Free Quiet Storm, Season 2, Episode 6 (Rising Storm) by Julie Kenner Page A

bar.”
    Mallory’s eyes went wide. “That’s great. Are you going?”
    “I don’t know.” He wanted to. But... “It’s Austin. And my dad’s a senator. What if I see someone he knows?”
    “At a gay bar?” Luis asked. “Then so what? They’d keep your secret. Besides, what are the odds?”
    “Unless that’s not the reason you’re hesitating,” Lacey said. “Nervous about the date?”
    “Maybe a little,” Jeffry admitted. “I mean, he’s a junior in college. I’m still in high school. This isn’t going to be a long-term thing. Maybe it’s just stupid.”
    “Because everyone only dates the person they’re going to end up with? That’s nuts. You like him. He likes you. Go have fun. Meet other people. Seriously, get out of Storm.” Mallory had her hands on her hips and was in full-on lecture mode.
    “Go,” Lacey added.
    “Seriously, man. You should do it.”
    He looked between his friends and suddenly burst out laughing. “I love you guys so much,” he said. “And I’ve missed us so much.”
    Lacey raised an eyebrow. “We love you too, Jeffry Rush. And we’re taking that as a yes. Aren’t we, guys?”
    “Hell, yeah,” the other two said with wide grins.
    “Okay, then,” Jeffry agreed. “Guess I know what I’m doing this Saturday.”
     
    * * * *
     
    “Beer, son?” Aiden Murphy asked as Patrick settled himself on a barstool next to his brother Dillon.
    “Just iced tea. My shift starts at six, so I have to get going soon. I just came in to run something by you.”
    “All ears,” he said, even though he clearly wasn’t as he kept acknowledging orders and pulling drafts for the customers.
    “That’s what I want to talk about, Pops,” Patrick said, gesturing to Aiden’s multitasking ways. “You need more help around here.”
    “You looking to change careers?”
    “No. But I was thinking maybe a waitress. A friend of mine’s looking for a job.”
    “A friend?” His mother, Sonya, slid over from where she was clearing tables. “Are you seeing someone new?” She and Aiden exchanged glances, and for a second there, Patrick thought he saw relief. He supposed that was understandable. They’d probably realized long before he did that he and Marisol were destined to be friends, not lovers.
    “Just a friend,” he assured his mother. “And she could really use the work.”
    “So who is this friend?” Dillon asked.
    “Dakota Alvarez.”
    His brother and his parents all seemed to stop as one. Then Sonya went back to polishing the bar and Aiden pulled a fresh beer. Only Dillon spoke. “Since when are you Dakota’s employment agent?”
    “She’s had a rough time, and part of that’s of her own making. But she’s trying to turn things around.”
    “Maybe she was,” Dillon said. “At least until her daddy came back. Now that girl’s under his spell again.” He frowned. “Seems to be a female trait in that household.”
    “Or maybe they’re both fighting in their own way,” Aiden said. “Joanne treading carefully, and Dakota still feeling her way.”
    “Pop’s right,” Patrick said. “That son-of-a-bitch blinded her, but she’s starting to open her eyes. Once she gets her own place again and a job—once she’s no longer under Hector’s roof—I think folks will see a new side of Dakota Alvarez.”
    “Or they won’t,” Sonya said. “That girl stirred up a lot of trouble. I think it’s fair to say that most folks won’t forgive her even if she does straighten herself out.”
    “Maybe they won’t. But I’m not one of them. I want to help her. Will y’all help me do that?”
    Sonya’s eyes narrowed as she peered hard at him. “And she’s just a friend?”
    “You’ve been spending a lot of time with her,” Dillon said.
    “Less than you were spending with Joanne,” Patrick countered, and since his brother was the sheriff and understood how deception worked, Patrick was certain that Dillon noticed just how deftly he didn’t answer the