Weather the Storm: Episode 7 (Rising Storm)

by Lisa Mondello

  He told himself to stay calm and sound reasonable. He’d done this enough to know how to manipulate a girl into thinking that parting ways made sense. There’d be tears, sure. But they inevitably fell into line.

  “Calm down, baby. You and I have both had a good time. But it’s time to end this before one of us gets hurt.”

  It sounded good. And after the deliciously lewd acts they’d shared, he knew she was strong enough to handle this. Ginny Moreno hadn’t wanted to do half of the things that Dakota willingly submitted to, which was why his affair with Dakota had lasted as long as it had. But no more.

  Dakota’s nostrils flared like an angry bull about to charge, the reaction surprising him. “You’re not the only one who’s wanted by other people, Sebastian.”

  He gaped at her, then chastised himself for not realizing that Dakota wasn’t the crying, begging kind. She was a survivor. If she put half her determination in the right direction, she’d go places in her life. He almost admired her for it.

  The thought made him smile.

  “Don’t you smirk at me. Logan Murphy is the biggest thing this town has seen in years. Everyone has their eye on him. He’s a real man. A real military hero. And guess what? He wants me. I’ve held off his advances because I thought you and I had something special between us. But after what you did tonight, forget it! If you’re not willing to give me the attention I need, then I’m sure Logan Murphy will be only too happy to oblige.”

  “Is that supposed to make me jealous?”

  “I don’t give a fuck if you’re jealous or not.”

  But of course she did. Why else would she toss a local boy’s name at him as if it would somehow hurt his pride?

  “I saw Logan snuggling up to Ginny Moreno on the square. Doesn’t look like he’s too interested to me.”

  Dakota’s mouth dropped open wide and brought with it a memory of her going down on him that made his groin stir. It would only take a little coaxing and Dakota would be down on her knees in front of him again. But he was done with her.

  Dakota shook her head, looking dazed. “Ginny’s with Logan?”

  “Oh, don’t worry,” he said cruelly. “If Ginny Moreno is anything like she was with me, Logan will get tired of her quick enough and you’ll have him all to yourself.”

  “Wha…what? Are you saying you fucked Ginny Moreno?”

  Sebastian winced as soon as he realized he’d let the cat out of the bag. But the look on Dakota’s face was laughable. She actually looked shocked, as if she didn’t have a clue there had been many young women before her. And he realized then that she really didn’t. Despite looking like she should be on the cover of a porn magazine, she was no more than a little girl.

  “You’re such a fool, Dakota,” he said, anger and frustration getting the better of him. “A man like me needs variety. Did you really think you were the only one?”

  “Yes,” she said quickly. “You made me think….” She swallowed a sob but her emotions quickly turned to anger. Dakota’s eyes flared with rage.

  “We’re done.”

  “No we are not done, Sebastian. You don’t get to make that decision as if I’m nothing but a—”

  “Whore? Are we back to that? I can’t make you feel that way unless you have a problem with your actions, Dakota. But I’m already tired of this conversation. And you.”

  “Don’t you walk out on me like this. You owe me!”

  He heard something crash against the wall as he opened the door. He turned, taking the risk that one of her less-than-reputable neighbors might see him standing there.

  “You got exactly what you wanted, Dakota. So did I.”

  Sebastian didn’t stick around to continue the fight. He’d already wasted enough time. He had a reelection campaign to think about now. And he knew just who would help him make the grueling day worthwhile.

  Chapter Ten

  The house was dark except for the light on in the kitchen when Tara pulled into the driveway. She must have left the light on earlier when she’d left.

  She killed the ignition and drew in a deep breath as she climbed out of the minivan. She wasn’t in the mood for an argument with Bryce tonight when he learned that the kids were staying overnight at her parents’ house. They’d offered and Tara had welcomed the rare break.

  But she dreaded telling Bryce. Today had been a wonderful day. The kids had enjoyed their time with her family. And she’d had some much needed time to regroup. She didn’t want to let go of that feeling.

  She slid open the back door and grabbed her purse and the few bags of groceries she’d picked up on the drive home from the ranch. She didn’t feel like eating, but she’d make dinner for Bryce, if he was even home. These days she never knew when he was coming home. There was always someone he needed to see. Someone who’d called or come into the office at the last minute and desperately needed his attention.

  She walked up the path to the side door, struggling with her packages. The air hadn’t cooled yet and the thought of putting the stove on to make dinner was daunting. But as she reached the porch, the scent of food cooking on a grill drew her attention to the back. She looked around to see if she could see smoke in one of the neighboring yards. Nothing.

  There was music playing in the kitchen, and it brought back a time in Tara’s life before she and Bryce had children. She’d come home from a day working or visiting with family and Bryce would be there putting together a simple dinner.

  She pushed through the door and dropped her bags on the kitchen table and looked around, confused by what she saw. A ceramic bowl was set out on the counter. A head of lettuce, some tomatoes and some radishes from the garden were placed next to it. Tara walked over to the sink and lifted up on her toes to peek out the window. Danny and Carol’s play yard was empty. But there was new mulch beneath the swing. She leaned over the sink and looked to the side yard, where smoke was rising. Bryce was standing on the concrete patio in front of the gas grill. With the oven mitt covering his hand, he held a pair of tongs and was moving two pieces of steak over the flame.

  Tears filled Tara’s eyes. This was such a familiar scene. It was the way it used to be. The way she’d been praying it would be again.

  Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she went to work on what Bryce had started. She’d make a fresh salad. The steak would go nicely with the potatoes au gratin she’d purchased at the market.

  She laughed as she looked around the kitchen, trying to think of what to do first. Set the table? Make the salad?

  She’d set the table first. Tara had always loved a beautiful set table with linens and fine china. She and Bryce didn’t have china as nice as the dinnerware her mother set out in the dining room back at the ranch on holidays and special occasions. But what they had was pretty and would make the table look beautiful with the few pieces of crystal and the lace tablecloth that her cousin had given her for her wedding shower.

  The items inside the china cabinet in the dining room didn’t get much use these days. Her mother had warned her that when she had children of her own, she’d want to protect the precious items she used to entertain, but she had to also include the children and let them spend time in the dining room with all the adults so they would learn the proper way to behave in company.

  After removing the crystal bowl centerpiece on the table, Tara pulled the tablecloth out of the china cabinet drawer and spread it out over the fine mahogany wood. When was the last time they’d had dinner in the dining room? She couldn’t remember. They’d stopped when it became easier to just have dinner in the kitchen. That was going to change. If they didn’t have Sunday dinner at her parents’ house, then they would have Sunday dinner here, even if dinner was just chicken nuggets and French fries.

  She chose two china plates and two crystal champagne glasses from the cabinet and placed them on the table. Normally Bryce would sit on one end and Tara would sit on the other end. But that was when they were entertaining. Tonight she would sit next to her husband and
hope they would remember what made them fall in love and want to be together in the first place.

  The silver was too tarnished to use. It had been a while since she’d spent the time to clean it, so Tara decided to use the everyday flatware she kept in the kitchen. She walked down the hall toward the kitchen and then stopped short when she found Bryce standing at the counter. The oven mitt sat next to a platter with the two grilled steaks. Bryce was cutting vegetables and tossing them into the ceramic bowl. She’d forgotten how much he dominated any place he stood. His tall body was bent over and the look on his face was serious, as if he were giving as much attention to those vegetables as he did his sermon.

  This was the man she’d fallen in love with. This was the man she missed so desperately she ached inside.

  “Bryce?”

  He glanced up from his work on the cutting board and smiled at her. “I wanted to have all this done before you and the kids got home.”

  Her stomach fell. “The kids are staying overnight at my parents’.”

  His hands stilled from cutting red peppers, but he didn’t get angry. Bryce didn’t say anything. He simply nodded.

  “Bryce?”

  “Then it’ll be just the two of us,” he said. “Would that be okay?”

  If a heart could smile, hers was surely beaming.

  “I’d really like that.”

  “The steaks are resting,” he said. “Do you want to set the dinner table while I finish up here?”

  “I already set the table in the dining room.”

  His blue eyes sparkled as if he were caught in the same memory she’d had earlier. “Do we have candles?”

  Tara remembered the flatware and walked to the counter to retrieve it from the drawer. “I already put them out. Too bad we don’t have a bottle of wine. It would go nice with the steak.”

  “I have it chilling in the fridge.”

  She glanced up at her husband in surprise. He was really trying tonight. For the first time in a long time, Tara had hope. She wasn’t going to push. Bryce had made some huge steps forward and she was going to give him the room to lead her where he intended to go.

  “I have some potatoes I picked up at the market. I’ll put it in a bowl and bring the steaks into the dining room. I’ll open the wine, too.”

  “I’ll meet you in there with the salad in a few minutes.”

  Ten minutes later, they were sitting at the dining room table, husband and wife, saying a prayer of thanks for the gifts given to them. When Bryce’s prayer ended, Tara picked up her white linen napkin and placed it on her lap. Bryce sat staring at the food in front of them with his hand still extended the way they’d been in prayer.

  “Bryce? What is it?”

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

  Her heartbeat thrummed in her chest.

  “I don’t know how this happened to us. I do know that I haven’t been fair to you and for that I’m deeply sorry.”

  She swallowed her emotion, unable to trust that she could form words without crying.

  He lifted his blue eyes to her and she could see the contrition in his expression.

  “I’m scared, Tara. I have been for a long time.”

  A quiet sob escaped her lips, but she fought to hold back any more tears. “So am I.”

  “I know. I’ve…been a bit lost.”

  “We both have been.”

  Bryce closed his eyes and Tara was afraid he was about to shut her out again.

  “Talk to me, Bryce. Tell me what has a hold of you.”

  He took a sip of his wine. She didn’t know if it was for courage or because his mouth had gone dry being out in the heat. “It’s hard,” he said.

  Forgetting about the steak growing cold, she reached out and touched his hand. “I’m here. I’ve always been here.”

  “This has been a very difficult time.”

  “Of course. So many people in the community knew Jacob. They sympathize with Travis and Celeste and the kids. We can’t forget about how much the whole family is hurting. I saw that Sara Jane went to see you I saw her walk through town toward the rectory.”

  Bryce leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “She came at the urging of your mother.”

  Tara’s eyes widened. “My mother sent her? I thought she went to see you about…”

  “I’m not angry. I was, but I’m not anymore.”

  “Why did my mother send Sara Jane to see you?”

  “I imagine it’s difficult to be in a position of authority at the school and deal with difficult parents, especially when that parent is your son-in-law. She overstepped. She could have come to see me herself. But I guess if Sara Jane is going to be Danny’s teacher, then it was necessary.”

  “What did she say?”

  “That I had to accept Danny for who he is. No one knows how far he will go. But if I don’t get on board with everyone, I will be the one to hold him back from achieving what he can.”

  “That must have been hard to hear.”

  “The truth is usually a hard pill to swallow. But it’s more than that.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I’ve been blaming myself. Well, at first I kept asking God why. Why after everything Kristin and I went through to survive the childhood we had did he put this burden on me…and Danny.”

  “You know better than to ask why.”

  “I know. But you’re right. I may be a minister, but I’m still just a man. I’m a sinner like everyone else.”

  “Bryce, you can’t blame yourself for Danny being autistic. He just is. There is no why.”

  “It wasn’t just the autism. I can learn what I need to learn to help Danny. And Carol. I need to spend more time with Carol, too.”

  “She’d like that a lot. She’s been enjoying one-on-one time with my family. One of the good things about having a big family is that one sibling can take one of the kids while one of my parents can take the other and give them special time. And when they become a handful, there is always someone else to keep the kids busy. It’s been such a relief for me to see Carol happier. Bryce, they never meant to make you feel bad.”

  “I know that. But it’s times like this where our lives prove to be so different. I have Kristin. That’s it. You have your parents, Tate and Tucker, and all the extended family.”

  “You have me, Danny, Carol, and all my family too. You’re as much a part of my family as I am of yours.”

  He nodded, rubbing his hand over his face. “My mother was sick, Tara.”

  Tara couldn’t hide her surprise that Bryce was talking about his mother. She knew all the particulars. Bryce’s mother was born Martha Graham. Tara knew her birthdate, where she was born, and where she’d lived with Bryce and Kristin as a single mother. But beyond that, Bryce didn’t talk about his mother.

  “She had to have been suffering from some kind of depression or addiction to—”

  “It wasn’t depression,” Bryce said, correcting her quickly. “My mother is schizophrenic.”

  Is. As in still alive.

  “What are you saying, Bryce?”

  “She’s not dead. She lives in an institution. She was institutionalized not long before I met you. It was really a relief for both Kristin and I when she was committed.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this before? Do you visit her?”

  “No. Neither does Kristin. By the time she was institutionalized, she was catatonic and not responding to treatment. She’d self-medicated with alcohol and drugs for so long that it was hard for me and Kristin to tell what was my mother being normal and what was mental illness. I pray for her all the time. But we don’t see her. It’s too upsetting for her as well as us. That’s why it was so important for Kristin to come to Storm. I’m the only family she has.”

  “Why are you telling me this now? You could have told me a long time ago.”

  “Shame is not an easy thing, Tara. I wanted our life to be perfect, not stained by the past.”

  “The past can’t hurt us, Br
yce.”

  She got up from the chair and went to him, wrapping her arms around his strong shoulders and resting her cheek against his. He pulled her into his arms and cradled her in his lap. In Bryce’s arms life felt right. All the problems she’d been fretting over disappeared.

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “What?”

  “When we started noticing Danny’s problems, I was afraid it was more than what the doctors suggested. I thought perhaps he was going to be like my mother.”

  “No, Bryce.”

  “I couldn’t handle it. I thought if I just worked harder and gave him direction that those problems would go away. But Kristin was pretty brutal with me.”

  “Brutal? How?”

  “No holds barred. It’s what I needed. She saw through my fears and made me see them, too. I didn’t like it. I still don’t like it. But there it is. Everyone here looks to me for guidance, a messenger of God. Especially now. But to Kristin, I’m just her big brother.”

  Tears filled his eyes. Tara hated seeing Bryce so vulnerable. He was usually the person who held everyone together when tragedy struck. And there had been a whole lot of tragedy affecting the people of Storm.

  “You’re lucky to have her.”

  “I’m blessed to have her. And to have you. I’m so sorry I let you down, Tara. I never meant to do that.”

  “You could never let me down, Bryce. I love you. I’ll always be here for you.”

  “I love you too.”

  He kissed her mouth gently. Tara couldn’t remember the last time he’d held her close and kissed her this way. She’d missed this more than she’d admitted even to herself.

  When Bryce pulled away, he gazed into her eyes. She loved this man more than she’d ever loved anyone, save her children. They were a family.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked with a smile.

  “I think the steak has gone cold.”

  “We can heat it up. Later.”

  She smiled as hope and excitement filled her heart. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, the kids aren’t here.”

  She grabbed the bottle of wine from the table and her wine glass. “What do you say we take this upstairs and make up for lost time?”