Page 30 of Before the Storm

Josie sputtered with laughter and then burst into tears.

Tara got out of bed and opened the door. Josie felt pathetic and ragged. Tara hugged her. “What’s wrong, honey? What did Mike do?”

Josie blubbered. “Mike is fine. He’s fine. He’s still in love with his wife.” It wasn’t a lie.

Tara led Josie into her bedroom, where she’d slept alone for the past several years, and got under the covers. Josie changed into a sleep shirt and slipped under the covers beside her sister. Tara waited expectantly. She wanted the full report of Josie’s first date in years.

What could Josie tell her? She couldn’t lie. Not about this.

Tara reached out to wrap a hand around Josie’s wrist. “You don’t have to date Mike, you know? There are other guys.”

Josie closed her eyes. Her chest spasmed. “It’s not that.”

“What is it?”

Josie knew what she said next would put her in a precarious position. She didn’t want Tara to think she was “going after Donnie.” The truth was he was a dirtbag and had always been. How could she get Tara to believe?

“I saw Donnie at the bar.”

Tara raised her eyebrows. “You went to that trashy bar and grill with Mike? He should have taken you to a restaurant!”

“Donnie was there with someone.”

“Yeah. I know. He went with Reg.”

Josie shook her head and turned to face Tara. They were lying on her pillows with their hair spilling across the sheets. “He was kissing someone. A woman.”

Tara’s face scrunched into a ball. She was quiet.

She was quiet in a way that made Josie understand that a part of Tara knew Donnie was sneaking around on her. She couldn’t admit it to herself.

“I’m sorry,” Josie whispered.

Tara turned to face the wall. Josie reached out to touch her sister’s shoulder, but Tara flinched away.

“I know you don’t want to believe it. But I wouldn’t lie,” Josie said. “I love you and Winnie too much. I want Donnie to be good enough for both of you. But…”

Suddenly, from downstairs came the sound of the front door screaming open and slamming shut.

“Tara?” Donnie’s voice echoed through the house. “Tara, where are you?”

Josie leaped out of bed. She was ready to throw another beer on his head.

Tara got out of bed, too. Her face was pale.

“Tara?” Donnie sounded drunker than he’d been at the bar. Josie imagined he’d taken shots after she’d thrown the beer on him. He was in a rage.

Josie and Tara sped to the staircase and found Donnie at the base of it. His drunkenness made him sway so much that he had to grip the railing, and he couldn’t make it more than a few stairs without falling back down.

“Don’t believe anything Josie says,” Donnie ordered. “She’s a liar.”

“Stay down there, Donnie,” Josie said. “And be quiet. Winnie’s asleep.”

Donnie growled. “I’m coming up there. This is my house with my wife and my daughter. You don’t have a family, Josie. You need to go out and get your own.” He hesitated and nearly fell. “She’s jealous, Tara. She doesn’t have what we have.”

Josie’s gut twisted with rage.

But suddenly, Tara shot downstairs and directly toward him. It was almost as though she was going to attack. Donnie was caught so off guard by her that he collapsed against the railing. Tara took his hand and pulled him the rest of the way down thestairs and into the living room. Josie brought up the rear, ready to jump on him if he tried to go up and talk to Winnie.

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