Twisted Up (Taking Chances #1) - Erin Nicholas Page 0,86
EF4s!”
“Which is why we should be the hub of all things tornado related,” Jake said.
“We?” Avery repeated, looking up at him.
Yes, we. He was a part of all this. His heart had always been in Chance, but this past week, this recent tornado and recovery, had shown him he wanted more. Even if he were in DC with FEMA, he could find a way to get back to Chance more often. If there was another hit, or if there were training sessions going on, he could find a way to be here. He intended to bring it up during his first meeting in DC, in fact. He wanted to be knee-deep in the mud here and picking up the pieces here and looking for lost dogs here. He wanted to put those pieces back together and give little girls words of comfort and join in the celebrations. Yes, it was tougher here when things went bad. But it also felt better here when things were good.
“Yes, we.” He also wanted Avery to know she was a part of all this for him, what he wanted, what he needed. But that was a conversation for later, when they had some privacy.
“So,” he went on, addressing the room, “we use the publicity surrounding our third hit in a row to promote Chance as the place to come to learn all about tornadoes and how to stay safe. We can put a little museum in city hall chronicling the hits and our recovery; we can have citizens talk about what it’s like, what they wish they’d known, how they rebuilt.”
“We can put in a gift shop with tornado-themed trinkets,” Shelby added. “Mugs, necklaces, postcards, that kind of stuff.”
Avery looked from Shelby to Frank to Jake and back. “This is ridiculous,” Avery said. “You all know that, right?”
“It’s perfect,” Shelby gushed. “This is our opportunity to put a positive spin on everything. Pun intended.”
“Hey, we could do a camp for the kids,” Max said. “The kids could spend time learning about meteorology and storm tracking, how tornadoes form—”
“They could make their own tornado in a bottle,” Shelby said, cutting in. “Have you seen that? It’s, like, a science experiment where you have water and food coloring and you tape the two plastic bottles together.”
Jake chuckled. He appreciated the enthusiasm. “We could go over tornado drills and stuff with them, too,” he said. “Each kid could leave at the end of the week with a supply kit and safety plan for his or her family.”
Avery opened her mouth—probably to tell him that bringing kids to Chance when there was almost sure to be a tornado was asinine—but she met his gaze and hesitated. Then closed her mouth without a word.
That was interesting.
“Avery?” Jake asked. They didn’t have to agree on everything. He wanted her input, good and bad.
She pressed her lips together and swallowed hard.
“You know all the debris we’ve been gathering,” she finally said. “I was thinking we could . . .” She took a deep breath. “We could use the debris to design a skateboarding park. Or a sledding hill. Or both.”
Jake stared at her. She’d just offered an idea that went along with this plan.
“How would that work?” Shelby asked.
“We use the debris and rubble as landfill.”
“I don’t understand,” Shelby said.
“We pile it up and pave over it,” Jake said. “Or pile it up and cover it in dirt and use it for sledding in the winter.”
Avery was still looking at him. She gave him a smile. “Right.”
He liked that they could intelligently and passionately disagree on things, but damn, he loved it when they were on the same page. He winked at her. “Great idea.”
Shelby clapped. “Perfect. I love it. The camp and the training center and the sledding hill! Everyone’s going to agree that tornadoes rock!”
Well, that might be pushing it. But he’d said it once and he’d say it again: as far as natural disasters went, this tornado was turning out to be his favorite.
“Are you ready for tonight?” Kit asked Avery.
She, Kit, and Bree were sitting at their regular table at A Bar. This time Avery decided she was starting with dessert.
Was she ready for dinner with Jake and his parents? Avery shook her head. “Uh, no. Definitely not.”
“You don’t have to go,” Bree said. “Just because Jake wants you to do it doesn’t mean you have to.”
She would love not to go. It was going to be awkward anyway, and now, after the meeting in Frank’s office,