The Weather Girl (6 page)

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.

* * *

E
VERYONE
 
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 what 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

T
RAVIS
 
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 was 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.

Travis let it slide, knowing it was never easy for Conner to be the older brother of the Sweetwater superstar quarterback. Things had been always easier for Travis growing up. Everyone lavished attention and praise on him, while Conner was often overlooked. When they were younger, there was some resentment on Conner’s part. Their father invested much more time, energy and money into Travis. But as they got older, Conner found it in his heart to be more supportive than envious. He had always been there for his younger brother, cheering him on and sharing in his spoils. He was a good man who was struggling in this new role of being a father.

“Maybe my car isn’t working and I need you to drive me over there,” Travis offered.

An appreciative smile spread across Conner’s face as he texted Heidi. The two men headed over to Red Bud Park in Conner’s car, in case anyone saw them. The field was littered with almost a dozen hot-air balloons ready for takeoff. Several were red, white and blue, and there was even a balloon shaped like a cupcake. Local businesses from all over the Big Country had booths lined up at the edges of the grass. The smell of good ol’-fashioned Texas barbecue filled the air. Kids ran around, clinging tightly to their purple cotton candy or cherry-red snow cones.

Shannon, an intern from the station, was standing next to the KLVA van when Travis and Conner arrived. “You made it just in time to see them launch,” she said as Travis approached.

“Where’s Summer?” He swore that wasn’t going to be his first question, but it popped out anyway.

Shannon smiled. “Oh, you’ll see.”

A loud air horn sounded, signaling the fliers for takeoff. Within minutes, the sky was filled with a myriad of colored balloons. Travis took out his camera and got a few shots of the incredible sight.

“You still like to take pictures, huh?” Conner asked, holding up his camera phone to capture the moment.

“It’s become a hobby, I guess. How about I just send you some copies of mine?” Travis said, pushing Conner’s phone down. There was no way a camera phone would do the view justice. Once he was satisfied with his shots, he turned his attention back to Shannon. “Where’d you say Summer was again?”

Shannon pointed up at the balloons. “Watch the big purple one.”

The balloon was about a hundred feet in the air while the others had floated much higher. The KLVA cameramen were planted underneath it as if they were waiting for someone to jump out. Travis used his camera to zoom in on the basket. Sure enough, he caught sight of a blond ponytail. The next thing he knew, Summer was opening the basket as though she was going to jump.

“What the hell is she doing?” Heart racing, he wondered why there wasn’t someone up there telling her that was unsafe.

“Just watch,” Shannon said. Then Summer launched herself from the basket, swan-diving as if she were going to land in a swimming pool. But there was no swimming pool. There was nothing. No net, nothing to save her from a fall that high. That was when he noticed the cord attached to her leg. Down she went, until the bungee cord stretched and pulled her back up, again and again, to the delight of the crowd.

Travis, mouth agape, stared at her dangling body until he began to laugh. He laughed so hard he nearly cried. She felt the rain coming, but she didn’t feel fear. She was completely fearless. Summer Raines was full of surprises.

* * *

“S
AME
 
TIME
 
NEXT
year?” Travis heard the man escorting Summer back to the van ask.

“You know it, Hank,” Summer said, giving his tall, wiry frame a hug. Hank looked like a younger version of Travis’s high-school chemistry teacher, Mr. Thomas, which was pretty much the complete opposite of Travis.

“Thanks for the heads-up about the rain. Last thing I want to do is wrestle with that balloon in a downpour.” Hank pushed his sunglasses up his nose. Summer had predicted there would be isolated showers this afternoon, but the sun was shining as it had been all day. Travis figured the rain was on its way, though. He knew better than to question Summer’s “feelings.”

“Always happy to help.” Her face was flushed. That must have been some adrenaline rush. Travis wondered what it would feel like to touch her, to feel her blood flowing through her veins, her skin tingling. Hank looked as though he wanted to feel what she was feeling, too. Hank gave Summer a sheepish wave before taking off.

“Look who made it back to earth in one piece,” Travis said. Astonishingly, Summer smiled and her cheeks flushed a deeper red.

“Look who remembered he had an appearance.” She took her spot next to him in their booth. Ken had sent a stack of promo pictures for Travis to sign. By the look of the line, he was going to be there all night.

His eyes narrowed. “Hey, now, I was totally on time. Of course, if I knew I could jump out of a balloon, I would have shown up a few minutes earlier.”

“You wanna go?” She started to get up.

Travis grabbed her arm and pulled her back in her seat. “Maybe next time.”

There was no tingling, but he defintely felt something when they touched. Summer swallowed hard and stared at his hand as if it were a bear trap wrapped around her arm. Her skin was warm and soft, but he let go before she felt the need to yank her arm away. They had managed to get along for an entire week—he didn’t want to ruin that streak by giving her the wrong impression. He had sworn he wasn’t interested in anything other than friendship. Touching was most likely against the friendship rules.

“Bull crap.” Conner coughed into his fist behind them, causing Summer to glance over her shoulder.

Travis prayed his brother would not embarrass him. “Don’t make me call your wife and tell her what really went on today,” he warned.

“You wouldn’t,” Conner gasped.

“Friend of yours?” Summer asked.

“Related, unfortunately.”

“Conner Lockwood.” He stuck out his hand and Summer shook it firmly.

“Summer Raines. Nice to meet you.”

He didn’t let go of her hand right away, kissing the back of it like some sort of gentleman. “The pleasure is all mine because you, pretty lady, are insane. The way you took a nosedive.” Conner shook his head in awe. “That was crazy.”

“Leave her alone,” Travis said, scrawling his name on another picture of himself. “The only crazy person here is me—for letting you tag along.”

“Boy, can you feel the love?” Conner said to Summer, ignoring his brother completely. “He acts like he’s the only interesting person around here. Did you know that I played for LSU the year we won—”

Travis interrupted, “She doesn’t care about football. You’re boring her and you’ve just met. Nice work.”

“Doesn’t care about football?” Conner’s eyes widened in shock, as if he’d been told she wasn’t from this planet. “He’s kidding, right?”

Summer shrugged. “I’m into more extreme sports. Sorry.”

Travis chuckled as Conner’s jaw dropped. He really didn’t have to worry about her holding her own.

“More extreme? You’re kidding.” Conner turned to Travis. “She has to be kidding. Tell me she’s kidding.” He looked Summer up and down. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Texans and their football. I’ll never understand.”

“Is that a no?”

“Not originally from around here, no.”

“You’re lucky. We’ve kicked Texans out of the state for lesser crimes.”

Summer laughed. Of
course
she liked Conner. He was one of the good guys. Travis spent the rest of the afternoon signing everything put in front of him and smiling for every photo. There were plenty of lovely ladies in line, but the little kids were on the receiving end of most of his attention. He signed so many footballs he lost count.

After Heidi called for the third time, and Conner ran out of excuses, he tapped Travis on the shoulder. “I’ll be moving in with you if I don’t head home. Any way someone can give you a lift?” He not so nonchalantly glanced in Summer’s direction.

“I can drop you off,” Summer offered.

Travis bit back his frustration. It was a nice gesture, even if he was certain she was only offering because Conner had asked. “You sure?”

“Or I could,” Shannon chimed in.

Summer stiffened as if challenged, then smiled at the intern. “I got it. It’s really no big deal.”

“It’s no big deal for me, either. I have nothing to do after this. I can drive Travis home.”

“I think I already said I got it.”

“I’m just saying, I’m sure you’re busy—”

“I’m not.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re busier than I am.”