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Diane drove, and by the time they got there, the second satellite tornado was already dissipating into the supercell. Other chasers swarmed the roads, some professionals who had vehicles far more expensive than the Hummer they drove, and some who were amateurs just out for a look. Diane wove her way through them like an expert.

They spent the next two hours in and out of the car as they followed the storm across the plains. Violet finally had Diane call it when it looked like the tornado pulled away from the ground and another wasn’t going to pop up. They were quiet on the ride home, but it was a satisfied quiet.

Diane stopped at a gas station and snagged beer for their celebration. Violet shifted a glance at Lando and bought some Twizzlers before she got back to the car. They had another hour before they would get back toIndigo, and while it was late afternoon at that point, after not sleeping well, Violet was going to struggle to stay up and celebrate.

CHAPTER13

“That was fucking awesome!”Lando nearly shouted as the excitement in her chest burst. Eli stood in the kitchen, and Lando raced to find her, unable to contain it any longer. Eli cocked her head to the side as she put the casserole in the oven.

“What happened?” Eli asked, washing her hands in the sink before she turned around.

Violet and Diane came in right behind her, chattering, but Lando didn’t pay them any mind. “We caught the huge tornado.”

“Really?” Eli’s eyebrows rose. “That’s where you were?”

“Of course,” Diane interjected. “We go where the weather goes.”

Violet snorted. Lando shot her a curious look, but Violet didn’t elaborate. Lando focused on Eli. “Yeah. It was insane. Huge. We followed the storm for a few hours, but the tornado from when it touched down until it left. It was amazing.”

Eli chuckled. “I’m glad you had fun. I’ll leave the storm chasing to you and stick with hoping it doesn’t hit my cattle.”

“I got right out in the middle of it. Twice.”

“Twice?”

Lando’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes!”

Diane settled the beer on the countertop, and Lando’s stomach lurched. She hadn’t realized just how much beer Diane had bought. She’d be expected to drink while she joined in the celebration that night. It wouldn’t be as easy to get out of it this time.

“The best part was no injuries this time around.” Violet gave Lando a pointed look, and heat kissed Lando’s cheeks.

Violet was right, however. There were no injuries that time, which had been a good thing. The stitches in her arm were starting to itch, and she wanted to take them out, but she still had a few more days before she could even think about it.

“Right. Violet took some pictures with your old camera. You should show her.”

“Oh, they’re not worthy of anything.”

Lando rolled her eyes so Violet could see, sure the photos weren’t absolute crap. But when Violet didn’t make a move to pull the camera out, Lando leaned over the counter and focused on Eli. “There were so many funnels.”

“How many touched down? I’ve heard varying reports.”

Diane stepped in. “Three total, but there were a lot of subvortices off the main tornado that caused most of the damage.”

Eli shook her head. “I have no idea what you just said, but I’ll take your word for it.”

Violet launched into a long drawn-out explanation about what subvortices were, and Lando tuned her out. She glanced over at Diane, their gazes locking and Diane raising her eyebrows up and down several times and nodding her head toward Eli. Lando balked. She couldn’t get away from it, could she? One lesbian meets another and someone wants to set them up no matter what. There was never an end to it, except perhaps where Violet was concerned, though she supposed Diane thought Violet might be too old for Eli. Shaking her head slowly, Lando tuned back in to hear Violet take another deep breath.

Resting a hand on Violet’s arm to get her attention, Lando raised an eyebrow at her. “I don’t think Eli needs the entire semester’s class slammed into one evening.”

“I…” Violet pursed her lips. “I wasn’t planning on that.”

“Sure you weren’t, teach.” Lando snorted. Eli’s eyes lit up at that. Curious, Lando canted her head to the side. “What?”

“I used to call my favorite science teacher that. She’s the one who helped me come out to my parents actually.”

“Really? Maybe she’d be interested in Violet’s lesson plans.”

“Oh, quiet,” Violet teased, her tone light. “I’d love to meet her, though.”