Page 57 of Through the Storms

With an exaggerated motion, Riley clamped her hands against the side of her head. Then she gave Chloe a crooked grin. “I’m not sure if it makes it better or worse, either. Should I feel guilty because I let you down or elated because you wanted it to be me?”

Chloe returned Riley’s smile and then shook her finger at Riley. “There will be no feelings of guilt. You have no reason for it. You’re entitled to decompression time, whether it’s a nap or listening to music. It was an intense day.”

It had been. After the first tornado had touched down, they’d raced to where it hit. Luckily, it had taken out an equipment shed and an empty barn, while the house and the barn with the animals had gone unscathed.

The second tornado hadn’t been so kind and had ripped through the center of a trailer park. It had crumpled several of the homes as if they were tin cans. The debris had rained down on the rest of the park like confetti, dropping toys and TVs, walls and windows, and couches and computers.

They’d been parked safely away from the actual tornado, but they had been closer than they had been to the first one, which allowed them to see more. Chloe wasn’t so sure it was a good thing.

“Thank god nobody was seriously hurt. I still can’t believe it,” Riley said. “My heart sank into my toes when we drove up.”

Bile rose in Chloe’s throat at the memory. For a moment, after the roaring wind had gone, it was eerily silent. And then someone broke the silence with a scream. Soon a chorus of shrieks rang out as everyone called for their family, friends, pets, and neighbors.

“Do you want to hear something stupid?” Chloe shuddered. “I’ve always loved the smell of fresh-cut grass, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to enjoy it again.”

Riley gave her a puzzled look. “Grass?”

“Don’t you remember the smell? When it ripped through the ditches and tore up the grass, I would have sworn a lawnmower had just gone through.”

“Right.” Riley snapped her fingers. “And the fields smelled like they’d been plowed.”

“Yes!”

“But by the time we got to the trailer park,” Riley turned up her nose, “it was gross. Damp and dank—”

“And mixed with the smell of gas.”

“Yuck. I remember.” Riley frowned. “It was disgusting.”

Chloe put her hand on her chest and rubbed it. “After seeing it today, I feel like a voyeur. Is that the right word?”

Riley pursed her lips. The expression on her face was unreadable. “Um, don’t voyeurs get sexual pleasure from the things they see?”

“Is that what it means?” Chloe said in horror. “Oh, god, that’s not the right word then.”

Riley sighed, and her shoulders relaxed. “That’s a relief. You had me concerned.”

“Did you really think that’s what I meant?” Chloe was mortified.

“It’s what you said.”

Chloe didn’t know how to respond. How could Riley have thought that of her?

The corner of Riley’s mouth quivered and then turned up.

“Jackass.” Chloe picked up a pillow and threw it at Riley. “You were messing with me.”

“I couldn’t help it.” Riley grinned. “For a split second, I thought maybe you had a dark side, but after seeing your reaction, I think it’s safe.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“At least it lightened the mood.”

Chloe wasn’t ready to let the heavy feeling go quite yet. “But how do we rectify it? It might not be voyeuristic, but it’s almost like being an ambulance chaser or something.”

“I get it. I once heard an interviewer ask Oakley if she felt guilty chasing something that killed people.”

“Seriously, they asked her that?”