11. After The Storm

ELEVEN

AFTER THE STORM

The ringing of the McCormac’s landline woke me from my sleep. The blanket Jack and I had shared was wrapped around my waist, leaving my legs exposed to the cold air while my upper body was covered as if someone had wanted to make sure I didn’t freeze. My eyes strayed out the window to a dark blue sky with a faint yellow glow on the horizon.

Another ring echoed through the house.

I sat up.

Jack lay on his back, completely uncovered and still naked. To this day, he spent every night like that, as if to prove that he really didn’t get cold. I put my hand on his chest to feel his skin, and he was warm as if he lived in a magical alternate world where it was summer.

He squeezed his eyes together, made a face, and let out a groan. “Already?” he muttered, squinting at me with his left eye.

“Looks like it,” I replied, my voice hoarse as if I had drunk all the alcohol in the house last night.

Jack shook his head as if this was a reality he couldn’t accept. His hands grabbed the hand I had on his chest and turned to his side, now holding my arm hostage. “You can’t go. You’re mine now.”

I cleared my throat to get rid of the hoarse sound of my voice. “I don’t want to either, but…” I motioned to where the sound was coming from.

A bark from downstairs joined the ringing.

“All right,” he groaned, letting go of my arm and sitting up as well. “I hate that we have to be so mature.”

“Tell me about it,” I chuckled and set my feet on the floor, taking a second to make sure they were awake before heading downstairs. I picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Dany from Two Trucks And One Man . Sorry to call you so early. Is this Noah Atchley ?”

“Speaking.”

“I thought I might reach you at this number. I’m calling because we found your car and brought it in. It was still where Jack told me it would be. I wanted to let you know you can pick it up today.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your call.”

Jack joined me in the living room, now wearing his jeans and shirt with the little sign that lets everyone know he’s the ‘Home Services Expert.’

“I’m heading out to tow Jack’s car in about two hours,” Dany said on the other end of the line. “If you want, I can give you a ride.”

“That would be great. Jack’s still here, too.” I turned my head to him. His hair was in a wild state. He rested his fingers on the wooden console that held the phone and raised his eyebrows slightly as he caught my eye.

“Perfect. I can take you both. Please let him know he can borrow Laura’s Ford until his truck is fixed.”

“I will. Thanks for calling. See you in two hours.”

“Yep,” he replied and hung up.

“Ugh.” Jack made a face as I hung up the phone.

“Heard everything?”

He nodded. “I dreaded this so much, but I guess I’ll have to hurry then.” His eyes darted to the floor. “I’d rather have the house so clean that when the McCormacs come back tomorrow, they’ll never guess what we’ve been up to.”

He didn’t need to explain. He was right to get back to work today. We cleaned up the bigger messes right after they happened, like when we cooked or had our spa day. But the little things accumulated, and Jack was a master at caring for them. It wasn’t just about cleaning the house either. There were probably a lot of old people who needed fresh food as much as we did. I would have told him to leave the house to me and take care of the rest first, but I already knew he wouldn’t accept that suggestion.

He took a step toward me, and somehow, I expected him to pull me into a hug, but he didn’t. “Please know that I’d rather stay with you.”

“So would I, but we knew this was coming.” No matter how much we both wanted it, the week we were given was over. Denying it would only make things worse. “How about you get started, and I’ll make us breakfast? And at least help out by shoveling some snow?”

He let out a deep sigh. “Thank you for being so understanding.”

Being an adult in moments like this sucked. Hard. But it wasn’t like we could do anything about it.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, bathing the entire house in a warm yellow glow. I was rinsing the last plate from our breakfast when the ringing of the front doorbell announced that Dany was there. Maggie was the first to rush to our visitor. I put the plate in the sink, dried my hands on the tea towel that hung by the stove, and followed Maggie into the living room. She looked at the non-existent gap under the front door, her tail wagging.

A man in his fifties waved at me through the door’s window. He was wearing a cap with the logo of his company, Two Trucks And One Man .

“I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes,” Jack called from upstairs.

“Take your time,” I called back, bent down to hold Maggie’s collar so she wouldn’t jump at Dany. But as I pulled the door open, she put up a good fight for her age in her attempts to greet him.

A cold gust of wind blew in, bringing with it a few snowflakes from the drifts that had accumulated on the porch.

“Well, look who’s here,” Dany said to Maggie, completely ignoring me. His voice was much higher than his stocky frame would suggest. He bent down and ran both hands over Maggie’s cheeks. Since it was obvious that they knew each other, I let go of her collar and gave them some space. His eyes turned to me, but he stayed low to continue patting Maggie. “Sorry about that. Must be weird for you.”

“I’ve just spent a week watching Jack and Maggie cuddle. Believe me, that’s harmless compared to what I’ve seen.”

“So you must be Noah.” Dany laughed as if he’d already heard all about me. His eyes swept past me into the living room. “The three of you made it through the blizzard safe and sound?”

“We all got along great, didn’t we?” I said, looking at Maggie as if she could confirm it. “By the way, Jack will be ready to go in ten minutes.”

“Sounds about right,” Dany replied, tapping Maggie’s chest with some force before he got up with a groan. “I better get going then. Tell Jack I can’t wait for him if he’s too slow.”

“He won’t be.” I grabbed Maggie’s collar again. Dany turned around, and, as expected, Maggie poked her snout in his direction several times to let me know she wanted him to come back. “I understand that you want to see people other than Jack and me, but this will have to do for now.” I pulled her back in and closed the door. “You’ll also have to be brave and stay alone for a little bit. But I’ll be back in a hurry, okay?”

Maggie yelped and then stomped off. I watched her go and couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge in my neck. After spending so much time together, it must be as sad for her to see it come to an end as it was for Jack and me. Or maybe it was just my subconscious projecting my feelings onto her.

Either way, there was no time to waste. I still had to freshen up and get dressed if I wanted to go with them. And there were only eight minutes and thirty seconds left on the clock.

While Jack had his yellow jacket open as usual, I was bundled up with a scarf, beanie, and my coat zipped up as high as it would go. Just because the blizzard was over didn’t mean the cold was gone. As we walked out the door, Maggie stared at Jack and me from the kitchen but made no attempt to follow us. This was something I had rarely seen with dogs. Usually, most of them wanted to join in on everything, but she seemed to know if it was her turn or not.

I locked the door behind me and stepped off the porch. After breakfast, I had spent twenty-five minutes shoveling a path across the front yard to the freshly plowed street. I buried my hands into my pockets while Jack had his out open in the cold without any mittens, holding onto Mrs. Candice’s book that he had promised to bring back to her today.

Dany pressed a button on the black remote control in his hand and watched as Jack’s light blue pickup rose into the air. Earlier, I had swept off as much of the snow as I could with an old broom Jack had given me, but there was still enough on the truck to create a small white cloud as it lifted.

“Happy New Year,” Jack called out to him.

“New Year, my ass. If it weren’t for this stupid blizzard, I’d be in my hot tub right now. But it’s good to see you.” Dany pressed a button, and the truck stopped, now hanging in the air, only the front tires on the ground.

“Did you check the exhaust?” Jack asked.

“For a minute, but I couldn’t see what the problem was. We’ll have to take a look at it in the garage.”

“Do you think you could?—”

“No, absolutely not. The earliest we’ll be able to get to it is tomorrow, but two to three days is much more realistic. I’m only towing because I had to come through here anyway, and we need Mr. Atchley to pick up his car from the lot. You’ll have to live with Laura’s Ford for a couple of days.”

“Won’t she need it?”

“No, she took some time off to be with her sister as much as possible.” His clenched eyebrows softened, and his voice calmed as a smile found its way onto his face. “The newest member of our family was so eager to celebrate this New Year’s Eve already that she came a little early.”

“Diane had her baby? Congratulations!” Jack beamed as he gave him a brotherly hug. “What’s the little bundle of joy’s name?”

All the happiness on Dany’s face gave way to a frown. “You don’t want to know. They named her Athena-Maeve .” Dany shook his head. “Something about honoring my brother-in-law’s heritage.” He waved his hands in the air and pointed to the front of his truck. “Well, let’s go, boys.”

Jack motioned for me to follow him around the truck and held the door open so I could climb in first. The truck had a three-seat layout with a two-person bench for passengers. Inside, the warm air carried the smell of coffee, inviting me to loosen my scarf a bit, and rock music blared from the radio.

Jack climbed into the seat beside me. He had to squeeze in so tight that his hip pressed against mine, pinning me between him and the center console.

Dany grunted as he heaved himself into the driver’s seat, making the whole tow truck shake. When he started the engine, the whole thing shook even harder, as if we were suddenly caught in an earthquake.

My hand intuitively searched for Jack’s leg, seeking the comfort I had come to rely on over the past few days. It lay there for five seconds before I noticed that both Jack and Dany were staring at what I had just done.

I pulled my hand back, but it was too late. I mumbled a “sorry” to Jack, who, confusingly enough, smiled at me as if I had just confessed my love to him.

Dany jerked the gear stick and let us roll forward. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I know small-town people don’t have the best reputation when it comes to gays. But this is the twenty-first century. The guy I rent a room to is gay. The couple that owns the gas station is gay. They are all good, sincere people.”

Jack took my hand and put it back on his knee. “Dany was one of the first to know when I came to town.”

“Only because my old man figured it out after a week of you helping out around the house.”

Jack blushed. “Dorian’s just too good at putting one and one together. But let’s leave it at that, shall we?”

“Well, I can only imagine that you two had a good time during the blizzard,” Dany said with a hearty laugh.

“That’s one way to put it,” Jack replied.

I pressed my head into the headrest to get out of the way of their conversation. After meeting Mrs. Candice, I shouldn’t have been so surprised that Jack was open with them, but this was still unexpected.

“You’re new in town?” Dany asked.

It took me a second to realize that he was talking to me. “It was my first time here, yes. But I was just taking care of Maggie for the week. Going to Glenn’s Creek tomorrow.”

The roaring engine took over for a second. Dany tilted his head in both directions as he pulled to the right. “That’s too bad. Seastone could use a few more fresh, young faces. I’d ask you if you like it here, but it doesn’t seem like you’ve gotten to see much besides the McCormac’s house.”

“Well, what little I got to see made a lasting impression.” It was probably obvious that I was only talking about Jack. He was all I needed to see to know that I liked this place. I intertwined my fingers with his. “I didn’t expect to see Jack here again. But thanks to him, I had an unforgettable time. I hope to visit again soon.”

He searched for my face and returned my smile, though I couldn’t help but notice that there was a hint of sadness in it.

“You knew each other from before?” Dany asked.

“College, yes,” I replied.

Dany wrinkled his forehead. “College?” A red traffic light next to an old mill made him slow down. Once we came to a complete stop, he turned to me. “Sorry to be so blunt, but are you a vet?”

“You don’t have to ask him, Dany,” Jack interrupted before my brain had fully processed Dany’s question. “He just said he’s leaving for Glenn’s Creek tomorrow.”

My eyes darted between them. Dany shook his head while Jack leaned his against the door. I searched for Jack’s gaze. “Ask me what ?”

Jack twitched as if my question was a slap to the back of his head.

Dany huffed and muttered something into his cheeks before he spoke. “My dad is the local vet. He was supposed to retire two years ago, but we can’t find anyone to take over. Not many young people find a place like Seastone appealing. Can’t blame them. There’s not much here but the mountains and a few old folks.”

Jack looked down and clenched his jaw. He furrowed his brows so tightly that the skin on his forehead wrinkled.

A shiver ran down my spine. Jack knew about the position when we talked yesterday. That much was certain. Why didn’t he tell me? Was that why he asked me where I would go after my time here and why I didn’t want to pursue the career? Did he want to ask me to stay but decided against it after I told him my reasons?

“We are frankly quite desperate,” Dany said. “We even offered to pay for Jack to finish his undergraduate degree. He could have gone to vet school while doing the necessary internships with my dad on full pay and then take over when he graduated.”

“I told you,” Jack barked at Dany. “I can’t take your money like this.” He pulled his hand back.

“You could have paid me back when the office was yours.” Dany waved it off. “But that’s water under the bridge now.”

There was no way he knew Jack’s real reasons for not wanting to be a veterinarian. Dany could have offered him a million dollars, and it wouldn’t have changed Jack’s mind.

The light turned green, and Dany rolled across the intersection. “I’m certainly not going to force anyone to take my money.” Dany laughed it off as if he hadn’t just spoken, as if he still hoped Jack would change his mind. “So, Noah, if you know someone who would be a good fit and doesn’t mind the small town, please give them our contact. We’re pretty flexible on the terms. Money, hours, relocation assistance, everything is negotiable.” He pulled down the sun visor, behind which were several business cards, and handed one to me. “You’re also welcome to give us a call when you get tired of Glenn’s Creek. But I understand. It’s a nice place to live.”

I stared at his card. My breathing got heavier. The horizon twisted. The pale blue sky turned into a big hole that I could have fallen into if I hadn’t been strapped in behind the seat belt of this tow truck.

Here I was, already resigned to the fact that I was leaving tomorrow, only to find out that the perfect job was right in front of me if I only wanted it.

Without warning, Dany slammed on the brakes so hard that all three of us slid quite close to the dashboard. My hands jumped up, searching for the black leather in front of me, while Jack’s hands reached for my chest to hold me in my seat. As the car came to a stop, we all held still for a moment as if another impact was imminent. My chest rose and fell as if my heart was trying to escape my body, and only Jack’s hand was holding it in place.

The red flash of another traffic light glared at us.

“Sorry about that. Road’s still icy,” Dany laughed as if it was funny. The light turned green, and Dany steered us to the right.

Jack pulled his hand back, and I wished he’d left it on my chest. The unplanned adrenaline rush couldn’t distract me from what had just happened.

I’d been offered a job—one that, a year ago, I would have said yes to in a heartbeat. So why did it now feel like Dany had stuck a knife in my chest?

We came to a lot at the end of the road. An auto repair shop that could fit four cars to our left and at least ten cars parked on the right, including my Corolla. The tow truck shook as it pulled over the curb. “Here we are.” Dany stopped in the middle of the lot, unbuckled his seatbelt, and opened the door with a sigh.

“Thanks for the ride,” Jack said, keeping his voice low while I was unable to move my body or mouth.

“You’re welcome,” he said, beaming as if that was all the payment he needed, and climbed out of the door. He walked from the truck to a small door next to the garage that looked like it might contain the office. I held the business card up to my face as if it were a lottery ticket I’d found and didn’t want.

Jack’s whole body twitched toward me as if he wanted to make contact, but he held himself back. He didn’t touch me. He didn’t say anything. His breaths were so loud even though his chest was barely rising. His fingers clenched around Mrs. Candice’s book, bending the pages slightly. He stared at them, his head shaking almost invisibly from side to side.

“Hey,” Dany yelled across the parking lot. He was standing in front of the office, waving at us with a set of keys in his hands.

Jack’s head twitched as if to look at me, but he stopped himself and opened the door instead.

Dany didn’t charge me anything for towing my car. He just handed me the keys and said he was thankful that Jack wasn’t stuck in the blizzard alone. The rest of the conversation took a lot of strength to keep my composure, but the way Jack avoided my gaze, I knew he was in the same boat. They walked me to my Corolla, and after we checked together that everything was in order, Dany said goodbye and went back to his office, leaving Jack and me alone.

Jack jiggled the car keys he had gotten from Dany in his palms. His eyes darted all over the place to avoid looking at me.

“So they’re looking for a new vet in town,” I said, hiding my hands in my jacket pockets.

“They are.” His voice was lifeless. “I should have told you, but...” He ran a hand over his face and ruffled his hair. “I didn’t want to complicate things for you.”

I believed every word he said. He was so happy when my hand searched for his as we sat in Dany’s truck. He made no secret of how close we were, but the moment Dany told me about the position, he retreated like a beaten dog? Maybe it was just my imagination, but how could I understand his reasoning other than that he wanted me to stay, that he wanted to tell me about it yesterday, but after I told him how sick being a vet made me, he decided not to? He was definitely the type to try to protect me from more pain and emotional distress, even if it meant making himself miserable by having to let me go.

“It was stupid of me. I, I...” Jack finally looked at me. “I wish things weren’t as messed up as they are.”

“I’m not angry if that’s what you’re thinking,” I said, leaning my back against the car. “I wouldn’t have told me either if I were you.”

Knowing about the opening here in Seastone changed things, but at the same time, it didn’t. There were reasons why I hadn’t looked for veterinary jobs. I tried once, the day before my interview at the FDA a month ago, but I didn’t even get past typing the word ‘ veterinarian ’ before my body started shaking like crazy. As tempting as it was to have the chance to stay with Jack, I could already hear my parents screaming in the back of my head that I couldn’t just make decisions like that with my dick. I had to handle this situation like an adult.

I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”

“ You don’t have to be.”

“I do. I’m the one who’s leaving.” An icy wind whipped around our heads. “But I promise, we won’t lose each other like after college. I’ll call you every day, and I know you’ll always pick up, like you said. We can visit each other. I can come here in the summer. You can visit me in Glenn’s Creek whenever you want to. We can still be...” I wanted to say ‘ together ,’ but it felt too cruel. “... friends , can’t we?”

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and pulled his face together like he was biting into a lemon. “I’m sorry, but I have to go to work.”

My eyes became watery. What seemed okay yesterday wasn’t anymore. I couldn’t let us go our separate ways like this. I reached for his hand, my fingers wrapping around his. I could have pulled his hand close, squeezed it, and used it to draw him into a hug, but I didn’t. It was as if we were at a dead end, with no escape except by going back to where we started. “Meet me and Maggie for one last dinner?” was all I could bring myself to say.

Jack’s eyes were empty, staring into the distance behind me. His irises widened for a second before he shook his head slightly and turned his gaze back to me. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around my back as if this was his last chance. “I’ll let you know when I’m done.” His nose sought safety in my neck. “I like you, Noah. And that will never change,” he murmured into my scarf. His words were muffled, but I could still hear them enough to have no doubt. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, hugged me tightly one more time, and then let go, walking away before I could respond to what he had said.

As he reached the red Ford Escape on the other side of the parking lot, he turned to me for the last time and waved, clutching Mrs. Candice’s book to his heart.

I waved back, still leaning against my car, the cold metal pressing into my back as I watched him drive off the lot.

Somehow, at that moment, the thought crossed my mind that this would be the last time I saw him.

That feeling didn’t leave me for hours.