Page 7 of Through the Storms
“I knew something was up. All the sneaking around you’ve been doing. The calls and texts.” Lana gave a half smile. “Most women would have thought you were cheating on them, but that never crossed my mind. I thought you were going to tell me you were ready to settle down. I’ve been waiting and waiting for the surprise, but instead, you show up with that relationship wrecking ball. The Oakanator?” Lana snorted. “Fitting, I suppose.”
Damn.The jabs kept coming. It wasn’t like Lana to be cruel, so it hurt even worse. “Don’t say that. Never say that.”
“There’s nothing more to say.”
In desperation, Oakley said the first thing that came to her mind. “But remember earlier, how you were planning on sending me off?” Oakley wriggled her eyebrows for effect.
Lana shook her head. “I’m going into the station early.”
Rejected.That had never happened before, either. Oakley’s desperation grew. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life. The day the Oakanator would make its debut. “Come on, Lana. Let me show you how much I love you.”
“Not today.” Lana turned and started up the stairs.
“Fine. I’m going to take a shower.” Oakley wasn’t going to beg; besides, the churning in her stomach had tamped down any romantic feelings. “A cold one,” Oakley muttered under her breath.
Oakley suspected that Lana heard her, but Lana kept walking up the stairs.
CHAPTER 5
Lana pushed harder onthe accelerator. Normally, she didn’t speed, but today, she’d make an exception. She wanted to put as much distance between her and Oakley as she could. Not that Oakley would ever chase her. God knew there was only one thing Oakley chased—fucking tornadoes.
Son of a bitch.Lana swiped the tear from her cheek. She refused to cry over what she’d always known would be the outcome of their relationship.
She tapped a button on her steering wheel and said, “Call Carol.”
“Calling Carol,” the robotic voice said.
“Whatcha doing?” Carol’s chipper voice filled the car.
“On my way to the station,” Lana answered.
“On a Sunday?”
“Yeah.” Lana took a deep breath, hoping her voice wouldn’t come out shaky. “I have to fill in on the six o’clock news. I’mheading in early to get a few things done while it’s quiet, and I thought I’d call you, so you can keep me company on the drive.”
“Bullshit. Spill. What’s wrong?”
Practically from the moment they’d met, Carol had an uncanny way of reading her. Lana had always prided herself on her stoic personality, so it had been disconcerting at first. Over the years, she’d come to appreciate Carol’s superpower.
“I’ve had better days,” Lana admitted.
“Understatement?”
“Maybe,” Lana said with a slight grin. “Are you busy?”
“Nothing that I can’t procrastinate.”
“Do you want me to swing by your house?”
“Frank and his damned buddies have been screaming at the TV for the past half hour, you don’t want to come here.”
“Thunder not doing well?”
“Apparently not. Why don’t I meet you at the station? I bought this cool picture at the flea market yesterday. You can help me hang it up in my office.”
Lana laughed. “You know just because I’m a lesbian doesn’t mean I have any mechanical skills, don’t you?”
“And you proved it.” Carol chuckled. “I don’t think it takes mechanical skills to hang a picture.”
