Page 2 of Love in the Storm

“Are you okay? Granny is freaking out.”

It sounded like Jacob was freaking out a little too.

“I’m fine. Just trying to focus on driving.”

“Okay. I wish you were here,” Jacob whispered.

Asa sometimes forgot that his son was still a kid. He was smart for a ten-year-old, but things like storms could still be scary, even if Jacob would never admit it out loud.

Asa turned on the steady, sure voice he used to calm frantic victims when he was on the clock. “You’re safe. There’s no need to worry.”

Jacob paused as if still unconvinced. “Okay. I have a lot of homework tonight.”

Asa leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at the clash of light and dark ahead of the truck. “You get started, and I’ll check it when I get home.”

“I need to build a rocket, and I don’t know where to start.”

Another slash of heartache ripped his chest. Science was Danielle’s favorite subject. She should be here building a rocket with their son.

“I’ll help you as soon as I get home,” Asa promised again.

“You didn’t send me any money for the book fair today,” Jacob said.

Asa pounded the steering wheel with his fist. The book fair. He’d forgotten all about it. “Sorry. I’ll send money tomorrow.” Inching around the darkcurve, Asa kept his eyes on the limited road ahead of him.

“Okay. Will you be home soon?”

“As soon as I can.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, buddy. Don’t worry about the storm. You’re safe with Granny.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Asa waited until the call disconnected before huffing out a nervous breath. Visibility had diminished to almost nothing. There would be a lot of emergency calls tonight. It was only a matter of time before he got the call for backup at the police department. He’d only been home long enough to change out of his uniform before his mom asked him to take dinner to Mrs. Grant.

No wonder Jacob was upset all the time. Asa hadn’t been home much all week. Between school, work, and errands, there was little time left for just hanging out together.

His first thought was the injustice. Always. Jacob should have his mom at home with him tonight, but cancer hadn’t cared about the fairness of it all when it took Asa’s wife and Jacob’s mom.

No, he couldn’t think about the hurt right now when he needed all his focus on the winding road. It was barely after six in the evening, but every inch that wasn’t covered in snow was as black as midnight.

A loud crack like a gunshot pierced the night. A thick tree fell from the cliff above the road, crashing down as if in slow motion.

Asa gripped the wheel and stomped too hard on the brake. His jaw tensed as he willed the truck to stop, but the vehicle slid smoothly over the icy road, careening toward the tree that thudded to the ground in front of him. Snow and ice shot into the air like a wave. The dark trunk blocked the road from one side to the other.

The seconds before impact were palpable, full of fear and knowing. Nothing but the massive tree would stop the force of the truck.

Head-on or a side impact? Did it matter at this point?

At the last second, Asa turned the wheel, but the tires never gained traction. The impact slammed through the truck, rocking Asa’s entire body and plunging everything into darkness.

2

LYRIC

Lyric raced into the living room, trying not to tear apart the cabin she’d just spent six hours cleaning. She’d been over every square foot of the place today—all six thousand of them. Her cell phone could be anywhere.

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