by Amy Vastine
“Please tell me she was nice,” she said, taking her seat.
His hand fell on her shoulder. “She’s amazing. Like you,” he whispered. Her endless blue-sky eyes looked up, full of unnecessary modesty. “No worries.”
“No worries,” she parroted back as he took his seat next to her.
Lunch was as delicious as it smelled. Travis ate like a king. Summer’s grandparents made him feel more at home than he sometimes felt at his own parents’ place. They asked him questions that had nothing to do with football. Instead, they focused on subjects like his family, growing up in Sweetwater and his take on various issues affecting the local community. They wanted to know if he attended church regularly and if he’d read any good books lately. He wished he was more interesting and thought about stopping at a bookstore on the way home.
They had plenty of questions for Summer, too. They wanted to hear all about their trip to Austin and what she thought about football now that she had experienced it close up. Big D and Mimi’s love for their granddaughter was evident in every look and word, even when they were teasing her. Watching the three of them banter back and forth made Travis’s heart happy.
Big D and Mimi shared a look when Summer told them her favorite thing about Austin was the museum. Mimi smiled at Travis as if to say, “Well done, young man.” The grandmother was officially won over, as was the dog at his feet, who was enjoying a bite of ham that had “accidentally” dropped to the floor. “I think Travis should join us for lunch every Sunday. He could come to church, too,” Mimi said as she stood to clear the table.
“Mimi...” Summer’s cheeks turned pink.
“What? You tell me you don’t want that boy sitting next to you every week,” the old woman challenged.
Summer hid her face in her hands. “Did you know that 1941 was the wettest year in Texas history? Over forty-two and a half inches fell.”
Mimi chuckled. “That means she wants you to come back,” she said to Travis before taking some dishes to the kitchen. Summer jumped up and grabbed a load of dirty plates, brushing away Travis’s hand as he reached out to help.
Big D sat back in his chair at the head of the table. He gave his belly a pat and then tossed some scraps on the floor for Storm. He was a spoiler, indeed. “Dealing with their crazy is worth it in the end. I can attest to that.”
Travis laughed through his nose. He might not know if he was worth the risk, but there was no doubt Summer was. “She’d have to be a whole lot crazier to keep me away.”
Big D nodded. “Good answer, son.”
Summer and Mimi returned, the elder appearing properly admonished. Travis got up to help them finish clearing the table despite their objections. He wanted to be invited back. He wanted to be invited back every Sunday. It wasn’t something he could have considered if he was still playing football. For the first time since it happened, his injury seemed more like a blessing than a curse.
* * *
AFTER SOME OF the best apple pie in the world and his third glass of milk, Travis followed Summer to the family room. The fireplace mantel was covered in photographs. Pictures of Big D and Mimi with less wrinkles. Two girls and one boy huddled around them, dressed in their 1970s Sunday best. Big D with a mustache. Mimi holding a grandbaby. And a curly-haired blond standing with her parents in front of something that looked like a tank. It was the same picture Summer had on her desk. Young Summer was built like her grandfather, skinny and tall, but perfect.
“Where’s the rest of the family?” Travis asked, pointing at one of the frames that looked as though it had everyone in it.
Summer smiled at the photo, her fingers touching the faces of her mom and dad. “My aunt Ginny lives outside Dallas with her husband. They have three boys, all live in or around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Aunt Sue lives in Ohio. She never had any kids. She and her husband, my uncle John, own a restaurant up there. That keeps them superbusy, I suppose. I don’t think they’ve been down here to visit in a couple years.”
Travis pointed to the more familiar image. “You have this picture on your desk.”
Summer took that particular photo down, her fondness for her family evident in her expression. “That was our storm-chasing van. My dad reinforced the exterior with these ridiculous panels. This thing was souped up. He had all this equipment in there that would be completely outdated now, but back then, it was some cutting-edge stuff.”
“You had storm-chasing days, did you?”
“Oh, I was quite the adventurer when I was a kid. We used to travel wherever the exciting weather took us.” She was wistful for a moment. “I saw my first tornado when I was five. I remember thinking it didn’t look right. It wasn’t like the one in The Wizard of Oz.”
“Your first tornado? How many tornadoes have you seen?”
“Twelve.” She set the picture down. The subject changed her whole demeanor. Summer was brought to life by this kind of stuff. “It would have been more, but they didn’t always take me on the chase. Too dangerous, they’d say. It’s also not exactly easy to catch a tornado. Most of your time is spent driving around under clear skies, tracking where one is most likely to occur. They don’t appear as often as the movies would like you to believe.”
She was absolutely fascinating. Travis wanted to know everything. He wanted to see the world through her eyes. “So you spent your childhood in Tornado Alley?”
“Oh no,” Summer said with a laugh. “My parents did that for a little while, then moved on to other storms.”
“What other kinds of storms did you chase?”
“Hurricanes. Those are easier. You have a lot of warning before they hit land. We once went up to Toronto and studied steam devils off Lake Ontario. Got caught in this huge ice storm in Quebec one winter. It was bad. But if you want ice, Texas storms can really do the job. There’s a picture of me somewhere, holding hail bigger than a baseball—like in the movie last night.” She turned and headed for a big bookcase, her fingers dancing over the spines of photo albums.
“So your grandparents took you in after your parents died?” Travis asked.
Summer found what she was looking for and pulled the dark evergreen album off the shelf. “My aunt Ginny halfheartedly offered to take me in, but with three teenaged boys, we knew they kind of had their hands full. Plus Mimi cried so hard when Big D brought it up, he never mentioned it again.”
“She loves you, that’s clear.”
“Not as much as I love her,” Summer said with a smile that quickly faded. “Mimi was devastated when my dad died. She didn’t get out of bed for a month after the funeral. Big D did his best to take care of her and me until she pulled out of it.” Travis couldn’t picture the woman in the other room being so lifeless. She radiated life, just like her granddaughter. “We’ve kind of been taking care of each other ever since. I owe them so much, I feel like I can never repay it all.”
Summer flipped through the photo album. Travis took it away from her, setting it on the coffee table so he could take her in his arms. She didn’t resist, and rested her head on his chest. Even though her loss was a decade old, his need to comfort her was overwhelming.
“That had to be a dark time for all of you.”
“It was, but things worked out in the end.” Summer smiled up at him. Travis leaned down, ready for that kiss he’d been denied in the car.
“Dog needs to go outside to do his business. I take it you two aren’t interested.” Big D’s timing was as bad as his wife’s.
“I got him, Big D.” She stepped away from Travis and snatched the leash from her grandfather’s hand.
“I’ll go with you,” Travis offered.
“Good idea,” Big D said, sitting down on his recliner and grabbing a well-worn book from his side table. “Looks like you two need some fresh air.”
Travis nodded and tried not to laugh as Su
mmer turned as red as a ruby. She got the leash on Storm and headed outside.
Summer was speed-walking down the driveway. Travis grabbed her arm, stopped her escape and slid his hand down to envelope hers. “Don’t be embarrassed,” he said.
“We’re lucky it was Big D who walked in. Mimi would have taken pictures,” she said, making him laugh harder.
“I think I love Mimi.” He could see why Mimi and Big D were worth it to Summer. The two of them meant the world to their granddaughter.
“That figures. She has a way about her.” Summer shook her head. “I can tell she likes you a whole lot, but don’t get any crazy ideas about trying to steal her away from Big D, though. He’s a lot tougher than he looks.”
Travis only had ideas about one of the Raines women. Summer was the one and only. He could only hope he was worth the risk.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
MONDAY. SUMMER HATED Mondays. But she’d gone to bed hopeful this one would be much better than the last, considering she was now kissing friends with Travis. However, as she began to wake, Summer’s body tingled. It told her something in the atmosphere was brewing this morning. Something big. She needed to get up even though her bed was soft and inviting, begging her to stay in it just a little bit longer. Summer often wondered if this was what it was like for Peter Parker when trouble was near. Superpowers were such a burden sometimes.
She dragged herself out of bed and shuffled into the den. She turned on the TV, switching the channel to KLVA. Richard had to be seeing something on the radar. Her laptop booted up while she went to make some coffee and let Storm out. Rain had blown in overnight and was currently pelting the house raucously.
Her oversize couch wasn’t her bed, but was almost as comfortable. Summer settled in and brought up the National Weather Service website. She clicked on the radar, watched and zoomed into Abilene. Her tired eyes widened as she made sense of what she saw. She scrambled to her feet in search of her phone. She needed to call Ken.
Running to her bedroom, she yanked her dresser open and pulled out a change of clothes. Her heart was racing at an impossible speed. She closed her eyes, feeling twelve years old again. She remembered her parents fluttering around her, talking too fast when they saw something on the radar. The excitement rolled off them in waves. So many things had to come together to unleash a tornado, and when that happened it was like magic instead of science.
This time it was her storm, not theirs. This time she would lead the chase.
There was no time to do her hair and makeup. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and called the station. When she finally got Ken, she unloaded on him in a rush. “My feeling is telling me I need a camera crew to meet me north of the air force base. You need to send them now. Have them call us on this number when they get west of 83. Can you get Richard? I need to talk to Richard.” She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she put on her shoes.
Richard came on the line. “Summer?”
“Tornado.” That one word was all it took. Ken dispatched a team before Summer finished telling Richard what she’d seen on the radar. She could hear Ken repeating the word tornado over and over again as if he couldn’t believe it was true.
“Summer,” Richard said before they hung up, his voice not full of its usual venom. “Be safe.”
* * *
THE SKY WAS overcast, the clouds so heavy they couldn’t help raining down. Lightning flashed angrily as the rain pounded on Summer’s car, the visibility near zero. She had one more stop to make before she went looking for that storm.
Travis answered the door in nothing but his pajama bottoms. “Get dressed, grab your camera and meet me in the car in no more than five minutes.”
Travis rubbed his eyes. His brain seemed to only now take in the fact that Summer was standing on his front porch in the rain. He pulled her inside. “How about we stay inside this morning? I’ll make breakfast.”
As tempting as that offer was, Summer wriggled out of his arms. “There’s a tornado coming. I can feel it.”
Tornadoes were better than a gallon of coffee. Travis was wide-awake in an instant. “Tornado? For real? I thought you couldn’t feel those.”
Summer spotted her red umbrella perched beside the door. She reached in and snatched it. Opening it up, she smiled. “Are you really going to question me right now, or are you gonna come chasing with me?”
Travis was in the car in fewer than five minutes. Summer had him drive so she could watch the radar from her phone. Travis was fueled by pure adrenaline. He bounced in his seat, and his hands gripped the steering wheel for dear life. They drove just outside the city, toward the more rural west.
“Pull into that field up there.” She pointed and searched the sky for signs.
“What do we do now?” Travis asked as he parked. The car shook slightly from the force of the howling wind.
“We wait,” she said. She set his camera bag in his lap and smiled. “And then we take pictures of a tornado.”
Storm chasing had become a wild game anyone could play these days. The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for these parts overnight, but Texas didn’t see much action like this in the fall. Storm chasers were all farther east this time of year. But nobody had bothered to tell this particular supercell that it was out of season. It was primed for tornado activity.
Summer called the station. The producer patched her through so she could report over the phone. When they went to commercial, she spoke to Richard. “I’m telling you, this shear looks good.”
“Updafts?” Richard asked.
“There are a couple up ahead. I don’t know if the camera crew is going to get here in time.” A dark anvil cloud approached, high and wide, the most dangerous type. Soon, they were enveloped in a swirl of hail and debris. It hit the car in a rage Summer hadn’t witnessed in years. Then she saw the cloud drop, and the sky began to rotate. “We got one! Get those sirens going!” she shouted into her phone. She smacked Travis’s arm. “Take a picture of that!”
As if it were reaching down to touch the ground with a spindly finger, the cloud whirled itself into a funnel. Travis lifted his camera out of his lap and captured the fledgling tornado as it grew bigger and stronger, tearing at the soil and vegetation where its point met the earth. Its roar was deafening. They were just west of a small mobile home park, and the wind monster was headed in that direction. Summer could only pray she had given people enough time to find shelter.
“Let me drive,” she said, climbing over Travis as he slid to the passenger side. He continued to take pictures as the tornado skipped across the field, taking down everything in its path. Wire fences, telephone poles, trees, nothing stood a chance against it. Summer followed the twister, careful to keep her distance in case it suddenly shifted direction. Sirens rang out over the din of the merciless storm. They watched as it ran over the park like Godzilla, destroying whatever it touched. The gray, spinning mass ate the homes up and spit them out.
Travis took pictures of it all, documenting each disaster as it occurred. Summer watched in awe as the tornado thinned out and slowly retracted upwarded, until it was completely gone.
“It’s over,” she whispered. Her body thrummed with an energy she’d forgotten. It was a feeling she hadn’t realized she missed until now.
Summer and Travis eventually met up with the camera crew and filmed the damage. Thanks to their immediate sighting, the warning went out and provided the mobile-home residents with some notice. Although there was enormous property damage, there were only minor injuries.
The two of them stayed on the scene most of the day, documenting the destruction and helping in any way they could. It was amazing how something that lasted a few minutes could wreak such havoc. Travis took pictures of it all—a teddy bear buried under a pile of debris, a toilet sitting in the middle of a field, a heap of wood, shre
dded like mulch, that earlier in the morning had been the side of a barn.
When it was time for them to get cleaned up before work, Summer and Travis climbed into her car, still feeling the high from the chase. They drove in silence, both lost in their own thoughts. She walked him to his door, holding her umbrella over their heads—the clouds still sent a drizzling rain down to earth.
She was still in a fog when Travis wrapped his arms around her and kissed her dizzy. He broke away first and shook his head. “That was...”
“I know,” she answered, lost in the moment. Her feelings for Travis mixed with the thrill of the chase were a potent combination. Travis appeared to feel exactly the same. He rested his head against her shoulder. Each of them breathed heavily and clung to the other.
“That was amazing,” Travis said in between breaths.
“I know.” It was a rush that couldn’t be put into words. Mother Nature was a force to be reckoned with. It was beautiful and frightening at the same time. Witnessing the sheer power of it made a person feel small but alive.
“Your heart is beating so fast,” Travis said.
Maybe it was the tornado, maybe it was being in his arms. Summer couldn’t be sure, but she went with the safest choice. “Storms do that to me.”
“Storms, huh?” She could feel him smiling against her shirt. “Go clean up, Weather Girl. You have a big report to give tonight.” One soft, sweet kiss on the cheek and he let her go.
Back home, Summer started the shower and sent a text to Ryan. She was gloating a little, but she didn’t care. She found a tornado on her first try. It didn’t usually work that way. She got lucky.
He texted back right away. Like mother, like daughter. Your mom spotted one on her first chase.
Summer smiled wider. Knowing that about her mom made her feel more connected to her in some way. She was her parents’ daughter. The little ache that still existed in her heart reawakened. They would have been proud of her for following her instincts because this was what she was born to do.