Chapter 23 Thank You
Chapter twenty-three
Thank You
Beau
“What are you doing here?” Jo asks.
“I couldn’t get ahold of anyone in your family, and I didn’t think you wanted to sit in jail all night.”
“You didn’t go to any of their houses?”
“Jo, it’s after ten. I didn’t think they’d want me knocking on their doors this late when they have kids.” I pause for a moment. “But if you would like for me to leave and come back with one of your pissed off siblings, I can do that.”
“No! I’m sorry. Let’s go.”
We walk out to my truck. I always try to open the door for whatever woman I’m with—because that’s what my dad taught me. But classic Jo is already jumping in before I can even get close.
When she called the shop this evening, I wasn’t exactly thrilled to hear her on the other end of the phone, but I’m glad I was there to answer.
I tried calling everyone in her family that I had numbers for, but not a single one of them answered.
Jo may drive me fucking nuts, but I didn’t want her to think her whole family just left her sitting in a jail cell to rot for the night. Plus, the look on her face when she saw me was kind of amusing.
As we start driving, I look over at her and see her gnawing at her fingernails while staring out the window. Jo is tiny in stature, but it isn’t often that she looks small. Usually, her presence fills up any space that she’s in, but right now, in her silence, she looks so vulnerable.
Of course, I would never tell her that. She’d kick my ass for even mentioning it.
Neither of us speak for a few minutes, but when she finally does, she says, “Dylan is going to kick my ass. He told me I could stay with him, but I’m sure he is going to frown on having a criminal living with his wife and kids.”
“What exactly did you do?” I ask, wondering if she will actually tell me.
“I got in a fight.”
I have half a dozen follow up questions, but I keep them all to myself. I’m sure whatever trouble Jo is getting into isn’t something I need to concern myself with.
My plan is to drive her straight back to Dylan’s and keep the conversation to a minimum, but she catches me off guard when she says, “I’m sorry you had to come get me.”
“It’s fine.”
She looks over at me. “No, it’s not. You didn’t have to come tonight. You could have just left me rotting in there, but you didn’t. Hell, even when you hate me, you’re still bailing me out of trouble all these years later.”
I’m not sure how to respond, so once again, I keep my mouth shut. It doesn’t take long for her to add, “I’ll pay you back every penny for the bail. I’ll go to the bank tomorrow and bring it to you.”
“You can just bring it to the shop whenever.”
I know this is Jo’s version of apologizing—her way of trying to make amends, and the defeated look on her face makes me feel guilty. I know I am dead set on being an asshole to her, but maybe she’s had a rough night already.
I pull into a gas station and park at one of the pumps. “Be right back,” I tell her. “I didn’t fill up on the way to get you, and I’m running on fumes.”
She gives me a small nod.
While inside, I grab a few things before paying for them along with my gas. After I’m finished pumping, I slide back in and hand Jo a soda and a candy bar.
“Not sure if you still like either one of these, but I figured maybe you were hungry or thirsty.”
She looks down at what I just handed her. “These are still my favorites.” When her eyes meet mine again, she asks, “Why are you being nice to me?”
“I figure maybe you’ve been through enough tonight.”
“Thanks, Beau.”
I start the truck and begin driving. My plan was to take her straight back to Dylan’s, but I think she could use a few more minutes before she has to face the firing squad.
I take the winding road that surrounds Lilly Leaf Falls. Jo doesn’t ask any questions until I turn off the truck.
“You’re not taking me to Dylan’s?”
“I am, but I figured we’d detour first.”
It takes her a minute to look around and figure out where we are.
“Holy shit. I can’t believe you brought me up here.”
This overlook isn’t very far up the mountain, but it gives an excellent view of Lilly Leaf Falls nestled in the valley below.
“I haven’t been here in years,” she says.
“Yeah, me either.”
She looks through the windshield at the small town. “Man, it’s crazy how something that can look just the same yet seem so very different at the same time.”
“Jo, what happened tonight?”
She’s quiet for so long that I wonder if she even heard me. Finally, she says, “I went to Giddy Ups to blow off some steam. Russ Parker was there.”
Enough said.
But she keeps going. “He started talking all kinds of shit about my family. He had something to say about every single sibling, and then, he…”
Her voice trails off.
“He what?”
“Uh, he…brought my mom into it.”
“So, you hit him?”
“Well, I first broke a beer bottle and threatened to end his life with it. Then, when he still wouldn’t quit, I hit him.”
I think for a moment. It makes total sense that Jo would get in a fight because someone was badmouthing her family. The woman is loyal to a fault. She will do anything to protect the people she cares about.
I say, “I don’t blame you for hitting him. He’s always been a fucking asshole.”
“I was really trying to be good, but I just couldn’t hear him saying all those things about the people I love. I probably should have just walked away. I’m sure that’s what a mature person would have done.”
“I would have hit him more than once,” I say, only half-joking.
She lets out a small laugh. “I tried, but that damn sheriff stopped me.”
“Russ should be counting his lucky stars because you probably would have fucked him up.”
She smiles. “No probably about it. I would have.”
She wraps the rest of her candy bar back up in the plastic and says, “I’m going to get out and get a better look.”
I watch her as she steps out of the truck and walks to the overlook. With her hands shoved in her pockets, she looks down at our little hamlet of a town. She might be staring at Lilly Leaf Falls, but I can’t stop staring at her.
I’m trying so hard to keep my distance, but every time Jo lets down the thick armor she constantly wears, I’m reminded of why I was so drawn to her. She may be a pistol, but underneath it all, she’s got a huge heart and a kind soul.
I get out of the truck and follow her. She doesn’t look at me but simply says, “I’ve missed this place.” Then, she turns to me, her brown eyes staring into mine. “I’ve really missed it.”
The way she looks at me tells me she isn’t just talking about the town anymore. Part of me wants to tell her I’ve missed her too, but there’s still so much doubt within me that I can’t seem to form the words.
She’s the next one to speak. “Thank you for coming to get me tonight, Beau. I promise to try to stop being such a mess.” Her eyes fall to the ground. “It’s not doing me any favors.”
“Jo, I don’t think you standing up for your family means that you’re a mess.”
“Maybe not, but I probably need to get my life together.”
As I look at her, I get the overwhelming urge once more to kiss her. I want to take her in my arms and tell her that I’ve never thought she was a mess. I always thought she was fucking perfect.
My head screams to walk away. It tells me that I’m a damn fool for even considering this.
But for once, my heart is screaming louder. Fear creeps through every inch of me that she wouldn’t feel the same or that she wouldn’t reciprocate. But as I stare at her lips, I can’t stop thinking about what they would feel like against mine.
Just when I’m about to throw caution to the wind, a pair of headlights blinds us. We turn to see who it is. It takes a moment, but a park ranger finally comes into view.
“You guys need to be heading out of here. Storm is about to hit, so we are closing this road.”
“Will do,” I say.
As we make our way back to my truck, it’s like the fog has suddenly lifted. My brain takes back over the reins and thanks God that I didn’t do something I would have regretted.
It’s time to get Jo home before I make a giant fucking mistake.