Page 16 of Storm Dragon
“Don’t you dare say…”
“Say what? That he might just have stumbled across the part of your brain where you’re pining away for your imaginary lover? Your dream man? The one you made up in your oh-so-very sex starved mind.”
“I am not listening,” Tamsyn mentally pushed the words through gritted teeth.
“Well, you better listen and listen good, because…”
“Nope, not doing it,” Tamsyn adamantly declared. “Don’t want to and don’t have to. And don’t make me put you on mute. I still have the amulet sent over from Della, the sister of the Grand Priestess of Earthen Witches, who lives with those sexy Blue Thunder Dragons, and I know how to use it. Remember when…”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
The tense silence that followed made the hairs on the back of Tamsyn’s neck stand on end, but she refused to speak. Hell, she wasn’t even going to blink. Her daddy always said, ‘he who speaks first loses.’ Of course, in true Tamsyn fashion, the Bobcat Queen had added a dash of her own spice to the negotiation tactics she’d learned as a Cub. She went as far as to say, ‘She who blinks first is a big, fat, hairless loser.’
Counting backward from ten, she made it to seven before Bridgette hissed, “Whatever, Tamsyn Elizabeth, you win this one… for now.”
“Do not call me…”
Without missing a beat or acknowledging that Tamsyn had spoken, the Bobcat Queen changed her tune. Returning to their previous conversation as if the last thirty seconds hadn’t happened, Bridgette said, “While gratitude is lovely and all. We both know they deserve a helluva lot more than that. Some of these people have never gotten up close and personal with a hurricane. You sure they know what to expect?”
“Yeah, I explained it all in the email and then some. I even added links to videos and news reports that showed before, during, and after a hurricane.”
“Good. ‘Cause Great Goddess knows you and I have seen our fair share, but they haven’t. I don’t know if you remember, but the first one I lived through damn near scared the fur off my backside.”
“Oh, I remember,” Tamsyn agreed with a chuckle. “Still makes me laugh. Daddy told you what to expect and you said…”
“I was there,” Bridgette hissed. “I know what I said, and I apologized at least a million times for being a brat. I groveled and told Virgil that I was being highhanded and pigheaded, and I would never be disrespectful to him again. I also promised to heed his warnings and take his advice.”
“Yes, you did, but it still makes me laugh.”
“You are one sick little kitty, my girl.”
“Learned from the best.”
“You damned sure did.”
“For that, you take credit?”
“You know it. Made you into the tough broad you are today.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a good thing, and even better that all these people are at least as tough as we are. Since we’re still standin’, I’m pretty sure they will be too.”
“Your momma would say we’re only here by the grace of The Powers That Be and because we’re too damn stubborn to do anything but keep on keepin’ on.”
“She sure would…” At the mention of her parents, Tamsyn couldn’t help but offer up a prayer to the Great Goddess, The Powers That Be, and God with a capital G, that her mom and dad were safe and sound, living out their days on a mountain somewhere. It was all she ever prayed for where they were concerned. She just wished she knew where that mountain was and that they weren’t…
“Stop that kinda thinkin’ right now,” Bridgette snapped. “Virgil and Virginia are safe and sound. You know it, and I know it. If their souls had ascended into the Heavens, we would’ve been the first to know. So, snap out of it, Tams. We damned sure don’t have time for a pity party.”
“You are so right,” Tamsyn agreed with a shake of her head and quick inhale. “Thanks for the kick in the ass.”
“Truly my pleasure.”
Not taking the bait, she counted to three, then slowly exhaled, continuing with her previous train of thought. “And I know you’re right. Everyone here and all the ones who’ve sent supplies deserve more than a heartfelt thank you, but that’s all I have right now. So, I’m gonna give it to them in spades. Then…” Stopping to meet eyes with Bonnie Sampson, she nodded and smiled. “Well, then, I’m gonna help Bonnie grill up a side of beef or two, might take three, with all the fixin’s. This crowd needs to be fed if they're gonna get everyone off this mountain before the storm hits. We just gotta make sure my Pit Boss doesn’t end up in the Atlantic Ocean so we can eat afterwards too.”
“Girl, you battened down those hatches and then some,” Bridgette mentally teased. “In all my years, I’ve never seen so many bungee cords in one place. The only way your Pit Boss is going anywhere is if the whole mountain comes down. If I didn’t know any better, I would think you love that grill more than you love me.”
“Well, now, that goes without sayin’. That grill and I are a match made in Heaven. You are just a pain in my tail that I can’t get rid of.”
