Old Flames (Pinegrove FD #2)

PROLOGUE

“Did you finish all the Moscato?” Jessie asked, reaching blindly and pawing around in the dark. Seconds later, she smacked Malcolm straight in the face.

“Oof,” he exhaled, smothering a smile as he handed her the nearly empty wine bottle. It was ghastly stuff, sweeter than his nana’s sweet tea, and left the chemical taste of grapes in his mouth, but he’d do anything for Jessie Mays.

Always had, always would.

“I’m thinking you should switch to water, JJ,” he suggested, unscrewing a fresh bottle and jostling it overhead.

Grabbing the wine cork, he tucked it into his pocket.

Not necessarily the most comfortable position, he was propped on his elbows, with Jessie’s head nestled on his lap.

The whole damn meadow could burst into flames, and he’d be tempted to stay exactly where they were; two souls sharing the same air. And a really awful bottle of vino ...

Jessie, completely undeterred, blew raspberries before downing the last of the wine. She covered her mouth as she belched, the sound echoing in the empty space. Fireflies flitted around them, their lights providing the perfect romantic atmosphere—despite his girl’s sound effects.

High school graduation had been that afternoon. While their classmates were at various parties getting drunk on their daddy’s vodka or their momma’s schnapps, Malcolm and Jessie had stolen a bottle of wine from her mother’s stash and headed out to the meadows of a local farm, Hog Hollow.

What used to be a large farm and plantation had turned into a smaller, more workable farm with acres of meadowland and pine groves stretching out in every direction.

Their small town had lots of better places to find trouble and embrace teenage drama, so very few kids ventured to the fields.

Malcolm and Jessie had discovered the space the year before, desperate for a spot to just be.

Not to say they didn’t get up to a fair bit of trouble, but most of their time in the meadow was spent doing this ... laying with their faces toward the night sky, searching for answers in the stars. And any place that he and Jessie could claim as their own held a special spot in his heart.

Sometimes, Malcolm would point out constellations he remembered from their astronomy class, and it was no different today. “Isn’t that the Big Dipper?” he asked, knowing damn well it wasn’t.

Jessie scoffed. “I may be drunk, but that’s clearly Orion’s belt.” Her words slurred, her breath tickling his skin.

Malcolm inched closer and whispered, “Did you know it was originally called Orion’s Fanny Pack?”

Jessie burst out laughing, rolling onto her side and poking Malcolm in the ribs. “Like hell it was,” she said through another round of giggles. He would do anything to warrant a laugh from JJ; it was like taking a deep breath after being underwater—life-affirming.

“Water, Jessica June Mays, or else I’m telling your momma about the pilfered wine. We can discuss Orion’s fashion choices later.” Malcolm did his best to channel his father’s sternness, but he sounded mostly smitten.

Jessie sighed, finally taking the water and chugging a third in one go. “Pfft. Pilfered, look at you, College Boy.” She winked to soften the dig, her blue eyes sparkling in the dim lighting.

Malcolm swept a lock of reddish-brown hair off her forehead, clearing the view to her lovely profile. “You can still join me,” he offered, his voice low and tentative. “That acceptance letter hasn’t expired.”

He held his breath, knowing already the answer was a big fat no.

“Malcolm,” Jessie warned, suddenly sounding more sober than she was.

She angled her head to meet his gaze. “You know I have to try this. Please don’t follow my parents’ lead.

It would be nice for someone to support my plan.

” She hesitated a moment and sighed. “Even Trevor’s giving me guff.

I don’t know why everyone is on my case. ”

Her older brother Trevor was a good friend of Malcolm’s, and he knew how much Trevor struggled with his sister leaving.

The Mays clan was a tight-knit family of four, so surely their only daughter and sister moving away would sting.

Growing up an only child, Malcolm understood all too well how it felt to be in a small family.

There were invisible ties that could feel both comforting and cloying.

“I do support your plan, but that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.” His finger traced down her cheek to her neck, committing the path to memory. He was intimately acquainted with every inch of his girl, but he couldn’t keep his hands away.

When his fingers reached her shoulder, she covered his hand with her own. “I love you, Malcolm. Me joining the Peace Corps doesn’t change that.”

“I love you, too.” He dipped his head and pecked her lips before pulling back and staring up at the sky. Blinking away tears, he focused on finding the constellations, hopeful they could point him toward safer topics of conversation ... and a heart that wasn’t splitting in half.

“My first tour is just six months, so I’ll be home by Christmas. It’ll be like I’m at college, and we’ll see each other over breaks.” Linking their fingers together, she brought their joined hands to her lips. “Leaving Pinegrove doesn’t mean I’m leaving you,” she urged, but Malcolm didn’t answer.

His eyes roamed the stars, his heart beating an urgent rhythm.

Jessie Mays had been the girl of his dreams since he arrived in town four years prior.

His father was an engineer, sent to rural Georgia for the project of a lifetime.

His mother’s acting career had cooled, and she’d welcomed the change of scenery.

At the time, Malcolm had whined about leaving everything he knew in Atlanta behind.

Those arguments ended quickly that first day of high school when a certain brunette lent him a pencil in algebra class, and his world flipped upside down.

Within a month of meeting, the pair were joined at the hip.

They were high school sweethearts, always expected at family functions, school dances, and community events like the fireworks festival.

Malcolm had foolishly hoped their coupledom would continue after graduation, but Jessie had other ideas.

“I know, JJ.” The lie melted bitterly on his tongue. Jessie dreamed of travel, wanted to see the world and help her fellow man. Malcolm was a homebody who loved their small town and the roots they’d planted. Despite his youth, he wanted those roots to grow into a life, a family, a future.

“You’ll see, nothing will change.” Jessie seemed to be reminding herself as much as Malcolm. Squeezing her hand, he swallowed past the lump in his throat.

“I trust you.” He blinked away a tear as it slid down his cheek, dissecting his somber expression in half.

“I’ll write all the time; you’ll be sick of hearing from me.” Jessie laughed, but it sounded like it was under water. After a few sniffles, she sat up and wiped at her face.

“JJ,” Malcolm whispered her nickname, pulling her to his chest, “we’ll figure it out. I love you.”

“Love you more, and I mean it, dammit.” She coughed into his T-shirt, soaking the fabric with her tears. “I know no one thinks high school romances go anywhere, but we’ll prove them all wrong.”

Covering the back of her head with his hand, Malcolm cradled Jessie against him, rocking them in time to the crickets’ chirping.

In the distance he heard the sounds of animals in the barn and hushed voices.

It could be classmates saying goodbye to their high school years, or it could be the farm owners.

Either way, Malcolm wasn’t keen on getting caught.

Despite not wanting the night to end, they needed to get home. Much like a ticking clock, the thudding of his heart reminded him that their time was drawing to a close. Because regardless of what Jessie promised, Malcolm knew the truth.

Not all love stories had a happy ending ...

*

“Daddy,” Jessie whined, hands thrust on her hips. “It would be nice if you backed me up, please.” She tapped her foot in time to her racing heartbeat.

Her father rested on the doorjamb to her bedroom, arms crossed over his chest. His usual jovial expression was pinched as he frowned at the luggage on her bed. “Forgive me,” he started, letting out a sigh that nearly blew the curtains. “I’m a sad to see my little girl leave.”

Jessie picked up a stack of tank tops, waving them wildly in the air. “You’ve known about this for weeks, and if all you’re going to do is cry and mope, I’ll call Malcolm.”

“Hush up now,” her mother warned, joining her husband and resting a hand on his shoulder. “Forgive your daddy and I for hating that our only daughter would rather live south of the equator than in lovely Pinegrove with us.”

“Not again, Momma,” Jessie warned, balling up a pair of cargo shorts and shoving them with too much force into her duffle bag. “I’ll be home at Christmas. You won’t even miss me, I promise.”

“Ha!” Her mother, Daisy, snorted. “I’m sure you’re right, sugar. I’ll hardly notice that my eighteen-year-old has fled across the globe to stop world hunger.” Her father snickered, earning a glare from his wife. “Not you, too, Nick. Back me up here.”

Nick rubbed his face, stepping into the room and flopping down on the corner of the bed.

He took his time folding a stack of T-shirts, lining them up carefully next to her suitcase.

“I’m incredibly proud of you, June Bug.” His praise came out soft, and Jessie had to strain to hear it.

“But,” he added, clearing his throat, “that doesn’t mean I won’t miss you something awful.

It isn’t easy watching you leave, no matter how much good I know you’ll do. ”

Having been the stoic fire chief in Pinegrove since Jessie was old enough to tie her own shoes, she wasn’t used to seeing her daddy this upset. Bottom lip trembling, she closed the distance and wrapped her father in a fierce hug.