Storm Watch

lap and nearly eaten him up. “We went out twice.”

“I got a fairly possessive, protective vibe back there from him.”

“No, you didn’t.”

He laughed softly. “Lizzy, the last look he gave me said ‘I don’t care that you’re Dustin’s brother, if you hurt her, I’ll beat the shit out of you.’”

She took in Jason’s broad-as-a-mountain shoulders, the sinewy arms that she’d seen without a shirt, the six- pack abs. Sam was built, too, but Jason had an edge that said he’d been to the bowels of hell and fought his way out and had no problem doing it again. “You’re not afraid of Sam.”

“No. I like Sam. I’m just trying to figure out if you like Sam, too.”

She’d had boyfriends. Lovers. Not all that many, and she’d never kept one for long because she’d always put Cece first, even when Cece hadn’t needed to be put there, and yeah, so maybe she’d used her as a guard against getting hurt, but whatever. She’d still been with enough men to at least know her own needs. And right now that need was to remain single. Besides, she refused to take a giant step backward just because the guy of her early fantasies was sitting next to her, looking at her, rendering her a teenager again with one slant of those slate eyes.

He’d known about her crush.

That was bad enough. She had no intention of telling him she’d apparently never stopped crushing on him. “Sam and I are just friends. And there’s no one else, either. I would never have kissed you the way I did if there was. I’m single if that’s what you’re asking, and I intend to stay that way.”

He looked at her for a quick beat before turning back to the road. “Me, too. Look, to be honest, I’m damaged goods at best.” Once again, he glanced over at her. “Screwed up in the head,” he clarified. “It’s not exactly conducive to a relationship.”

“Does that have anything to do with Matt?”

“I guess it does.”

“And he’s…”

“Dead.” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “And, Jesus, that never gets easier to say.”

“A close friend?”

“The closest.” His voice had lowered, and was laced with pain. “He died on a rescue mission in the Midwest floods six weeks ago.” He eyed the flooding all around them. “Try to appreciate the irony. I certainly am.”

“Oh, Jase.” She understood the pain. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”

“We were there pulling people out of a building that had collapsed. I was in the rescue boat and Matt was in the water, trying to reach the victims. There was a hillside, creating a sort of waterfall. We were working not to go over while trying to get everyone in the boat.” He was silent a minute. “Matt was shoving people up to me and I was lifting a badly injured kid when the boat got caught in the current and cap-sized. Matt was trapped beneath it, and drowned.”

His voice broke a little on the word, and her heart broke for him. “Were you hurt?”

“Cracked a rib, concussion.” He shrugged. It was nothing, the gesture said. Nothing compared to being dead.

“Shit. Hang on.”

She turned forward and saw the problem-two fallen power lines across the road, with the water rushing over and under them so that they writhed like snakes, and sparkled like fireworks.

Lizzy braced herself as Jason hit the brakes, but he handled the Jeep like he’d been born to it, and the vehicle came to a controlled stop right in front of the downed lines.

Staring through the howling winds and curtains of rain, he shook his head. “Not good.”

“Should I call the PUD?”

“Definitely.” He pulled out his cell and tossed it to her while he backed the Jeep up, away from the live wires. “I’m going to take a closer look.”

Lizzy nodded as she called information, but when she could only get a recording at the Public Utilities Department, she hung up. The wind shook the Jeep, making it shudder. She looked out the windshield and literally saw nothing but gray as the air thickened with rain and God knows what else.

She could see no landmarks.

No Jason.

She opened the door and, squinting against the spray of rain, yelled, “Jason!”

Nothing.

She pictured him trying to move the line and getting electrocuted, and was about to run out into the storm when suddenly through the thick air she saw his outline.

Relieved, she pushed away from the Jeep, hands out until she slid her palms over his shoulders.

He turned to face her, his hands immediately reaching for her. “What are you doing?”

“Hoping you weren’t electrocuted.”

“Come on, back in the Jeep.” Turning her away from him, he stayed steady and solid at her back as they staggered to the Jeep.

Inside, he sagged back and wiped the rain from his face. “Hoping I wasn’t electrocuted,” he repeated. “Jesus, I know how not to get electrocuted.”

“It’s so bad,” she murmured, staring out the window. “So very bad. The whole day…”

“I don’t know.” He looked over at her, drenched to the skin, his lashes spiky black. “It’s had some good moments if you ask me.”

Something within her turned over. Her heart, she realized, exposing its tender, vulnerable underbelly.

“Tell me why you’re not a doctor,” he said quietly.

“What does it matter?”

“It matters to you, or it did. That was all you talked about, going to Los Angeles, being at UCLA, going through medical school so that you could be an E.R. doctor. Everyone knew how much it meant to you.”

“It’s complicated. My parents died. Two weeks after graduation.”

“My God.” He shoved his hair back from his face. “How did I not know that?” He just shook his head, clearly stunned. “You were so young.”

“Older than you when you lost your dad.”

“But I wasn’t alone. I had my mom and Dustin and Shelly. Who did you two have?”

“No one, which is why I couldn’t just go to L.A.”

“So you stayed and gave up your dreams.”

No. She’d never given up the dream. But after six months, she’d known she wouldn’t be able to leave Santa Rey. Cece had been a lost, grief-stricken hell-on-wheels teenager. It’d taken a lot of attention and effort to keep her reined in, which meant she’d had little time for anything else.

But it’d been worth it. Cece had grown up and taken responsibility for herself. She was doing great, too, with the sole exception of having gotten pregnant by a complete asshole loser. “I’m good with how it all turned out,” she told him quite honestly. She’d come to love her job, and would be sad to leave it. “And actually, I’m going in the fall. The hospital gave me a scholarship for medical school.”

“I’m glad for that,” Jason said quietly.

Yeah. Everyone was glad for that.

Except, oddly enough, her. She kept telling herself it was because it hadn’t hit her yet, that’s all. She’d be over the moon once she got started.

A heavy gust shook the Jeep. In front of them, the street was becoming lakefront property. She’d never seen anything like it, with the swirling sheets of rain, the shocking howl of the wind.

Complete havoc.

“So now I know how you got to be so tough,” he said, reaching over to lightly stroke a finger on her temple, pushing a wet strand of hair away. “So tough, and so unwilling to accept a hand. You lost your support system, and then had to become Cece’s. You’re used to counting only on yourself.”

“Yes.”

“Is it really so awful to let someone help you?”

“I’m letting you help,” she pointed out. “Even when I know that this is all a moot