Fire and Rain, Season 2, Episode 5 (Rising Storm) Read Free

mother left. She was waiting for Lacey to return from the store, but her niece was taking her sweet time.
    She smiled to herself. Teenagers .
    Frankly, Payton hoped that something fun had caught Lacey’s attention. Any kind of a distraction would be a welcome relief.  Her niece had also been hit hard by Jacob’s death.
    She tried twice more to get her sister to speak to her with no success, and when, after another hour, she found Celeste asleep, she left, her heart breaking over her sister’s condition.
    When she found herself knocking on Francine’s door, she didn’t even remember making the decision to come by. It’d been an instinctual move. She needed advice, but more than that, she sought comfort, and her friend had become the best remedy for that.
    Francine let her in, and they both headed straight for the kitchen. The other woman poured her a glass of wine, anticipating Payton’s need without her even having to ask.
    She took the drink gratefully, and they smiled at each other.
    “Tough day?” Francine asked. She always seemed to know.
    Payton nodded.
    “Come on. Let’s go sit on the sofa. You can tell me about it.”
    They sat hip to hip as Payton unloaded on her friend. Francine was the only person in her life that she felt she could share everything with. Every opinion and every burden. By the time she’d gotten all of it out, her head was resting on the other woman’s shoulder. Payton’s free hand was engulfed in both of Francine’s, and her friend was rubbing it soothingly, massaging her palm, working gently at each finger.
    Her glass of wine was nearly gone. “Can I get you another?” Francine asked.
    Payton was tempted to say yes, but she already felt just a little too uninhibited. “No, thank you. This was perfect. Thank you for listening.”
    “Always. I mean that. And as for your sister, I think you just need to keep trying. Don’t give up on her. Everyone deals with grief differently, some better than others, and as long as she knows you’re there for her, I think she’ll come around when she’s ready.”
    “I hope so. All of this is so hard. I’m also worried about Travis. He’s withdrawn just as much into his work as Celeste has into herself.” She paused. “This is just the sort of thing that can fracture a marriage, and if you want my opinion, I think they were already on shaky ground to begin with.”
    Payton felt Francine’s body move as she let out a big sigh. She entwined their fingers together. “You may be right. But all you can do is be there for your sister. The rest is up to them.”
    “What would I do without you, Francine?” Payton asked softly. This woman had become so essential to her that she honestly didn’t want to contemplate the possibility.
    She felt her dearest friend press her cheek softly to the top of her head. “You’ll never have to find out.”
     

CHAPTER THREE
    Since Jacob’s death, Lacey had pretty much been convinced that Ginny Moreno was the cause of all of her problems. It had been almost satisfying to watch the other girl brought low, but now, Lacey had come to the unpleasant realization that even with Ginny out of the picture, Lacey’s life remained as messy as ever—more so, if she was honest.
    Maybe Ginny wasn’t the problem in her life.
    Or at least not the only problem.
    Lacey’s family was still falling apart. Her mother was despondent. Her father was absent. Her older sister was busy. And her brother was gone. Forever.
    It was only when she felt she’d been abandoned by everyone that she’d begun to realize just what that meant, how lonely it made her, and how ill-equipped she was to deal with the reality of Jacob’s loss.
    Normally she would have turned to her friends for comfort. Only, thanks to her own stupidity, she didn’t have any friends now. She’d alienated them all, and for what?
    She wasn’t even sure. At the time, she’d been so wrapped up in proving to Mallory that she could get Luis Moreno for