Page 21 of Through the Storms

Lana’s words cut into Oakley, but every word was true. Backed into a corner, Oakley knew there was only one way to respond to Lana’s request. “Of course, you can ask me anything.”

“Did Asher and Britt get input into it?”

Oakley’s heart dropped into her stomach.Dumbass.How could she have been so blind, and how did she answer the question? She ran through several responses that might soften the blow without lying.

Lana let out a humorless laugh. “Your silence speaks volumes.”

“But I…it’s not—”

“Please, don’t,” Lana said. “Respect us both more than that, and don’t concoct some lame ass excuse.”

“Okay.” Oakley dropped her head to her hand and fought back tears. “I’ve really blown it this time, haven’t I?”

“Yeah.” Lana’s voice came out more weary than angry.

Oakley had to say something, but what? The conversation had gone from bad to worse, and her stomach was in knots. The only thing she had left was the truth. “I’m scared, Lana. No, terrified. Your voice, your demeanor seems so final. I’ve seen this from you when you’ve been done with other people, other things, but never with me.” Tears streamed down Oakley’s face, and here she’d thought she had none left. “You can’t be done with me. With us.”

“I can’t cry anymore,” Lana said. “I go on the air in ten minutes, and I can’t look like I just smoked a blunt.”

“I understand.” Oakley tried to hide the sound of her own tears. “Please tell me you haven’t stopped loving me.”

Lana let out a long breath. “I still love you, but I don’t like you very much.”

Relief flooded over Oakley. Maybe it shouldn’t have, but at least it was something. “That’s good. No, better than good. It’s great. I can work with that.”

Lana laughed. Oakley listened for a sign of mirth, but she didn’t detect any. “Only you would find the positive in that statement. Damn it. That’s why I still fucking love you.”

More good news, but Oakley didn’t want to push her luck, so she remained silent.

“Son of a bitch,” Lana said. “I didn’t want to cry.”

“No. There’s no reason to cry. We…no, I…can make this right. I promise.” Oakley breathed in while she weighed whether she should continue. “What you said earlier, you’d never said that to me before. I didn’t understand. I didn’t know how much resentment had built up, but now I do.”

“I didn’t know, either,” Lana said. “I wasn’t keeping it from you. I guess denial is a powerful thing.”

“But don’t you see? This is the breakthrough we’ve been needing. It explains why things have been off lately.” Oakley decided to leave unspoken that it also explained why Lana was so uptight recently. “I know we can fix it.”

Lana sighed. “I’ve got to get myself together, so I can look at the radar one more time before I go on. The patterns are changing by the hour.”

“I know.” Oakley perked up, happy to be on firmer ground. “This week is shaping up to be an active one. If conditions hold, we could be looking at something to rival 2011.”

“I was thinking the same thing. I’m going to call Barry at the National Weather Service in the morning to get his take.”

“Can…um…will you let me know if he has any insight?”

“Of course.” Lana chuckled. “I might be pissed, but I wouldn’t keep something like that from you.”

Lana’s laugh was like thunder in the distance, which was better than music in Oakley’s estimation. “I can call you tomorrow then?”

“Yes, you can.” Lana’s voice was low. “Wichita.”

“Huh?”

“Today, head toward Wichita.”

Oakley’s heart soared. Lana still wanted to be involved. “We will. Thank you.” A huge smile broke out on her face. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“How much?” Lana said, playing along with Oakley’s game, which was to come up with creative ways to measure her love for Lana.