HIDDEN CREEK THEN: a hidden creek high novel Read online

  Aunt Bea laughed.

  I stepped back.

  I opened my mouth.

  Aunt Bea waved her hand again. “I was just thinking about Clive.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Amazing how the memory and heart work. There was one time… you know what. Let me make us some coffee. Can you sit and chat for a few?”

  There was a look in Aunt Bea’s eyes I never saw before.

  A mix of sadness, happiness, memories, and worry.

  I smiled. “Of course I have time to talk to you.”

  * * *

  Aunt Bea giggled with her hand over her mouth. “I can’t stop… picturing… him…”

  She had me laughing and she hadn’t told me a single thing about the story yet.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “Sorry…” She put her hand out and took a breath. “I brought up the salesmen that would sell vacuums door to door. Well, the one time a young man showed up to the house. I wasn’t in the mood and I told him so. I respect anyone working, but door to door… that always bothered me. I told Clive about it and he laughed it off. He reminded me that everyone needs a break once in a while. Of course his words could guilt me. He was so good at that. A romantic guilt.”

  I sipped my coffee and watched Aunt Bea blink fast.

  “A week later he was back home from the road. He had a few days off. I went to get my hair done. And I came home… to a new vacuum.”

  “No…”

  “Yeah,” Aunt Bea said, laughing. “That same salesman showed up and guilted Clive into buying a vacuum. Oh, I was so mad at him, Julia.”

  “For spending the money?”

  “No. For… I don’t even know. His heart, I guess. He said the young man told him a story about saving money for college. To me… well…”

  “It could have been bullshit,” I said with a grin.

  “Yes,” Aunt Bea said. “Bullshit. But not to Clive. He believed in everyone. He always did. The worst of people. The best of people. I always admired that.”

  “Was the vacuum worth it?” I asked.

  Aunt Bea shook her head. “It was junk. Good for a few months. But I kept it in the closet for years. Just because I knew what it meant to Clive. And secretly to me.”

  Aunt Bea sipped her coffee and looked around the bakery.

  “I’m sorry I brought his name up,” I said. “I see the way you laugh with Art…”

  “Julia,” Aunt Bea said. “This place is old. I’ve always dreamed of just living until there’s no more life. In here and by myself. And now you want to… clean it up? Change it up?”

  “Could be worse,” I said.

  “Yes, it could,” Aunt Bea. “And if Clive were sitting here, he’d already have a ladder out. He’d be pointing, talking, envisioning, drawing on a piece of paper. Thinking of who he could call for the best deal on supplies.”

  Aunt Bea stood up.

  She walked to the door again.

  “You should get going,” Aunt Bea said. “I’m sure you have plans tonight.”

  “Nothing is more important than you,” I said.

  Aunt Bea laughed. “Julia, stand up and go.”

  I did as I was told, standing up.

  When I tried to clean up the coffee cups, Aunt Bea snapped her fingers and shook her head.

  Then she locked eyes with me. “It’ll require a lot of work out of you. Time is precious. One way or another, something is sacrificed for it.”

  “Meaning…?”

  “Meaning I’m going to buy the vacuum from you,” she said.

  I slowly smiled. “I promise I won’t suck. Wait. I will suck. You want a vacuum to suck, right? But I won’t suck in real life.”

  “Julia?”

  “Yeah, Aunt Bea?”

  “Leave before I change my mind.”

  * * *

  “And then she told me I could do it!” I yelled in Jett’s face.

  He grabbed me by my hips and lifted me up into the air. He spun me around and sat me on the hood of his car.

  “I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” he said.

  I kicked my foot at him, leaning back, sliding my foot up to his chest. “I’m the boss now.”

  “I can see that,” Jett said.

  “I have a lot of work to do. I can’t be distracted by you anymore.”

  “Oh, I’m a distraction, huh?” Jett asked.

  “Definitely.”

  I giggled and realized the celebration drink (or three) I drank had really caught up to me. But whatever. I was going to get to do something special with the bakery. Turn it into something that could last for a long time. And I was still with Jett. He was taking over the garage in a way from Pop.

  It was amazing.

  Jett put his arms out. “You just tell me what to do.”

  “Stop being so sexy so I can focus.”

  “Now that’s impossible for me to do,” Jett said.

  I laughed again. “Can you believe this?”

  “Yeah, I can. I’ve watched you, Julia.”

  “Watched me what?”

  Jett stepped back and offered his hand to me. He pulled me from the hood of his car. “You’re amazing. At everything you do. I’m sure Aunt Bea is nervous because it’s change. And at her age, change is scary. But you’ve got this. That place is going to be so damn busy…”

  “I’m serious though, Jett,” I said. “About being focused. I have to take this seriously.”

  “Of course.”

  “So… you know…”

  “What?” Jett asked, grinning.

  “I hate you so much when you get like that.”

  “Like what?”

  “That look on your face. You really make me believe that we’re good together and everything is going to be perfect. In this town too. Of all places.”

  “I know. I’m the worst person ever.”

  “You really are,” I said.

  I pushed Jett away and walked toward the beach.

  I looked back at him and bit my lip.

  “Don’t do it, sweetheart,” he said.

  I did it.

  I ran.

  I ran into the sand and down to the water.

  I screamed and laughed at the same time, knowing Jett was chasing me.

  And I knew he could catch me in a second but he always let me stay ahead of him. Probably because he wanted to look at my ass. But again… whatever.

  I felt good. Like really good.

  When the dry sand turned into wet sand, Jett’s hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me back to him.

  “The distraction is here,” he growled and then he kissed my bare shoulder.

  My body shivered head to toe in a way that only Jett could do.

  I put my head back to his chest and shut my eyes.

  His lips weren’t done just yet.

  He slowly kissed from my shoulder to my neck.

  I tilted my head and bit my lip so hard I thought I was going to draw blood.

  When he moved to my ear, I let out a groan. I swore was going to be silent.

  “I’m so fucking proud of you,” he whispered. “So fucking bold and fierce and strong and pretty. I’m a dead man near you. And I can’t get enough of you.”

  I reached back and grabbed for his hair. “Just remember who’s in charge.”

  “Oh, I’ll never forget it,” Jett said.

  His hands spread wide across my stomach.

  I shuddered, half turned on, half unsure of how I felt about my own body. And even that… Jett knew how to calm those voices in my head that made me compare myself to other women. His touch. His kiss.

  I turned around in a hurry and jumped to my toes, kissing him.

  “Let’s go somewhere,” I whispered into his mouth. “I want to celebrate some more.”

  “The beach is nice and dark,” he said.

  “And you could bring a date here then,” I said. “I think I just found her…”

  I grabbed his left hand and showed it to him.
/>   Jett laughed. “Come on, sweetheart, we both know I’m a righty.”

  I slapped his hand off my cheek. “That’s gross.”

  “You started it.”

  “Come chase me again and see what you get then,” I teased.

  I started to run through the sand but this time he caught up fast. He slipped his hand into mine and we ran along the beach together. I wanted to go back to his car and have him drive really fast on dangerous roads and take me somewhere where alone was really alone.

  We looked at each other as we ran.

  I really started to picture it all happening.

  Everything we wanted.

  The reasons why we shouldn’t have been together and the reasons we should have.

  I shook my hand out of his grip and wanted to get to the car first. And jump on the hood. And have him join me…

  “There’s the rock star himself,” a voice said that stopped me mid thought and mid step.

  Jett quickly reached for my hand again and pulled me toward him.

  “What do you want, Buddy?” Jett asked.

  My heart went from racing because of how much I loved Jett, to racing because of the look in Buddy’s eyes.

  The oversized monster that he was.

  In grubby clothes with his greasy hair.

  Leaning against Jett’s car.

  And his face looked all messed up too. Like he had been in a fight or something.

  “We need to talk, Jett,” Buddy said.

  “Yeah, we can do that. Let me get Julia out of here.”

  “Not going to happen,” he said. “It’s too late for that.”

  Buddy moved from the car and flashed his right hand.

  And the gun he was holding.

  * * *

  I would have screamed but I lost my breath.

  I had never seen a gun before in my life.

  Not to mention this gun was in the hand of a guy that Jett had gotten fired.

  Panic set in so I decided to do something stupid.

  I got involved.

  “You were stealing from Pop,” I said.

  “Julia,” Jett snapped.

  “Ah, there is it,” Buddy said. “Of course you told her. That’s why I need her here then. So she can see the reason why she should forget everything. Except this part…”

  Buddy started to lift the gun and Jett pushed me out of the way.

  He pushed so hard I flew down to the sand.

  I cried out in pain and watched as Jett dove toward Buddy.

  His left hand pushed Buddy’s right hand into the air.

  The gun went off and I was able to finally scream.

  Jett threw a right punch that hit Buddy hard in the face.

  Buddy started to crumble, falling back against the car.

  Jett swung again, hitting him a second time.

  But Buddy still had the gun.

  He swung his hand and hit Jett in the back of the head with the gun.

  Jett grabbed for his head and stepped back, giving Buddy enough room to point the gun again.

  This time there was no missing.

  Which meant Jett had no choice but to show his hands.

  “What do you want?” Jett asked.

  “To make it right,” Buddy said.

  “Thought you and Pop already did that,” Jett said.

  “The time I put in there,” Buddy said. “The things I did for him. I had to stand there and listen to the same shit as you. With his family. With that land. And the money. What kind of idiot doesn’t help themself to it?”

  “It’s not your business or land,” Jett said. “And what’s shooting me going to do?”

  “Send a message,” Buddy said. “Maybe I’ll go visit Pop. I’ve got ways. But from the second you showed up…”

  “You just can’t put in an honest day’s work,” Jett said.

  “Jett, stop!” I yelled.

  “Listen to the bitch,” Buddy said.

  “Don’t ever call her that again,” Jett said.

  “Bitch,” Buddy said.

  Jett stepped forward, allowing the handgun to be pressed to his chest.

  “Jett!” I yelled. “Please!”

  “You’ll die a hero only to yourself,” Buddy said.

  I heard a noise and saw someone else enter the scene.

  It was like I was dreaming.

  Because from somewhere in the shadows Pop appeared, with a much bigger gun in his hands. He needed two hands to hold his gun.

  “Are you fucking kidding me, Buddy?” Pop asked. “Put the gun down right now.”

  “Give me one reason,” Buddy said.

  “I’ll pull this trigger,” Pop said. “What have I got to lose?”

  Buddy turned his head.

  When he did, Jett attacked.

  I screamed when Jett knocked the gun out of Buddy’s hand.

  He then pummeled Buddy to the ground with punches that were first hard, then squishy sounding. It was enough to make my stomach sick.

  Between the violence and the drinks I had, I hunched forward and was ready to throw up.

  “That’s enough,” Pop ordered Jett.

  Jett stopped hitting Buddy.

  “I’ll handle this from here,” Pop said.

  I looked at the scene.

  Pop glanced at me then shook his head. He grabbed Buddy’s shirt and demanded he stand up.

  It took Buddy a minute to stand.

  Jett didn’t move an inch until Pop dragged Buddy away.

  When Jett got to me, the sickness in my stomach had given way to tears.

  I didn’t want to cry but the idea of Jett being killed… or me being killed… that moment hitting so hard and then being gone…

  Jett dropped to his knees. “Shit, sweetheart, are you okay?”

  I looked at him.

  All I could picture was the bakery. The shop.

  Jett and me.

  All the truths behind why Aunt Bea didn’t want me to stay.

  Jett touched my cheeks.

  I moved my lips but nothing came out.

  All I knew right then was that when Jett and I were together, bad things happened and people got hurt…

  Chapter 11

  NOW

  Jett

  Sometimes I thought about everything I had done in life.

  The day Pop told me to go make some money. And I did. It took a little while to figure it all out, but I proved to Pop that the shop could exist with just me and him. And that I could provide a living for myself.

  I took it to the next level though.

  Finding better ways to have the money make more money that didn’t require pissing off three-fourths of the town, or having shitty family members begging to get in on the cash. I told myself again and again that nothing would change for me. I’d stay the same. Always stay the same. And in some ways I did. I showed up to WEAZ AUTO every single day and worked. My bank account had nothing to do with my hands getting dirty or not.

  But everything else in my life…

  I stood in the wide open archway of the giant house that sat nestled right next to the ocean. The fucking palace that I forced myself to call home.

  My eyes looked to a long dining room table that had a medieval look to it. Eight big chairs. The table made of super thick wood. The light that hung over the table was hung by black chains and was a giant circle. It looked like it was lit by candles but they were light bulbs made to look like candles.

  I never sat at the table once.

  Not ever.

  I had never eaten a real dinner in the house either.

  If I was going to get together for a family dinner it was at the request of Cherry. And that meant cramming against her old, wobbly dining room table. And that damn table had more stories, more purpose, and more of a home sweet home feel than any table I had ever sat at in my life.

  That was how most of the house was though.

  I bought it for the look.

  To give the middle finger to anyone looking.
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br />   I walked into the massive, open kitchen, which was my favorite room in the house. Just because of how big and bright it was. And it looked right out to the back where the pool was. And beyond the pool and tall wall of overgrowth was the ocean.

  The house. My palace.

  And I rarely spent time there.

  I always keep myself busy.

  Being alone meant not needing to justify anything to anyone at any time.

  That came with its own set of good and bad.

  I had two choices as I stood there.

  First was grab a drink and find a way to waste away what was left of the day and go into the night the same.

  The second was to go somewhere where I actually felt comfortable.

  And I didn’t mean the shop either.

  * * *

  “You don’t have to knock,” Cherry said.

  “Well, I’m not a kid anymore, Cherry,” I said with a grin.

  “Yes, you are. You’ll always be a kid to me.”

  “And to be honest, I’ve heard some noise that you might have a guy friend.”

  “What?” Cherry asked.

  “Last thing I would want is to walk in on you having some dessert in the kitchen…”

  Cherry made a fist. “You better quiet that mouth of yours, Jett.”

  “Had to,” I said.

  Cherry turned and I followed her into the house.

  She always had something cooking and coffee made.

  Always ready for someone to drop by and either say hello or need a place to crash.

  When I saw Carolyn at the table, I paused.

  “Jett,” she said. She stood up and rushed to me. “What are you doing here?”

  I hugged her and laughed. “I could ask you the same.”

  “Just visiting,” she said. She stepped back and smiled as she stared up at me.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Me too. I can come back later. If you two are talking about-”

  “No,” Carolyn said. “Just goofy talk. Life. Nothing serious.”

  “Which is what I’ve told all of you,” Cherry said. “Never take life too serious.”

  “Or you might end up banging a cop,” I whispered to Carolyn.