All we are, p.1
All We Are, page 1
All We Are
Haven’s Bay Holiday Series
J.H. Croix
Contents
1. Thea
2. Joe
3. Thea
4. Joe
5. Thea
6. Joe
7. Thea
8. Joe
9. Thea
10. Joe
11. Thea
12. Thea
13. Joe
14. Joe
15. Thea
16. Joe
17. Thea
18. Thea
19. Joe
20. Thea
21. Thea
22. Thea
23. Joe
24. Thea
25. Joe
26. Thea
27. Joe
28. Epilogue
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Acknowledgments
About the Author
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Copyright © 2022 J.H. Croix
All rights reserved.
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Cover design by Cormar Covers
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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“ … our first love is our last, and our last love our first.” George John-Whyte Melville
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Chapter One
Thea
“Great, just great,” I muttered to myself.
It wasn’t supposed to be snowing, but the weather was a fickle character in New England, specifically in coastal Maine. Although, I dare say, most anywhere in the world. The snow started out with light flakes floating from the sky. But as I continued my drive north, the snowfall began to get heavier and was coating the road.
Great timing on my part. I kept driving and managed just fine, although I was relieved to see the exit sign for Haven’s Bay illuminated by my headlights through the thick snow. While I hadn't lived in Maine since high school, I lived in Boston and hadn't lost my touch with handling snowy roads.
But I was tired, and my nerves were frayed. My pride was also bruised, but I didn't even want to think about that. I was going to take some time off and stay at my childhood home and lick my wounds. Despite my cynical mood, a feeble cheer rose up inside me as I slowed to turn on to Main Street in Haven’s Bay. My little hometown was picturesque in every season, and during the holiday season, it was straight off of a postcard.
The tall balsam tree anchoring the center of the town green had holiday lights glittering in the darkness. Lights were strung along the streets and storefronts, and the falling snow added a touch of magic to the scene. For the first time in days, my lungs filled completely when I took a deep breath, and the tension squeezing like an unpleasant band around my heart loosened. A few minutes later, I saw my family’s mailbox and slowed to turn before slamming on my brakes. The lights were on, and two cars were parked at the end of the driveway.
“What the fuck?”
I had told my friend Jane she could stay for three weeks, but those three weeks were up. Her car was parked behind my brother Ian’s SUV.
“Well, well, well.”
Although they had just foiled my plans for a week alone, I kind of hoped maybe they would hook up. They both needed a little fun in their lives. My brother Ian was all work, work, work, and Jane shared that tendency. I adored her, but she was definitely on the serious side. If it hadn’t been dark and snowy, I might’ve gloated a little.
I needed another plan before anybody noticed my vehicle at the end of the driveway. I backed up quickly and drove past my family’s home, wondering if I could find a local hotel or bed & breakfast. About a mile down the road, I pulled into a viewing spot on the coastal road. My headlights arced over the snow, casting a glimmer on the dark ocean just beyond.
I pulled up my search app to see what I could find. It was a week before Christmas. I wasn't about to tell anybody in my family what was going on.
Me, the cynical one who’d sworn off relationships for years, had gone and proven myself right by foolishly falling for an asshole who’d completely ghosted me. I knew I could go to the house, but I didn't want to barge in and have to explain my unexpected appearance. If anything was happening with Ian and Jane, I didn’t want to ruin it either.
Every local place listed showed as closed for the winter. Of course. Haven’s Bay was a quiet, coastal town. While it was busy with tourists during the summer months, the winter months tended to be quiet with shoppers just passing through town.
“Well, I'll just go to the grocery store. Maybe somebody there can give me a suggestion,” I murmured to myself.
The closest town with an actual hotel was a good forty-five minutes away. More driving in this weather definitely wasn’t my preference. I tossed my phone into the console, adjusted the heat, and started driving again. The snow that had started to ease up changed its mind again, thickening heavily until the visibility was next to nothing.
I barely saw the dog that darted in front of my car, and when I slammed on the brake pedal, the brakes slipped and then caught before I swerved off the road. The dog dashed away into the darkness as my car rolled to a bouncing stop. The angle of my headlights told me everything I needed to know. I was thoroughly in a ditch. I thumped my head against the steering wheel in frustration.
Though I was physically fine, this was not good. Lifting my head, I glanced around with a sigh. I reached for my phone again, planning to call the emergency car service. Maybe I was being stubborn, but I really, really didn't feel like seeing anybody I knew tonight. Pointless though it may be, I wasn't going to call my brother and Jane for help. There was a reason I paid for the car service.
Only moments later, the friendly customer service representative assured me someone would be on their way within minutes. After I got off the call, I cranked the heat and leaned back in my seat. Maybe I could turn this into some kind of Zen experience where I just rolled with the punches. It was no big deal. Someone would tow my car out of the ditch.
My phone vibrated, and I lifted it to see a text alerting me that my driver would be here in five minutes.
“Hell, yeah,” I murmured. “Fastest car service ever.”
A mere three minutes later, I saw the headlights flickering in my rearview mirror, and the tow vehicle pulled over behind me. Another moment later, there was a light knock on my window, and I rolled it down.
“Hi—” One syllable was all I got out before whatever I'd meant to say next came to an abrupt stop.
Joe Martinelli was peering through the window. It only took a second before I saw the recognition dawn in his eyes. He looked startled for a moment before one corner of his mouth kicked up in a half-smile. My belly swooped as goose bumps prickled over the surface of my skin with the fiery shiver that chased through me.
“Joe,” I finally managed.
“Hey, Thea.”
“Are you the car service guy?” I could be the queen of the obvious sometimes.
“Course I am. My dad’s garage has had the contract for, oh, probably since before I was born,” he said with a shrug. “I run the garage now.”
“You do?”
When he grinned again, my belly shimmied while butterflies fluttered about and my heartbeat kicked madly against my ribs. “At your service. Are you headed to your family’s place?”
“Oh, no,” I said quickly.
Joe looked a little confused. “Okay. Well, I'll get you out of the ditch, and you can be on your way then.”
“Should I get out of the car?”
“That'd be best. You can sit in the passenger seat in my tow truck. It's warm in there. I won't make you wait in the snow.”
“Okay,” I squeaked. “Should I leave my car running?”
“Nope. Turn it off and put it in neutral for me.”
I glanced around, eyeing the angle of the slope in front of me.
As if he could read my mind, Joe interjected, “It’s stuck in a foot of snow in a ditch. Your car’s not going anywhere. I promise.”
“Right. Okay.”
With alacrity, I rolled up the window, turned the car off and put it in neutral before grabbing my purse and climbing out. Like the gentlemen I knew him to be back in high school, he reached for me. He steadied me by the elbow as we walked through the snow. He even opened the door for me. After he made sure I was situated in the passenger seat, he walked around to the back of the tow truck.
This was not the first time I'd been inside a tow truck with Joe. Oh, wow. This wasn't just a walk down memory lane. It was a fast-forward speed drive. For a whole year, I’d had the worst crush on Joe in high school and barely contained my squeal when he asked me out. He wasn't the kind of guy I was supposed to have a
But that wasn't all there was to Joe. It felt as if a fissure opened on the edge of my heart, an old scar torn open. I ached a little at seeing him all these years later. I'd really liked him, even loved him, and he'd been really good to me for the time that we'd snuck around and then officially dated. I'd had all of my firsts with Joe—first kiss and more.
I suppose he was my first heartbreak, except I broke his heart and mine in the process. All because my dad was an asshole. I felt tears stinging my eyes, and I closed them, taking a shaky breath and willing myself to get some kind of grip.
In the nick of time, I pulled it together. The blast of cold air that entered the truck cab when Joe opened it to climb in was enough for me to swallow through the thickness in my throat and blink my tears away.
“Give me just a sec, and we should have your car on the road. What happened anyway?” he asked.
“A dog darted in front of me. I slammed on my brakes and swerved. I missed the dog, so it’s fine. Hopefully, my car is too. In any case, if there's a problem with my car, it was worth it.”
Joe had been about to shift the gear on his truck, and his hand froze as he turned to look at me. In an instant, memories hovered in the air between us, shimmering like sparks.
“Of course, it was worth it,” he said. “I think it might’ve been my dog.”
“Really?!”
He cast me a rueful smile when he shrugged. “Probably. I live just down the road from here. He doesn't usually leave the yard, but somebody nearby has a dog in heat, and he keeps going down to their house.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, my god! That's hysterical, Joe,” I finally managed when I stopped laughing. This time when I wiped the tears away, it was okay because he wouldn't know they were glimmering from a few minutes ago.
“He's home now. I got the call for this right before he showed up at the front door.”
“What's his name?” I felt myself smiling. It seemed serendipitous that Joe’s dog would’ve been the factor that set our paths to crossing again.
“Dexter.”
“It might not have been him. I didn't get a good look at him.”
“Well, I hope not,” Joe offered with a wry chuckle. “If he was going fast enough for you to avoid him, that’s a win.” He glanced out the window as a car drove past. “All right, let's see what we can do here.”
I waited while Joe turned the tow truck around and eased back slightly toward my car. He climbed out to do something with the tow cable before returning.
Once Joe got my car on the road, I hurried out of the truck. He had leaned over to check on one of my tires. When he straightened, he rested his hand on the hood. “You're not going anywhere tonight, sweetheart.”
I ignored the achy twist of my heart at his endearment. “What? Why?”
“You have a bent tire rim. I'm guessing you caught it on a rock.”
“Really?”
My belly was still spinning from the flip when he called me “sweetheart.” I told myself it meant nothing, but my heart disagreed. He used to call me that back in high school.
As I stood there in the snow on the side of the road, all of these little annoyances that had nothing to do with Joe bounced into each other. Somehow, his presence and the old emotions attached to him brought everything rising swiftly to the surface. The rush of emotion toppled me right over the edge, and I took a shaky breath.
You're not going to cry. Do not cry. Not right now. You've got this.
I gulped in another breath, scrambling for purchase in the internal tumult while I felt as if I were about to crumple.
“Are you okay?” Joe asked.
My head whipped up. The second I looked into his eyes, I burst into tears.
Chapter Two
Joe
Thea Tate—my old high school girlfriend, the one who shined brightest in my memories and probably the only girl I'd ever loved—was crying on the side of the road in the snow.
Great. Fucking great. I’d never handled tears all that well, and my own emotions were feeling jagged tonight with this unexpected encounter.
“Hey,” I said, pushing away from her car and stepping to her. “It's fine. I'll tow your car. We'll figure it out.”
Before I could think it through, I was pulling her into my arms. The second she tucked her head against my neck, burrowing into me, it felt as if two lost puzzle pieces had been found and clicked together. My body felt electrified. The wind howled around us, and the snow blew sideways, striking in sharp spikes against my cheeks.
I slid my hand up and down Thea’s back and forced myself to lift my head and step away, curling my hands on her shoulders. My heart felt scored and cracked open when she sniffled. “It's just a tire rim. I'll get it fixed as soon as I can,” I assured her.
She nodded, knuckling at her cheeks to wipe her tears away. “I know you will. I'm not crying over that.”
“No?”
She peered up at me again, blinking before her lips twisted in a wry smile. “It's just everything kind of piled up, if you know what I mean.”
“Oh, I do.” I felt the rise of her shoulders when she took a gulping breath. “Hop back in my truck because now I need to get your car on the flatbed.”
She nodded. I walked her back and made sure she was situated in the passenger seat. It didn’t take long before I got her car on the flatbed. My dad's old garage business made serious money these days. Back in the day, her dad thought I wasn’t good enough for her. Now he was in jail, and my family had a lot more money than they did.
I didn't blame Thea for what happened, but then there was a splinter of frustration in my old anger. Her dad was the asshole, and jail was exactly where he deserved to be.
I watched as the flatbed rose slowly to level and checked the tie-down straps to make sure her car was secure. As I walked to the front of the truck, I leaned into the snow, which had picked up its pace even more.
A moment later, I glanced at her. “So, we're gonna go to my garage. I could take it to my house, but I don't want to leave your car out in the snow all night. If you’re not staying at your family’s home, where are you staying?”
Thea was quiet. When I glanced over, I saw that she was twisting her fingers together, a sure sign that she was nervous. I knew this woman too well, or rather the girl she'd once been.
“That's the thing. I was going to go to the next town over and stay in a hotel.”
“Why?” I'd been about to put the truck in gear, but I paused, swiveling to look at her fully.
“I wanted the house to myself, and my brother Ian and Jane are there. I didn’t know they’d still be here. I think maybe they’re together, and I don't want to spoil their time. They’ll have all kinds of questions, and I don't want to explain.”
I looked away from her, staring out the driver's side window at the snow falling thick and heavy. I could do the legwork and get Thea set up with a rental. Hell, I could even loan her one of my cars, but I didn't want her driving in this. I sure as hell didn't want to drive too far in it. It was late, and I was tired. I had takeout waiting at home.
“You can stay at my place.”
Her eyes widened when I swung back to look at her. “What?”
“Just offering. There's no easy way to set up a rental at this hour. I can loan you a car, but the weather is shit, and it's just going to get worse tonight. I can crash on the couch, and you can sleep in my bed. As you can see, I'm on call tonight. We'll probably get a few more calls, but it shouldn't be too busy.”
