Weather the Storm: Episode 7 (Rising Storm)

by Lisa Mondello

  “I don’t know how fancy it is,” Tara said, looking around the park. “But it’s certainly one of my favorite places in Storm aside from my family’s ranch. Thank you for all the work you did on the gazebo. It looks great.”

  “It wasn’t that badly damaged after the storm.” Patrick pulled at the railing. “It’s a solid job though. It’ll hold.”

  Tara sighed, feeling uncomfortable. “I want to thank you again for finding Danny the other day, too. I shudder to think what could have happened to him if you hadn’t seen him sitting here.”

  “It happens. I’m just glad I found him.”

  “Me, too. So what brings you to town? As if I really need to ask.”

  Patrick shook his head. “I was going to stop in to see Marisol.”

  “She’s a popular girl, then. We made plans to go to Murphy’s for a quick bite to eat before I pick the kids up at the ranch later.”

  “Then my timing is good.”

  “Good? I’m stealing Marisol away from you,” Tara said with a laugh.

  He glanced quickly at the Cuppa Joe’s Bakery and then back at Tara. “I know you have a lot on your mind lately. Marisol told me about Danny’s diagnosis.”

  Tara eyed him and twisted her lips.

  “Can’t I sit in the shade and share some conversation?” Patrick asked.

  “I may be exhausted, Patrick, but I’m not stupid. You didn’t make your way over to see me here in the gazebo when Marisol’s shop is right across the square. What gives?”

  The poor guy looked seriously frustrated and Tara couldn’t exactly blame him. Her best friend had confided in her, albeit without giving details, that Patrick wanted more from their relationship than Marisol was ready to give. Tara had known Marisol for most of her life. She knew things that Marisol herself had probably forgotten about. That’s the way it was with best friends. But even with that, Tara couldn’t understand the reservation Marisol had about Patrick.

  Patrick was a good, kind man. The man was seriously handsome and a great guy to boot. If he wasn’t her cousin, Tara would find him incredibly sexy herself. She knew Marisol thought the world of him. Yet Marisol’s sense of responsibility was her biggest obstacle. The bounds of responsibility were something Tara knew well.

  A hot wind blew through the square, bringing the scent of mimosa and mountain laurel. Tara loved this time of the year when the scent of summer was in the air and children ran around the big oak tree that dominated the park. It anchored Storm just like family.

  The Murphies were as anchored a family as the Johnsons in Storm. But right now, Patrick looked as if he’d been set adrift. And Marisol had done exactly that.

  “I don’t know what else to do,” Patrick said. “It’s not like Marisol is hiding her feelings from me. I know how she feels.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I was hoping you could give me some insight into that.”

  Tara shook her head and glanced over at the bakery, where Marisol was probably bent over the counter, stretching to look out the window and wondering if the conversation they were having had something to do with her.

  “She has a lot on her mind.” Tara shrugged. “I don’t think there was ever a time Marisol didn’t have a lot on her mind.”

  Tara was in touch with that feeling more often than not these days. Talking to Bryce and getting him on board with having Danny start school early had proved futile. It was almost as if Bryce wanted to escape to the church instead of being with his family.

  “She’s still pretty broken up about Ginny moving in with the Salts,” Patrick said. “Sometimes I think she’s taking that harder than Ginny getting pregnant.”

  “People tend to blame themselves for things that aren’t their fault.” Tara could easily pretend that she was talking about Marisol. And it would be true. But Tara’s thoughts rested on Bryce and the look in his eye every time she tried to talk to him about the kids.

  “She has to know that Ginny’s getting pregnant and the accident wasn’t her fault. It’s not a reflection of her as guardian.” Patrick wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The afternoon heat was probably getting to him as much as the conversation. “It’s like she’s using her sister and brother’s problems to keep from having a life of her own.”

  “Bingo.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” Patrick said. “I told her we had to move forward or stop seeing each other.”

  “News flash. Giving someone an ultimatum like that never works. You backed her into a corner, Patrick. It’s like you’re asking her to choose between you and her brother and sister.”

  “It sounds like the two of you have talked about this already.”

  “We have. She’s not listening to me. I told her she was crazy.”

  He chuckled, which Tara had hoped he’d do. “Thank you for that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She didn’t want to be marred with troubles today. It was too beautiful a day to be unhappy.

  “Do you care about her that much, Patrick?” Tara asked.

  Patrick glanced over at Cuppa Joe’s and then back at Tara.

  “Yes, of course. I wouldn’t have walked over here with my tail between my legs if I didn’t. Desperate isn’t an emotion I like very much.”

  “You don’t look desperate. You look like a man who’s fallen hard. If you want my advice—”

  “I do.”

  “Then stick with it. Don’t let her get away. If she really means this much to you, then she’s worth the wait. She may not be an easy catch, but she is worth it.”

  Tara’s cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

  “It’s my sister-in-law. I need to take this call,” she told Patrick.

  He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks for listening. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Thank you, too. For everything,” she said as she hit the “answer” button on her cell phone. “I don’t know what would have happened—”

  “Forget it. I’m just glad everything turned out fine. Take your call.”

  Tara watched her cousin walk away from her across the grass as she lifted the phone to her ear. “Kristin?”

  “There you are. I was just about to hang up.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “The reason I called was because I was just about to head over to the house to see you and the kids.”

  “Oh, the kids are spending the day with my parents and I’m waiting in the park for Marisol to finish up at the coffee shop.”

  Tara hated bringing her sister-in-law into private business between her and Bryce. But Kristin knew Bryce as well as Tara did. If anyone could get through to Bryce, Kristin could.

  “Did you want me to walk over to the park for a few minutes?”

  “Actually, I have something else in mind.”

  * * * *

  Dakota kept the porch light outside her apartment off in preparation of seeing Sebastian. He was very careful about not wanting to be seen by her neighbors, although she couldn’t imagine why any of them would care.

  She hadn’t seen him in a few days. He’d been busy, he’d said. The last time she’d seen him was on the square and he was with that geeky intern with the sensible shoes. They hadn’t been together since that night in the cabin. It was too long and she hated being left alone so much.

  She sat on the sofa and lifted the curtain just enough to see if there were any cars coming into the lot. Nothing. Didn’t he know how much she needed him? Her arms ached for him now. Wasn’t it bad enough that Dakota didn’t have her daddy around to give her affection? Jacob was gone. Her daddy was gone. She wasn’t going to lose Sebastian too.

  Sebastian didn’t love his wife. He loved her. He’d proven it to her countless times. He hadn’t exactly said the words before. But he loved making love to her. Every time his gaze raked over her body, it made her tremble deep inside. He feasted on her like it was his last meal. Sh
e was his. How could a man do that if he wasn’t in love?

  She peeked out the window again and saw that her car was the only car in the parking lot. With more force than needed, she pulled herself off the sofa and grabbed her cell phone on the kitchen table. Pressing the button so the screen would light up, she checked to see if she had any text messages. There was one. It was her mother.

  Dakota didn’t bother looking at it. Instead, she scanned through the old messages that she hadn’t yet deleted. Normally, she was careful to delete any messages she got from Sebastian, just the way he’d taught her. But she’d been so lonely lately that even just looking at his messages gave her comfort.

  Maybe she’d misread her message from him. Maybe he wanted to meet her at the cabin again. But the last two messages in that text conversation weren’t from Sebastian to her. They’d been from her to him.

  When are you coming to see me? was the last message. The message before that…I’m wearing my earrings and…you’ll have to stop by to find out what else?

  That was two days ago. Sebastian hadn’t showed. He hadn’t even texted back.

  She pressed on the open message and typed, and then quickly erased the message.

  The phone rang before she was done erasing the last few letters. Without looking at the caller ID, Dakota answered the phone.

  “I’m here,” she said, with a purr of her voice. But the voice on the other end of the line was sobering.

  “Dakota?”

  She blew out an exaggerated breath. “What is it now, Mom?” And then it hit her. Was her father home? Is that why her mother was calling her at such a late hour?

  “I wanted to let you know I’m going to be a little late tomorrow for the Founders’ Day meeting. People will be dropping things off for the rummage sale.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Weren’t you the one who lectured me about commitment and good cause?”

  “I’m going to be there, Dakota. I just may be late. I wanted you to know because we need at least one of us there to collect items for the sale.”

  “I told you I didn’t want to have anything to do with that.”

  Her mother sighed. “Dakota, I need your help.”

  Dakota rolled her eyes. Of course her mom needed her help. Joanne was useless, wasn’t she? “Fine. Whatever. But after that, I’m done with Founders’ Day. I’ve done more than my share.”

  There was a pause, then her mom said, “Well, I suppose we can talk about that later.”

  There wasn’t anything to talk about, but Dakota didn’t say that. Instead, she said the one thing she really didn’t want to ask. But she was feeling so low that she couldn’t help herself. “Is there any word from Dad?”

  There was silence on the other line for a few seconds. “We’ve been through this, Dakota.”

  “No, you’ve been through this. I can’t believe Daddy would be gone this long unless you did something really awful to him. It’s like you don’t even care if he doesn’t come home.”

  “Why do you constantly blame me for your father leaving?”

  “You were a sorry excuse for a wife, Mom. Everyone knows it. No man leaves a woman unless she’s failed.”

  Her bottom lip quivered but not from emotion. No. Her anger was getting the best of her.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” her mother said, and then disconnected the call.

  Tears stung Dakota’s eyes. She stared at the phone but could barely see the screen through the moisture blurring her vision.

  She dialed Sebastian’s number. She just wanted to hear his voice. She loved the way he said her name. She loved the smooth, silky sound he made when he was turned on by her. As if she alone was his reason for wanting.

  The phone rang six times before Sebastian answered.

  “I told you not to call this number,” he said. Even though his voice was almost at a whisper, Dakota could make out the harsh anger of his tone. Payton probably did something to piss him off. He needed Dakota to keep him calm. She was sure of it. She could relax him in ways no one else could and make it right if only he would let her.

  “You haven’t returned any of my text messages,” she said quietly, as if someone else could hear. She licked her lips as if he could see and tried to purr the way she had when she’d answered the phone moments ago. But Dakota was so frazzled by her phone call with her mother that she knew she would sound lame. “I have to see you.”

  “Not tonight.”

  “When?”

  She heard the sound of a door closing come through over the phone. She imagined Sebastian closing himself in that elegantly decorated office he had at the mansion. There were a few times when she’d been in his arms when she’d pictured herself living there. Anything was better than the pathetic life she lived with her family. A mother is supposed to show a girl how to grow up and be a woman. Her mother had done none of that. It had been her father who’d shown her how important she was. How special she was.

  And Sebastian.

  She couldn’t get the events of that day at the election headquarters out of her mind. Marylee had treated her like trash. She wasn’t trash. Her son cared about her. Surely she could see how important Dakota was to Sebastian.

  “I’m working tomorrow down at the square to get last-minute things done for the Founders’ Day celebration. Will I see you there?”

  “Not tomorrow. I have an afternoon fundraising event I must attend.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “How about after? We could go to the cabin again. You don’t have to worry about anyone seeing us there. Or you could come to my apartment. It’s been a long time since you’ve been here. I’ve picked up something special to wear.”

  She heard him breathing on the other end of the line. Memories of him driving himself into her, breathing heavy and gazing at her as if she were the only girl in the world who mattered filled her head.

  “Tell me,” he said, his voice ragged.

  “You’ll have to meet me to find out. I’ll wear it underneath my clothes tomorrow so if you do see me, you can think about me wearing that something special just for you.”

  His quick laugh was more of a growl filled with lust. “At the committee meeting?”

  She giggled softly and whispered into the phone, “No one but you will know.”

  “We’ll see. It’ll have to be late. And I won’t be able to stay long.”

  He never did. There were times when she wished Sebastian would stay with her all night and hold her like a real lover would. Someone who wanted to cherish the woman he loved. Someday. That would be her someday. But for now, she needed to be patient. Sebastian was a powerful man. If she wanted to be part of his world, then she needed to play by the rules. How many times had he told her that?

  The phone was muffled and Dakota could barely hear his words, but managed to make out, “In a minute.”

  Someone else wanted his attention now. But tomorrow, Sebastian would be hers.

  “Tomorrow, Sebastian.”

  He hung up the phone without saying good-bye. That was okay. Tomorrow he’d be saying hello in a way that he only did for her.

  Chapter Eight

  “I’m worried about you,” Kristin said, sitting down on the sofa that so many of the people in the community had sat on throughout the years.

  Bryce pictured the young couples who came here to announce their engagements and ask that they be married in the church. He thought of the troubled husband or wife who was considering ending their marriage, but came to him for counsel so they could give it one more try. He thought of the brokenhearted family members, like the Salts, who’d lost loved ones and were struggling to cope with their loss. And the people who were in a crisis of faith, angry at God for challenges in their life that they had no control over.

  He was more in touch with those people than ever before.

  “I could say the same thing. And I am.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Tara saw you at the Prost Pharmacy after hours. She thought you might be sick
.”

  A look of guilt clouded Kristin’s expression. “I’m not sick.”

  “I know you’re not. But you are having an affair with Travis Salt, aren’t you?”

  “That’s none of your business, Bryce.”

  “You’re my sister.”

  “It’s still none of your business. I live my own life. It’s different from your life, but it’s not better or worse. It’s just my life.”

  “You’re playing with fire.”

  “You don’t need to play with fire to get burned. Sometimes you just get burned.”

  Bryce cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

  Kristin’s sigh was exaggerated. “Oh, I don’t know what I mean. You’re the one who always seems to have the right words for everyone. Except now, you’re a mess.”

  Bryce gave her a crooked grin. “How do you figure that?”

  “I know what you’re afraid of, Bryce, and you don’t have to be,” Kristin said. The concern in her eyes stopped him cold. He’d intended to press her about her affair with Travis Salt, but she seemed so genuinely upset that he couldn’t bring himself to push.

  “What do you know of my fears?”

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Bryce, I was there with you, remember? I grew up in the same dysfunctional house that you did. I heard the same fights. I hid in the closet when Mom was on one of her rampages or when she brought home some drunken bum who beat her up. I remember the look on your face and how afraid you were. You’re afraid now. I can see it. Only this time you’re afraid about Danny.”

  Anger surged through him. “Danny is nothing like Mom.”

  “Exactly my point. Danny is a sweet little boy who happens to have difficulty controlling his emotions. Right now. Look, I don’t know much about autism. In fact, I know next to nothing about it. But I do know that Danny is not going to end up like Mom. That’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it?”

  “No,” he said quickly.

  Kristin stood up and huffed. Then she paced in front of him. “Why are you like this? Tara said you were being stubborn but I didn’t believe her.”