Chapter 14 – Jael
My alarm blares obnoxiously from the nightstand, yanking me out of a half-sleep haze and reminding me that I need to haul myself out of bed to meet Molly at the Marshall’s new restaurant for our late lunch plans.
I’ve got work tonight, and that’s the only thing that has me dragging my sorry, hung over ass out of bed. And it’s not just a physical hangover that I feel from the drinks, but it’s an emotional one. From game night, seeing our old friends, and everything that happened with Rhett in the basement.
I drop my head into my hands, shaking it back and forth. What the hell was I thinking? But deep down, I know exactly what happened last night.
It’s this town. It’s like the place has seeped into my bones, dismantling every defense that I’ve worked so hard to build.
When I left Whitewood Creek, I’d wrapped my heart in barbed wire, determined to keep the past, and any chance of experiencing more pain, out for good.
I never wanted to let myself feel like this again.
And yet, here I am. Lying in bed. Thinking about the past and all the mistakes that I’ve made. Thinking about him. Thinking about us.
Regret claws at me, dragging up all the different ways that I could’ve handled things differently back then and last night, but I shove it aside, forcing myself to get up and face the day. Because I learned years ago that living in the past will destroy me.
Thirty minutes and a shower later, I’m across town, sliding into a small table at the Marshall family’s restaurant and brewery with Molly sitting across from me, smiling wide.
“You look good.”
I laugh. “Are you saying that because of how bad I looked last night?”
She grins but doesn’t say anything more.
"So, how has your first week back in Whitewood Creek gone?” She pops a handful of fresh berries into her mouth and adjusts her badge.
She’s wearing her Whitewood Creek police uniform and looks adorable with her long, dark black hair slicked into a tight, no-nonsense bun plus cargo pants and a button up shirt.
We’re at the Marshalls family's latest project—a brand-new restaurant and brewery that’s poised to rival the flagship location they opened two springs ago in Charlotte.
It’s been open for over a year now Molly said, but she shared last night they are constantly making changes to the menu and layout of the place which is why we’re looking at a new autumn menu for our late lunch today.
“It’s been good so far,” I reply, just as our server comes to the table and we give our orders.
When she walks away, I turn back to Molly.
“I feel like I’ve finally gotten the layout of the hospital figured out and am in a good routine.
It’s changed a lot since I was a senior in high school, trying to rack up volunteer hours. ”
Molly nods, her expression thoughtful. “Yeah, the hospital has expanded as the town’s grown. Hayes said that they’re working on opening an ICU, so patients don’t have to be airlifted to Charlotte anymore. Is that true?”
I nod. “That’s right. That’s the reason for the contract that I’m on currently. I’m training some of the existing nurses.”
Our server returns to the table with two coffees and a stack of sweet potato pancakes. “We’re trialing these for the upcoming season. Regan said to send them out.”
I grab my knife and slice off a small piece before popping it in my mouth. It’s warm, with the slightest bit of butter taste and fluffy. “Holy shit, this is amazing.”
Before Molly can respond, Regan Marshall slides up to our table, her dark auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail, a towel tucked into the waistband of her fitted jeans.
Her bright blue eyes sparkle—familiar like Molly’s, but softer and not quite as intense—she grins as she drops into the empty chair next to Molly.
“So glad you like it,” she says, her voice warm as she leans forward. “I’m experimenting. The sweet potatoes are from the garden I started at the manor, and I used cottage cheese and loads of butter to make the texture even fluffier.”
“Well, whatever you’re doing, it’s working,” I say, gesturing to the plate with my fork.
Regan beams and reaches across the table to pat my hand. “It’s good to see you again, Jael. Rhett mentioned that you were in town.”
Ah, Rhett. God, I wonder what he told her. I wonder why he was even talking about me. Hearing his name makes me feel both excited and embarrassed.
“It’s good to see you too,” I reply with a small smile.
Regan and Molly were both a year ahead of me in school, and while Regan and I didn’t run in the same circles, our paths crossed a few times because of Molly. I’d never heard a bad word about her, or any of the Marshall siblings for that matter. In fact, that has me wondering…
“Rhett mentioned he’s been spending more time with Cash and Colt lately. Are they close?”
Molly and Regan give each other a look before turning back to me. “Ah, you don’t know.”
I raise a brow before Regan shrugs. “You two were always so close, I just figured it’s something he would have brought up when he saw you. He made it seem like you’d picked up right where you left off when you got to town.”
I bite my lip because that’s how it felt, until last night. Until I messed up. Until the problems from our past showed up in the darkness of that basement.
Foolish for me to think they could stay away for long.
I take another bite of pancake, savoring the flavors, and wash it down with a sip of coffee.
It’s not what I’d usually pair with a meal like this, but I can’t indulge in the Marshalls’ homebrewed spirits since I’ve got a shift tonight.
Plus, the hangover I’m still nursing is lingering like a bad memory.
I chew my lip, my gaze flicking to Molly, who gives me a knowing look. She’s not the type to spill secrets, but I can’t tell how much she’s pieced together about what happened between Rhett and me in Lainey’s basement before I stormed out of their house.
“Well, things were good at first when I got town. I saw Lainey, Lark, Molly, Rhett, and a few of the plumbing guys last night for game night at Lainey’s,” I say, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“Oh, that sounds fun!” Regan says brightly, her smile warm. “We should do a game night just us girls soon. Lydia would love to join.”
“I’ll invite you next time,” Molly promises, returning her friend’s grin.
Regan’s attention shifts back to me. “So, how was it seeing everyone again?”
I hesitate, the words sticking in my throat as I exhale deeply. Last night at Lainey’s hadn’t ended the way I’d hoped. When Brandon dropped me off at my hotel afterward, I was pissed—at myself, mostly, for ruining the moment with Rhett, but also at Rhett for shutting down.
Then again, I’m sure I deserved it. I wasn’t the one who kept in touch after I moved away, and everything fell apart. In fact, I was the one who ignored his text messages and phone calls until they eventually stopped coming at all and he forgot about me.
When I woke up this morning, I told myself to let it go.
To drop everything: the kiss, the feelings, the weight of what we used to mean to each other.
I blamed the alcohol and the loneliness for making me impulsive enough to suggest we sleep together.
It was stupid, reckless, and a brutal reminder of the poor decisions I seem to always make.
“It was… honestly a little difficult,” I admit, biting my lip as the memory stirs the pain I'd pushed down back up.
Molly leans forward, her expression soft with encouragement. “You looked like you were having so much fun. What happened? Is there anything you want to talk about with us?”
“Rhett and I might have had… a moment,” I confess, the words spilling out reluctantly.
“A moment?” Regan echoes, raising a brow.
“Yeah, downstairs in Lainey and Lark’s basement.
We’d been drinking, and it just… it felt good to be touched again.
” I shake my head, hating how pathetic that sounds, even to my own ears.
“God, that sounds so desperate, but it’s been a while since I’ve had any kind of attention from a man.
I think I’m just… I don’t know, starved for physical contact or something. ”
“That’s not pathetic at all,” Regan says gently, and there’s something in her tone that makes me wonder if she’s known that feeling in the past too.
“It’s just…” I pause, searching for the words.
“It’s Rhett. We have so much history together—complicated history.
And before I knew it, he was kissing me, and I kissed him back.
And it felt good. Not just because I’ve missed being wanted by a man, but because it was him.
” I let out a shaky breath, my voice softening.
“He’s always been so important to me. We had years of friendship, and then it all fell apart when I left town. I think I’d blocked out how and why it all went wrong. But having him hold me again… it felt healing for just a moment.”
I stop there, unwilling to dive deeper. Molly and Regan don’t know the full story—at least, I don’t think Rhett ever told them or anyone else what happened when we split up ten years ago.
Sure, I knew that Owen had run his mouth around town that summer our senior year about taking my virginity, even though he didn’t, and people definitely talked about Rhett punching him in the locker room and breaking his nose. But no one knows the real reason why Rhett and I lost touch.
The reason that I’ve been trying to bury for years.
The reason that coming back to Whitewood Creek seems determined to expose and drag into the light.
◆◆◆
This can’t be happening.
I was so careful.
I look down and confirm that this is in fact, happening.
I’m only three weeks into my new life in Virginia and for the first time in what feels like years, I’ve felt like life might finally be giving me a break. I landed a job faster than I ever imagined, working as a Certified Nurse Assistant at the local hospital.