Let It Snow (The Hope Falls Series) (2 page)

Easy peesy.
Right? Right!

Just as Tessa was giving herself a much needed pep talk, the road curved sharply to the left, and as she turned, admittedly going about five miles too fast, her front right wheel dipped into a pothole, causing the car to jar suddenly.

Uh oh!

Tessa squeezed her thighs even tighter. Her bladder was so painfully full it felt like it was about to burst. She needed to face facts. There was a distinct possibility that she wouldn’t actually be able to make it the ten remaining minutes to her destination without peeing in her pants.

Okay
, she rationalized,
if peeing in my pants is the worst thing that happens today, it’s not such a bad day
.

Tessa always tried to keep things in perspective. There were children starving, wars being fought, people dying and suffering beyond her wildest imagination; peeing her pants—although humiliating!—didn’t even make a blip on the radar screen of tragedy. Even on her personal bad-day scale from one to ten, it would only rank about a five.

She was still trying to convince herself that wetting herself wouldn’t be the worst thing to ever happen to her when a large sign appeared through the rain like a giant neon savior. It read: JT’s Roadhouse.

Yes!
There would be no peeing of the pants today.

Loosening her death grip on the steering wheel, she turned into the gravel parking lot, which looked to be filled to the brim. She drove up and down the back two rows. No luck.

Come on. Where was the justice in the world?

She was about to resort to pulling into the handicap spot when she spied a space three cars down. Maneuvering into the blessed spot was sketchy at best. She was bouncing up and down, doing her seated version of the pee-pee dance, clenching her thighs together, and biting her lip as she tried to pull her PT Cruiser in straight. Straight didn’t happen, but she was in between two cars and she hadn’t hit them so she was counting it as a win.

Quickly pulling her keys out of the ignition, she opened the door as far as she could without hitting the truck in the space beside her. Then, making herself as flat as possible, she slithered out of the car head-first like a snake. As soon as she cleared it, she slammed the door and shivered from the cold. For a split second, she contemplated grabbing her jacket from the back seat but just as quickly dismissed the idea. Bathroom. She was laser-focused on the pressing need to find a bathroom.

Stepping out, heavy raindrops fell over her as Tessa moved her feet as fast as she could across the tiny, wet rocks. This task was made significantly more difficult considering how badly she had to pee and the fact that she was wearing flip-flops, not the best shoes to navigate slippery gravel in the pouring rain while your bladder was about to explode.

When she’d left sunny, eighty-two-degree San Diego this morning, she hadn’t thought about how bad the weather would be up in the Sierras. Her mind had been totally consumed with other aspects of her return to Hope Falls. A big brown-eyed, brown-haired, charming, sexy, painful aspect to be exact.

Just as she reached the entrance, the front door swung open as a young blond-haired, blue-eyed guy walked out with a tipsy brunette on his arm. Tessa quickly moved past them, almost bumping into the guy who didn’t move to let her by.

“Hi,” the guy said as Tessa scooted inside, his eyes giving her a thorough once-over.

Seriously?

Tessa’s skin crawled at the unwanted attention. Not only did she not like being the object of perusal, but this guy had the nerve to check her out while another woman hung on his arm. What a
pig
. Oh well. She quickly shook off the uncomfortable feeling. No time to worry about that. Right now, all that mattered was finding the bathroom.

As she stepped inside, Tessa realized that, although she’d passed by JT’s more times than she could count the year that she’d lived in Hope Falls, she’d only been a seventeen-year-old senior in high school at the time and had never actually entered the twenty-one-and-over establishment, which meant that she had absolutely no idea where the bathrooms were.

A woman happened to be passing by and Tessa reached out and grabbed her arm. “Where are the bathrooms?”

Immediately picking up on the desperation in both Tessa’s eyes and voice, the pretty redhead quickly directed, “Down the hall to the left.”

“Thank you!” Tessa moved through the tables, navigating as best she could on the wooden floors in wet rubber flip-flops.

Although she was aware that the bar was packed with people, she had tunnel vision. The patrons and sounds around her were completely muted. The only sound she heard was her brain screaming that she needed relief!

Tessa frantically pushed open the door marked ‘Ladies’ and saw that there was no line. “Thank God,” she said aloud to herself.

She began unbuttoning her pants before she’d even closed the stall door. She sat down and all of the muscles in her body relaxed.
Sweet relief.

Now that the emergency situation had been resolved, the reality that she was actually back in Hope Falls sank into her like the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. Dread filled her being and her palms moistened. Pushing her anxiety-ridden feelings down, Tessa decided this was not the time or place for a nervous breakdown.

Stepping out of the stall, she moved to the sink and washed her hands. Glancing up at the mirror, she almost screamed bloody murder at the image staring back at her. She looked like a drowned rat.

Raking her fingers through her shoulder-length hair, she tried to brush it out as best she could with her hand. It didn’t really help. Luckily, she was rocking the no-makeup look. Otherwise it would be melting down her face right now and she would look like a scary-clown-drowned-rat.

Okay, nothing she could do about her drowned-rat appearance now. She just needed to keep her head down, make it back to her car, and get to the safe haven that was Sue Ann’s Café. That shouldn’t be too hard. The bar was packed. No one would pay any attention to her.

‡

“W
hy
can’t we play one more game?” Courtney whined as she stepped up to Jake and pressed her hands flat against his chest. The flirtatious redhead had just gotten back from the bar, where he’d seen her give Levi her number. “You said you’d play one more game. You can’t leave.”

He would tell her not to get her panties in a bunch, but since she wasn’t wearing any, there was no point.

“Can’t. I’ve got to be at the station house early,” Jake explained as he grabbed his coat off the barstool.

“Please, Jakey.” Courtney’s whine had turned into a full pout, boo-boo lip and all. “I just want to play one more game. I almost won last time.”

If she really believed that she’d almost beaten him in a game of pool, then either her IQ was several points lower than he’d originally given her credit for or she was delusional. Either way, his decision not to take her home tonight
and
introduce her to Levi instead was looking better and better.

“Yeah, come on, Jakey. One more game.” Randy put his bottom lip out. Chris and Peter folded their hands together in silent pleas.

Of course the guys wanted him to play one more game. It would give them more opportunities to look up Courtney’s too-short skirt and down her low-cut shirt.

“Nope, I’m tired. I’m headin’ home.” Jake pulled on his North Face down jacket as they were all booing.

“You’re no fun now that you’re a white shirt,” Chris yelled out.

Jake agreed that he had been different ever since his promotion to Fire Chief but only because it coincided with his purchase of the Shady Creek Lane house, which he knew had been the true catalyst for his change in behavior.

“Old Jake just can’t hang anymore,” Peter goaded him loudly.

Jake smiled, shaking his head while lifting both his hands and flipping both Chris and Peter the double bird as he turned to leave. Before he’d even made it a step, he was stopped short by what he saw.

His brother Eric was headed his way, and he was in uniform, which meant he must have been covering someone’s shift. Now that he was the Chief of Police, he normally dressed in a suit and tie. The stone-faced expression he wore made Jake’s chest tighten.

“What’s wrong? Are the girls okay? Mom and Dad?”

“Everyone’s fine.” Eric moved closer to him and lowered his voice, his tone in full “cop” mode. “Dispatch received several calls about a car swerving on the highway. One caller said that the vehicle turned into JT’s parking lot. I arrived and found the vehicle that matched the caller’s description parked in front, and I ran the plate…” Eric paused.

Jake waited, but Eric didn’t say anything else. Maybe working all these doubles and planning his and Lily’s wedding had fried Eric’s brain. Slapping him on his shoulder, Jake cleared his throat. “That’s a great story, bro. You feelin’ all right? How much longer you got on your shift?”

Eric narrowed his eyes and sighed, “The vehicle is registered to—”

“Did you find the bathroom okay?” Jake heard Courtney’s annoyingly high-pitched voice from behind him and felt her fingers wrap tightly around his bicep.

What the hell?

He turned to see what Courtney could possibly be talking about and
why
she was touching him, and when he did, he came face to face with…

“Tessa Hayes,” Eric said quietly.

Jake’s heart slammed into his chest and his body went completely numb. He stood perfectly still, not moving a muscle. He didn’t even blink out of fear that if he did she would disappear. Again.

She didn’t, but in that moment, the entire bar disappeared. The entire world disappeared. All he could see, all that existed, was Tessa.

She hadn’t changed much in the thirteen years, seven months, two weeks, three days, and about ten hours since he’d seen her last. Not that he was counting.

Her hair was a little shorter now, falling right at her shoulders, where it used to flow down to the middle of her back. Her cheekbones stood a little more pronounced on her rounded cheeks. She still had crystal blue eyes outlined with long, dark lashes, a button nose, and full lips that his body instantly responded to without getting permission from his brain.

“Hi, Jake,” Tessa spoke softly, the way she had when they’d gone camping and she’d woken him up inside their tent to tell him that she wanted him to be her first. And then after when she’d asked him never to let her go.

Her voice washed over him like the heated flames from a structural fire. Hot and consuming. Jake couldn’t speak. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe.

“Hey, Tessa.” Eric moved beside Jake.

Tessa blinked, as if his brother’s words had snapped her out of a trance. “Oh, Eric. Hi,” she said, shaking her head as the corner of her mouth turned up in a half smile, the way it always did when she was embarrassed or feeling uncomfortable. Her eyes widened and she asked, “Wow, so you’re a police officer?”

“He’s the
Chief
of Police,” Courtney chimed in. Even through his jacket, Jake could feel her nails dig into his bicep. She gripped his arm tighter as she extended her free hand and, in a not-so-friendly tone, introduced herself. “I’m Courtney, by the way.”

“Oh, hi. I’m Tessa.” She lifted her hand in a little wave then turned to Eric. Jake watched, captivated, as her face lit up the same way it had when he’d scored the winning touchdown at Homecoming or when his little sister Nikki had learned to French braid her own hair. Tessa genuinely
cared
no matter how small or big the accomplishment. “Police Chief. Wow, that’s great. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. How have you been, Tessa?” Eric asked warmly.

The light that had just sparkled in her eyes dimmed slightly. Maybe no one else would even notice. But Jake had.

“Oh, you know. Hangin’ in there,” she said with a tight smile, glancing between the three of them. Jake wasn’t sure if she was just uncomfortable with the current situation or if it was more than that.

As she continued talking to his brother, Jake’s eyes traveled down her body. A loose, long-sleeved white cotton shirt that was
wet
clung to her body, showcasing the curves that his body still ached for. She wore light blue jeans with a hole in the knee and pink sandals. Her delicate toes were painted a deep shade of purple.

Purple
. That meant she was sad.

Jake’s eyes flew to hers and he noticed things he hadn’t at first glance. Dark circles under her eyes. A small wrinkle in between her perfectly arched brows. Her skin was paler than usual—or at least what he remembered as usual.

“I’m sorry for your loss. When did she pass?” His brother’s question cut through the Tessa-induced fog that had taken up residence in Jake’s brain.

“Almost nine months ago,” Tessa’s voice wavered and her eyes filled with moisture.

“Adeline passed?” The words came out of Jake’s mouth before he could stop them.

Tessa sucked in a barely audible breath as her head jerked up to meet his gaze. Her vivid blue eyes wide and mouth open, she stared up at him silently.