It all started around ten pm on a Friday night, when Beau Cleburne walked into my life.
Well, if we’re going for accuracy, he drove up beside where I was standing, revving that obnoxiously loud engine, which belonged to his obnoxiously expensive Corvette. He also had an obnoxiously pretty face, but I wasn’t willing to admit that just yet.
My head was buried under the hood of my Mustang as I made some adjustments to the car’s inner workings and tuned out the noise of engines revving, and that of the crowd around me. I heard a group of guys approaching and pulled my ball cap lower over my eyes. I heard an engine rev once more. I glanced over my shoulder and found the source of the noise. A guy, also in a ball cap, sat in the driver's seat of a done up 1969 Chevrolet Corvette C3, his hand hanging lazily out the window. The other hand was resting on the steering wheel, and I could tell just by the look of the driver that the car went zero to sixty in under three seconds. The Corvette inched forward slowly, scattering the crowd, and I turned back to my work.
I failed in being unnoticed, as a moment later I heard a group of rowdy boys. One of the guys that had been crowded around the slow-moving car stumbled right into me. Sighing, I looked up from my work and turned to face them. I wiped my hands on my jean shorts and leaned against the Mustang, arms crossed over my chest.
“Evening, boys. What can I do for you all tonight?”
A couple of the guys looked me up and down, and one whistled. I kept my gaze stony and set my jaw, looking right through them.
The driver leaned out of the window. “Y’all, knock it off.”
The two bothering me glanced at each other, but left nonetheless. I began to walk towards my car, preparing to call it a night, when a voice stopped me.
“Hey, you’re Leigh Hale, right?”
I paused, took a step in the direction of the rigged up Corvette, and looked up, making eye contact with the boy driving. “That would be me. Now do I have to worry about you bothering me too, or are we good?”
He gave a small laugh and shook his head. “No, I just wanted to talk to you about your driving for a minute. It’s really incredible.”
His compliment took me aback. As a young woman, I wasn’t used to guys and men complimenting anything other than my looks, which were nothing terribly impressive, but they were there.
“Thanks.” I nodded towards his car. “That a ‘69 C3?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. I was just stalling for conversation.
He beamed like a proud mama. “Sure is. Hey, tell you what- wanna meet at the diner and get some food? It’s on me,” he said, flashing a twenty.
I considered his offer. I had nothing better to do, and was likely going to end up guzzling sweet tea at Desi’s anyway. Still, I kept my eyes narrowed.
“Fine. What’s your name?”
“Beau.”
“Last name?”
“Cleburne.”
I frowned, trying to think if I’d heard that name before, but didn’t dwell on it for much longer. After an awkward beat of silence, Beau spoke again. “See you there, I guess.”
“See you,” I said, and he drove off.
I’d known far too many boys like Beau. He probably walked with that overconfident swagger that all of the boys in the racing industry carried themselves upon, and rigged up his car until it might explode. Like those boys, there was little doubt that he was only in it for the thrill, the money, the pretty faces, and pretty cars.
Don’t be so quick to judge, I told myself. I still had my doubts, but I couldn’t make any assumptions about Beau until I actually sat down and had a conversation with him. Until then, there was nothing definite to be said or thought.
I sighed and climbed into my car, pulling off my cap and tossing it onto the dash. I shook out my hair, then hightailed it out of the city. I’d won my race, and never stuck around long enough afterwards, when the cops sometimes showed up. I pulled a right onto Sheridan Avenue, heading towards Bricktown. The Mustang rode smoothly, and I felt the urge to hit the open road so I could hit the gas, but I had a commitment to attend to now.
As the neon sign above Desi’s Diner came into view, I reminded myself that I only had to smile politely and make small talk for forty five minutes, then I could leave.
I parked out front and peered inside the diner. Desi’s wasn’t typically busy at this hour, and from what I could see, that constant held true tonight. The bells above the heavy glass door chimed noisily, alerting the entire eatery to my presence. Beau sat at a booth in the back, drumming his fingers on the tabletop and looking around.
I took a deep breath and slid in across from him, the space suddenly feeling overly confined. He grinned. “You made it.”
I offered a polite smile in return. “I’m not one to stand my dates up.”
He raised an eyebrow, and too late, did I realize my mistake. “A date?”
“T-that’s not what I meant,” I sputtered, heat flooding my cheeks. I cursed myself for being embarrassed, and curled my fist into an angry ball.
Beau laughed, and I was saved as a pretty waitress, who appeared to be about my age, maybe a little older, came over to our table.
“Working the late shift, Madi?”
I looked at Beau. “You know her?”
Before he could answer, Madi whipped out a notepad. “What can I get you all tonight?”
“Can I please have an iced tea, half sweet, half unsweet, and some fries?”
“Sure thing,” she nodded, her curling dark brown hair falling out of her ponytail into her face.
“I’ll do the same,” Beau said, and slipped her a twenty.
After Madi walked away, I waited for an explanation. “You a regular here or something?”
Beau shook his head. “Madina’s a part of my team.”
I tilted my head to the side. “Team?”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Well Leigh, that’s exactly why I brought you here.
“I thought you just wanted to buy me food and have a nice chat ending in you trying to convince me to come back to your place for ‘Netflix and chill’ except we’re doing other things that aren’t ‘Netflix and chill’, which by the way, I’d never agree to.”
Beau made a face. “Oh God no.”
“Excuse me?”
It was his turn to feel embarrassed. I smirked as he tried to take back his poorly timed retort. “No offense, I mean. You’re pretty. I’m just not into all that right away.”
“No hard feelings, Mr. Big Shot,” I said through gritted teeth and forced a smile.
Like me, he had a bit of a southern drawl, which wasn’t uncommon, especially around here. His Texas accent was much more noticeable than mine, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit, painfully, might I add, that it was slightly attractive. I couldn’t place exactly where he might be from in Texas though. I had a hunch, but asked anyway.
“Where are you from?”
Beau glanced up from his phone, which he’d pulled out sometime in the last minute or two. “Dallas. How about yourself?”
Dallas. I snorted and fought the urge to roll my eyes. I’d grown up in Amarillo, and folks from Dallas were often passing through on their way west to bigger places, like Vegas or Cali. I’d met several and they talked about their city like it was the greatest thing ever, when in reality, it was just another dot on the map.
“Amarillo.”
He nodded as Madina returned and dropped two iced teas, half sweet, half unsweet, and two baskets of fries on the table.
I pulled a fry apart, watching steam pour out of the pale inside. “So, what’s this team of yours have to do with me?” I asked, intrigued.
Beau took a sip of his tea, and leaned forward once more. “How long have you been racing for?”
I’d been racing cars in the west Texas desert since sixteen, and I got into street racing when I went to live in L.A. with my cousin Creslee the summer before college. My parents were both cops who had always been into cars. In their spare time, they owned a garage. My dad was even an ex-NASCAR driver. NASCAR had always been my dream, but reality intervened and I moved on to my next passion- weather.
I answered his question before getting too lost in thought. “Sixteen.” I was starting to get impatient. Where was he going with this?
“I think I’ve seen you around the news station. Are you doing an internship with the meteorology department?
I frowned. “I am. I’m getting a meteorology degree at the University of Oklahoma.”
“That explains it. I’m a storm chaser.”
I nearly jumped out of my seat, my mood changed, for I was suddenly giddy with excitement. “No way! I grew up watching those shows.”
He smiled, and I let him continue. “I’m hoping to get a deal with the news company, because I could make big money if I do. Madi’s a journalist and she’s got some in’s with the newsroom. Her brother Jacky’s an all-round great guy. Good with cars and great at football. He plays over at OU, about thirty minutes from Bricktown. He’s also got some connections with the station, thanks to his internship.”
“He’s into weather too?”
Beau made a so-so sign with his hand. “He’s in it for the thrill. His internship’s all on sports commentary and journalism.”
I nodded and urged for Beau to continue, shoveling down fries as he did so. “I don’t know how much background you have on storm chasing, but there’s a rival team. They’re trying to get that same deal with the news company, but their main guy’s made an agreement with me,” He said, and paused.
“Go on.”
Beau leaned back in his seat. “If my team and I can get them some classified information on this woman from the news company, then they’ll back out of the deal. We have until the Fourth of July.”
He pulled something up on his phone and showed me an image of a professional looking, middle-aged woman.
“Well, where do we get this information?” I was curious but still failed to see how all of this concerned me.
He sighed, looking suddenly defeated. “Apparently, she’s a high-profile figure all around. She’s a top dog at the broadcasting company, and worked for the FBI when she was younger. The only way to get that dossier the team needs is through the folks at the FBI. If we spend all of our time trying to get this file, we’ll miss prime storm-chasing season.”
My hand paused halfway to my mouth, a fry still in between my fingers. “So you’re not worried about the FBI, you’re worried about missing storm season?” I asked, slightly appalled.
Beau nodded grimly. “If we can’t get the file, then the season’s gone and I’ll have no footage or storm data to present to the news company this fall.”
“I think I have an idea,” I said slowly. I was rather annoyed with myself for even wanting to help him. My idea was quite possibly a bad one, but it could work, if pulled off right.
“My cousin and his fiance work for the FBI. Real fun folks. I could try to get an internship working for them. Once I get the information, I’ll just tell them something came up at school, and I’ve gotta head back here. On the way out to D.C, where their headquarters are, we can chase storms across the country. It’s April, we have until July,” I concluded.
A hour ago, I wanted nothing to do with Beau Cleburne. Now I was helping him plan to infiltrate the FBI’s database. In case anybody was wondering, that was a very illegal thing to do.
What did I just agree to?
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Maybe,” I said, suddenly unsure. Was it too late to back out? “So when do we leave for our little heist of sorts?” It was late and I was starting to get tired. I was also having some major second thoughts regarding what I’d just agreed to take part in.
Beau crossed his arms. “I prefer to call it a business trip.”
“Just give me a time and a place,” I snapped, tossing a paper and pen to him.
He scrawled something on the slip and I snatched it up off the table.“I’m tired, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait, Leigh. I’ll tell you what- meet me here tomorrow, and we’ll talk more. You can meet the team, feel things out. If you don’t feel comfortable, I can find someone else. You’re not the only driver.”
I saw what he was doing. “Well, I’ll bet that I’m the only person you know that has the connections y’all need,” I said, heading towards the exit. I didn’t turn around but I could hear Beau calling after me. “You didn’t even thank me for the food!”
I let the door swing shut with a slam, drowning out the rest of his voice. I’d had about all of this Dallas boy that I could take tonight.
I swear that the girl's moods changed faster than the weather in Dallas. First, she was skeptical and appeared to be slightly annoyed with me. Soon though, she was laughing and blushing and helping me with the impossible. Then, just like that, she was back to her old self. The last I saw of Leigh was her storming out of Desi’s, a wrinkled half-sheet of paper in hand.
I'd seen her at the races and the news station from time to time. It was only the other day I realized the brown-eyed, thin-lipped blonde I'd been seeing around was the same girl. I was able to put two and two together and intercepted her tonight. It was like meeting a storm head on- the best feeling. I had accomplished something. Miss Hale was something of a storm herself. Her moods changed quicker than the direction of the wind, and demeanor was as just as ever-changing as the skies over Oklahoma.
Madina waltzed over to the table we had been sitting in, an impish smile on her face. "New girlfriend?" She inquired in her Australian accent. Madina had spent two years abroad, living in Gold Coast after graduating high school early. Her and Jacky's mother was from Gold Coast, and often took the kids to Australia. Madina had loved it so much, and decided to take her gap year there. One year turned into two, and the rest of us began to wonder if she'd ever come back.
I signed the bill and shook my head. "I don't know. I would hardly call us friends at the moment."
Madina giggled and brushed a stray lock of hair away from her face. "Sammy, Jacky, Maybry, and Clay are back at the flat. You'll be back there tonight?"
I was planning on heading back to my dorm and crash until my roommates got home around three am. They were fun guys, but I preferred racing or hanging out with the others than partying until morning. Both played baseball and were getting their undergrads in something or other. I did want an opportunity to tell everyone about Leigh, and that our summer was suddenly looking to be quite the adventure. It was late-April, but this the forecast looked promising for the summer. The spring storm season hadn't been very active, and we were all holding out for summer. When the summer outlook was released last night, we all celebrated with lots of hollering and some beer. And sweet tea. I looked up at Madi and smiled.
"I'll see y'all there. You need help closing?"
"No, I'm capable," she quipped, and swept the evidence of Leigh and I's time at diner into her arms. Baskets and plasticware knocked against each other as Madi made for the kitchen. I heard a crash and Madina cursed a moment later. "Damn it!"
I laughed to myself. Listening to her curse in her sweet accent was the funniest thing. I spent high school with her and Jacky. Madina had always been an interesting, but welcome and fun, presence. I scooped my keys up and poked my head into the back before leaving. "All good in there, Madi-Mae?"
"Never been better," she replied, likely through gritted teeth.
I got into my car and peeled out of the lot, hoping to make it to the garage before midnight. Nothing good happens after midnight, Maybry and Clay always warned us. The cousins were EMT's and had seen their fair share of awful things. The garage wasn't just a garage. Sammy's a year older than the rest of the team. She was the first of us to go to college, and would be a junior once the summer was over. When she arrived in Oklahoma City, she bought an old garage in Bricktown. The place had a flat over it, and it was big enough to keep us all eventually. With some help from her momma, she bought the thing and turned it into a place to live and work on cars. It's also my headquarters for chasing- I've got a whole room dedicated to maps, cameras, computers, and instruments. When it's not football season, I stay there. During the season, Jacky and I stay on campus.
I arrived at the garage two minutes before the clock hit midnight, and fumbled with my keys as I climbed up the steps. The familiar scene around me brought a smile to my face. Maybry and Clay were having a conversation over a few beers, sometimes laughing, sometimes arguing. Tonight was of the laughing kind, it seemed. Jacky was parked in front of the television, watching NFL season highlights, and Sam sat typing away on her laptop with her earbuds in, likely writing her tenth novel. She waved a hand in greeting, not looking up from her work. Her dark hair spilled over her shoulder, a crown of cheap plastic daisies sitting lopsided on her head. I shook my head and laughed to myself, something I did often. Jacky had been crushing on Samantha since senior year of high school, and I had a hunch Sammy felt similar. He'd taken to doing the silly little things she enjoyed with her, like making hair accessories out of fake flowers and driving out of the city to look at the stars.
I dropped my keys in the bowl by the entryway and went to the fridge. I dug around for a bit and came up with a juice box. We were all out of tea. I refused to drink- my older sister was killed by a drunk driver when I was seven. We were over a decade apart, thanks to weird family dynamics and my parents failed marriage, but she had always been there when I was growing up. One day she didn't come home, and I was told there'd been an accident. I didn't really understand, but when I was older, I found out what had happened. I told myself I'd never drink, not underage, not ever. I'm nineteen and still going strong, despite growing up in an area where kids were free to do whatever. I lived in Dallas until high school started. The summer before my freshman year, we moved out to a suburb, away from the affluent areas. From that point on, my high school years were a whirlwind of parties in unoccupied barns, speeding down the backroads, and dates underneath the stars, which never lasted more than a handful of weeks at most.
I downed the Capri-Sun and flopped down on the couch, sitting right on Jacky. "Screw off Beau." He shoved me away, and I rolled onto the floor. I started up to see Maybry looking down her nose at me. "Howdy Maybry. What can I do for you tonight?"
She threw a piece of popcorn at me and wrinkled her nose, blue eyes narrowed. "Where've you been all evening? You smell like fried food and gasoline."
"Aren't you real sweet."
"Rumor has it that you were seen buddying up with Leigh Hale," Clay cut in, ignoring my bickering with his cousin. "Can you confirm this?"
Maybry and Clay were more like siblings than Madina and Jacky. They both had a deep southern drawl, having grown up in Mississippi. Their eyes and hair were similar in color, and the two bickered like siblings. At the end of the day they were inseparable. Sammy always joked that in another life they were strangers, and in this one they were making up for the time spent apart. I guess that's what happens when you grow up with someone and it's just the two of you. I, on the other hand, grew up with three older brothers, and an older sister at one point. Looking back, I don't know how I survived past the toddler years.
I sat up and leaned against the couch, trying to ignore Jacky's kicking me in the back of the head. I turned to Clay and said, "I don't think buddying up is the right word."
"She ain't nice?"
If I had to describe Leigh Hale in one word, nice wouldn't be the first thing to come to mind. Maybe hard-headed? No, that's technically two words. Try stubborn or turbulent. Firey? I cringed at the thought. That didn't sound quite right either. This isn't Twilight or Fifty Shades, people.
I was fixing to explain to Clay, and now Maybry who'd dropped in on the conversation, when the front door swung open. Madi stepped into the front entryway, her waitressing uniform dirty. I realized she was wearing a different pair of pants than she'd had on when I was there an hour ago. Maybry smirked and raised her eyebrows. "What happened to you?"
"What happened, is that I worked all night in a dinner. Just as I was closing, some mum and her little child came in. They left pretty quickly, but made a mess." She gestured to the various stains on her clothing. A straw wrapper fell out of her hair, and I made a coughing sound to cover up the laugh I was fighting back.
Jacky looked at his sister. "What's in your pocket?" I peered up at her and noticed a few lumps in the front pocket. Frowning, Madina reached her hand in and pulled out a few cigarettes covered in white powder. She dropped the cigarettes and they landed on the carpet soundlessly.
I could tell Clay was hiding a smirk when he spoke up. "I'll ask this for the second time in the past five minutes. Care to explain?"
Madina sighed and said slowly in that accent of hers, "These... are not my pants?"
That did it for Sam and Maybry. The girls launched into a giggling fit. Well, Maybry did. Sam's laugh was much more than a giggle. It was a snorting, gasping sound that made everyone double over. When we all calmed down, and Madi had showered and put on her pants, it was well after midnight. None of us were particularly tired, so we ended up fooling around for a while before finally hitting the sack around two.
It was right as I started to drift off when I realized I never told others about Leigh and I's potential deal. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well.