Beyond What is Given(96)

“Sounds good. Anything but One Tree Hill,” I answered automatically, pretty sure I’d never see it again without thinking of sitting in Grace’s hospital room.

I texted Avery back.

Sam: We’re under tornado watch. Why don’t we meet up tomorrow?

My curiosity would have to wait. I didn’t want her out in this.

“You and Grace.” Morgan laughed.

“What?” My head snapped up.

She waved her spoon. “Oh, you know. The One Tree Hill comment. I went over to the house with Paisley one day when you were at school, and when I asked her if she wanted to watch TV she said the exact same thing.”

Huh. Odd. “Weird. Mia said it was her favorite show.”

“Not sure.” Morgan shrugged. “She said something about hating the last season, and it being overplayed? Anyway, I’m seriously getting in my pajamas. Meet you at the couch?”

I couldn’t even escape Grace in my own kitchen. She was everywhere.

My cell phone buzzed, and I nodded at Morgan. Jammies weren’t a bad idea, and definitely more comfortable than my jeans.

Avery: I’m actually here already.

The wind picked up, and a weather alert sounded on my phone.

Tornado Warning, Coffee County, AL until 9 p.m. Seek shelter immediately.

Trained weather spotters reported a funnel cloud near Kinston. A tornado may develop at any time. Doppler radar showed this dangerous storm moving Northeast at 45 mph. Locations of impact include…Enterprise…Fort Rucker…Take cover immediately.

Crap. Looked like we’d be watching television from the cozy confines of the downstairs bathroom.

Sam: Hey, there’s a tornado warning.

Avery: I saw. Mom already shut the gym down.

Sam: Good. Get home, okay?

I took a bite of ice cream and savored the chill on my tongue. Since the proposal, I’d been numb. No tears, no pain…nothing. Even this tornado warning? Meh.

Maybe I’d exhausted every possible emotion in my body, wrung myself dry until all that was left was an overdose of lidocaine that made me bite my tongue more than anything else.

But maybe that was good. Maybe it would be easier to move on now.

Avery: Grady dropped me off here. Mom is in Dothan.

My stomach fell.

Sam: You’re there alone?

Avery: Yeah. No worries. Mom will be here in an hour or so. I’ll bunker down in the sauna or something.

Alone? No way.

I pulled up the weather map. She didn’t have an hour if that turned into a tornado. I looked out the window. Weren’t the skies supposed to turn green? Mom had raced us to the shelter in Kansas, it wasn’t like I’d actually seen anything.

A few clicks and I had the television tuned to a local channel, where the six o’clock news had been commandeered by the meteorologist.

“…away from windows or flying debris. Again, a tornado has been spotted traveling northeast at what looks to be about thirty miles an hour. If you are in the city of Enterprise, take cover. Folks, this one is coming right at you.”

The remote fell from my hand.

“Morgan!” I ran to the entry hall, where I’d dropped my shoes, and put them on.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, coming down the steps in flannel pajama pants.

“Tornado headed for us.” I threw on my hoodie and raced back to the kitchen, where I’d left my cell phone on the counter.

“Confirmed on the ground?”

“Yeah. You need to get in the bathroom.” My fingers flew over the text screen.

Sam: I’m coming. Keep the door unlocked and get away from the windows.

“Well so do you.” She grabbed the emergency pack from the hallway.

“I have to get Avery. She’s all alone at the gym.” Where the hell were my keys? The entry table? My purse? The coffee table. Right.

“You can’t go out there if there’s a tornado on the ground.”

“They said it’s moving thirty miles per hour, it’s currently estimated to be twelve miles away, giving us twenty-four minutes. I can get to the gym in five minutes. I’ll be back before it comes close.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No. My car only has one seat empty. The back seat is full of boxes. Just stay here, stay safe.”

“Then take this.” She threw the bag to me. “And be careful.”

“I will.” Once the rain hit my face, the full consequences of what I was doing slammed into me. A tornado nearly destroyed this town almost a decade ago. It would be stupid to assume that it couldn’t happen again.

I threw the bag in my passenger seat and fired up my car. I had already hit Rucker Boulevard when my phone synced to the car. “Call Avery,” I said clearly as rain pelted my windshield.

“He-hello?” her little voice came through my car speakers.

“I’m on my way, okay? Stay away from the windows, and when you see my car, come out.”

“I don’t want you out in this, but I’m scared.”

Tree branches danced above me as I halted at the stoplight, their movements creaking, cracking their trunks. “Me, too.”

Lightning split the sky.

“Avery, do you have the radio on?” I leaned over my dash, getting a better view of the sky. Was it getting lighter? That wasn’t right.