Page 46 of Through the Storms

“Fine. Tell me about the tornadoes, then I haveta tell you what Sara Myers said today.”

Chloe grinned.Sara Myers.The all-knowing Sara Myers. The queen of the eighth grade. “Why don’t you tell me about Sara since you need to get to bed soon?”

“Oh. I need to tell you about Lucas, too. He scored two goals today, and both times, he looked right at me and blew me a kiss.”

Chloe’s stomach lurched, but she said, “How nice.”

Chloe pushed open the door to room 413. Oakley was right, this hotel was much nicer than the one from last night.

Riley lay spread-eagled on the bed closest to the door. She had on a white sleeveless T-shirt that showed off her well-defined shoulders and a pair of boxer shorts sprinkled with bright yellow smiley faces. There wasn’t an ounce of flab on her thick legs.

Chloe looked away, embarrassed that she’d just checked Riley out. What had gotten into her? Sure, she’d always been one to appreciate attractiveness in either gender, but still.

Riley didn’t seem to notice as she flipped through her notebook.

“Thanks for bringing the bags up.”

“No problem.” Riley tossed the notebook beside her. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d be on the phone.” Riley rose from the bed and walked over to a large bag sitting on the table in the corner of the room. “The restaurant closed at ten thirty, so I grabbed a little something to eat.”

“Oh, yum.” Chloe’s stomach rumbled in response. “What didya get?”

Riley gave her a sheepish smile. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I got a little of everything.”

“Everything?” Chloe’s voice rose in surprise.

“Well, not everything.” Riley laughed and pulled several containers from the bag. “I got things that I thought would fare well depending on how long you were on the phone.”

“So no french fries?”

Riley’s face dropped. “Did you want fries?”

“No.” Chloe grinned. “I just meant french fries don’t usually hold up when they get cold.”

Riley nodded as Chloe spoke. “Exactly. Here.” Riley pulled out the chair. “Have a seat.”

Sweet.When was the last time anyone pulled a chair out for her? Some might find it old-fashioned, but she found it endearing. Chloe sat and pulled her chair closer to the table. She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s see what delicious delicacies you found.”

Riley gave her a crooked smile. “Delicious delicacies, I like it.” As she unpacked more food than they could eat in two days, Riley said, “How was Mia?”

“A teenager.”

Riley laughed. “That says it all, doesn’t it?”

“Sara Myers spoke to her in history class today.”

“Sara Myers?” Riley cocked her eyebrow.

“Yea-uh,” Chloe said in her best teenage voice. “Sara’s only like the most popular girl in the eighth grade. Probably…like…the most popular girl…ever-uh.”

“Ah, eighth-grade royalty. I can see why that beats seeing a couple boring tornadoes.”

Chloe stared down at the open containers. It looked as if Riley had it all covered—salad, appetizers, sandwiches, and desserts. “Where do we begin?”

“Wherever you’d like.”

Chloe tried to dampen the gleam in her eye as she slid a piece of cheesecake onto her plate. “This looks like as good a place as any.”

Riley’s lip quivered, but she maintained a stern look. “Really? You have a teenage daughter. Shouldn’t you be a better role model?”