Small town romance boxed set

by Goodwin, Emily

Nora

  I sit in the treehouse, feet hanging over the edge. Tom Petty plays on my iPod, drowning out the sounds of the morning. I lay back, looking at the clouds and roll the pearls on my grandmother’s necklace between my fingers. I focus on the lyrics of “You Wreck Me” and try not to think.

  I fail.

  Today is Mom’s birthday. Stephanie was going to take me to Greendale to visit her grave, but last night Brayden tried to punch Doug, missed, hit a wall, and broke his hand. They spent a few hours at the ER last night and are dealing with social services now. Stephanie already called me out for school, and I suppose I could go. But all I want to do right now is lay here and not think.

  The treehouse shakes, and I look over to see Jack climb the ladder. He sits next to me without saying a word, putting his arm around me. My heart is heavy today, making me feel alone without a real family all over again.

  “She would have liked you,” I whisper to Jack, pulling my headphones off.

  “Who?”

  “Mimi.” I close my eyes, trying to remember her voice. Lately, when I think of her, my mind goes to her final moments. She’d hate to be remembered like that. “And she’d tell me how Mom would approve and how we remind her of my parents or something. Minus the whole teenage pregnancy part.”

  “I know I would have liked them too. They had to be pretty awesome to raise a badass chick like you.”

  I lean on Jack, so grateful he’s here. And then I realize that he shouldn’t be here. “Don’t you have class?”

  “Technically. But so do you.”

  “I planned to take today off days ago.”

  “I know.” He slides to the ladder and jumps down. “So let’s go.”

  “We can’t just leave.” I wrap my headphone cord around my iPod and shove it in my pocket.

  “Like that’s ever stopped us before?” He flashes a grin and holds out his hand. I climb down and take it, following him to his Jeep where he opens the passenger side door for me. A bouquet of yellow lilies sits on the seat.

  I turn to Jack. “You remembered?”

  “You’re not the only one who planned to take today off days ago.”

  My eyes fill with tears. “Dammit, Jack. You’re making me cry.”

  His arms fold around me. “I love you, Nora. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  I circle my finger around the scar on Jack’s side, trailing my finger across his stomach and up over his chest. We got back into town with time to spare, and we put that rare hour alone to good use.

  The rough skin on Jack’s palm slides over the naked flesh on my back as he pulls me down against him. We just had sex, and he’s half-asleep. My phone buzzes and I reach over Jack to grab my purse from the floor. It’s Stephanie. Shit.

  “Hello?” I answer.

  “Oh good, you’re okay.”

  I sit up. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “There was a home invasion on Jefferson Street this afternoon. We just heard about it on the radio. Jefferson is only a few blocks away and you’re home alone.”

  “Was anyone hurt?”

  Jack opens his eyes, looking at me in question. I pull the phone away from my ear and put it on speakerphone.

  “No, thank God. According to the news it was done by a man dressed in all black wearing a ski mask. He was armed and got away with several hundred dollar’s worth of jewelry. The homeowners walked in on the break-in taking place.”

  “That’s terrifying. There are no leads?”

  “Not any reported on the news. Are the Harringtons home? Doug thinks I’m overreacting, but the thought of you being home alone today is freaking me out.”

  “Uh,” I start. “Let me go look out the window.” I cringe and act like I’m walking through the house. “I see Jack’s Jeep in the street. Do you want me to go over? I can have him try to get a hold of his dad and find out more details.”

  “That would make me feel a lot better. And I’m sorry, honey, about today.”

  “It’s okay,” I tell her, and it really is. “How did things go with Brayden today?”

  “As good as they could have. I’ll tell you more about it later. We’ve been waiting to see people most of the day.”

  “Sounds exhausting.”

  “It is. Though I feel better now that I know you’re safe.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I assure her. “I’ll just make Jack hang around until you’re home.”

  “It goes without saying but be responsible.”

  Jack makes a face and motions to his naked body. I swat at him, trying hard not to laugh. “I will.”

  “Bye, Nora.”

  “Bye.”

  I hang up and snuggle up next to Jack. “Now we have a reason to stay together. You need to keep me safe.”

  “I will,” he promises. “Always.”

  We get dressed and I make Jack’s bed while he calls his dad. Veronica comes home soon after, and the three of us watch TV the rest of the afternoon until the Kellers get back. Jack walks me home.

  Things are tense with Brayden when I get into the house, so I go upstairs to shower and change, and then text Becca. She hasn’t sent me a picture of Binx in a while and I’m really missing my fat cat tonight. She replies a few minutes later with a picture of Binx looking very unamused in his pumpkin Halloween costume.

  I hang out in my room for another half-hour, then get driven downstairs by hunger. Brayden’s coming up the steps as I go down and goes out of his way to shoulder bump me. I grit my teeth and ignore it. For now.

  “Did the mail come?” I ask when I see Stephanie in the kitchen.

  “Yes, and hun, it’s way too early to hear anything from college,” she tells me. “You’ll get in to at least one of your top choices. Try not to worry.”

  “It’s hard not to.” My stomach twists thinking about it. “Where I get in determines where I’ll live after this. If I don’t get into a good school, then I won’t have a good home.”

  Stephanie looks at Doug, smiling. He smiles back and gives her a tiny nod. Something is going on between them, and it’s not the reaction I expected after confessing I’m worried about where I’ll live next year.

  “We were going to wait,” Stephanie starts. Doug’s by her side with his arm around her shoulders. “Things have been so crazy lately there hasn’t been a good time. And there probably won’t be a good time.” Her smile grows. “We want to adopt you.”

  I blink. So many emotions go through me. Too many. I shut down to keep from being overloaded. “Why?”

  “We love you.”

  “But I’ll be eighteen in two weeks.”

  “That doesn’t make a difference to us,” Doug says. “You’re never too old to need a family. We want to be yours.”

  * * *

  I walk outside Halloween morning, basking in the bright sun shining down on me. A cool breeze came down from the mountains overnight, giving the air just enough chill to make today feel all the more festive and creepy.

  Jack is already standing by the Jeep. He’s holding a small wrapped box and smiles when he sees me. He throws his arms around me, lifting me off the ground and pins me between himself and the Jeep. We kiss, and for the first time, don’t care who sees.

  “Happy birthday, babe. Finally.”

  “Finally.” I kiss him again, taking his lip between my teeth. “I was so tempted last night to knock on your door at a minute past midnight.”

  “I was up then thinking about you. I almost did come over. Then I remembered you guys have an alarm system now.”

  “Stupid technology.”

  After two more break-ins, and Brayden trying to sneak out in the middle of the night, the Kellers got an alarm system installed. I know the code to disarm it at night, but the Kellers would know.

  “We have tonight,” I remind Jack.

  “We do. And I’ll have an empty house.” He lets go of my legs. Once my feet are on the ground, I grab him by his belt buckle and bring his hips to mine.

  “How’d you manage
that?”

  “My dad’s working all night. He thinks whoever is behind the break-ins is going to take advantage of people opening their doors to strangers tonight and will size up the best houses to hit and see who’s home. The guy’s only hitting empty houses, so it seems like everything is planned well in advance. And my mom and Veronica are going with my aunt and my cousins to the Halloween fest downtown before trick or treating.”

  “How much time will we have?”

  Jack kisses the nape of my neck, fully knowing how irresistible I find it. “Enough.”

  The Harringtons’ front door opens, and snaps shut. Jack’s dad steps onto the porch.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Jack mumbles through gritted teeth. He doesn’t let me go and instead tightens his grip on me. I look over Jack’s shoulder at Mr. Harrington. He’s dressed for work and is holding a to-go mug of coffee.

  “Happy birthday, Nora,” he calls and gets into his squad car. Jack and I watch him drive away, taking off quickly down the street.

  “He kept his word about backing off once you turned eighteen. I wasn’t sure if he actually would.” Jack kisses me again and then turns to grab my present. I tear off the paper, revealing a little black box—the kind that jewelry comes in. I can feel Jack’s eyes on me as I open it.

  “It’s beautiful.” A smile comes to my face and I gently touch a tiny glass rose. It hangs on a delicate silver chain.

  “It’s the rose from Beauty and the Beast. I had my cousin who works at Disneyland send it to me. And,” he pauses, pulling something from his back pocket. “There’s a musical of it playing in Greendale in April. If you don’t want to go, I understand. But I remember you said you wanted to, and you helped me do things I never thought I’d do again. I want to do the same for you.”

  I’m not an emotional person. I don’t cry easily at things like this. But I’m looking at Jack with tears in my eyes. Right now, I feel like things are finally going right.

  For both of us.

  Chapter 20

  Jack

  “How’d you do on your finals?” Nora asks, glancing over her shoulder. I just walked into the Kellers’ house, and Nora and Stephanie are preoccupied decorating their Christmas tree. Their fifth Christmas tree, I should say, and the second one in the living room. The yearly decoration judging is coming up soon, and they think four full-sized trees isn’t going to cut it. They have one in the sunroom, one in the dining room, one at the top of the stairs, and now two in the living room. It’s crazy, but it’s Nora. So I love it.

  “All right,” I say, admiring Nora while I take my shoes off. She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. Her hair is in a messy braid over her shoulder, and she doesn’t have a bit of makeup on.

  She’s fucking gorgeous.

  Nora steps back from the Christmas tree and shakes her head. “I’m not crazy about the way the ribbon looks. I’d rather cut it into three-foot sections and work it down in a very slight diagonal pattern.”

  Stephanie nods. “Yeah, as much as I don’t want to undo what we did, I totally agree.” She meets my eyes and smiles. “I’ll take it off. You two can go talk.” She wiggles her eyebrows at Nora, who laughs in response. We’ve been doing a lot of talking lately. Both the real kind and the nonverbal naked kind, though I know that’s not what Stephanie’s referring to.

  Nora needs the distraction and extra support right now. Christmas is still hard for her, and this is the first year her grandma is gone—really gone. But like the strong woman she is, Nora has readjusted everything around her and embraced her new normal.

  The girl knows what she wants and goes for it. And she wants to be happy. I like to think I’ve had a hand in helping her get there.

  “What about your math final?” Nora gets off the step ladder and comes to me. I give her a quick kiss, holding my hand behind my back.

  “I knew the material, thanks to a rather annoyingly persistent tutor.”

  She smiles and slides her hand under my jacket. “Take this off. Stay a while.”

  “I will.” I bring my hand out from behind my back. “As long as you take the mail for me. The truck pulled up right as I walked over. You got a few things.” It takes a lot of effort not to lose my shit right now. I’m so fucking in love with this girl, and so incredibly proud of her.

  “Oh my God.” Nora takes the mail, body tensing. “Two. I got two.”

  “Two of what, honey?” Stephanie pulls glittery silver ribbon from the tree.

  “Big envelopes.” The excitement on her face disappears and she thrusts the envelopes forward. “Open them for me. I’m too scared.”

  I take her shaking hand in mine and lead her to the couch. “You got in, babe. They wouldn’t send the big envelopes if you didn’t.”

  “He’s right.” Stephanie sits on Nora’s other side. “I’m so proud of you!”

  “Guys, chill. Don’t celebrate yet. There’s still a chance it’s a no.”

  “Just open it.” I push the envelopes back into her hands. “You’ll see.”

  Nora bites her lip, moving her head up and down. “Should I wait for Doug?”

  Stephanie wrinkles her nose. “Nah. I’m too anxious. Rip ‘em open, hun!”

  “Okay.” She inhales and looks at the two envelopes. One is from Berkeley and the other from Greendale University. She goes for the one from GU first. “Yep, I got accepted into Greendale. That’s good. In case the other is a no, I have a good backup plan.” She sets her acceptance letter on the coffee table. Her hands shake ever so slightly as she tears into the second envelope.

  I’m positive she got in. She has to. Nora is the smartest person I know. Her eyes flit over the letter, and a few seconds pass. And she’s not smiling. She lowers the letter and closes her eyes as she exhales.

  “I got in.”

  Stephanie cheers and I plant a big kiss on Nora’s lips. “I knew you’d get in,” I tell her. Nora blinks a few times and smiles.

  “I prepared myself for the worst. I got in.” Her smile widens. “I got into Berkeley.”

  Stephanie hugs her. “Mimi would be so proud,” she whispers. “I think she’s watching right now, pouring herself a gin and tonic and raising her glass to you.”

  Nora closes her eyes, a gesture I’ve come to learn is her way of stopping tears from springing to her eyes. She doesn’t like to cry. “I think so too. With my mom and dad.”

  “You’ve worked so hard for this. We need to celebrate. Jack, do you want to go out to dinner with us?” She checks the time on her phone. “Doug and Bray should be home soon. Where do you want to go, hun? Your choice.”

  “Jimmy’s. I’ve grown kind of fond of that place and their greasy cheeseburgers.”

  “Jimmy’s it is. I’ll text Doug and let him know.”

  Nora reads over her letter and admission packet from Berkeley three times. Then her face pales and she looks up at me.

  “We’re going to be so far apart.”

  “I’ll come see you on the weekends. Every weekend. I promise.”

  “I don’t want to be away from you.”

  “I don’t want to be away from you either,” I tell her. “But we’ll make things work. There’s no way I’d get into UC Berkeley, but there are other schools around it, and I’ve always liked the Bay Area.”

  Her face lights up. “Yeah, there are a ton of good schools around there. Even if we were just an hour apart is better than you being here and me being there. It’s like a seven-hour drive.”

  Stephanie gets up to start taking the rest of the ribbon off the tree. Nora leans on me, hand going to my side, gently resting over my scar.

  “Whatever happens, we’ll make it work,” I tell her.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise. Read me the acceptance letter again?”

  The smile is back on her face. “I can do that.”

  “Oh shit,” Stephanie mutters under her breath.

  Nora stops reading and looks up. “What’s wrong?”
>
  Stephanie shakes her head as she types out a response to whatever text she got. “Brayden got into another fight.” She sighs. “I’m going to have to call Brent again.”

  At this point, even I’m familiar with Brent, the social worker assigned to Brayden’s case. Stephanie leaves the room and Nora sets her acceptance letter down. Brayden is technically her foster brother, and while he’s expected to go back to his father as soon as the court allows it, she cares about him.

  The kid has some serious anger issues and doesn’t respect authority of any kind. I haven’t said anything to Nora, but my dad told me kids like Brayden end up in jail. He’s seen it before. Nora, like the Kellers, believes it’s not too late for him though and isn’t giving up.

  Nora changes into a curve-hugging sweater dress and pulls half her hair up into a clip. We watch TV while waiting for Doug and Brayden to get home. And as soon as they do, I wish they hadn’t. Brayden is in a rage, yelling and trying to shove Doug away. Looking defeated, Doug takes his shoes and coat off and goes into the bathroom.

  “Hey,” Nora says gently. Most of the time, Brayden calms down around her. I think it’s because he has a crush on her, not that I blame the kid, and realized the angry ‘tough guy’ persona he puts on for everyone else is extremely off-putting for Nora. “I heard you had a rough day.”

  “What would you know about it, you dumb bitch?” he sneers.

  “Don’t call her that,” I snap.

  Brayden picks up a glass ornament from off the tree. “What are you gonna do ‘bout it, murderer?”

  His words send a jolt through me, and if it wasn’t for Nora’s hand on my thigh, I’d jump up.

  “Shut up!” Nora yells, and Stephanie comes rushing down the stairs.

  “What?” Brayden quips, rolling the ornament between his hands. “You don’t like knowing your fuck-buddy shot someone?”

  “That’s enough.” I get to my feet, fingers balled into fists.

  “Jack.” Nora grabs my arm and gets up. I turn away from Brayden to look at her, and the moment I’m distracted, Brayden throws the ornament at me. He misses. I move my hand at the last second, blocking it from hitting Nora in the face. It shatters when it hits the floor. Blind rage takes over. He almost hurt Nora.