“I think you think it’s a sign because he’s a cutie.”
“So is that why you’re tagging along?”
Angelica stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and glared at Espy. “Is that what you think? Do you think I’d do something like that to you? No! I’m coming, in case he doesn’t show up, and you’re not stuck there alone feeling like a fool. And while we wait for him, we can figure out how we’re going to pay to get the van fixed, and if we can’t get it fixed by tomorrow, what we’re going to do with ten people in one van. Mr. and Mrs. Laughton were already fighting about what a waste this trip was.”
Espy sighed. “He didn’t want to be here anyway. This was her idea and he’s not being very gracious about it.”
“He’s a jackass,” Angelica said. “He’s got her so tense, she can’t enjoy the vacation. Like, everything that inconveniences him, you can just see her tense up, ready for him to attack her. Like it’s her fault.” She shook her head. “Hits a little too close to home.”
Espy hadn’t thought about that, but she wasn’t in the van with the couple. But yes, that did sound a lot like her parents’ marriage. As the oldest, Angelica had always been more sensitive to their fighting. “They can ride in the van with me the rest of the tour.”
Angelica sighed. “I don’t want to put that on you.”
Also another downfall of being the oldest. Wanting to protect her little sister. Espy shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I can tune it out better than you.”
“I wish I knew how to do that. I seem to do the opposite, zoom in on it instead.”
They turned the corner to see the bar and grill, nicer than Espy had pictured. A yard of crushed gravel was enclosed by a split-rail fence. A small clapboard building stood off to one side of the yard, which was filled with what looked like homemade picnic tables, a stage made out of the same weathered wood. Some sort of game boxes were built around the area, what looked like dirt in a box with holes made of PVC. Espy didn’t recognize the game, and no one was playing.
Javi, of course, hadn’t arrived since it wasn’t even six yet, so the sisters walked into the shack-like building, where a bar ran along one length, and a giant chalkboard was on the wall at their backs, listing available drinks and prices.
Espy ordered a bottle of craft beer and Angelica ordered a glass of white wine, but they agreed to split a basket of fried mushrooms with a side of ranch. That sounded amazing,. Espy’s mouth already started to water as they took a seat at the bar to wait for their order.
“Y’all are new in town,” the woman who’d taken their order said.
Of course she probably knew everyone in a town this size. “Our van broke down, so we’re waiting for it to be repaired.”
“Tommy?” the woman asked. “He’ll get it done.”
“He said he hopes he has the parts. If he doesn’t, do you know where we could get something, maybe, on short notice?”
“You can’t wait a couple of days? We’re not so far away from everything that deliveries take forever.”
“We’re storm chasers,” Espy explained. “We’ve got a tour with us, and a system of storms expected near here tomorrow. We need something that’s pretty roomy.”
The woman frowned briefly as she considered. “Let me think about it. Offhand I don’t know of anyone who’d let you run their vehicle into a tornado, so…”
“We are very safe,” Espy said, knowing that wasn’t the greatest pitch. “We get close enough for good pictures, but not close enough to damage the vehicles.”
“Well, except that one time,” Angelica said with a crooked smile.
“Sure, but never again after that,” Espy went along with her sister’s fabrication. They’d never had a damage claim based on their storm chasing, which was good because their insurance was already very high.
The woman’s brow furrowed as she looked from one to the other, clearly picking up on their tone. “I’m Hailey, by the way. Welcome to The Wheel House.”
The sisters introduced themselves.
“So you run a storm chaser tour? That sounds risky.”
“Which part? The business? Or the chasing?” Angelica asked with a half smile.
Hailey returned the smile and lifted her hand to indicate the bar. “Oh, I know about the business part. Thankfully I have good friends who point people in my direction, and a lot of town regulars. So what got you into storm chasing?”
They’d been asked this question so many times, they practically had the answer scripted, and as soon as Espy was done with her part, and Hailey and Angelica were deep in conversation, Espy left her seat and drifted over to look out the door at the yard. Would Javi show up, or was he just messing with her? He didn’t seem the type, but he was a hunk, and she was a plump passer-through with wild hair and no make-up.
Okay, she was admitting that she had asked him to meet her for reasons other than going over the maps. She’d invited him here because he was cute and kind and she was lonely.
Not lonely in the sense that she was alone. Oh, no, she wasneveralone. But she hadn’t been on a date in a long time. Hadn’t been kissed in even longer. She was about to go from counting months into counting years, if she was honest.
