Page 50 of Love and Loathing

She and Alex rushed back to his truck as firebugs started to light up around them. Jessie was sure Jacob and Cecilia had used Alex’s dock. They’d have gotten a real kick out of it too, like they were so clever. Stupid, thoughtless Cecilia.

Chapter 20

As Alex pulled down the dirt drive to the now almost completed home, he turned his headlights off. The moon was out tonight, giving him plenty of light to see where he was going. He passed the house, the work site, and the trailer, and kept going down the road to the dock and boat ramp. Sure enough, there, backed up to the ramp, was Jacob’s dirty old brown truck. He parked his truck, taking it at an angle to the road to block it. He hopped out his side and gestured with a quirk of his wrist that Jessie should follow him out his side.

When she reached the edge of the driver’s seat, he grabbed her waist and lifted her out of the truck. She let out a gasp but said nothing. Quietly, he shut the truck door behind them, grabbed her much smaller hand, and pulled her behind him to the shore. Crickets sounded all around them, the soft crash of waves broke against the shore, and a light breeze bristled the grass. Firebugs were out in force, and were it not for the circumstance, it would’ve been the perfect place to … He wasn’t sure, really. When Alex had gotten dressed up and headed to her house, he really hadn’t had any plan in mind. He certainly hadn’t expected this.

They stopped at the shore and peered out over the ink-like water rippling by. The moon shone down on the water, its light lapping at the small waves, and way out in the middle sat a little faded yellow boat with a cabin, lit up like a painting.

“What do we do now?” Jessie whispered.

“We delay their flight.” Her hand was still grasped in his, and he led her back toward the house. When they were far enough that their voices couldn’t carry, he dialed 911.

They stopped at the back of the house, near the wraparound porch.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Jessie asked.

“Delaying their flight,” he said. “They can’t get on a plane if they’re in jail.”

She grinned at him, and his heart stuttered in his chest. “Nicely played.”

* * *

They sat on the top steps of the porch, staring out over the large property, their hands firmly linked the entire time. Alex knew it wasn’t likely that this was anything more than her needing comfort, but he couldn’t get enough of it. At some point she’d let go, and he’d go back to the cold, miserable place he’d been in since he’d confessed his love to her. The night was warm, hot even, yet he felt her shiver beside him.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No.” Suddenly, she turned to him, her knees brushing against his. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean those terrible things I said … well, I did, but that’s because I didn’t know. And I should’ve known. I should’ve known, because you were right. Jacob and his brother have taken advantage of me before, and I’ve just let them. But I needed you to know that you were right, and I’m sorry, and I never liked Jacob. Not like that. The only reason I hung out with him is because I’ve been trying to bring his brother back to Harvest Ranch to get the justice he deserves for stealing from so many of the townsfolk.”

Alex stared, hardly able to believe everything she was saying, but she wasn’t through yet. The words just kept streaming out of her like water pouring from a broken dam.

“I’ve basically been pretty much obsessed with finding him for the last two years, because I’ve felt responsible for what he did, because I was dating him at the time and I encouraged people to invest in his business. You see, he’d pitched it to me, and I just knew it was going to be amazing, but then one day, I woke up and he was just gone. And the money was gone. And all these people had just lost so much. And then Jacob ran off too, and we all knew, even though we didn’t have evidence, that he was just as guilty. But then he came back, and for some stupid reason, I forgave him, and now Cecilia is with him …”

She couldn’t possibly think she was responsible for what they’d done, could she?

“And it’s all my fault.” She pressed a hand to her forehead, then started fanning her face. “It’s hot out here, isn’t it? I’m burning up. I think—”

He put a hand over her mouth. “Jessie.”

“Yeeas?” she mumbled under his hand.

“Stop talking.”

“Ohm, ’kay.”

Alex lowered his hand. “It wasn’t your fault what they did.” He hunched just a little to look her in her eyes. “You know that, right?”

She gave him a sad smile, then looked out toward the river again, and Alex’s heart broke a little. He scooted closer to her and took her in his arms for the second time that night, and to his surprise, she turned in to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her head in his chest.

He ran a hand over the back of her head.

“I encouraged him to take those blueprints to the papers,” she said. “It’s all my fault. I ruined everything.”

Alex rested his head atop hers. “Jacob and I were pretty good friends in college. I know him really well. So when I tell you it’s not your fault, I mean it.”

She pulled back to look at him. “But he asked me what he should do with the pictures of the blueprints, and I suggested—”

He narrowed his gaze at her. “What did I tell you about talking?”

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