Page 4 of Through the Storms

Chloe shook her head. “I can assure you there is no boyfriend.”

“Then you’re probably not chasing stupid tornadoes but really going to some fancy beach resort. That would slap hard.”

Chloe laughed. “I can also assure you there will be no beaches.” She hadn’t known how Mia would react to the trip but had decided to tell her the truth. Still struggling with understanding the mind of a teenager, she didn’t know whether Mia would bejelly, as Mia once would have called it, or possibly scared. So far, Mia had only shown mild curiosity. “I’ll tell you all about it when I get back.”

“You should have gone to a resort.” Mia turned up her nose. “You need to get a life.”

“I’ve got a life. Being your mom.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “You better take pictures.”

“Yep.” Chloe smiled, happy for the change in topic. “I’ll do my best.” Chloe wasn’t sure what kind of pictures she’d be able to capture in Tornado Alley, but she’d keep that to herself.

Without warning, Mia flung her arms around Chloe and hugged her. “I love you, Mom.”

Teenagers.Chloe smiled and returned the hug.

CHAPTER 3

Riley Gatlin tapped herWolverine boot against the side of the garage, but the mud stubbornly clung to the bottom. She pounded harder.

Dumbass.She couldn’t believe she’d been so careless. The boots were a week old, and she’d managed to find the only spot of mud in her entire yard. She chuckled to herself. It wasn’t like she’d be staying at a five-star hotel. The website clearly stated that while storm chasing, they were likely to stay in fleabag motels. It hadn’t actually said that, but she could read between the lines.

Still, she wanted to look nice for the adventure. She smiled down at the wheat-colored boots. The same color that construction workers wore. She’d always wanted a pair but had only ever worn black since it was the standard color for her job as an EMT.

Satisfied that she’d knocked off all the gunk, she slid the boot back on and laced it up. She turned her ankle in several directions to admire them. No doubt, she’d look tough.

Her gaze flitted to the house next door. The last thing she needed was for her neighbor to see her primping. He’d never let her live it down. He was a good guy, harmless, but he liked to tease her when she went full-on masc.

Riley trotted back toward the house. In her mind, she ran through the list of things she needed for the trip. Everything had been packed for a week, and she’d checked it again last night, but one couldn’t be too careful. She bounded up the stairs two at a time and grabbed her suitcase off the porch.

She wanted to get on the road to Norman. It should only take her an hour, but she was giving herself two just to be sure. Besides, now that she dropped Sparky off at her parents, the house felt empty. Sparky, the traitor, had dashed off behind the barn chasing a squirrel and hadn’t seemed to care that she’d be gone for a week.Hmph.See if she’d bring him anything home from her adventure.

She pushed her emergency kit beside her suitcase on the passenger-side floor of her pickup. Would the guides let her take it? Surely, they’d have first aid equipment on the vans, but she’d feel better if she had her own. Riley rolled her eyes. It wasn’t as if this was going to be dangerous. Two Trees Storm Chasing was a highly regarded company. Of course, she’d had to sign scary waivers, which enumerated all the horrible things that might go wrong, from disfigurement to death. The likelihood of any of them happening was slim.

Riley’s thoughts were interrupted when a loud voice called out. “Hey, Dorothy, are you all ready to go?”

Gary.She’d not escaped in time. Now that her neighbor had caught her, she’d likely be delayed hitting the road. As sheturned, she said, “That line’s getting a bit stale.” He’d been using it since she’d told him about her trip.

He smiled and rubbed his hand over his beard. “I saw you leaving with Toto earlier. Isn’t he going with you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You have the lamest jokes of anyone I’ve ever met.”

He chuckled. “Seriously, you all set?”

She nodded. “All packed and ready to go.”

“Your parents watching Sparky?”

She nodded again.

“Ya know, if you found yourself a lady, ole Sparky wouldn’t have to stay with your parents so much.”

Guilt gnawed at her, but she didn’t intend to show it to Gary. “He loves it at the farm.”

“Good thing since he practically lives there. How much OT did you put in last week?”

“A little.”