“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying let’s see where this goes. I’m going to fix up my place. I’m going to invest in drivers, instead of drive. Well, I’m going to drive you around. That’s the exception.”
“Because I make you?”
“No, because I like it.”
“Oh, well, that’s something.” They were touching lightly on their feelings. That was where Viv wanted to be. “I’m relieved to hear this. Driving is a dangerous job. I want you around. I think you’re making the right decision. Shifting gears on a career can be amazing, I promise.”
“Plus, my hearing impairment is at the perfect level. I can hear you some of the time.”
“What?”
“All of the time might be way too much.”
Viv punched Tag on the shoulder. And then, to her surprise, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He looked over at her and gave her what only could be described as a smolder!
Viv was not ready for smolder. She sat up straight and pretended she missed it.
Viv didn’t want roses. She didn’t want drama. She felt her emotions had been so raw over the last year. The easy way she felt when she was with Tag was better than big romance. Little romance was just fine.
She turned her attention to the mission of the day.
But she had a little smile that would not go away. Darn it if people started thinking she was cheerful. After all she’d done to cultivate her dark side.
They were headed to the car lot at the end of Green and Lake Manitou. If they didn’t find what they were looking for in Irish Hills, it would be a little day trip to Jackson.
The weather report called for humidity. The muggy air could mean a chance of pop-up showers. She had a little umbrella in her bag, just in case.
Tag talked about what he thought Siena should have in a truck to make sure she could use it for the store. Tag was the expert in this, and Viv deferred to him. While Siena was the boss at Just The Thing, Viv was still the main investor. She knew the budget, and as long as it fit the budget, she wasn’t too worried. They’d find a good vehicle. It made her happy to help Siena and not the other way around.
Tag parked at the lot. Viv gout out and a gust of cool air blew up Viv’s skirt.
“It was hot and humid just before. What the heck?” It was a strange shift from just a few minutes ago at the Two Lakes.
In less than five minutes, the temperature had to have dropped thirty or more degrees. It was almost chilly.
Viv looked across downtown, and beyond, toward the lake. And the yellow sky had turned pitch black.
Sensory memory is stronger than anything else. The smell in the air. The sound of the birds, they were screaming.
Viv knew what this was. She’d been in these exact conditions.
The air was the same, the sudden shift in temperature, and worse, the inky swirl in the sky.
The conditions were identical to the tornado that hit Irish Hills in 1989 when she was a kid.
“We need to get inside,now.” Tag saw it too. He was pulling her by the arm toward the dealership offices.
“But Siena—”
“—Viv, don’t. What are you doing?” She broke free from Tag.
Vivian didn’t know if Tag was following her or not. She didn’t feel her cracked rib or anything else as she raced across the street to the store.
The wind swirled around the street, switching directions, and pushing her sideways.
All she could think of was getting Siena to shelter.
