Small Town Secrets Read online

  “Exactly where would I be going?” Tara shook her head and spoke to the air where Josh had just been standing. “We have to make it out.” Tara muttered to the list of flight listings overhead. Her eyes remained fixed on the status of the flight to Atlanta — the single holdout.

  That lasted for about five more minutes. Now her flight joined the rest of those on the board. She swept the strands of long brown hair that had escaped from her bun out of her face and massaged her throbbing temples. Turning in a circle, she tried to find an empty spot on the wall to spend the next few days.

  “He’s just as gorgeous in person!”

  “He touched my hand. I’m never washing it again.”

  “Do you think he’d give me his phone number?”

  “My sister’s not going to believe it. I really met him.”

  “And he’s stuck here at the airport. I can’t believe it!”

  The cluster of girls bounced back into view, cell phones clutched in hand. Laughing and showing off the pictures they’d managed to snap with the object of their affection, Josh’s fan club huddled together as they rejoined their tour group. The girls’ faces were flushed with excitement at the prospect of spending an extended time in the airport with Josh. Tara chuckled despite her current state of mind — at least they were enjoying themselves.

  Jingle. Jingle.

  “I thought I told you to stay put.” A shiny silver key ring dangled in front of her eyes.

  “I didn’t think you were being literal.”

  “I was.” He pocketed the keys. “How else was I supposed to find you?”

  “And why were you looking for me?” Someday she’d be able to have a conversation with Josh that didn’t leave her with a pounding headache, but it wasn’t going to be today. She wasn’t sure if she could take much more of him without coffee, but the airport Starbucks was closed.

  “Looking forward to spending the weekend here?”

  Tara thudded her head against the wall, not even attempting to get a word in edgewise.

  “I happen to have a solution to your problem.”

  “Your car keys?” Tara narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on her hip. “Are they magic?”

  “Almost.” He gave a self-satisfied nod of his head. “I did work my own particular brand of magic. I called in a favor. These just happen to be the keys to the last available car at the airport. The weather’s not too bad yet. I can drive in a little rain. If we leave now, we’ll get ahead of the storm.”

  Tara looked out the window at the sheets of rain already falling. “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, come on.” Josh reached down to pick her overnight bag up off the floor. “Would you honestly rather be stuck at the airport for the next few days instead of riding in a car with me?” He waved to the group of teenagers singing “It’s A Small World” as they sprawled on the floor.

  Tara pursed her lips and studied the crowd around her. Seven hours in the car with Josh versus days potentially spent here in this little piece of heaven? It was a tough call.

  Josh didn’t give her a chance to answer. He hefted her overnight bag onto his shoulder and began threading his way through the packed corridor.

  “What are you doing?” Tara jogged behind Josh. “I didn’t say I was coming.”

  “Just following orders.” Josh looked back over his shoulder at her. “My dad left me in charge. He said I’m supposed to drive home and make sure I have you with me. Rumor has it that you don’t like storms.” He turned and looked at her with curiosity. “You can tell me that story as we drive. More bonding.” His smirk made her think he was just as annoyed with his father as she was. Continuing deeper into the parking garage, he met up with a waiting valet. Pausing, he called out over his shoulder, “You coming?”

  • • •

  They stood in silence as they waited. Almost five minutes ago, the lone employee at the car rental desk had jogged away from them, venturing into the cavernous parking structure. Every minute or so since, Tara caught sight of Josh glancing down at her, amused by something he didn’t care to voice.

  Who would have thought it possible? Josh Owens, voted Entertainment Monthly’s Sexiest Man on Television, seemed to have had a good idea, but she wasn’t going to admit it. She couldn’t help being a little bit surprised.

  He cleared his throat, still not saying anything. She wasn’t going to take the bait.

  If he wanted to talk, he could talk to himself. They’d only been working together for a few weeks, but she knew how much Josh seemed to like the sound of his own voice — more than enough for the both of them. Tires squealed, and Tara turned in the direction of the sound. A vivid blue convertible pulled to a stop in front of them. “A convertible?”

  “So, we’ll leave the top up.” Josh didn’t blink at her criticism. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his wallet. He pulled a twenty from the thick wad of cash and handed it to the man as he stepped from the car. “Thank you.”

  The employee smiled widely at his tip. “You’re sure you want to drive in this?”

  Josh ignored Tara’s faint shake of her head as he continued to take charge of the situation. “We’ll be fine. Thanks.” He took hold of the offered keys as he stepped around the car to open the door for Tara. When she stepped to the door, he blocked her path for a moment. “Listen, I’m not sure how we got off to such an interesting start, but we’re about to be in a very small space for a very long time.” His blue eyes looked earnestly into hers. “Can we call a truce until after we get home?” He offered her his hand.

  Taking a deep breath, she clenched her eyes tightly. When she opened them, she found him staring inquisitively at her. She reached out to take his hand. “Truce.”

  • • •

  Tara flipped down the sun visor and pretended to look for something in her eye. The first time she tried that trick, Josh had to admit that she’d fooled him. Since she’d repeated that move at least ten times during the past four hours, he caught onto what she was doing. She was watching the ever-darkening sky behind them. Tara sat back in her seat and kicked at the wad of aluminum paper at her feet.

  Driving away from Hurricane Lizzie’s path was a good idea — apparently, the entire Orlando metropolitan area thought so too. They’d all joined them on their trip to Jacksonville. For the past hour, the Might-E-Fine Doughnut shop had been just ahead of their car, and now it was a few feet behind them. The freeway was jammed so tightly it looked like a movie about a coming apocalypse.

  Staring back at the churning black clouds continuing their race north, Josh was forced to admit they might not be too far from the end of the world.

  • • •

  Tara sat fidgeting in her seat again. Josh had long since given up trying to carry on a conversation. Once they’d pulled out of the restaurant parking lot, Tara caught a glimpse of the storm clouds, and she hadn’t said ten words in the hours they’d been on the freeway.

  “Do you think we should try to walk? It would have to be faster than this.” Josh made a feeble attempt to lighten the mood. Tara didn’t even shake her head in response. “Tara?” The car rocked with a gust of wind. He chanced a glimpse at her out of the corner of his eyes, expecting to see her normal look of annoyance.

  But as he studied her now, he realized she wasn’t angry. She was terrified.

  She sat gripping the seatbelt so tightly that her knuckles were tinted white. Despite the air conditioner running at full blast, a faint sheen of sweat sparkled across her forehead.

  “Hey.” Josh threw the car into park. “Tara.” He reached out and shook her shoulder. Yet another weather alert shrieked over the radio, and his reluctant passenger closed her eyes and struggled for breath. The puzzle pieces clicked into place. His dad hadn’t done Tara’s fear of storms justice. He half-expected her to fling the car door open and start running to get a
way from the clouds building behind them.

  “It’s going to be okay. The storm’s still really far south of us.” Of course, with the speed they were traveling, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Josh had been watching the clouds — hoping the fact that they seemed to be following them was a figment of his imagination. The first bands of gray-green clouds hovered overhead to emphasize the shrill peal of the weather alert’s warning.

  “Hurricane Lizzie has continued to surprise the weather service by continuing her path north. Residents in the following counties need to seek shelter immediately … ”

  He snapped the radio off before Tara stopped breathing completely and considered his options. Now the alert confirmed he wasn’t letting his mind play tricks on him.

  Lizzie was closing in.

  They could sit here in this virtual parking lot and wait for Lizzie’s arrival, or he could test the convertible’s off-road capabilities. His decision made, he was about to be happy he bought the extra insurance for the rental. He put the car back into drive as pea-sized pellets of hail bounced off the front windows. Pulling onto the muddy shoulder, he fought the car’s desire to be back on the smooth pavement while he drove to the nearest exit. He’d seen a hotel not too far behind them. Now they just needed to find out if it had any rooms available.

  • • •

  “Sorry about the room.” Josh dropped his bag on the floor next to the forlorn chair adjacent to what passed for a desk in the cheap hotel room.

  “It’s fine. I’ve stayed worse places before.” At least Tara thought she had. Off the top of her head, she couldn’t really think of when. She grimaced as she noticed the tiny circles of insect droppings rimming the baseboards. Even with the storm brewing outside, Tara could understand why this hotel likely wasn’t at full occupancy. A traveler had to be desperate to not take one look around and leave. Sadly, they were desperate. The six hotels they tried before this one were all beyond full occupancy. At the sixth hotel, the front desk clerk looked forlornly at the hundred-dollar bill Josh slid temptingly across the desk. Finally, the man cringed and suggested this motel. Now she understood the frown that accompanied his advice.

  “Can’t really be picky now.” Tara almost kicked off her shoes but quickly thought better of it when her heel stuck to the carpet. Screams from a shrieking baby carried through the ample space around the doorframe. The deadbolt was missing, and the doorknob didn’t completely latch; but this room was still nicer than the one down the hall that Josh claimed.

  “You’re sure you’re okay in here by yourself? I could sleep in the bathtub or something. All I need’s an extra pillow and a blanket.” A quick glance at his expression told Tara her co-worker was actually serious with his offer. Josh cracked open the closet door in search of a spare blanket. He took a quick step back as a pair of reptilian eyes stared back at him. A tiny gecko hopped onto the wall just above his head and skittered away in hasty retreat.

  “It’s all right. I doubt sleep’s going to be a priority tonight.” Sleeping arrangements were the last thing on her mind. At this point, she was just hoping to survive until evening. Being in the direct path of a category 5 hurricane was likely the last item on her list of things she wanted to do in life. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her just how long it had been since they’d gone through the drive-through next to the airport. If she’d known that might have been her last meal, she wouldn’t have gotten a diet soda.

  “Still bumper to bumper out there.” Tara absently rubbed the back of her neck as she stared out the window at the bottlenecked traffic on the freeway. “I think we were lucky to get rooms at all.”

  Most of those trying to outrun the storm realized that Lizzie was faster than they were. She wasn’t sure how much Josh had paid the man to get these rooms, but she’d never been so grateful to have a roof over her head. Thunder roared outside, and Tara jumped.

  “It was a good idea to stop here.” Lightning arced across the sky, painting the room purple for an instant. The clock may have read 5 o’clock, but the velvety black sky could easily have been mistaken for midnight. The man at the front desk told them the main thrust of the storm wasn’t expected to hit for at least two more hours. “Thanks,” she said.

  “Is that gratitude?” Josh feigned surprise.

  “Um. Yeah.”

  Josh’s phone buzzed in his pocket, interrupting the moment. He didn’t hesitate to turn his back on her, effectively ending their conversation.

  She might not have been able to see his face, but he couldn’t hide the tension in his voice. “Did you get my message? Yeah. We’re okay. It’ll probably be sometime tomorrow before we make it in. Traffic’s a nightmare.” Josh paused. “Sorry I won’t be there. You have someone to drive you? Really? He’s actually pretending to know the way to the house?” Nodding in Tara’s direction, he stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him, blocking the remainder of the discussion.

  Tara stayed fixed in front of the window watching as the blackness crawled across the sky. Fingertips of lightning stretched out and reached for the convenience store down the street, bathing the area in an eerie green glow. She backed away from the window and turned to face the interior of the room. Taking a deep breath in through her nose, she slowly exhaled through her mouth.

  “Hey.” Josh stepped behind her and placed a hand on her arm, making her jump in surprise. Her eyes snapped open. “Sorry. I thought you heard me come back in.” He leaned down and picked up his laptop bag. “I forgot to grab this.” He cocked his head to the side and his eyes traveled over her face. “Are you okay?”

  Tara nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled it down over her shoulder. “I’m sorry about back on the road.” She perched stiffly on the edge of the bed. “I don’t really do storms.”

  “Now you tell me.” Josh dropped into the overstuffed chair next to the television. “I never would have guessed.” His attempt at a joke fell flat. “That’s why you let Lainey stay and do the story?”

  She nodded as she pulled her knees up to her chest and tapped her feet on the edge of the bed. “It’s kind of a running joke at the station.”

  “I never did get that story while we were driving. What happened?”

  Tara was silent for several minutes, trying to decide if he was actually interested or just humoring her. Finally, she decided it didn’t matter. Talking kept her mind off the rolling thunder currently shaking the hotel. If she suddenly needed to breathe into a paper bag, at least he’d know why. “Kind of a leftover issue from when I was little.” She rested her chin on her knees. “Were you here when we covered the anniversary of the Art Fest storm?”

  Josh’s eyes rolled up to stare at the ceiling as he thought. “No. Something big?”

  “It was all the news talked about for days. This year was the fifteenth anniversary.” Tara turned and stared at the window as sheets of rain obscured even the glow of the lightning. Thunder rumbled and shook the bed. “We were at the festival as a storm rolled in. It came out of nowhere. One minute I was on stage competing for Little Miss Miller’s Grove and the next, sirens were going off and everyone started running. The police kept telling us to get in the shelter with everyone else, but my dad thought he could outrun the storm.”

  Josh chuckled. “Sounds familiar.”

  Tara shook her head. “Not really. He wanted to make sure his baby was safe in the garage. The clouds were already olive green when we got to the car. Dad drove fast — but not fast enough. When the hail started, it was as big as baseballs. One of them came through my window.” Tara paused and pulled her hair away from her forehead. Pointing at a tiny line, she frowned. “Twelve stitches. Not a chance for me to win Little Miss Miller’s Grove after that.”

  Josh stood and crossed the handful of steps between the chair and the bed. Leaning over, he lightly reached out to study the scar. She was too aware of his pro
ximity to her. This was a really bad idea. She wanted to stand, but was caught in the intensity of his eyes staring down at her. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” As his finger made contact with her skin, the lights flickered and thunder boomed outside. “That was intense.”

  “It was.” Tara’s breathing quickened, but she wasn’t sure if it was from her fear of the storm or the tingling left behind after Josh pulled his hand away from her forehead. She didn’t have much time to deliberate between the two options as a rap at the door interrupted their conversation.

  “Hotel security. We’re going to need you to come out into the hallway.”

  Tara didn’t hesitate. As she got to her feet, a tremendous gust of wind shook the building. The plate glass window wasn’t a match for it. Glass sailed into the room as Josh closed the door behind them.

  • • •

  The flimsy door clicked shut behind them. Tara flinched at the sound of shattering glass coming from inside the room. Even in the bluish gray glow from the overhead emergency lights, Josh could clearly see the color draining from her face.

  They joined the small assemblage of hotel guests the security guard had collected from the top floor. Together, the group made their way into the stairwell at the end of the hall. The shrieks from the wind outside hinted at the ferocity of the storm. Tara clutched at the handrail as the emergency lights flickered and threatened to throw them into darkness. “What’s powering your generators?” Josh yelled over the rolling thunder.

  “Gasoline.” The overweight guard called out a labored reply as he lumbered down the stairwell.

  The lights dimmed even further as they reached the second floor. “Do you have enough?”

  A hotel employee shrugged and eyed Josh in an unspoken challenge. “Probably not. Storm wasn’t supposed to come this far north.”