The Weather Girl (14 page)

“Can I get a hint?” she asked, taking a bite of the strawberry licorice.

“You’re going to love it. I promise.” Travis’s smile was so big that Summer almost leaned over and kissed it off his face. When the film began, she gasped.
Wild Texas Weather
was a twenty-two-minute slice of heaven with special effects like simulated wind, rain, lightning and fog that made them feel as if they were there inside the storms.

No one watching could ever call Texas weather boring. Everything about Texas weather was extreme, from its tornadoes to its hurricanes to its temperatures. Summer was overwhelmed with emotion as the film came to an end. In less than half an hour, Travis had done something incredible. He had reminded her that she lived in one of the most fascinating weather states in the country. They didn’t have igloos or penguins, but they had severe floods and dusty haboobs. Texas had blizzards and scorching droughts, hail the size of a baseball and lightning storms that were prettier than any fireworks show.

“I can’t believe you did this for me.” The tremor in her voice and the tears in her eyes should have embarrassed her, but she was having a moment and Travis always made it okay.

“What?”

She shook her head. She didn’t even know how to explain it. He had proved this was no game. Maybe Travis had been trying to prove that all along. No man had ever indulged her as much as he did when she went off on weather tangents. He listened and asked questions when most people fled, plugging their ears. Travis made her crazy, but he never treated her like she was.

“You snuck us into a museum in the middle of the night to watch a movie about Texas weather. You reminded me why I love this place, why I love my job. Not only that, but you chose to do this for me instead of running around campus with all those people who love you.”

Travis grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I don’t want to be anywhere but with you.”

“Why?” She swiped at a tear as it fell. It didn’t make sense.

“What does it take to get you to understand? I like you, Summer. I can’t believe you don’t realize how amazing you are. You don’t compromise yourself for anyone. You’re so smart, and you retain crazy amounts of information in your head. You’re beautiful but barely notice because there isn’t an ounce of vanity in you. And you have the softest-looking lips I have ever seen on a woman and—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Summer leaned forward and placed those soft lips over his. Timing be damned.

She knew he was going to be a good kisser. She had hoped for excellent. She got phenomenal. One big hand cradled her cheek while the other wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. She might have initiated it, but he was in control. She liked it. She liked it a lot.

She pulled back first, but not before he pressed one more kiss to her lips. “Please tell me we can do that again,” he said, sitting back in his seat.

Summer touched her own mouth, which still tingled from the contact. “I hope so,” she replied. “But can we watch the movie one more time?”

Travis laughed out loud but nodded. “We can watch it all night long.”

He had no idea what he was promising.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“I
SHOULD
 
GO
 
inside,” Summer said for the twentieth time. She kept saying it, but never actually got out of the car. Not that he minded. He was waiting for the perfect moment to kiss her goodbye. He’d have to initiate this time, but he couldn’t help being smug that she had kissed him first, as he had predicted.

“Thanks for driving,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” He reached out and squeezed her hand, afraid they were getting close to really saying goodbye.

His thumbs brushed the soft skin on the back of her hand as he tried to remind himself it would be wrong to kidnap her from her grandparents’ driveway.

“I should go,” she said again. He didn’t want her to go. He wanted to keep her forever.

“So you’ve said,” he teased. He could tell she didn’t want to leave yet. “Can I call you later?”

She grinned. “I’d like that.”

He was leaning in for that goodbye kiss when a knock on the car window caused them both to jump. Travis’s heart stopped for a second. An older woman with the same eyes as Summer looked apologetic as Travis tried to catch his breath. Summer reached back and grabbed her overnight bag from the backseat.

“Thanks again.”

“Anytime.”

Pushing the door open, she made introductions. “Mimi, this is Travis. Travis, this is my grandmother, Sarah.”

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” He nodded and gave a little wave, trying to play it cool, but all he could do was smile like a fool.

“Don’t call me ma’am, call me Mimi. And saying hello to an old woman in the driveway isn’t meeting her. Turn that car off and come on inside. Summer missed church and we held lunch. Least she can do is let me get to know you properly.”

“Mimi...” Summer looked hesitant. A nervous hand gripped the strap of her bag so tight the knuckles turned white. Wary eyes flitted between Travis and her grandmother. “He just drove four hours. I’m sure he has better things to do than hang out with us.”

“Well, you got something better to do, Travis?” Mimi asked, hand on hip. Summer’s spunk was definitely inherited.

“No, as a matter of fact, I don’t believe I have anything to do.” He shut off the car and got out. Spending more time with Summer was the only thing he wanted or needed to do today.

Summer smiled, but there was worry in her eyes. “Are you sure? Please don’t let her—”

He wondered if she was asking because she was really concerned about taking him away from something or if she wasn’t comfortable with him meeting her family. They had crossed a major bridge last night, but he feared seeing that look in her eye, the one that was always searching for an escape.

“I’m all good,” he assured her with a wink. He slid the strap off her shoulder and carried her bag to the house. Mimi tipped her head and smiled her approval. If he could win the grandma over, he’d feel a bit more confident. When Mimi opened the door, a black Labrador bolted out and headed straight for Summer, tail wagging.

“There’s my boy.” Summer knelt down and gave her dog the attention he craved. “Was he good for y’all?” she asked her grandmother, who was halfway inside the house.

“Oh, you know Big D spoils that animal rotten!”

The friendly dog realized Travis was an unknown and quickly positioned himself between the man and his owner. He gave the stranger a good sniff, checking for trouble. “Hey there, big guy.” Travis petted his head.

“Storm, Travis. Travis, Storm.”

He liked the name right away. It was so very Summer. “Nice to meet you, Storm.” Now that Travis was no longer a threat, the dog had no time for him. He was much more interested in Summer’s affection. Travis could completely relate. The dog followed them up onto the porch and through the front door. Inside the small, cozy house waited one more obstacle, however. Summer’s grandfather eased out of his faded blue recliner. When he stood, he was eye to eye with Travis, who was almost six foot four.

“Travis, my grandfather, David. Big D, this is my friend Travis.”

“
Kissing
friend,” Mimi added, arching her brow. Summer scowled at her grandmother, making the old man shake his head. Travis bit his tongue and chose not to remind Mimi there had been no kissing thanks to her.

David Raines was tall and thin, with gentle eyes. His shoulders were narrow and his pants were belted tight. “For heaven’s sake, didn’t you embarrass the girl enough when she was growing up?” he asked his wife as he stuck out his hand for a firm shake. “Nice to meet you, Travis. Don’t you listen to anything that one has to say about anything. And please don’t hold any of it against Summer.”

“Never, sir.”

“Oh, come on. Let an old woman have some fun.” She grabbed Travis by the arm. “Help me in the kitchen while Big D gets the scoop. My granddaughter never tells me anything.”

“Shocking,” Travis said with a laugh. Summer mouthed an unnecessary sorry. He liked Mimi. She reminded him of his own grandmother, who had a generous spirit and no filter.

“Joining us for lunch earns you some major points. Shows you aren’t only interested in what was happening in that fancy car before I came outside.” She handed him some plates and opened the silverware drawer. The kitchen smelled mouthwatering. Ham, apple pie and homemade bread. Mimi was a keeper.

“Summer is more than a kissing friend,” he assured her. The last thing he wanted was for these people to think his intentions were anything less than honorable toward their granddaughter. “I have nothing but respect for her.”

“I like that, too,” Mimi said, her hands full of forks and knives. She set them on the plates. “She had fun yesterday, I could tell. We watched both reports. I couldn’t believe you got that girl to play some football.” She placed napkins on top of silverware.

Travis smiled, remembering the look on Summer’s face when she finally caught the ball. “I think she’s been holding out on me. I bet she was the star on her Powder Puff team in high school.”

Mimi froze and then burst into a fit of laughter. Doubled over, she hugged her slightly round middle and tried to catch her breath. “Oh, you are too much. Summer’s only ever been a dance-in-the-rain kind of girl.”

Imagining that beautiful woman dancing in the rain made him smile. “Maybe I’ve converted her, then.”

“If anyone can get her to like football, my money is on you.” Mimi laughed, motioning for him to follow her to the dining room. Together, they set the small, round table for four.

“Summer says she comes over here every Sunday. It’s nice you guys are so close.”

“My granddaughter loves two things—the weather and her family. And we adore her. She’s my only reason for getting out of bed some days.” Mimi smacked Travis’s hand when he put the fork on the wrong side of the plate. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you how to set a table?”

“Football was my only chore,” he sheepishly admitted.

“Good thing you’re cute. Buys you some time to learn.”

Travis finished setting the table and they returned to the kitchen, where Mimi loaded his arms with all the fixings for lunch. “Can I ask you something?” Travis lowered his voice and glanced at the door.

“You can ask me anything. Can’t promise I’ll answer,” Mimi replied, looking intrigued.

“I like your granddaughter. I like her a lot.” Fear caused him to check the door one more time. It would be just his luck that Summer would overhear him talking like this. “What are the chances I’m going to get my heart broken here?”

Mimi stopped her busywork. She cocked her head to the side and gave him her full attention. “Now, what makes you ask that?”

“She’s been fighting against liking me from the moment she met me, even though I swear I’m a nice guy.”

Mimi inhaled deeply, nodding, then shaking her head as she exhaled. She returned to the task at hand. “I’m sure you’re a real nice guy. I like you, so I’m going to give you some advice,” she said, rummaging through the refrigerator for the butter. She straightened and turned toward him. “Do you know why Summer obsesses about the weather?”

Travis had never considered the “why.” Summer and the weather went together like peanut butter and jelly or spaghetti and meatballs or... Boy, he really needed to eat. “She seems connected to it. You know with the ‘feelings’ and everything.”

“Summer fixates on the weather because there’s safety there. She can chart and collect data. She can look at her radar screen. Add to that her ‘feelings’ and you have someone who thinks she can always predict what’s coming.” Mimi’s face was serious and a bit too somber. “But you and I know life doesn’t always work like that. Things happen that we can’t control. There are storms we can’t predict that wreak havoc on our lives and the lives of the people we love. That scares Summer more than she’ll ever admit. Every daring thing that girl does is calculated and controlled. If she doesn’t know what’s going to happen, she won’t take the risk.”

So she was scared, just as he was. Somehow it felt better, knowing he wasn’t alone. He knew all about fearing the risk of a broken heart.

“You’re a man most women could see themselves settling down with. That makes you a risk because that girl is just like her daddy. Like I said, Summer loves two things—her family and the weather. Her daddy took his family with him to chase storms. Summer ended up here and chooses us over that life. She doesn’t know I know she’s waiting for the day she doesn’t have to choose.” Mimi put a hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze. “Be worth it and everything will work itself out.”

Be worth it. The woman had basically told him Summer didn’t want to be tied down. Settling down with someone wasn’t in her grand scheme. That made her just as much his risk as he was hers.
Be worth it.
Could he even be worth choosing?

Mimi announced lunch was ready and Summer, Big D and Storm all answered the call. Summer’s nerves were evident. Travis’s smile meant to reassure and earned him one from her in return. He held out her chair so she could sit. Everything became crystal clear when she was near—she was worth the risk, she was worth any risk.

“Please tell me she was nice,” she said, taking her seat.

His hand fell on her shoulder. “She’s amazing. Like you,” he whispered. Her endless blue-sky eyes looked up, full of unnecessary modesty. “No worries.”

“No worries,” she parroted back as he took his seat next to her.

Lunch was as delicious as it smelled. Travis ate like a king. Summer’s grandparents made him feel more at home than he sometimes felt at his own parents’ place. They asked him questions that had nothing to do with football. Instead, they focused on subjects like his family, growing up in Sweetwater and his take on various issues affecting the local community. They wanted to know if he attended church regularly and if he’d read any good books lately. He wished he was more interesting and thought about stopping at a bookstore on the way home.

They had plenty of questions for Summer, too. They wanted to hear all about their trip to Austin and what she thought about football now that she had experienced it close up. Big D and Mimi’s love for their granddaughter was evident in every look and word, even when they were teasing her. Watching the three of them banter back and forth made Travis’s heart happy.

Big D and Mimi shared a look when Summer told them her favorite thing about Austin was the museum. Mimi smiled at Travis as if to say, “Well done, young man.” The grandmother was officially won over, as was the dog at his feet, who was enjoying a bite of ham that had “accidentally” dropped to the floor. “I think Travis should join us for lunch every Sunday. He could come to church, too,” Mimi said as she stood to clear the table.

“Mimi...” Summer’s cheeks turned pink.

“What? You tell me you don’t want that boy sitting next to you every week,” the old woman challenged.

Summer hid her face in her hands. “Did you know that 1941 was the wettest year in Texas history? Over forty-two and a half inches fell.”

Mimi chuckled. “That means she wants you to come back,” she said to Travis before taking some dishes to the kitchen. Summer jumped up and grabbed a load of dirty plates, brushing away Travis’s hand as he reached out to help.

Big D sat back in his chair at the head of the table. He gave his belly a pat and then tossed some scraps on the floor for Storm. He was a spoiler, indeed. “Dealing with their crazy is worth it in the end. I can attest to that.”

Travis laughed through his nose. He might not know if he was worth the risk, but there was no doubt Summer was. “She’d have to be a whole lot crazier to keep me away.”

Big D nodded. “Good answer, son.”

Summer and Mimi returned, the elder appearing properly admonished. Travis got up to help them finish clearing the table despite their objections. He wanted to be invited back. He wanted to be invited back every Sunday. It wasn’t something he could have considered if he was still playing football. For the first time since it happened, his injury seemed more like a blessing than a curse.

* * *

A
FTER
 
SOME
 
OF
the best apple pie in the world and his third glass of milk, Travis followed Summer to the family room. The fireplace mantel was covered in photographs. Pictures of Big D and Mimi with less wrinkles. Two girls and one boy huddled around them, dressed in their 1970s Sunday best. Big D with a mustache. Mimi holding a grandbaby. And a curly-haired blond standing with her parents in front of something that looked like a tank. It was the same picture Summer had on her desk. Young Summer was built like her grandfather, skinny and tall, but perfect.

“Where’s the rest of the family?” Travis asked, pointing at one of the frames that looked as though it had everyone in it.

Summer smiled at the photo, her fingers touching the faces of her mom and dad. “My aunt Ginny lives outside Dallas with her husband. They have three boys, all live in or around the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Aunt Sue lives in Ohio. She never had any kids. She and her husband, my uncle John, own a restaurant up there. That keeps them superbusy, I suppose. I don’t think they’ve been down here to visit in a couple years.”