Page 32 of Organized Chaos

He ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck, then unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt. “That was a mess. I’m not sure how much I’ll even be able to use.”

“What?” She didn’t understand. They’d joked and laughed for the last thirty minutes.

Phillip paced several steps in front of her. “We didn’t go over anything on the list. He didn’t answer any of my questions. I’m not sure how the audience will react to such a mishmash of audio.”

“It’ll be fine.” Sarah tried to wave off his concerns but stopped when he continued to pace. “Phillip.” She cut in front of him. “Let’s go listen to the audio. I promise it won’t be as bad as you think. We had too much fun for this to be a bad interview.”

Phillip gripped the back of his neck and stared at her. Lightning split the sky and a crack of thunder followed.

Sarah looked up as the first cold drops of rain fell. She laughed and held her arms out wide. A few drops turned into a deluge that soaked her in seconds.

Phillip hooked her elbow and tugged her toward the porch. “Come on. It’s not safe.”

Sarah resisted until Phillip stopped and looked at her. “Sometimes you have to dance in the rain.” She spun around and kicked at the puddles forming under her feet.

Lightning flashed overhead, decorating the sky in bursts of color as it ran from cloud to cloud. She pointed. “Look. It’s just heat lightning.”

“It’s still dangerous.” He tented a hand over his eyes and squinted. “We should go inside.”

She took one last spin through the pouring rain before following him up the steps. They paused on the porch and watched rain fall in heavy sheets that obscured everything beyond the porch railing. It hammered the tin roof so hard they’d have to shout to be heard. Sarah didn’t bother talking yet. She let the power of the storm blow through and wash the world clean.

“This is great.” Phillip lifted his arms and let them fall. They made a slapping sound against his ribs. “Today’s a total wash.”

Sarah burst out laughing. “You could always run back out in the rain and try again. Wash it all out and start over again.”

“It’s not funny.” Phillip dragged a hand down his face, sending water running down his chin. He slung the remaining droplets onto the wooden porch and braced a hand on the railing. “I keep thinking things will go back to normal. But they never do. They never will with you around.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment. Even though I know you didn’t mean it that way.” She wrung water from her sweater and tossed her hair over her shoulder. The wet strands stuck to her face and neck, but she ignored the icky feeling. Maybe they were too different to have a real relationship. That didn’t mean they couldn’t hang out at all, right?

He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. The storm moved away, there and gone quicker than an afterthought. “I wasn’t trying to insult you.” The admission came out quiet but sincere.

Sarah took his hand and pulled him into the house. “Good. Let’s go listen to the recording. Maybe I don’t sound like a complete dork.”

“Not possible.” He stopped and grabbed a couple towels from the bathroom and handed her one then led the way back into his studio. He scrubbed the towel over his head and then draped it over the chair before sitting. His brow furrowed and he looked on either side of the desk. “Where’s my microphone?”

“Oh.” Sarah used her towel to soak up the water dripping from her hair. “I tripped on a wire on my way out. I think it’s on the floor somewhere.”

A muscle ticked in Phillip’s jaw. He massaged his temples in slow circles. “Would you help me look?”

“Sure.” She dropped to the floor and peered behind the desk. “I think this is it.” She grabbed a wire and pulled.

“No. Stop.” Phillip’s voice blasted out. “That’s my computer.”

She froze, hand clasped tight around the black wire. “Sorry.” Her voice came out in a whisper.

Phillip pushed out of his seat and made his way around the desk. “It’s fine. Let’s just find the microphone and get the headsets put away. Then we’ll listen to the recording.”

He was mad at her. Sarah tipped her head to the side and watched Phillip’s jerky movements. She’d seen him annoyed a few times but never downright angry. Until now.

Why? Because she’d misplaced the microphone when she tripped over the cord? Or was it because he thought she’d ruined the interview when she asked questions that were not on his approved list?

She wanted to be annoyed, but honestly, she’d reacted the same way when he started organizing her garage. She’d told herself that she’d take it all down the minute he left, but over the last day or two she’d realized that his system had a sort of beauty to it.

Her own brand of controlled chaos hadn’t exactly been working for her. And while Phillip’s version of color coding and obsessing wasn’t something she was keen to follow through with, she did like being able to grab the right tote the first time and get what she needed.

“I’m sorry that I messed things up.” She sat in her swivel chair and tucked her feet under her. “I know you like things a certain way, and I ruined that today.”

“It’s not that.” Phillip groaned and dropped into his chair, missing microphone in hand. “It’s that I don’t know what to do about this.” He motioned between them.

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