Chapter 3
Chapter Three
THEA
“How old is your son?” I heard myself asking, my mind trying to wrap itself around this detail.
“Six,” Joe replied.
“What's his name?”
He slid his gaze to mine. “Joe.”
I laughed softly.
“We call him Joey.”
“That's what you used to go by.”
“I know.” He grinned as he looked back at the road. “I'm older now.”
“Are you wiser?” I teased lightly.
His lips kicked up on one side, and my belly did a little flip. I tore my eyes away, looking around downtown Haven’s Bay again. “It's just as pretty as I remembered.”
“Do you miss Maine?”
Another rush of emotion hit me, and I had to clear my throat before I could answer. “I do. I come up a few times a year now.”
“I think I saw you at the grocery store once.”
“You did? How come you didn't say hi?” I looked back toward him.
His shoulder fell from a shrug. “I don't know. You were with Audrey. I think I had Joey with me. It didn't seem like good timing.”
My heart twisted sharply in my chest. Because that hurt. “It's good to see you, Joe. I would have loved to have seen you sooner.”
“Well, you're seeing me now. Audrey's married to Dallas, I heard. I've seen him a few times around town and ran into both of them at Emile’s once. I hear Sasha and Noah got married too.”
“They did. They got married last summer.”
“I know. The reception was a big deal in town.”
“Do you have all the gossip on my family?” I teased, trying to keep my tone light.
Joe chuckled as he turned onto the road that would lead us past my family's house. I was about to find out where he lived now. “Haven’s Bay is still a small town, Thea. It's not like I have to fish for the information.”
“I know, I know. Sorry, that was weird.”
“It wasn't weird. I always wondered how you were doing. What do you do?”
“For work, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I'm a lawyer.”
“That's what you wanted to do. Good for you.” His tone was warm, but I felt strange inside.
“I actually achieved one thing I set out to do,” I said, my tone feeling scratchy in my throat.
“I’m sorry about your mom.” His words were soft.
“Thanks.” My chest got tight again, and I took a quick breath.
“She always liked you.”
Joe nodded. “How are things for you and your brothers with everything that went down with your dad?”
“Ah, that ugly story. We're good actually. No love lost there. My dad was an asshole,” I said flatly.
“Well, I knew that.” His tone was dry and resigned. “It was kind of a shock to realize he was a criminal too.”
I took a breath. “Yeah.”
“Do you stay in touch with him?”
“He’s in jail, Joe.”
“I know, but there are phones and letters.”
I shrugged. “Not much. None of us were close to him before he got charged. It was kind of a turning point for our family and brought me closer to my brothers. The only thing we kept was the house. Ian and Dallas paid off everybody that dad owed money to. Ugh, did he owe your garage any money?”
Joe’s dry laugh rustled in his throat. “No, he didn't use our garage, Thea.”
I didn't realize what I was doing until it happened, but I reached over and curled my hand over his where it rested on the gearshift. “I'm sorry.”
His gaze slid sideways to mine. I wasn't quite sure how to read it in the dim light. “It's okay. Like I said, we were young. Your dad was an asshole. That's the story.”
Of all the people I expected to run into tonight, Joe hadn’t even crossed my mind. Now, he was a father. I felt like I should have known that somehow.
When we drove past my family's house, I glanced sideways. The lights were glowing in the snowy darkness. The snow had eased up slightly, but the roads were still slick.
“So, I saw Jane and Ian, by the way.”
“You did?”
“Yup. She also bent her tire rim, and I towed her car.”
“Seriously?”
Joe flashed me a grin. “Sure did. I thought they had a thing going.”
“I was hoping so. That’s why I didn’t want to show up unannounced at the house. She just moved to Boston. I let her know she could stay at the house for a few weeks, and apparently, Ian's there too.”
“Aside from not wanting to interrupt them, why don’t you want to stay there?”
I let out a sigh as he turned on his blinker. “Oh wow, you're just down the road.”
“Yep. This lot was mostly wooded. It still is, but I built a house here.”
“That’s awesome, Joe. I know you love the ocean. You must be doing well for yourself because this property could not have been cheap.”
He shrugged. “I never wanted to be rich, but I'm comfortable, and I love Haven's Bay. It was nice to be able to build this place.”
“And it's just you here?”
“Me, and Joey when he stays with me.”
The driveway was long, like most of those on this stretch of road.
In another moment, we passed through a cluster of trees.
When they opened up, lights were blazing through the darkness and snow.
Joe slowed to turn around a circular driveway, pulling up to a garage and tapping a small button clipped on the visor in his truck.
By the time Joe had parked and led me into his house, my nerves felt stripped raw. This entire situation was strange and unexpected. And that crazy kiss had set my body spiraling. I felt like a pinball machine with a muddle of emotion, desire, and surprise bouncing around.
His dog, Dexter, greeted us when we entered from the garage. “Do you recognize him?” Joe teased as he scratched behind Dexter’s ears.
“I don't know. All I saw was a dog-shaped shadow running across the road.” I smiled down at his dog.
Dexter was white with two large brown splotches on his body. Half of his face was brown and the other white. He was very friendly, wiggling and wagging and circling me with excitement.
“Easy, buddy, she just walked in.”
Joe had my bag in his hand and set it by the door. “You can hang up your jacket and leave your boots here.”
We walked into a small entryway between the garage and kitchen. After I took care of my jacket and boots, Joe took me on a quick house tour with Dexter following along.
“This is a really nice place, Joe.”
His home was a low-slung ranch-style—not too big but not too small. There was a beautiful open living room with a vaulted ceiling. The view tonight was of the darkness and blowing snow, but I knew the ocean would be visible during the daylight. His home had a modern, clean feel to it.
“Is gray your favorite color?” I teased.
Joe caught my eyes, rolling his in return. “My sister picked out all the colors and decided to keep it simple.”
“It’s nice.” There were a few splashes of color with a deep maroon rug on the hardwood floor.
An archway from the living room led into a kitchen with modern, stainless-steel appliances and a cute breakfast nook by the windows. Down the hallway were three bedrooms and a bath. His son's bedroom was cheerfully decorated.
“I love the bed,” I offered with a smile, gesturing to the car-shaped bed.
He shrugged. “Also, my sister.”
“How is Stacy?” I asked as we walked across the hallway to the master bedroom.
“She's good. She lives in Brunswick now. She does all the accounting for us, so it works out really well.”
“Is she married? Does she have kids?”
“No, and no. She babysits when I need it.”
“Nice bedroom.” I looked around the master bedroom.
Simply being near a bed with Joe had butterflies twirling in my belly again.
Much of my dating relationship with Joe involved making out in cars.
It had been maybe a full year that we pulled off all that sneaking around with my father getting grumpier and grumpier.
He finally called a halt to it when we got caught making out in the parking lot behind Joe’s garage.
My eyes took in the king-sized bed. It was low to the floor and built into the wall. There was a doorway to the side, which I presumed was a master bath.
My guess was confirmed when he said, “I even have my own bathroom.
I don't really need it. Although I only have Joey half of the time, he makes a mess in the bathroom, so it is kind of nice.
Now let's eat because I'm freaking starving. My pizza’s probably cold, so I'm gonna throw it in the oven if you don't mind.”
“Of course, I don’t mind,” I replied as I followed him into the kitchen. “You don't have to feed me.”
His gaze slid sideways to mine. “I’m not so rude that I’d sit here and eat in front of you. Are you hungry?”
As if in answer, my belly rumbled, and he chuckled. He needed to stop smiling. His slow smiles were making my body go wild, and I still hadn't completely cooled down from that kiss back at the garage.
“Have a seat.” He gestured toward the nook by the windows.
I slipped into the bench seat and looked around. “This is really cute, Joe,” I called over.
He turned on the oven and pulled the pizza out of the box to place it onto a large baking sheet. “I like it,” he replied after he closed the oven. “It's comfortable. That nook is a great place to have coffee in the morning.”
“I bet.” Snow swirled in the darkness beyond the windows, and the wind came in rolling gusts off the ocean.
“You'll get to see it tomorrow. Let's hope the snow lightens up before then.”
All I could think about was the fact that I was spending the night alone in a house with Joe. I would have paid money for this in high school. While we ate, we chatted and caught up on life. All the while, an onslaught of memories rolled through me.
Every glance from him felt knowing. When I helped him clean up, the mere brush of his elbow against mine sent desire pinging through me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't forget that kiss.
Joe didn't even get another emergency call. “It's quiet tonight,” he commented at one point.
“Were you expecting more calls?”
“It’s hit or miss near the holidays. Most people aren’t driving that late in this weather,” he replied with a knowing look in my direction.
“I just needed a break.”
We were sitting on the couch now, and Joe was maybe two feet away from me. The distance felt way too close and way too far all at the same time.
I made a quick decision. This might be one night, but I could use the kind of escape I hadn't had in years, probably since high school with this very guy. I angled toward him with my pulse galloping out of control.
“Let's have one night.” My voice came out breathy although I was trying to be bold.
“What do you mean, Thea?”
I scooted closer, shimmying onto his lap so I was straddling him. “This,” I said decisively before I leaned forward and kissed him again.