Chapter 13
Liam
There were so many buttons and knobs and screens and doohickeys, I didn’t even know where to look first. I knew Emma was a weather nerd, but I hadn’t expected to find this when she led me out into Jameson’s garage.
“What is all this?” I finally managed to ask. There were several radar screens lit up in bright colors, a weird looking radio thing, a fancy camera, and lots of buttons to push.
“Storm chasing gear,” she answered with a shrug as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
When we were teenagers, she had always loved to stand on the porch of my parents’ home and watch as the storms rolled in, whispering her secret desire to chase after them someday, but never had I dreamed that she would actually do it. I mean, who wants to chase a freaking tornado?
“I got my meteorology degree at ISU,” she explained. “I was supposed to be doing an internship with the Midwest Storm Research Center this summer but it…fell through.” She hesitated at the end, and it made me wonder what she wasn’t telling me. It was always easy to tell when she wasn’t being honest by the way she bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands.
“I bought all this gear so that I’d be set up to chase whenever I needed to, with the hope that I looked more appealing when applying for internships.”
“You really want to drive into tornadoes,” I said in wonder, poking at a colorful button on one of the instruments.
She swatted my hand away. “I’m not driving into tornadoes, goofball. I stay at a distance and measure all the things that go into creating these storms. Getting close is often the only way to get new data that helps us understand and better predict them.”
“But isn’t it dangerous?” I asked, turning back to her.
She was thoughtful for a moment. “There’s always a certain level of danger, but if you know what you’re doing—which I do—then everything should be fine.” She lovingly ran her hand over the bright blue Ford pickup truck somehow squeezed into the garage behind me. “Bluebell here will keep me safe.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped me, and she gave me a look that said Go ahead, I dare you to make fun of my truck.
“How did you even afford all this?” I didn’t really know what any of it was, but it looked expensive, especially when you included the truck.
Emma’s cheeks reddened and she waved a hand in dismissal. “Not for you to worry about. It’s taken care of.” She turned away from me so I couldn’t see the expression on her face. “Anyway, I’ll need a place to put all of this stuff when it’s not being used, and it’ll take up less space out in the garage than in the house. I can park in the driveway, and you can have your car in the second stall.”
There was thoughtful Emma, always going out of her way to make everyone else feel comfortable. That was one reason why I offered her the bedroom. Knowing her, she would’ve slept on the couch every night and wouldn’t have accepted another option if it made me uncomfortable.
I wanted to argue with her, telling her no, that she’d be the one to put her truck in there, but Emma was stubborn. It was an argument I didn’t feel like having at the moment, not when we seemed to be getting along again. It was a bridge we could cross when we came to it.
So, instead I said, “What’s your plan with all of this?”
Emma was a dreamer, and I could only imagine what crazy things she had in store for this equipment.
She looked me dead in the eye with the most serious expression on her face. “Storm chasing.”
For a second, I just stared at her before the corner of her lips started twitching. Then we burst out laughing. After a moment I went quiet at the sound of her laugh. It had been so long since I’d heard it, and I never realized just how much I had missed it.
The sound of it had goosebumps rising on my skin. Who knew my best friend’s laugh could have such an effect on me? It never had before.
Maybe it was simply because she’d been so angry with me that I was relieved she was finally loosening up a little. Or maybe it was more than that. I tried not to think too much about it because I didn’t like where my brain was going.
I needed to get my thoughts under control.
This was Emma. My best friend.
Her laugh shouldn’t make me feel tingly. Her touch as she slapped my hand away from another screen shouldn’t make it feel like every ounce of air had been squeezed from my lungs.
What is wrong with me?
When Emma stopped laughing, she went over to her table of instruments, keeping her back to me.
“I wanted to work for the MSRC, helping predict the weather and maybe save people’s lives because of it. But unfortunately they went through some budget cuts right after I started my internship, so they let me go. But I still want to help by chasing storms, gathering data, and warning people when it’s needed.” She paused at the skeptical look I probably had on my face.
“Chasing storms saves people too, Liam. Not only do I report severe weather while I’m out, giving people the time they need to get to safety, but my instruments help measure different variables within the storm, which helps with future storm predictions. It’s not just an adrenaline rush. It’s for a purpose.”
Emma was out of breath by the time she finished her explanation. Though I’d never—not for a single second—been interested in weather, her passion was contagious, and though I didn’t fully get it, it was beautiful seeing how much Emma cared about it.
“I thought about starting a YouTube channel, educating people about the weather and filming my chasing, which is all made easier with my own gear,” she added, running her hand over the fancy camera in front of her. “Plus, if I can also take photos of the storms, that can help me make a few extra bucks too.”
I glanced at her. “I thought Bridget made sure you’re covered.”
Her cheeks flushed and she tucked her hair behind an ear. “Well, yeah, she did. It was more than enough. I just meant…before this”—she gestured at me—“I needed the money.”
I narrowed my eyes as I studied her. Emma was never the type of person to be tempted by money, and so the fact that she was willing to even accept it from Bridget for this marriage hadn’t sat right with me. The old Emma would’ve done it out of the goodness of her heart just to help me when I needed it.
But maybe…
I glanced around at the truck and then at the gear.
Maybe Emma had needed that money to pay for all of this, especially if she’d lost her internship.
“How long have you had all this?” I asked, wondering if I could get her to admit it.
“Oh, uh…” She fidgeted with her fingers. “A couple weeks or so.”
“So, before you lost the internship.”
Emma spun around to face me, her brows lowered. Her expression told me all I needed to know.
Ding ding ding.
She’d agreed to this because she needed that money to pay for this gear.
For the first time since I’d known Emma, she’d actually made a decision out of a need to help herself instead of someone else.
Was she ever going to tell me why she agreed to this marriage? Or was she going to keep it a secret the entire time? I knew it was weird for her to agree after how upset she had been with me.
But now it made sense.
It didn’t really bother me if that was the reason why she had agreed, though I did wish she had told me the situation she was in. I would have happily given her the money she needed rather than forcing her into this scam of a marriage. Then she could’ve been out there chasing storms instead of chasing the facade of love…or whatever this was.
Emma shrugged, not deigning to explain further.
“That’s why you agreed to this then. You needed my money.”
I crossed my arms, feeling a little smug that I had figured it out.
“I didn’t need your money,” she snapped, crossing her arms too. “I’m doing this to help you. Bridget’s offer was just convenient timing. That’s all.”
“Well, the money isn’t coming from Bridget, you know. It’s my money you’re being given.”
The color drained from her face as if the thought had never occurred to her.
“I don’t want to take your money,” she whispered.
I stepped toward her and rubbed my hands up and down her arms. The gesture was nothing new between us, but the jolt I felt at the touch sure was.
“Hey, it’s fine. I’m happy to give you whatever you need, Em. You know I’m always here for you.”
Her breath shuddered out of her, and our chests were so close we were almost touching. Emma was tall, but she still had to look up to meet my gaze.
There were the slightest flecks of brown in her hazel eyes. How had I never noticed before?
Emma didn’t say anything. Maybe she couldn’t because I was feeling a little tongue tied all of a sudden too. My hands were still on her arms. As if they had a mind of their own, they slipped down and settled on her hips. Was that my breath catching or hers?
“Liam…” she croaked. Her eyes flicked to my lips for a fraction of a second.
It was enough for me to wonder what it would be like to kiss Emma.
What? This is your best friend! You’re not supposed to be thinking about kissing her!
And then Emma pulled away, out of my reach, and it was like being doused with a bucket of cold water.
She turned so her face was hidden in shadow. “It’s getting late. You should probably go.”
What just happened here?
“Oh. Right. Sure.” I swallowed, trying to unglue my feet from the ground.
Nothing had even happened, and yet, I couldn’t get the feeling of her skin beneath my palms out of my head. I needed to stop it. These were not best-friend thoughts. This was something I’d never felt for Emma, and now I didn’t know what to do with it.
Risking our friendship to figure out what was happening between us was not an option. This fake marriage was going to do that enough on its own. I needed to stop my spinning mind. I needed to quit thinking of Emma in nonfriendly ways. I was going to get myself in trouble if I wasn’t careful.
“Yeah, okay. I’ll head home then.”
I turned to head back into the house to grab my shoes. Emma followed me inside but kept her distance.
I stopped at the door, turning back to look at her. She wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“I’ll see you in a few days then. At the altar?”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, hesitantly meeting my eyes.
“Right. The altar.”
With a pat to Luna’s head in farewell, I stepped outside, and Emma closed the door behind me. I swear I heard her mutter, “Can’t wait.”