“I heard he took a hammer to him.”
“No, no, Betty, you’re mistaken. It was a baseball bat!”
Stormy worked hard to maintain her composure even though she was freaking out on the inside. What had happened to Nozz? Stormy had seen him once at the hospital. He had come into her mama’s room to empty the trash and had said a quick hello but she hadn’t spoken to him since. Her heart hammered in her heart as she silently willed the cashier to move faster. She had to get out of there so she could find out what happened to her friend.
Once she was in the parking lot, she tossed the grocery bags onto the seat and cranked up the truck. But where would she go? Nozz had never told her where he lived exactly, and if what those ladies had said was true, then it was likely that he wouldn’t even be home. Then she remembered that she had a phone. It was a cheap pay-as-you-go phone that she bought on the day her mama was released from the hospital. But it was useless without Nozz’s phone number. “Shit!” Frustrated, she pounded the steering wheel.
There was only one person who might be able to tell her what happened to Nozz. She just didn’t know how he was going to react to her presence.
On her way across town the sky opened up and the windshield wipers could barely keep up with the sheets of rain that were coming at her. She was a bundle of nerves as she turned onto Brylan’s street. She didn’t know what to expect when she got there. Would he be glad to see her? Would he close the door in her face? How would she get any answers if he refused to see her? She’d lose her mind with worry.
“Oh, Nozz. Please be okay,” she whispered to herself.
Brylan’s car was in the driveway and the lights were on inside. “At least he’s home.” A crash of thunder nearly jolted her out of her skin when she opened the truck door. She thought about waiting in the truck until the storm let up, but then decided against it. She was too anxious to wait.
She was soaked and chilled to the bone by the time she made it to Brylan’s door. Her tee-shirt was clinging to her and her hair was plastered all over her face, but she didn’t care. There was no time for vanity. Who cared what Brylan thought anyway? This was about Nozz.
Stormy knocked on the door and waited as thunder crashed overhead. No answer. She knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing. She peeked through the window but the blinds were drawn. Could he be asleep? Well, then he’d just better wake the hell up.
She trudged through the soggy yard to the back of the house. Surely he’d hear her knocking on the back door. As she rounded the corner of the house she noticed a gleam of light. The patio light was on… and there was Brylan…scruffy and shirtless with his arms stretched across the back of the wooden bench with a beer dangling from one hand. His face was blank as he stared off into the unknown.
There Stormy stood, looking like a drowned rat, gawking at the man like a love-starved idiot. She must have lost her brain somewhere between the truck and the back yard because she suddenly couldn’t remember why she was there.
Nozz.
She silently scolded herself. Snap out of it, girl. Get it together!
A bundle of nerves formed in her belly. She gathered all the courage she could muster before stepping up under the protection of the covered patio. “Brylan?”
He jerked his head in Stormy’s direction and shook it in disbelief, as if she were some sort of apparition. “Stormy? Is that you?”
“Y...yeah. Hi,” she stammered.
“Damn, girl. You’re drenched. Let me get you a towel.” He jumped up from the bench and ran inside. A few seconds later he returned with two fluffy white bath towels. He draped one over her shoulders and then put the other one over her head and started rubbing her hair. “What are you trying to do, catch pneumonia?”
Stormy’s insides flooded with warmth, but it wasn’t from the towels. She was thankful that her face was covered because she was sure it was bright red. Words like knight in shining armor flittered through her mind but she immediately shut those thoughts down. She was on a mission. She had to focus. “Have you heard from Nozz? Is he okay?”
Brylan stopped fussing over her and his expression changed. “Yeah, he’s okay. Why?”
“I heard two women talking in the grocery store. They said Nozz’s name…and something about hitting his dad with a hammer,” she was yammering a hundred miles an hour. “I was freaked out so I threw my groceries in the truck and came over here because I didn’t know what else to do….”
“Whoa. Take a breath. Come over here and sit down so I can tell you what happened. Do you want something to drink first? Soda? Coffee?” He looked up at the sky and then back at Stormy, “I somehow doubt you want any more water.” And that damned dimple made its appearance.
“No. I’m good, thanks,” she said as coolly as possible while making her way to the wooden bench, “Just tell me about Nozz.”
So he did. He told her every horrible detail of the awful altercation between Nozz and his Dad. And Stormy’s heart shattered into a thousand little shards. “He knew it was going to happen.”
Brylan looked confused. “What? Who?”
“Nozz. He told me that day at the lake that his dad would eventually hit him. He knew. But he stayed anyway. For his mom.”
Brylan exhaled loudly before picking his beer up and taking a big swig. “Yep. That guy’s got a big heart…and balls the size of cantaloupes.”
The mental image made her giggle. “Yeah. I guess he does. Brave, noble, sweet Nozz…. I’m so glad he’s okay. He’s a good guy, and I’m going to miss him when he goes to his brother’s.”
“Oh, Beeville’s only a couple of hours from here. That’s not that far. I’m sure you guys can visit each other.”
“Actually, it will be a little closer than that.”
“What do you mean?”
Stormy clasped her hands together, feeling bashful all of a sudden, and not really knowing why. “Things are actually starting to pan out for me for once…and it’s looking like I’ll be in San Marcos next year.”
Brylan’s eyes lit up. He was genuinely happy for her and it melted her heart just a little bit more. “Texas State, huh? That’s awesome news, Stormy. Congratulations.” He scooted closer and wrapped her up in a big hug.
Oh, how she’d missed those big, strong, arms. She could have stayed there forever, wrapped in his solid warmth, but the spell was broken when she felt Brylan tense. He released his hold on her and swiped his beer bottle from the glass-topped wicker coffee table and chugged it. That’s when Stormy noticed the other four bottles that littered the table. Apparently he’d been at it for a while. “Everything okay with you, Brylan?” she asked softly.
“Yup. Couldn’t be better. Why?” His words didn’t match the scowl he was wearing.
“You just seem a little…out of sorts.”
“No. I’m great.” It was an artificial answer and she decided not to press the issue.
He took another big slug of beer. “I’m the one that should be asking how you’re doing. Things alright at home? Your mom okay?”
Nozz must have told him about what happened. “Yeah. She’s doing better. The doctor said it will be a while before she’s a hundred percent, but she’s making progress. Baby steps.”
He nodded once. “And the two of you…you’re okay?”
“Oh, yeah. She and I had a good talk. Things are definitely better between us.”
“That’s good news, Stormy. Really good news. I’ve been worried about you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth a flicker of irritation flared up inside of her. She didn’t really know why, but his words just didn’t sit well. “You don’t have to worry about me, Brylan. It’s not your place to worry about me. It never was.” She hadn’t really meant it to sound as snarky as it sounded. But there it was.
Brylan’s nostrils flared and his eyes darkened, “It may not have been my place, but I am human, Stormy. I’m allowed to be concerned about people whether they want me to be or not.”
“W
ell I don’t want you to be. Okay?” She stood up and started across the patio but Brylan caught her by the arm and pulled her to him. He rested his forehead against hers and held his eyes closed. “I can’t help it, Stormy. I worry about you because I care about you. Don’t you see? You’re in my head. You’re in my heart….”
Tears stung the backs of her eyes but she refused to let them fall.
Under other circumstances his startling declaration would have been welcomed. She loved him, deeply, but all Stormy could see at that moment were obstacles. She hadn’t forgotten about Pam. She hadn’t forgotten about the threat to his career. There were just too many complications…and she’d be damned if she’d let her heart get stomped on again.
She pushed him away with strength she didn’t know she had. “You can’t say that shit to me, Brylan! You made your choice!” She took off into the yard as fast as her waterlogged sneakers would let her but Brylan grabbed her again. His hand slipped down her wet arm and tightened around her wrist. Her feet sunk down into the mud and when she pulled away from his grasp she fell backward, pulling Brylan down on top of her. She squirmed to get free but he held her down, straddling her beneath him and pinning her hands out to the sides of her head. His deep chocolate eyes burned straight into hers.
“Dammit, Stormy! My whole damn life I’ve been doing what everybody else expects me to do. My dad. My boss. And every-damn-body else!”
Stormy stilled beneath him, her emotions swirling like a tornado. Suddenly, Brylan’s expression softened and he planted his face in the crook of her neck and murmured, “My choice, Stormy…my choice is you. It’s always been you. Don’t you see?”
Stormy’s tears mixed with the rain that was sliding down her face. She was angry, elated, confused, and aroused all at the same time. Her mind scrambled to find the words to respond, but before she could utter a single syllable Brylan’s mouth was covering hers. It was a kiss like she’d never experienced before. It was hot and sweet and completely intoxicating.
Stormy reciprocated in kind, kissing him back with a passion she didn’t know she possessed while she slid her hands over his back, across his slick shoulders, and down his muscular chest. Brylan released his grip on her wrist and snaked a hand under the hem of her shirt, across her belly, and then trailed upward. Stormy gasped against Brylan’s mouth. The delicious warmth of his hand on her cold skin sent her circuits into overload and she was gone. All thoughts melted from her brain, and in that moment she would have given him anything.
A startling clap of thunder brought her back to reality. What the hell was she doing? She broke the kiss and pushed against his chest. “Brylan, stop.”
Alarm flashed across his face. “What? Why? What’s wrong?” He rose up just enough for her to slide out from underneath him.
“This is wrong! We can’t do this. You’re not ready. What happens tomorrow when you wake up and I’m lying in bed beside you? What if you wake up and figure out it was all a big mistake? You can’t un-ring a bell, Brylan.”
He sat back on his heels and she saw the look of hurt and confusion on his face. She wanted him to argue with her and tell her that she had it all wrong.
“You see? Like right now…you’re confused. You’re not fighting for me. For us. You don’t know what you want…and I can’t take that gamble, Brylan. You have to figure your life out. At some point you have to jump off the damn fence!”
She ignored the stricken look on his face as she righted her clothing and got to her feet. She took off toward her truck without as much as a glance backward…because if she looked back she would be tempted to run right back into his arms. She didn’t trust herself. Her emotions, her body, her mind…. Everything was a jumbled up mess. She just needed to get away from there. Away from Brylan. Far, far, away. And fast.
Chapter Twenty
Stormy grumbled under her breath while she hastily dusted face powder across her nose and forehead. She didn’t want to look all shiny for the hundreds of graduation pictures that Trudy was sure to take. “If he blows that horn one more time I’m going to kick his ass,” she muttered to her reflection in the mirror. She’d told Nozz to come inside to wait, but he insisted on staying in the car. Stormy threw her makeup brushes in the drawer and slipped into her new silver flats before running to the front door. “Hold your horses, Nozz,” she yelled at him, “We’re almost ready!”
She slammed the door shut and felt something tug at her graduation gown. “Dammit!” It was caught in the door. She opened the door to release it and inspected it for damage on the way back to the bathroom to retrieve the earrings she’d left on the counter. In her frenzy, she ended up dropping one on the floor. When she picked it up she noticed the toilet tank lid was sitting askew. “Huh. That’s weird,” she mused aloud.
While slipping her earrings in she called out, “Hey, you ready to go, Mama?” She hadn’t seen her in a while. Commencement was in less than an hour and they had to get going if she was going to be there early enough for final instructions, seating, and so forth.
There was no response. “Mama,” she called, louder this time. “We need to leave.” Still nothing. Stormy whirred around on her heel and darted into her mother’s room where Marni sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the carpet. “Hey. You ready?”
Marni looked up at Stormy, looking defeated and forlorn. “I can’t go, baby.” Her voice was barely audible and her eyes were rimmed with red.
“What? Why? Are you sick? Because I can stay—”
“No, no. You can’t miss your own graduation. I’m fine.” She didn’t look fine. She looked miserable.
“I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to go.” It was difficult to keep the hurt out of her voice. For the past two weeks she’d been excited to know that her mama would be in the stands, cheering her on as she crossed the stage to retrieve her diploma.
“I just can’t, baby,” a mascara-tinged tear trailed down her face, “I’m just not ready to be around people yet. I thought I was…but I just…I can’t. I’m so sorry, baby,” she stammered shakily.
Stormy pushed aside the disappointment and put her arms around her mama. “Shhh. It’s okay, Mama,” she cooed while rubbing circles on her back. “I understand. I’ll bring you a program, okay? Plus, I think Nozz’s mom is going to video tape the whole thing. I’ll get her to make you a copy.”
Marni nodded. “That would be nice,” she sniffed.
Stormy hated to leave her mother in that condition but Nozz was waiting and time was ticking. But she understood too. Recovery was a long process and her mama had made great strides over the past couple of weeks. However, she still had a long way to go. Stormy could see how the idea of sitting amongst hundreds of other people in a crowded stadium might be overwhelming. She wasn’t particularly crazy about it herself, but it was something she had to do. She’d worked too hard and overcome too much not to.
Marni wiped her eyes and patted Stormy’s arm. “You go on ahead, baby. I’ll see you when you get back. Don’t worry about me. Just have fun, okay? This is your day. Enjoy it.”
Reluctantly, Stormy released Marni from her embrace and stood up to smooth out her gown and fluff her hair. “Do I look okay?”
Mama smiled a big, bright smile that lit up her whole face. “Yes, baby. You’re beautiful.” The pride on her mama’s face caused tears to prick the backs of Stormy’s eyelids, but she willed them not to fall. She’d spent too much time putting on makeup to mess it up at the last minute. “Alright. I gotta go.” She leaned down to give her mama a quick peck on the forehead before heading out the door.
“Stormy?”
She paused at the doorway. “Yeah, Mama?”
“I love you.”
Nozz’s horn was blaring in the background.
“Love you too, Mama. See you later.”
****
“Okay, Trudy. You’ve got enough to fill five albums already.” The thermometer in Nozz’s car had said ninety-five degrees on the way to the stadium. Now t
hat the ceremony was over, all Stormy could think about was getting to the restaurant and ordering a tall glass of iced tea.
“Just one more,” Trudy said. “Now come on, you two, get closer together.”
“If we get any closer we’ll be conjoined twins,” Nozz complained. “It’s hot as hell under this thing.”
Stormy and Nozz complied just long enough for one more click of Trudy’s outdated thirty-five millimeter camera then freed themselves from the stifling layers of itchy polyester. “No more!” Nozz protested, “Any longer out here in this sauna and I’m gonna be nothing but a puddle of sweat on the sidewalk!”
“Oh, that’s a nice image,” Stormy said sarcastically.
On the way across the parking lot Stormy pulled a hair tie from her purse and swept her sweaty, sticky hair into a messy bun. She was sure it looked horrendous but she was too hot to care. June in southeast Texas was no joke. All she could think about was that big glass of cold, sweet tea that awaited her. She was just about to ask Trudy and Nozz where they wanted to eat when she heard someone call her name behind her. When she turned around Brylan was jogging toward her.
Weathering Stormy Page 20
