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his head back and forth.
    “I broke them, and you can’t fix people when they’re broken that badly,” he said cryptically.
    “Nothing, what do you mean?” I asked, a knot of fear taking up residence in the center of my chest.
    “What is it about you? Why are you different?” he asked abruptly.
    I was taken aback, “I… I don’t know.” We stood for several long drawn out moments, him blinking owlishly at me through his haze of drunk.
    “Sleep good, Charity,” he said abruptly and hooked a hand behind my head, I stiffened but he leaned forward when I wouldn’t bend and pressed a kiss to the top of my head, his hand a steel band around the back of my neck. Not hurting, just firm.
    “Nothing,” I started but he was gone, my bedroom door swinging wide. I stood, frozen and a moment later the front door gently opened, the roar of the beating rain growing louder before growing muffled again. I went to the window and watched Nothing stagger down the driveway and felt powerless.
    I wanted to do something to heal that raw, naked, hurt in his eyes but I didn’t know how. I wanted to stop him from leaving, but I didn’t know how to do that either.
    I looked down at the photo of my two sisters and my mom, smiling on the distant California shore, the Pacific behind us and wanted so badly to fix some of Nothing’s broken. I think I decided that I would do just that, I just needed to figure out how.
     
     

 
    Chapter 6
    Nothing
     
    The pounding in my head was made way heavier than it needed to be by the pounding on my front door.
    “Nothing!” someone shouted, “C’mon man, it’s almost noon! Open the fuckin’ door!”
    I rolled off my couch onto all fours and shook my head before pushing up onto my feet. I staggered for the front door and shouted, “Alright; alright, alright!” in a vain attempt to get the fucking renewed pounding to stop.
    I threw open the door and squinted into the blinding light, throwing up a hand to ward off the bright.
    “Jesus Christ, man. What the fuck?” Marlin pushed past me and into my entry way.
    “The fuck do you want?” I mumbled.
    “Some respect for one, I ain’t fuckin’ Radar, I’m your VP,” Marlin glowered at me and shoved me into the wall. I slid down it onto my ass and put my head into my hands.
    “Sorry,” I grumbled.
    “Yeah, well, you gotta get up. We gotta start battening down the hatches. Storm switched track, it’s comin’ this way and should make landfall in five to seven days. We’re operating on the whole ‘five’ to be safe. Some of the boys and me are here to help board your house first since you never leave it.”
    “Shouldn’t you be yanking your boats out of the water?”
    “Captain has that arranged, the Scarlett Ann’s in his hands. I agreed to take land based action. Supplies, that sort of thing.”
    “Why you starting here, again?”
    “Because I fuckin’ said so, now get your hungover ass up off the floor and let’s do this.” He kicked my booted foot which rattled all the way up into my brainpan and I suppressed a groan.
    “Fuckin’ great,” I grumbled, but I hauled my ass up.
    “Girls are spending time together, so I want to get this done before they are so I can be there with my girl.”
    “Fuck man, Charity’s been here a whole day and we’re getting ready for a hurricane? Welcome to Florida,” I groused. Marlin gave me a bizarre look, like I was out of my fucking mind.
    “What?” I demanded.
    “You been in here pickling your fuckin’ self,” he shook his head, “Get in the fucking shower.”
    “What?” I demanded again, frowning, and he gave me a shove in the direction of my bedroom.
    “Charity’s been here more ‘n two fuckin’ days, bro. You’ve just been too fuckin’ drunk to notice or answer your fuckin’ phone. What gives, brother?”
    More than two days?
    “Nothin’, I’ll get changed.”
    “ Shower!” Marlin practically bellowed at my back and I raised a hand, waving him off back over my