Page 45 of Through the Storms

“How did you know?”

Oakley smiled. “It’s pretty typical.”

“You mean I’m not special?” Chloe grinned.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Riley muttered. Or at least that was what Chloe thought she’d heard. She turned toward Riley with a questioning look.

Even in the dim lighting, Chloe was sure Riley’s cheeks had reddened. Riley said, “I said, you shouldn’t say that.”

Oh.Why did that disappoint her? Chloe didn’t have time to dwell as Britt pulled to a stop.

“Okay, campers,” Britt said. “We’ve arrived at Camp Holiday Inn.”

The line to check in was longer than Chloe had hoped. With each passing minute, her edginess increased. She wanted to check on Mia. Teenagers were normally up late, but still, she didn’t want to call too late, or Dennis would throw a fit.

“Hey.” Riley lightly nudged her. “Why don’t you go call Mia? I’ll get us checked in.”

The relief that flooded through Chloe likely showed on her face. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“Not at all. You’re as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.” Riley grinned. “That’s my dad’s favorite saying. I want to see that smile of yours again, and I doubt there will be any smiling until you’ve talked to your girl.”

Impulsively, Chloe grabbed Riley’s hand. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” She rewarded Riley with a genuine smile. “You are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”

“Stop.” Riley’s face flushed. “Go make your call.”

Chloe moved off toward the lobby and pulled the phone from her pocket.

Mia answered on the third ring. “What do you want, Mom?”

Chloe smiled.Typical.“To hear my baby girl’s voice.” Chloe knew that would get under her sophisticated daughter’s skin, but she couldn’t resist.

“Really, Mom? Geesh, I’m not three.”

“Ah, that’s right, you’ve reached teenagerdom.”

“That’s not even a word.”

“It is now. Because I say it is.” Chloe’s heart warmed. Just hearing Mia’s slightly haughty responses felt like home.

“Whatever. Did you see any tornadoes?”

Hmm.Maybe Mia had missed her since she rarely focused on anything but herself. Or maybe her baby was just growing up.Sure.Because that happened in two days. “We saw four. Kinda.”

Mia snorted. “Kinda? How do you kinda see a tornado?”

Ah.There was the snarky tone Chloe was used to. “We only saw one that got near the ground. Thank god, it was above a field and didn’t cause any real damage.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit hypocritical?”

Yep.Apparently, Mia was trying to make up for her moment of weakness earlier. Chloe decided an indirect answer was the best. “You’ve got a point. Oakley, she’s our guide, told us that storm chasers go through a tug-of-war with themselves. Their sole focus is all about finding tornadoes, but when they do, they have to contend with the fear that someone or something could be damaged by the very thing they’re hoping to find.”

“Sounds like a bit of a clusterfuck.”

Chloe bit her tongue. Obviously, Mia was testing her boundaries. “Mia.” Chloe kept her voice low but stern.

“What?”

“You know what. Do you think we can just have a pleasant conversation?” Chloe left out thefor once, but she suspected Mia picked it up.