Wrecked and Yours Trilogy: A Second Chance Love Story

by CeeCee James

  “Maybe not.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She poked a green bean at him with her fork. “You should build your dream garage to work on your cars in.”

  “Someday I plan to. Or maybe take one of those yacht trips around the world. But right now, the money’s doing okay where it is, and TECH needs my attention.” He smiled, his lip catching on his crooked tooth. “Want to go walk by the lake?”

  “Yeah, let me change out of my heels.”

  “I knew you didn’t throw them out.”

  “Well, they have a short wear time. After an hour, I never want to wear them again.” She walked to the door barefoot and slipped on her flip-flops. He followed, grabbing her jacket off the hook and settling it around her shoulders.

  The lake was beautiful and quiet. Two swans paddled across a puddle of moonlight. Dark ripples followed them.

  “They’re still here,” Jason said, his voice hitching in surprise.

  “Yeah, I thought they’d be gone too. I actually had to go to the Farm-and-Feed to get duck pellets to feed them, poor little confused things.” She grabbed his hand. “Maybe they stayed just to welcome you home, Jason.”

  He drew her close, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Together, they walked down to the lake’s edge. Miranda leaned her head against his shoulder as the water quietly lapped near their feet.

  “Did you ever think we’d be here?” Miranda asked.

  “You mean back together?”

  She nodded and reached up to hold his hand.

  “Yeah, deep down, I always felt it. To be honest,” he paused and pressed his lips on the crown of her head, “I couldn’t imagine my life without you.”

  32

  Spring

  “You guys are going out again?” Cassie asked as Jason pulled into the driveway. Miranda nodded and shrugged into her sweater.

  “I swear you haven’t quit smiling in three weeks.” Cassie squinted an eye at her sister, sighing. “Twitter-pated.”

  “Your turn is coming. Leif will be back before you know it.” Miranda said, before running upstairs for her shoes.

  Jason came up on the porch. Cassie gave him a cheeky smile as she greeted him at the door. “Dude, I feel like I need to be playing the dad role here. Where’s my shotgun?” She glanced playfully behind her.

  Miranda skipped past her and pulled Jason down the stairs.

  “Don’t bring her home too late, and don’t have too much fun!” Cassie yelled at her sister’s retreating back.

  “So, where are we going tonight?” Miranda asked as she hauled herself into the truck.

  “Where do you want to eat?”

  “I could eat anywhere, honestly.”

  “Okay, how about hamburgers?”

  Miranda wrinkled her nose. “Mmmm, except hamburgers. I had one for lunch.”

  “Oh, great—not this again,” Jason mumbled. Then, looked at her hopefully, “Tacos?”

  “Not really in the mood for tacos.”

  “That’s it. Your voting privileges are revoked. We’re going for pizza and bowling.” Jason winked at her. “I feel like living on the wild side. Now, come here.” He dragged her across the bench seat and kissed her. “You miss me?”

  “Just a little bit.”

  Jason smiled at her comment. “It’s those romantic words. They kill me every time.”

  She laughed and reached out to touch his lip with her thumb. “Man, I love your smile.”

  His eyebrows shot up, looking askance. “Really? I hate my teeth.” His tongue ran across them.

  “Why? They’re so cute!”

  “This one right here.” He tapped his crooked tooth. “It’s like a fang. I feel like I’m half vampire.”

  Miranda laughed. “I like it.

  “Oh, yeah? Vell, come here. I vant to bite your neck.” He locked her in his arms and began nibbling her neck. She gave one girly squeal before breaking out into her trademark guffaw.

  He released her and shifted the truck into gear. “All right, let’s get out of here.”

  * * *

  Jason ate the last bite of his pizza and handed Miranda the crust. “Your favorite part.”

  “Mmm thank you!” she said, taking a big bite.

  “So you never mentioned. Is Dylan still at the dental office?”

  She shook her head. “No, he went back home to his family in Massachusetts after I broke it off. I guess you were right, he was just there for me. Don’t rub it in!” Miranda shook her head as Jason’s eyes lit up. “Besides, you don’t have to worry any more. I deleted him from my phone.”

  “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t do it for you. I needed a clean break from the both of you.”

  “What? You deleted my number too?”

  Miranda blushed. “I’m sorry! What can I say, I was done with men at that point.”

  Jason shook his head. He grabbed his phone and began scrolling. Finding what he was searching for, he passed it to Miranda.

  It was a text message from last November. Miranda gasped when she saw Dylan’s name. She glanced at Jason before reading again.

  Jason had written:— Thanks for the check, I’ll put it to good use at the Center.

  Dylan responded:—Thought I owed you something for the girl

  (Miranda sucked in her breath, feeling like she had firecrackers for blood.)

  —Miranda’s smarter than I was. She’ll figure it out and decide what’s best for her.

  —Took you long enough to tuck your tail and run

  —Just keep telling yourself that. At the end of the day, I’m happy with my life.

  She groaned at Dylan’s words and read them again. “Jason, you did so good. I don’t think I’d have had the self control.” She handed the phone back with a half-laugh. “To think, he was offering you money. Little did he know.”

  He tapped it thoughtfully before sliding it into his pocket. “Thanks. I think that was the moment I realized my self-worth couldn’t be wrapped up in what anyone thought. Or their judgments.” His eyes held hers.

  “You’re pretty hot when you’re confident.” She cuddled up to him. In the far left corner of the restaurant, sirens blared and red lights flashed as some kid won a video game. “Now, you ready to have me kick your butt at bowling?”

  “Romantic words of poetry.” He grabbed the box of left-over pizza and took her by the hand. “It’s on, buttercup. I ain’t going to go easy on you this time.”

  They headed outside and rounded the corner to where his truck was parked by a large dumpster. Miranda jerked when she heard thumping from inside the container. Jason stared curiously at it.

  A second later a teenage boy popped out, holding a grease-stained pizza box. He gripped the metal sides of the dumpster with his free hand and hauled himself out. It wasn’t until he slid down the wall that he realized he was being watched. He offered them a shy smile, then bowed his head. The teen opened the box, revealing half eaten slices and quickly shoved one into his mouth.

  Miranda’s stomach dropped. “I’ve seen this kid out here before.”

  “Yeah me too.” Jason let go of her hand and walked over to the teen. “Hey, you doing okay?”

  The boy looked up and grinned again, displaying gapped and crooked teeth. “How are you doing, sir? I’m doing very good.” His voice was simple and slow. He hesitantly held the pizza box out to them. “It’s pepperoni. My favorite. You can have one.”

  Miranda closed her eyes as tears welled up.

  “Wow, that’s really nice of you.” Jason crouched next to him. “You’re kind of young to be out here. You have a home?”

  “Oh, I do, sir. It’s a good home. I live with Betsy and Bill. They like to sleep with me.”

  Jason’s eyes widened at the declaration, and he jammed his hands inside his flannel coat pockets. “Betsy and Bill, huh? Are they your friends? Family?”

  “Oh, they are very good friends sir.” The boy stood up. His sweat pants rose three inche
s above his ankles, a pale knee poking through a hole. His drab olive-colored coat showed dark charred marks up one arm. Miranda saw the bare skin of his bony wrists and her heart hurt. It was a cold night.

  “Good friends, huh? Do they know you’re out here?”

  The boy’s gaze seemed to swim in and out of focus. “Yes, sir, they do. I’m bringing pizza home for them.”

  It was then Miranda noticed a pile of old pizza boxes stacked on the ground next to him.

  “They like pizza, huh?” Jason continued.

  The boy nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, sir, they do. If I’m not careful they’ll eat it all.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “They call me Danny, sir. My name is Danny.” Each statement the teen made was underscored with the same open grin.

  “I’m Jason.” He held out his hand. Danny studied it for a second, then grabbed it awkwardly and began to shake.

  “My name’s Danny. How do you do?”

  Jason grinned. “I’m good. Want to go get something to eat?”

  “And leave these? Oh, no, sir. I’d like a cheeseburger, but I must bring these back to my family.”

  Jason nodded. He bent and picked up the pile of boxes one by one. Danny watched him anxiously. “Good?” Jason asked when he stood.

  “Yes that’s a good haul for today. It’s a good day!” Danny pumped his fist in the air and danced in a circle, his feet nearly tripping over what appeared to be size thirteen sneakers. “Betsy and Bill will be happy tonight!”

  Jason handed them to Miranda. Danny’s forehead instantly creased in concern. Jason raised his hand. “Don’t worry, she isn’t taking them. She’s going to keep them safe while I get you a burger.”

  Danny’s anxiety visibly ratcheted up. He rocked from heel to toe and pulled on his coat sleeve.

  “She’s coming with us,” Jason said. Danny immediately calmed when he saw Miranda follow them with the pizza.

  The three of them walked down the street to the fast food joint. Jason ordered Danny several cheeseburgers and a couple of pints of milk.

  “Can we drive you home?” Jason asked.

  Danny stared at him suspiciously. “Momma always said don’t go with strangers in a car. I better not.”

  Jason nodded. “How about I walk you home? Help you carry this?” He gestured to the food.

  Danny’s simple face visibly brightened. “That sounds a-okay with me. And then you can meet Betsy and Bill.” His mouth turned down briefly in a frown. “But they might be shy. Yes, if they hear you, they might hide.”

  “Okay, I’ll be quiet.” Jason held a finger over his lips. “And if you want me to stop, I’ll stop.”

  Danny nodded again, happy with that resolution. “Four boxes of pizza! It’s going to be a great day today. Today is a great day!”

  Jason leaned over to Miranda and spoke quietly in her ear. “I’m not sure how safe it is. So stay with the truck and wait for my phone call.”

  “Lovely,” Miranda murmured. “What happens if you need help and can’t make a call?”

  Jason looked at her like she was silly. “Trust me. I’ve been in worst situations. I can take care of myself.” He winked and then headed up the sidewalk with Danny. The boy led Jason down an alley and they disappeared.

  The wind blew down the front of Miranda’s coat, the ground squelching under her feet from an earlier cold rain. She shivered and pulled the coat around her tighter as she unlocked the truck door. Once inside, she swiveled the knob for the heat and held her cold fingers close to the vent. An oldies song came on, making her smile. Jason suddenly had a new affinity for the 60s channel. It cracked her up to watch him lip sync (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.

  She fished out her cell phone and began surfing Facebook. After a while, she checked on the time; just ten minutes had passed. It might be a long night. She flipped to her Kindle app and began investigating her top one hundred places to visit list.

  Thirty minutes later there was a tap on the window and Miranda stifled a scream. Jason motioned her to unlock the door. She clicked the button and he climbed in.

  “Wow,” he said, staring straight ahead. He shook his head and then glanced over at her.

  “I thought you were going to text me to pick you up?”

  “You couldn’t have gotten to me. We left the road just about there,” He indicated two buildings ahead. “He took me through a maze of buildings that eventually led to an overpass.” Jason blinked, still seemingly in disbelief. “Miranda, he lives under a bridge. He doesn’t even have half the stuff we had when we were homeless.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, no tarp, no pots, no blankets. Just some cardboard boxes. Yet, he was really proud.” His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. “His friends are animals. A stray cat and some black bird that appears for the pizza crusts.”

  “Oh, no.” Miranda was horrified. “How did this happen? Can you bring him back to TECH?”

  Jason shook his head. “He said he didn’t want to go.”

  They both sat there in silence. Miranda digested the news of the suffering of this homeless teen.

  “What do we do? Should we call the police?”

  “I’m not sure that would be the best thing. Tonight I want to get him some blankets.”

  “How about a tent?”

  “I’d love to do it,” Jason said. “But somehow, seeing how proud he was of the home he’d made…well, I think it would hurt his pride.”

  Jason started the truck and drove to Target.

  Once inside, Jason cautioned. “I don’t want to overwhelm him. I’m just going to get some basic camping gear and a warm sleeping bag.”

  “And a hat.” Miranda added.

  “Okay, a hat.” Jason agreed.

  “And maybe some new clothes? A new jacket?”

  “I don’t think he’d understand why we were giving it to him. He thinks what he owns is good enough.”

  Miranda nodded. “How about some fire starting stuff?”

  Jason’s eyes flickered with worry. “I don’t know. His coat was pretty scorched. I’m not sure how that happened, but giving him access to fire might not be a good thing. But we’ll figure out the next step soon. This is just for tonight.”

  They quickly located what they needed in the camping aisle. On the way to the cash registers, Miranda snagged a Seahawks beanie from a display. Jason arched his eyebrow at it. “You better hope he’s a fan.”

  “He doesn’t have to keep it if he doesn’t like it,” she said matter-of-factly.

  They loaded the truck and Miranda drove them back to the alley. Jason pulled out the bags and tucked the sleeping bag under his arm. “Hopefully this is going to go well, and he doesn’t freak out when I show up uninvited.”

  With that, he headed behind the building.

  Miranda bit her thumbnail. The area was dark although she’d parked under the one remaining street light. She didn’t want to look to closely at the buildings, afraid to get spooked. She reached for the radio, but hesitated, feeling like she need things to be quiet, to listen, although she didn’t know what she was listening for. This is silly. Miranda opened Facebook. But she was so distracted, the posts blurred into a meaningless jumble.

  Jason finally walked out of the alley, a big smile lighting up his face. He drew closer and gave her a thumbs-up.

  “Everything went well?” she asked, a little breathless as he climbed in.

  “Yeah, well, Danny was shocked to see me again. Told me not to come any closer or he would sic his friend Bill on me. But he calmed down when he remembered who I was.

  “How could he even see you?”

  “He had a flashlight. Which reminds me, I need to get him some batteries. Anyway, he liked all the stuff. But guess what his favorite thing was?”

  “What?”

  “The beanie! Man, Miranda, you hit it out of the park with that one! He was so excited. Yanked it on his head right away and told me all about how they played last season.”
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  “How does he know?”

  “I guess he watches the game where ever he can. Probably outside pub windows.”

  Miranda’s eyes glistened. Jason pulled the collar of her coat warmly around her neck, then brushed a tear off her cheek. “We’re a good team. I know this is hard. He’s going to be okay tonight. Tomorrow we’ll see what else we can do for him.”

  33

  Spring

  A few days later, Jason brought Danny to the TECH. The moment he saw the teenagers bustling inside, Danny backed around the corner, too afraid to enter. Miranda stayed outside for a while and tried to coax him in. He’d grinned shyly and ducked his head. When Miranda brought him a peanut butter sandwich and some water, he pocketed them and walked away.

  They always knew where to find him. Every night he was outside the pizza place after it closed. Over time, they’d learned more about him. A former foster kid, he’d aged out of the system at the end of the school year on his eighteenth birthday. The crew at TECH exhausted all the resources they could find trying to find help for him. All the adult homes were full, or didn’t have openings for someone in his situation.

  Danny showed no interest in moving and when Jason brought out a catalogue of tents, he simply shook his head, confused. “Why do I want that, Jason? It might scare Bill. Bill doesn’t like new things. No sir, he does not.”

  “He might like this. Hey, here’s a spot Bill could rest on the top.”

  Danny studied the picture with a worried frown. He stood up. “Nope. Bill would not like that. No sir.”

  Jason gave up. He pulled out some new socks emblazoned with the Seahawks logo. “Okay, no worries. Hey, look what I found the other day.”

  Danny took them with a big grin, dropped to the floor right there and began untying his shoes. Even though his socks were in tatters, he carefully peeled them off. After laying them aside, he pulled the new ones on, yanking the blue and green socks right over the cuffs of his pants. Jason opened his mouth to mention something to him but Danny was so proud. “Look at my socks. WOW! I’m a real Twelve!”