye!

  “Oops.” Abby realized she’d lost track of the time. That happened a lot when she was at the cove! “Sorry, guys,” she called to the dolphins. “I have to go.”

  Echo let out a soft whistle, as if he understood what she had said. Abby smiled and whistled back. Then she turned and hurried into the woods, following the familiar trail among the palm, gumbo limbo, and buttonwood trees.

  A few minutes later, she emerged into a large open area. At the center stood the main house. Six guest bungalows were scattered across the beautiful grounds. Daddy had worked as a landscaper back on the mainland, and he still loved getting his hands dirty planting all sorts of beautiful flowers, vines, and shrubs.

  The house faced a sheltered lagoon with crystal-blue water and a white sand beach. At one end of the beach was the dock where Abby’s family kept their motorboat, the Kismet. Daddy and Rachel used the boat to take guests back and forth between the resort and Key West, a large, busy island with an airport and lots of shops and restaurants, which was about three miles away.

  At the moment, Daddy was fiddling with the ropes tying the boat to the pilings. The departing guests were waiting to board. Some stood on the dock with their suitcases, while others were taking a few final photos on the beach or beneath the majestic palms.

  Rachel and some of the resort employees were there, too, chatting with the guests or helping with the luggage. Abby also spotted Carlos Alvarez, the eight-year-old nephew of Sofia, the resort’s head cook. Occasionally, Carlos took the boat out with her from Key West, where they both lived, and spent the day on Barnaby Key.

  “Hey, Carlos,” Abby said, hurrying over. “Are you leaving already? I was hoping you could help us clean up everything before next week’s guests get here.”

  Carlos tossed his dark hair out of his eyes. “I can’t, sorry,” he said, though he didn’t sound very sorry. “I’m going back with your dad right now—I have soccer practice this afternoon.”

  “Oh, okay,” Abby said. Then she laughed as a bright-eyed two-year-old toddled toward them, clutching a seashell in one hand. “Bye-bye, Tandi,” Abby said, scooping up the girl to give her a hug. “We’ll miss you!”

  The girl’s mother stepped forward, smiling. “Don’t worry, Abby,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll be back soon. We had such a lovely time here!”

  “Yes.” The woman’s husband joined them, dragging a large suitcase. He squinted at the horizon, where a few ragged gray clouds marred the blue sky. “But don’t expect us next week—we’re from Chicago, you know. We don’t do hurricanes!”

  Rachel heard them and chuckled. “Don’t worry, you’ll be back at the mainland well before the hurricane gets here, even if it does come this way,” she assured the couple. “And I do hope you’ll come back. We’ve enjoyed having you.”

  Abby’s father let out a whistle. “Boat’s ready to go!” he called. “We’d better get moving so you’ll have plenty of time to make your flights.”

  The next few minutes passed quickly in a bustle of boarding and loading. The Kismet was fairly small, but there was enough room for all twelve guests and their belongings, plus Daddy and Carlos. Soon the boat was chugging off across the lagoon.

  Abby waved until she was pretty sure the people on board couldn’t see her anymore. Then she walked back toward the house with Rachel, Sofia, and the other employees.

  “That was a nice group, wasn’t it?” Rachel commented. She glanced at Abby. “The next batch of guests should be here in a few hours. I hear there’s a girl around your age.”

  “Cool!” Abby said. “Where’s she from?”

  Rachel shrugged. “I’m not sure. I know we have some people from Orlando, Philadelphia, North Carolina, and even the West Coast in this group, but I don’t remember all the details.” She smiled. “There are fifteen people this time!”

  Abby knew why her stepmother looked happy. The first couple of weeks they’d had only a small number of guests. But the more people heard about the island, with its beautiful beach, fun activities, and friendly pod of dolphins, the more people wanted to come!

  “That’s great, darling,” Sofia spoke up, smiling at Rachel. She called everyone “darling.” “But it means we have lots of work to do to get ready for them. Let’s get to it!”

  “All hands on deck!” Abby exclaimed. That was one of Daddy’s favorite sayings. It meant it was time for everyone to help out.

  She didn’t mind pitching in and working hard. It was worth it to live in such a beautiful place!

  Abby was smoothing out the bedspread in one of the bungalows when she heard a shout from the direction of the beach: “I see the boat!”

  She hurried outside. The Kismet was still way out in the ocean beyond the reef that protected the lagoon.

  Rachel emerged from the bungalow ne
xt door. “Ready?” she asked Abby with a smile.

  Abby nodded. “I’ll get Bogart—he’s part of the welcoming committee, too.”

  She hurried around to the back of the main house. She and Daddy had been hard at work building an aviary there—an outdoor enclosure for her pet macaw, Bogart. They had built a large wooden frame, then covered it with wire mesh. Daddy had brought in a big dead branch that the bird could perch on, and Abby had helped plant some shrubs and other greenery. Bogart also had a food dish, several water dishes, and a few toys.

  The large parrot was perched on a branch, grooming his colorful feathers with his beak. He stopped when he saw Abby coming.

  “Here, kitty kitty,” he squawked in his loud, hoarse voice.

  Abby laughed. She was still discovering new words and phrases that Bogart knew how to say. It had only been a few weeks since she’d rescued him after his previous owner had released him into the wild. Luckily, Daddy and Rachel had said she could keep him, and now he was the resort’s official mascot.

  “Come on, Bogart.” Abby stretched her arm up so the macaw could hop onto it. “We have guests to greet!”

  She headed around the house to the beach. By then, Daddy was steering the boat up to the dock.

  “Welcome to Dolphin Island Family Resort!” Rachel called, waving to the people crowded into the boat.

  Abby smiled and scanned the visitors. There was a group of four giggling women in their early twenties, several couples of various ages, and young parents with a sleepy-looking baby. There was also a tall, tanned man wearing a fishing hat, who was sitting beside a girl with short blond hair.

  As the guests climbed out of the boat, Abby stepped toward the girl. “Hi, I’m Abby,” she said. “I heard we had a guest around my age coming this week—I’m eight.”

  “I’m nine.” The girl smiled. “My name’s Delaney Durand, and this is my dad.”

  She pointed to the tanned man, who smiled and said hello before turning away to grab their luggage.

  “Is that a real parrot?” Delaney asked, staring at Bogart.

  “This is Bogart.” Abby stroked the bird’s feathers. “He’s a blue-and-gold macaw.”

  “Cool!” Delaney looked impressed. “I don’t have any pets. My mom is allergic to everything.”

  “Is your mom here?” Abby glanced around.

  Delaney quickly shook her head. “My mom and dad are divorced,” she said. “I live with my mom most of the time. But every summer before school starts, Dad and I go someplace fun where he can fish and I can do other interesting stuff.”

  “Well, you came to the right place.” Abby smiled. “There are tons of fish around here—and lots of fun!”

  “Fun, fun,” Bogart croaked out. “I’m a pretty bird!”

  Delaney laughed. “Did you teach him to say that?”

  Abby shook her head. “I’ve only had him a short time.” She started to explain, but Daddy had called for attention.

  “We’ll be showing you all to your bungalows shortly,” he said. “There will be a welcome reception in the dining pavilion after that. But first, I’ve already had a few questions about the possible hurricane.”

  “Oh dear, I was going to ask about that,” said the woman with the baby. “Are we in danger?”

  Rachel stepped forward to stand beside Daddy. “Not at the moment, no,” she said. “The storm is still pretty far away. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the forecast over the next couple of days.”

  “That’s right.” Daddy nodded. “It’s too early to say whether it might come here or miss us completely. But of course we’ll refund anyone who wants to leave—just in case.”

  Abby held her breath after Daddy’s announcement. Would any of the guests want to leave the resort right now? She hoped not!

  The woman with the baby traded a worried look with her husband. The group of young women giggled and poked one another.

  “We’re staying!” one of them exclaimed.

  “Whoo!” her three friends cheered.

  “I’ve never been in a hurricane,” Delaney said, sounding a little worried.

  Her father heard her and looked over. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he said. “Like they said, it might not even come this way.”

  A very tall, muscular man with a mustache nodded. “He’s right,” he said. “There’s only about a thirty percent chance the track will cross this part of the Keys.”

  “Really?” Delaney looked impressed. “How do you know that?”

  The tall man smiled. “I saw it on the Weather Channel,” he said. “I’m a firefighter—I like to keep an eye on the conditions in the places I’m visiting. My name’s Jack Milano, by the way.”

  The other guests started introducing themselves to one another. After that, Abby helped show everyone to their bungalows. Abby’s father had named all of the bungalows after local trees and flowers. For instance, Delaney and her father were in the Silver Palm, which had two bedrooms. The four young women were in the largest bungalow, the Tamarind, while Jack the firefighter and his wife were in the Acacia Bungalow. Some of the other couples were staying in the guest rooms on the second floor of the main house.

  After everyone was settled in, the guests gathered in the breezy outdoor dining pavilion between the house and the beach. Abby offered to lead a walk out to Dolphin Cove. “It’s named after a pod of dolphins that likes to come there,” she explained. “I can’t guarantee that they’ll be there right now, but they do hang out in the cove a lot.”

  “Cool,” Delaney said. “I love dolphins!”

  Several of the others guests nodded eagerly. “It would be fun to see some dolphins!” a woman with a pretty head scarf exclaimed. “Do they do tricks?”

  “No, they’re wild dolphins,” Abby said. “But they’re friendly.”

  Most of the guests came along to visit the cove. The parents with the baby, together with a few others, decided to stay behind.

  Soon the group was stepping into the cove. The wind had died down, and the water was still. For a second, Abby was afraid that the dolphins weren’t going to show up. But when she whistled, several gray heads popped into view at the far end of the cove where the cove opened into the sea.

  “Wow!” Delaney exclaimed as the dolphins swam closer. “They’re so beautiful!”

  “That’s Rascal.” Abby drew attention to the large dolphin leading the way. “And the one with the spots is Domino.” She pointed out the rest of the pod, too: friendly Echo, slender Graygirl, bossy Nana, and stout Neptune.

  “You’re so lucky to live here.” Delaney crouched on the rocky shore, watching the dolphins play. “I’d love to be able to see dolphins every day. I live in California, so I see them sometimes when we go to the beach, but they’re usually really far away.”

  “I know I’m lucky,” Abby said. “Dolphins are my favorite! I love all animals, though.”

  “Me too.” Delaney straightened up and smiled, pushing her short blond hair off her face. “I want to be a vet or a zookeeper when I grow up.”

  Just then Bogart dug his claws into Abby’s shoulder. “Hot diggity dog!” he croaked out. Then he fluttered down to the ground and waddled toward the jungle.

  “Bogart, come back!” Abby laughed and chased after the macaw. Luckily, he couldn’t walk very fast. She picked him up and set him on her arm again.

  “I’m a pretty bird,” Bogart said.

  “You’re a naughty bird,” Abby corrected with a smile. “Stop trying to escape.”

  Delaney laughed. “He’s cool,” she said. “They have a bunch of big parrots and stuff at this wildlife park I was reading about. It’s in Arizona, and it sounds amazing. I’d love to go there sometime.”

  “Arizona—that’s not very far from California, is it?” Abby said, scratching Bogart on the head. “Maybe you should ask your dad to take you there for your next big trip.”

  Delaney shrugged. “I don’t think he’d be interested in going there. There’s no fishing nearby.”

&nb
sp; Before Abby could respond, there was a loud “ooh!” from the other guests. She looked out and saw Rascal and Echo doing side-by-side flips.

  “I’m so glad we came here!” one of the guests exclaimed, grabbing her boyfriend’s arm.

  Delaney smiled at Abby, then reached out to give Bogart a pat. “Me too.”

  When Abby got up the next morning, she felt excited. At first she was too sleepy to remember why.

  Then she remembered: Bella was coming to the island today!

  Abby hopped out of bed and got dressed extra fast. She was only halfway down the stairs when she heard the sounds of music, laughter, and talking coming from the kitchen. Sofia and the other workers arrived very early every morning to make breakfast. A couple of times a week, Bella rode out with them and stayed for the day. Abby had only met Bella a few weeks earlier, but the two of them were already great friends.

  Abby burst into the kitchen, which as usual was warm and noisy and smelled like frying eggs and coffee and the spices that Sofia used to flavor her Cuban pastries. Perched on a stool near the stove was a petite, dark-haired girl with freckles dotting her cheeks.

  “Hi!” Abby approached her. “What’s new in Key West?”

  Bella giggled. “I live on Stock Island, remember? I know it’s right next to Key West, but it’s a whole separate place.”

  “Whatever.” Abby grinned. “Anyway, guess what. There’s a guest our age this week! Her name’s Delaney, and she’s really nice.”

  She told Bella more about Delaney as they headed outside. It was still early, and only a few guests were in the dining pavilion. Abby spotted Delaney’s dad, who was chatting with Firefighter Jack and his wife.

  “Hi!” Abby approached him. “Where’s Delaney?”

  Mr. Durand looked up from his eggs. “She should be here soon,” he said with a smile. “I woke her up on my way out.”

  While they waited, Abby and Bella helped themselves to juice and cereal. They were still eating when Delaney came up the steps into the dining pavilion. Abby waved her over and introduced her to Bella.