The Weather Girl

by Amy Vastine

  His wife, Kelly, was the complete opposite of the woman Summer’s mother had been. Grace Raines was born and raised to be a Southern belle. She grew up surrounded by wealth and privilege in Savannah. She went to college for the sole purpose of meeting a husband, or so her parents thought. Grace secretly had a passion for science and nature. When she met Gavin in an environmental science class freshman year, it was love at first sight. They were each other’s missing half.

  Kelly, on the other hand, was a Yankee through and through. Business-minded and independent. Ryan had met her when he started working for the Discovery Channel. She was an executive, working out of their Maryland headquarters. It wasn’t love at first sight, but a relationship that grew over time.

  As different as she was from Grace, Summer liked Kelly. She was smart and savvy, and always knew what to say and when to say it. That was something Summer never felt she could pull off. Knowing the average rainfall in San Francisco was anything but practical when you lived in Texas.

  “When did you guys paint the house?” Kelly asked as they made their way up the walkway to the front porch. She already looked uncomfortable in the Texas heat. Her brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail and her cheeks were flushed. “We were looking for a white house and drove up to this green beauty.”

  “Summer and I took that on last fall. We decided just because it was built in 1920 didn’t mean it needed to look like it,” Big D answered.

  Ryan ruffled Summer’s hair as he had when she was a child. “Well, aren’t you the good little granddaughter?” She swatted his hand away. She was a good granddaughter, but she was also a twenty-six-year-old woman who had spent a long time getting her hair right this morning.

  Inside the bungalow, Mimi brought out a pitcher of lemonade and glasses filled with ice. Big D switched on the ceiling fan and sat down in his faded blue chair. Ryan had loved Gavin Raines like a brother and had nothing but respect and affection for the man’s family. Summer appreciated that he’d never lost touch after her parents died. She also loved listening to him talk. He could tell a story that made her feel as if she were there. The tales he told about storms she herself had witnessed were even more spectacular. Her memory never did them justice.

  Ryan and his television crew had been busy documenting the string of tornadoes that had ravaged much of Tornado Alley and some Southern states over the summer. “We spent two weeks in Joplin trying to help. The damage an EF5 can do—” Ryan shook his head. “—you can’t imagine. We could have spent two years there and still had work to do.”

  “Six F5 tornadoes in one year. That has to be a record,” Big D said.

  “Nope. There were seven in 1974,” Summer said, beating Ryan to the punch.

  Ryan smiled. “You don’t even have to think about it, do you? It just pops into your head.”

  Summer shrugged. Sometimes it was that easy. Mimi called it another one of her gifts. Certain things she read or saw got filed away in her brain. Then, when she needed them, they appeared. Of course, there were also those times when facts jumped out of their files randomly. It was times like that her gift seemed more like a curse.

  After lunch, Big D and Kelly offered to help Mimi clean up so Summer and Ryan could catch up in private. Ryan listened patiently about the latest drama at work. When she finished her tirade about the ridiculousness of Texas football, he asked her to join him outside. “Let’s go check out that paint job.”

  The front porch wrapped around the west side of the house. Brick-based pillars supported the hangover roof that provided the shade Summer and Ryan were enjoying. Mimi had set two stone urns filled with sweet-smelling pink, purple and white alyssum on either side of the front door. Ryan took a seat in one of the rocking chairs, gesturing for Summer to take the other.

  “So...” he started.

  “So.” Summer rocked her chair back and forth in an attempt to ease her nerves. She knew he didn’t want to hear about the house. Ryan had something up his sleeve, and she wanted to know what it was almost as much as she didn’t.

  “Tell me something,” he said. “When you hear my stories, how do they make you feel?”

  Truth be told, they made her jealous. Jealous she didn’t have stories like that to tell. She decided not to lie, but not to tell the whole truth, either. “I love your stories. You tell them well.”

  “What if I could offer you the chance to tell your own stories?” He watched the curiosity almost kill her, then relented. “I’m starting a new show. It’s going to feature someone with a pure passion for storms past and present. Someone who isn’t afraid to chase a tornado or explore a polar ice cap. I need someone who knows more about weather history than all of my researchers combined. I need you, Summer. I want you to star in your very own weather show.”

  Summer was speechless. This was it. The kind of adventure she dreamed about. Her gut told her to say yes, but her heart made her pause. There was no way this job would allow her to live in Abilene. Leaving Mimi and Big D was something she couldn’t do. Not right now. The timing was all wrong.

  “It sounds amazing, it does. It’s just that my life is here. Mimi and Big D—”

  “—seem like they’re doing great. Mimi looks better than I’ve seen her in a long time.”

  Ryan knew how hard Mimi had taken her son’s death. He was well aware of the depths of her depression. Summer hesitated. “She’s doing really well, but—”

  “But you think if you left, she’d what? Fall apart again?”

  “No.” Summer wasn’t that arrogant. She knew Mimi was stronger than that, even after the episodes this past week. Summer’s presence wasn’t exactly necessary. Still, she felt better knowing she could watch over her grandparents. They weren’t getting any younger and she felt a responsibility to both of them. “She’d be fine. I just... I like it here.”

  Ryan dropped his chin and gave her the look that said he knew better. She’d just spent the past twenty minutes complaining about work. There was no way he was going to believe she had a perfect life. “Think about how you’d never have to worry about losing thirty seconds again. Never have to go to any football games. The whole show would be yours. I’m telling you, Summer, I can’t imagine anyone more perfect for this job than the daughter of Gavin and Gracie Raines.”

  She couldn’t deny that the idea was more than appealing. The thought of seeing the storms she only got to read about was enough to make her ask him to take her away with him tonight.

  “We start filming in a couple months,” Ryan said. “Give me a chance to woo you a little bit. I won’t accept any answer other than yes until the end of next month. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  Summer nodded. Even if she did turn him down, something told her this job was all she’d be able to think about anyway.

  “Y’all ready to head over to the cemetery?” Big D popped his head out the front door. Summer wondered how much he had overheard. The look in his eyes told her it was more than she would have liked.

  * * *

  EVERYONE RODE TOGETHER out to Gavin and Grace’s final resting place. Summer hated the cemetery, but when her aunts stopped coming a few years ago, she saw how much it hurt Mimi. She’d heard her grandmother telling Big D she felt they didn’t want to honor their brother’s memory. Summer knew then she’d be making the trip once a year for the rest of her life.

  The Garden of Memories was a lovely place with the greenest grass in all of West Central Texas. A fountain of blue, sparkling water marked the entrance to the main grounds. Summer often thought they were trying to pass this place off as some sort of resort. A resort for the dead didn’t seem all that appealing to her.

  Summer believed in God and heaven. She believed people had souls and their earthly bodies were only a temporary home. Her parents weren’t here in Abilene. They were living above the storms, chasing them on the other side. She wondered w
hat they thought about this job Ryan was offering her. Knowing them, they’d want her to take it. Lord knew they would have.

  Summer’s parents were buried next to a marble angel sculpture. Her big white head tilted so that her vacant eyes looked down at them. The angel gave Mimi some peace of mind, so Summer ignored the way it creeped her out.

  Ryan put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. His knowing smile helped her relax a little. He knew this wasn’t her favorite thing to do. Sometimes she wondered if his reasons for coming every year had more to do with her than paying his respects to the dead. Whatever his reasons were, she was grateful for his presence.

  The five of them gathered around the two graves that shared one headstone. Summer always thought her parents would approve of that much. Mimi bent down and cleared some leaves from the base. The air smelled like the grass had been mown recently. Mimi ran her fingers over Gavin’s name carved into the granite. Watching her made the tiny ache in Summer’s chest grow. She looked at her feet and shifted her focus to the grass cuttings stuck to her shoes until the pain subsided.

  “Ten years. How is it possible that so much time has gone by?” Mimi murmured, taking Big D’s hand and standing back up. “I can still remember Gavin playing with his sisters in the sprinklers or riding his bike up and down our street, showing me all his fancy tricks.”

  “Fancy tricks that usually ended up with you needin’ to bandage some part of his body,” Big D added.

  Summer smiled. The only part about this day she liked was hearing stories about her dad, seeing pieces of him that were from a time before she existed.

  “The man was brilliant and daring but not very coordinated,” Ryan said with a laugh.

  “Grace was definitely the one with all the...well, grace,” Mimi said.

  That Summer did remember. When she was little, she thought her mother was a princess. Grace didn’t wear fancy clothes or walk around in high-heeled shoes, but her elegance shone in the way she carried herself. Her kindness mixed with a quiet strength made her seem regal.

  “They were perfect for each other.” Ryan’s hand found its way back onto Summer’s shoulder. “Two people doing what they were born to do and loving every minute of it. We should all be so lucky to find that in our lives. People we love and risks worth taking.”

  Summer was thankful for her sunglasses as she blinked back tears. What were you supposed to do when you had to choose between the people you loved and those worthwhile risks? Not many people lucked out the way her parents had.

  There were a few more stories to be told before Big D led them all in a prayer. Mimi kissed her fingers and touched the headstone. The two couples turned back toward the parking lot. Summer’s feet stayed planted, her eyes fixed on the names Gavin and Grace. She was never much for sharing at these things. She usually listened to everyone else’s stories and said a silent prayer that her parents were happy where they were. Today she felt as though she needed to say something to them. Alone.

  “You comin’?” Big D asked, holding his free hand out for her.

  “Can I have a minute? I’ll meet y’all back at the car.”

  “Take as much time as you need, sweetheart.” He smiled and turned back toward the path and the giant angel staring at them.

  She waited until they were all far enough away to have her say. “Well, you two, I’m sure you know what Ryan said to me today. You also know why I didn’t say yes.” The wind picked up and blew her hair around. She wrestled with it until the loose strands were securely tucked behind her ears. “I just want you to know that I promised to take care of Mimi and Big D and I plan on keeping that promise. I mean, who knows if things would work out if I went off and did this crazy show? It could be off the air in a few months and I’d be out of a job. I like to know what’s coming and there’s just no telling with this wild idea Ryan’s got. Right?”

  Summer knew she was trying to convince herself more than them. It wasn’t as though they could voice their opinion anyway. She started to leave but stopped. “I miss you guys. All the time. I love you,” she said, lifting her hand and waving goodbye to the headstone. She hoped that was an acceptable way to end a conversation with the dead. As she passed the angel she mumbled an amen just in case.

  CHAPTER SIX

  TRAVIS FINISHED HIS run in record time. His morning workouts were all he had to block out the negativity constantly whirling in his head. Besides struggling at work, he had heard through the grapevine that his ex had moved in with some Miami basketball player. How quickly Brooke had become an expert in making Travis feel completely insignificant.

  West Central Texas still loved him, but the novelty of his presence at the station was destined to wear off sooner than later. All he was looking for was a little guidance, but his father was ignoring him. Not that the old man could coach him in broadcasting. But maybe he could tell Travis if he should give it up and pursue something else. If he told him what that something else should be, that would be helpful, too.

  Ken’s special assignment had made things a little easier. Talking about football at a football game felt much more natural than being behind a news desk. He and Summer had survived their first Friday night game together, and it was evident the woman was from another planet. She knew nothing about football. She claimed she went to high school in Abilene, even claimed to remember some of the guys who played when she was in school, but she had no clue what a first down was or how many points a touchdown was worth.

  Summer didn’t know one single rule of the game, but she could tell him the average snowfall in British Columbia. She was an anomaly, for sure. An anomaly with eyes framed by the longest lashes, who challenged high-school cheerleaders to a handspring competition during halftime.

  After a shower and another unanswered phone call to his dad, Travis’s plan was to spend the morning making this house his home instead of some temporary living space. The modest two-bedroom cottage was nothing compared to his villa in Miami, but he didn’t want to invest too much in a place that might not be permanent.

  There were plenty of pictures to hang and boxes to unpack before he had to make an appearance at the Balloon Festival. But just as he hammered in the first nail, a knock at the door startled him.

  “Ouch!” Travis shoved his hammered thumb in his mouth as if that would soothe the pain.

  “You have to save me.” Conner Lockwood pushed his way into his little brother’s house without waiting for an invitation.

  “Conner, buddy, good to see you. Please come in,” Travis said to the empty front porch.

  “Do you know what it’s like to live in a house with a human less than three months old? It’s torture. She cries. All the time. She poops. All the time. She wants nothing to do with me! In fact, I think she hates me. All she wants is Heidi.”

  Travis had to stop him right there. He shut the door and joined his brother in the living room. “You have a beautiful wife and an adorable baby girl. Am I really supposed to feel bad for you?”

  Conner had already made himself comfortable on the black leather couch, stretched out as if it were some kind of therapy session. “I told Heidi you called me and needed someone to help move some furniture. Please let me stay here. Please,” he whined.

  Travis took pity on him and let him stay. His brother was a good example of what life after football was for most. He played ball at LSU but wasn’t destined to go any further than that. He met Heidi at school and married her as soon as they graduated. They moved back to Texas, and Conner went to work for their dad’s insurance company, opening an office in Abilene.

  Conner lived a modest life and still wore his state championship ring. Like many former Texas high-school football players, he talked about that time in his life as if it was the glory days. Travis hated to think like that. He didn’t want to feel as though his best years had come and gone. He wanted to believe there w
as more.

  Conner helped hang some pictures and move some furniture around so he wasn’t completely lying to his wife. “Best thing about Brooke breaking off the engagement? You got to keep all your stuff.” Conner picked up the remote for the large flat-screen TV that hung on the wall. “I’m pretty sure that if Heidi ever leaves me, she’ll take everything with her.”

  “Ah yes, the upside to having the woman you thought you were in love with dump you. Thanks for pointing that out and for bringing her up. I appreciate that.” Travis handed him a beer and took a sip of his own before sitting down.

  “Brother, you are so better off. Like I said, better you saw her true colors before you made the full commitment.”

  As if saying “I do” would have made him feel more committed. He’d planned on spending the rest of his life with Brooke. He’d imagined growing old with her. Of course, things would have been worse if they had gotten married. Travis knew he had avoided making the biggest mistake of his life now that Brooke’s true intentions were revealed, but it still stung to be rejected, to be told you weren’t good enough because you weren’t a quarterback anymore.

  Conner’s phone beeped, eliciting a pathetic groan from him. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen. “Give me a reason I need to hang out here longer. Quick.”

  “Sorry, I have to go to Red Bud Park for the Balloon Festival and sign autographs. I can’t hide you all day.”

  “Balloon Festival and autographs?”

  “Hot-air balloons. They fly a whole bunch of them for charity or something. And yes, people still want my autograph,” Travis said sourly.

  “Of course people want your autograph. You’re Travis Lockwood. I bet the girls still throw themselves at you.” There was a hint of jealousy in his tone.