Blue Ridge Breakdown, page 6
As the afternoon light started to fade, Ava noticed Jack hunched over the open hood of her truck, his hands moving with a skilled precision as he worked to fix a few things that had broken when she ran into the snowbank.
She stood a short distance away, leaning against the doorframe of the garage, looking at him with her arms crossed. Something was deeply comforting about watching his hands move so confidently and capably over the parts of the truck that had so much history and meaning to her. It reminded her of her grandfather helping her restore the truck all those years ago.
"You know, that truck's more than just a vehicle to me," Ava said.
Jack paused and turned to look at her, listening. She walked closer.
"My dad started restoring it before he passed away when I was really young. This was his project, his dream. He didn't get to finish it." She swallowed hard, the memories bittersweet and vivid. "After he died, it just sat there in my grandfather's garage, collecting dust. When I was old enough to take more of an interest, my grandfather allowed me to help him restore it."
Jack nodded. “It sounds like it has a lot of sentimental value.”
She smiled. “A lot. I guess that’s why I wanted to take it with me when I left. Finishing it with my Pops meant I always got to keep a little piece of my dad with me, you know? Like I completed something that was important to him, and then I got to keep something important to me in the process.”
“I’ll take good care of it. I promise.”
“I know you will,” she said.
Jack returned to his work. She was struck by how much he seemed to know about trucks. There was an intuitiveness to his movements. He never looked anything up on his phone or in a manual. She supposed living out in the remote area he did, he had to know how to fix things.
“You seem good with your hands,” Ava heard herself say. She felt her face flush as she realized how that sounded.
“Pretty good,” he said, looking up and smiling. “I had a great dad and grandpa, and they taught me everything I know.”
“Well, I’d better get out of your hair,” she said, turning to go back into the cabin.
“No, don’t. I enjoy the company.”
It was another night of Ava watching Jack cook dinner. She had offered several times to help him, but the kitchen wasn't that big, and he seemed to have great skills in there. He didn't need her. He told her to just sit on the sofa and relax, watch some TV if she wanted, but all she could think about was Millie. Well, that wasn't true. She was also thinking about all the other things that had led her up to taking off in her father's old vintage truck and heading off in search of a new life.
Her mother must be quite worried about her by now. There was a wedding, after all, and she never showed up at the end of the aisle. She knew that she should make some phone calls, set some things straight, but the longer she went without doing that, the more she felt like she really couldn't.
She could hear Jack in the kitchen, a sizzle here, a steady chop there. It was a comforting sound in the background. This was what she had truly wanted in her life. When she was young, she thought she would just meet a great guy, get married, have some kids, have the whole white picket fence type of life, but somehow she'd gotten off track. She had never found her true soulmate, and that's why she had made the choice that she did. How she ended up being a runaway bride. It was embarrassing, and everyone had seen it. She couldn’t imagine what people were saying on social media right now. She knew she was never going to be able to start over anywhere without facing the music. There was just no way around it. But she wasn't ready yet. She couldn't, especially not when she knew her dog was missing. Millie was like her child and there was nothing else that she could focus on until she found her.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Jack said over his shoulder, there was a rich aroma of stew filling the cabin. Ava was quite hungry after a day of looking for her dog.
"It smells amazing. I never would've thought you were a cook," she said, teasing.
Jack laughed. "Is it because I'm such a giant?"
"I mean, you do look like you could play the part of a lumberjack in a community play or something,” she said, hoping not to offend him.
"Well, maybe there's a lot you don't know about me. Cooking is just one of my hidden talents," he said, setting the plates on the table with a flourish that made Ava giggle.
As they sat down to eat, the small talk finally gave way to a much deeper conversation. She really felt like Jack was becoming a close friend. She wondered if when she left here, would she ever be in touch with him again? He didn't seem much like the texting type, and she doubted that he had a Facebook account. Would this just be a memory in her life, a person she'd never see again, but who would know some of her secrets? Maybe it was safe to tell him something.
After all, who was he going to tell? He had a TV, but he never turned it on, that she could tell.
"So Jubilee has always been home for you?" she asked, genuinely curious about this man that had become an unexpected pillar in her life.
"Yeah, always," he said. "Growing up here, it's a unique experience. The Appalachian way of life can be hard at times. We were pretty poor growing up, but you're part of a community that's like a big family. Everyone here looks out for each other."
He chatted a little bit about different times in his childhood in the woods. He talked about community gatherings that felt like reunions and the sense of belonging that had always anchored him to this place. She listened, wondering what it was like to grow up in such a place where you knew everyone and you never had to be alone. It was a stark contrast to the rootless feeling that she had had in her most recent life.
"It sounds wonderful," she said. "To have that type of connection to a place and its people. It's what I always wanted."
"It is great. Although I probably look like a loner back here, I do have a lot of friends in town. They just know that I prefer this lifestyle out in the woods. What about you? What's your anchor?" It caught Ava off guard, the question. Her mind scrambled for a response.
"I'm not sure I have one," she said. "I've been so focused on, well, running away from my problems, I guess that I never stopped to think about where I really belong."
He nodded, his expression understanding. "Running can exhaust you. It takes a lot out of you. Sometimes, stopping isn't about actually giving up. It's about taking care of yourself and finding a new direction."
“I suppose you’re right. I’m just at a place in my life where I’m not really sure where I belong. You’re lucky to know where you belong.”
They continued talking long after the soup bowls were empty and the night wore on. Jack talked about his time as a deputy, the challenges and rewards of serving this community that he loved so much. He also talked about his transition to working in private security.
Ava found herself opening up a little about her own life, her dreams, her uncertainties that had led her to this moment, but she talked around all of it. She wasn’t going to tell him all of her secrets because, for right now, it was nice to have someone who didn’t judge her. Didn’t call her names on social media. Didn’t think she was the world’s dumbest woman.
"Jubilee has a way of holding up a mirror. It shows you who you really are underneath all the noise and the chaos in the world, and it's not always an easy thing to face, but it is where real change can begin. A lot of people come here to find who they are, and they realize they’re so much more than they thought they were."
"You know, maybe that's what I've been looking for," Ava said. "A place where it can reflect the truth back to me and help me figure out who I am."
They continued chatting, and Ava felt more and more comfortable with Jack, but also with this place. She had never been so vulnerable with anybody, and she had to wonder why she felt this way about a man she barely knew.
CHAPTER 6
Ava had always enjoyed some time alone in the morning. As she sat here in this unfamiliar place, Jack's cabin, and looked out the frosted windows, she held a cup of coffee in her hands. She was sitting at a small wooden table near one of the picture windows overlooking the forest, which was covered in a blanket of white. She could see pieces of green now, which was a good thing. Even though the snow hadn't completely melted, the storm had at least stopped. It left the forest in a state of suspended animation, silent and watchful, the trees heavy with snow. It was picturesque, and under different circumstances, she would have enjoyed it a lot more. But right now, she was worried about her future and her dog.
She was far from feeling peaceful as she sipped on her coffee and bit into a donut that Jack had given her before he went outside. The knot of worry continued to tighten in her stomach. The plan was to go into town today to continue their search for her beloved Millie and try to figure out a way to move forward. If she couldn't find her, could she even think about leaving town without her dog? How many days would she keep doing this before she gave up hope? She didn't even want to think about it.
It was times like these that she thought about the decisions she had made in the last few months. The decision to marry someone she didn't fully love. The decision to say yes in such a public way. The decision to connect herself to someone so famous that she couldn't get away from the media scrutiny. It was all too much. She didn't know why she hadn't been prepared for it, why she hadn't thought it would be a problem, she didn't even know why she had done what she had done. But all of that was being overshadowed by Jack's quiet kindness and the unexpected sense of safety she had found in his company.
What would happen if he finally realized who she was? The thought sent a shiver down her spine that was unrelated to the cold air outside. She took another sip of her coffee, trying to calm her nerves. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to hide away forever. At some point, she'd have to face the world outside, she'd have to face the judgment and pain. It was all inevitable. She didn't want to drag anyone else into it with her, and certainly not Jack, who had been nothing but nice to her. But on this morning, she would allow herself just a few more moments of solitude while she savored the warmth of her coffee in the quiet of the cabin. She would soon go into town and face the people, none of whom she knew, and whatever recognition might come with that. But until then, she just clung to the calm before the inevitable storm, knowing that no matter what journey lay ahead, she was going to have to face it with as much courage as she could muster.
There was just something about the rhythmic thud of the axe splitting the wood that calmed Jack's inner turmoil. It was crisp outside this morning, the whole forest still filled with snow, and Jack had left Ava inside the cabin to drink coffee and eat something for breakfast before they headed out into town. He stood in a clearing beside the cabin, his breath a thick fog in the cold, while his body moved in a practiced ease borne of the countless winters he had spent out in the forest.
His mind was far from the task at hand, however. He was thinking about the fact that he had a strong inclination to be drawn to people who needed saving, and what it had often done to him in the past. He set another log on the chopping block as his thoughts drifted back to Ava. She was just one in the latest line of individuals he'd found himself wanting to protect, but she seemed different. He couldn't help but feel that way. She wasn't just another random person looking for help. Deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking a familiar path, one that might lead him to heartache, just like it had done before.
He remembered Laura, a woman he'd met during his early years as a deputy. She had struggled with an abusive ex, and that had made him want to go above and beyond to ensure that she was safe. He thought they'd had something real, but then found out she was just using him as a shield. She needed help from the danger, and once it passed, she left town without even so much as a goodbye.
That betrayal had really stung. Then there was Sophie, another woman he'd tried to rescue. She had struggled with addiction. He had seen the potential in her and had believed in her when nobody else would, but in the end, his support wasn't even enough. She chose her demons over the life he'd tried to help her build. It was just another harsh lesson in his inability to save someone who didn't want to be saved.
Every time he swung the axe, he grappled with these memories. The woodpile was growing steadily as he thought and thought about how he became entangled with women who saw him as more of a savior than a partner or a best friend. He recognized that this was a cycle he hadn't been able to break on his own, which was why he hadn't dated in several years now.
With Ava, it was something more. There was some kind of connection he couldn't entirely put his finger on, something more than just her needing him. She was hiding from something big, that much was clear, but she seemed resilient. She didn't seem to have an addiction problem. He didn't think an abusive ex was chasing her. She was fighting her own battles and being very secretive about them.
He paused for a moment, resting the axe against the chopping block. Ava's presence in his world had certainly disrupted the equilibrium of his life, challenging him to consider the possibility that maybe he would get into a new relationship, or maybe he was just being a hopeless romantic. She probably wasn't even thinking about anything like that. They hadn't shared any romantic moments at all. Maybe he was just getting lost in his thoughts and needed to finally start dating again.
After taking a few breaths, he picked up the axe to continue his work. Maybe Ava just represented something in his life, that love was both a risk and a promise. She might not be the woman he ended up with, but maybe he should start pursuing that again. Or maybe he should get some kind of therapy.
As Jack continued pondering his various thoughts, Ava suddenly appeared like a fiery-haired angel in the doorway of the cabin. She was truly stunning. Why wasn’t she married to some wealthy man with a giant diamond on her finger?
She was wrapped snugly in one of the blankets from his sofa, framed by the rustic logs surrounding the door. She looked like a picture or maybe a painting waited to be completed. Someone should capture the shot, he thought. She watched him without saying anything, just a slight smile on her face. He kind of liked being watched, especially by a woman like her.
“That looks like a lot of hard work,” she finally said, teasing him.
“Not so hard,” he said, flexing his muscles and laughing. “How do you think I built these things?”
He swore he saw her blush a bit. “Well, as you can see, I’ve never swung an axe in my life.” She slipped one of her biceps from under the blanket and attempted to flex it. Nothing much happened except that Jack found it incredibly cute.
“Come here,” he said without thinking.
“What?”
“I’m going to teach you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No thanks, lumberjack. I’ll stay over here where it’s safe.”
He waved his hand at her. “Come on. Don’t be a scaredy cat.”
She dropped the blanket and walked toward him, only wearing her long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. “I never back down from a challenge.”
Jack wasn’t going to let her freeze to death, so he removed his heavy coat and handed it to her. “Here. Take this.”
“I’m not taking your coat!”
“Yes, you are,” he said, wrapping it around her and guiding each of her arms into the holes. He could feel her warm breath on his arms, and she smelled like sugar.
“Okay, so how do I do this?” she asked, standing there looking at the stump. The image of her in his giant coat with her beautiful red wavy hair was almost more than he could take.
He picked up a smaller, lighter axe nearby. “We’ll start with this one,” he said, handing it to her.
She took it and moved it from hand to hand, trying to get a feel for it. He moved closer, guiding her on how to stand and where to aim, his hands moving over hers to adjust the stance. “You want your feet to be shoulder-width apart, get a good grip on the handle, and focus your eyes on what spot you want to his. Right here should split it nicely,” he said, pointing.
This was the first time he’d taught a woman how to swing an axe, and he was having a hard time keeping focused. He was acutely aware of her and the way she moved. The scent of her strawberry shampoo as he leaned in to correct her grip.
He moved, and she stepped back, taking in a deep breath. When she swung, the axe bit into the wood, not quite splitting it but making a measurable dent. She smiled triumphantly. “That was better than I thought it would be. Can I try again?”
“Of course,” he said, crossing his arms and watching her.
Again, she took in a breath, but this time her tiny little frame seemed to grow to twice its size because she swung the axe with way more power than before, splitting the log right down the center. Ava dropped the axe and jumped up and down, like she’d just won the lottery. Without missing a beat, she hugged him tightly, standing up on her tiptoes. Jack thought he might just melt into a large puddle right there on the snowy ground. Before he could put his arms around her, she pulled back and cleared her throat.
“Sorry about that. I might’ve gotten a little overly excited there,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Adorable.
“No problem. That was quite something to watch.”
“Well, I’d better go get a shower if we’re heading into town. Need to find my Millie girl.” She handed him his coat back.
He smiled and nodded. “Right. I’ll be waiting.”
As he watched her disappear into the cabin, picking up the blanket on the way, he felt a void. This was no good at all.
