Page 38 of Wild Texas Wind
She’d put some distance between herself and her clients, and they dropped back a little more, to give her some privacy.
“Yeah, sure.” His heart lifted, and he was pretty sure there was a goofy smile on his face. “You can catch me up on what’s new.”
She waved distractedly toward the Laughtons and Gavin and hooked her hand through the crook of Javi’s arm as they turned in the direction of The Wheel House.
“So what’s the timeline on your van?” he asked as they strolled.
“Well, I went by Tommy’s. He has some damage but not anything devastating. A corner of the roof over the garage, a couple of downed branches, but he thinks he can get everything squared away by the time the part gets here, and then he can get the van repaired done that day. So we should definitely be out of here by Monday, at the latest, I’d say.”
He grunted, and shortened his stride to accommodate her short legs. He hadn’t thought his were so long, but she was taking two steps to his one.
“You’ve got to be wiped out after working all day,” he said.
She looked up at him as if trying to read his expression, to see if he was trying to brush her off.
“It’s been enlightening,” she said. “Really fascinating to see the town coming together to help each other. I wonder all the time, you know, why people stay in small towns like this where there’s not really any industry or tourism or anything like that, but I’ve definitely seen why today. Neighbors helping neighbors, people bringing food, Ginny working her tail off, Poppy, too, and Beck and Con and Mr. Davila. Mr. Fraser doing what he can to make people comfortable. I heard some people talking about setting up a potluck picnic in the park tomorrow, for those who still don’t have power.”
He nodded slowly as he took in the information that she knew his friends by name. He thought, every now and then, about why he lived here. Why his mom lived here. Not too often, but maybe when he was feeling kinda lonely, wondering why he hadn’t found anyone while his friends were pairing up. But yeah, when tragedy struck, usually they came together.
“I’m glad you’re seeing the good side.”
They walked a few steps in silence, and then she took a deep breath. “I heard a story about you today.”
He tensed. “What story did you hear?”
She let the words out on that same breath. “I heard about the bus accident.”
This time his steps fell behind and she had to backtrack a bit, her hand falling away from his arm.
“They told you about that.” He wasn’t surprised. Everyone knew about the accident, and most people knew that he hated water and storms now because of it. Stood to reason that someone would fill her in. How they knew that he and Esperanza had a connection surprised him, though.
Unless she had asked about him, which gave him a little thrill.
She tucked her fingers in the front pockets of her jeans, not reaching for him, and he felt a little bereft at the loss of her touch. “Why did you want to come out and face the storm, if you had that experience? I mean, I can’t imagine how terrified you must have been, and you were just a kid.”
“I’ve been out in storms before, on patrol,” he said, hating the defensiveness that reared its head. He’d relaxed when he laid eyes on her this evening, but now the tension was back across his shoulders and down his back.
“Sure, but that’s not the same as driving to look for a storm, right? I mean, we’re storm chasers. You knew we’d find one.”
He could hear the question in her voice. He couldn’t explain why he’d volunteered to be her driver, other than she intrigued him, and he wanted to help her out. That he’d gotten to spend the day with her was just icing on the cake.
She was just as good for him as cake would be. She was leaving in just a few days. What was he doing here?
He started toward The Wheel House, not strong enough to send her away. “I’m not a kid anymore. I know how to overcome my fears.”
She didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “I guess that’s a downside to living in a small town. Everyone knows your secrets, your past.”
“Yeah, I mean.” He pulled a breath in through his nose. “What did they tell you about the bus accident?”
“That two girls and the driver died.” Her voice was soft now, reverent. “That the rest of you were swept into the rushing water and could have died, too.”
“They had trouble getting me out,” he said. “I told you I was overweight, right? The bus was on its side, and we had to escape through the emergency exit that was the window, you know what I’m talking about?” He looked down to see her nod, and continued. “There wasn’t a good way to get out, the bus was filling with water, my feet kept slipping on the seat that I was using to boost myself. They reached down to try to help me but I was really heavy. I was close to three hundred pounds, I guess, and they couldn’t just lift me out like they did Austin and the girls.” He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering. “I was fat and I was clumsy and if I’d been more fit, it wouldn’t have taken them so long to get me out, and they could have gotten Bridget and Claudia out of the bus, too. I don’t know if they could have saved Mrs. Driscoll. She hit her head and then drowned. But the girls, they might have been able to save the girls.”
She grabbed his arm then and turned her to face him. Her face was a storm cloud, even as tears sheened her eyes. “Are you—are you carrying that around? That it’s your fault those girls died?”
He lifted a shoulder, looking over her head because he couldn’t meet her gaze. “It’s not something I think about constantly, no, but it is something I consider. If I was part of the reason those girls died that day. If they had gotten me out quicker, then the others could have gotten out, too.”
She was shaking her head. He could see that even if he wasn’t looking directly at her. “That is not on you, Javi. My God, I can’t believe you would even think that.”
