Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,84

first.

“Um, great,” she said. “But you know that.”

“How’s the mental health of our fair city, Doc?” Jake asked Kit.

She looked at Avery, then back to Jake. “Fine. For the most part.”

“Great, good job.” He handed Dillon a folder. “And the physical health?”

“Improving,” Dillon said, taking the folder with an eyebrow up.

“How about the public safety?” Jake asked Bree.

“Everyone’s safe and sound, Sergeant Major,” Bree said with a salute.

He gave her a grin and handed her a folder.

“Mr. Mayor, our fearless leader.” Jake handed Frank a folder. “How are things looking from your perspective?”

“Couldn’t be better, Jake.” Frank clapped Jake on the shoulder. “You’ve all done a hell of a job so far.”

Jake moved over in front of Shelby. “And my beautiful, sweet, caring, impetuous cousin. Are you happy?”

She looked suspicious. “You’re acting weird. What’s going on?”

“I’m here to tell Frank that the idea he and I were kicking around the other day is going to go.”

“The idea?” Shelby echoed, looking at her husband.

Frank glanced up from the folder. “Really?”

Jake grinned at him and nodded. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I think we should do it.”

“When was this?” Shelby asked.

“We were talking about it Tuesday morning,” Frank said. “I was with the reporters, answering a million questions about how it felt to get hit for the third time in a row, what I thought about this area getting hit ten times total, all those stupid-ass questions, when one of the reporters asked me what advice I would give to other communities.”

“It occurred to us that our tornado epidemic has made us the experts in preparing and recovering from them,” Jake said.

“A training center?” Max and Dillon asked at the same time.

They’d obviously read the first page in the folders.

Jake nodded. “Right here in Chance.”

He glanced at Avery. She was also looking at the folder. Staring at it, actually. As if she were stunned. He frowned. That wasn’t exactly the reaction he’d been going for.

“It’s perfect timing,” Frank said to Max and Dillon. “We can get your input on everything.”

“What do you mean?” Dillon asked.

“Everything from our warning systems to our posttrauma care has been tested over and over,” Frank explained. “And, if I do say so myself, we’re damned good at all of it. We can use our knowledge and experience to train other communities. Take the negativity of our repeated hits and turn it all into something good.”

In his peripheral vision, Jake could see Max nodding. Bree and Kit had their folders open, but their attention was on Frank. Avery was still staring at the folder in her hands.

“Small communities like Chance, and ones smaller, don’t have the resources bigger cities do. And preparation and recovery in a rural area is different from a metropolitan area, anyway. Small towns are, as you all know, dependent on volunteers mostly. This resource-and-training center will focus on those areas and people. We’ll give them specific hands-on training they can take home and implement immediately,” Jake went on.

“Obviously, you guys have a lot to offer us in regard to trainings and such,” Frank added. “Honestly, having your stamp of approval on it would mean a lot. Especially when it comes time to fund it.”

Jake did catch Avery’s eyes roll at that.

“I told Frank on Tuesday that I’d be happy to endorse it,” Jake said to the group. “I’m able to help secure some state and federal funds. I’m also happy to come and teach some sessions from time to time.”

Frank’s grin was enormous. “Jake, that’s great! Having you directly involved will be huge. We couldn’t ask for a better endorsement, and having you teaching here—wow.”

Avery still hadn’t said anything.

Jake looked over at her, but her gaze was on Frank now. Jake stared at her, willing her to look at him. She had to feel the weight of his gaze. But she remained stubbornly concentrated on Frank.

Frank was not that interesting. Ever.

Still watching her, Jake said, “We want the city departments involved. It’s one thing to go in as an outsider to a community that’s been affected; it’s another to be from the community. You can all offer a fantastic perspective on what it takes to rebuild from the inside and work as a team. Typically, we pull in specialists from all over to lead a summit or training session. This will be unique in that people will be learning from a team that works together all the time. Our students would be coming here. They will see up close and in