Fixer-Upper (Spinning Hills Romance 3) (26 page)

J
ohnny drove behind the bus, feeling as if time had stopped and only he, the road, and the one thought he was capable of existed. Marissa’s words to Brian kept playing in his head, over and over again. He kept making a conscious effort to make them stop, but as soon as he quit monitoring his thoughts, they’d start up again. Not even playing other songs on his phone or the radio helped.

His problem was that the more he thought about it, the more pissed off he became on behalf of the kids. Under normal circumstances, he’d have it out with the person who almost destroyed what the kids had worked so hard for. But these weren’t normal circumstances. It felt like it was Marissa’s battle to fight, and he wasn’t even sure what she’d do when the dust settled.

He was so focused on containing his feelings that he didn’t see a large, jagged rock near the median until it was too late to swerve. He hit the rock with his left front wheel, feeling only a slight bump. Seconds later, it was clear he’d blown out the tire. With only four hours to go before they got home, too.

Johnny moved to the side of the road and hit his head against the steering wheel before searching for his phone to call Amy and tell her he had to change a tire. Amy insisted on stopping, but Johnny told her the last thing the kids needed was a delay. They’d had a blast, but it was their second day on the road, and some of them were tired and others were just strung out. They’d had enough togetherness, and they needed to get home. And stopping a bus full of kids on a busy highway was dangerous.

Johnny hopped down to inspect the damage. He was squatting in front of the busted tire when the sound of feet crunching on gravel made him look up. Marissa was jogging toward him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“The kids didn’t want to leave you behind alone,” she explained when she reached him. “We all agreed I was the most logical choice to stay.”

Johnny gave his head a slight shake. He didn’t want to know the logic the matchmaking kids had used to make the choice.

“It’s safer for you in the truck,” he said, as a car zipped by at a dangerously high speed. “I’ll go look for the spare and a jack.”

“That’s just it. There’s no spare or jack,” she said. “They provide free roadside assistance instead. I’ll make the call.”

“What? Why?” Johnny asked, highly offended.

“Something about liability and consumers not properly torquing lug nuts. But their average response time is less than an hour.”

Johnny tried not smile as he imagined Marissa grilling a weary rental attendant, making sure she was addressing all possible obstacles. “Well, their rental agreement is stupid. I could change a tire on a semi if I had to.”

Marissa gave him a playful look. “They didn’t ask how much you could bench-press when we signed. They only asked to see a copy of your license.”

“Well, that’s too bad. I’d have us out of here in a jiff. And now we have to wait.”

“It’ll be less than an hour.”

Marissa made the call, and they climbed in and shut their respective doors to the cab.

“What do we do to pass the time?” she asked.

Her hair, her eyes, her mouth, her skin . . . all of her looked soft and touchable. Johnny wished they had bucket seats, and not the expansive bench seats that gave him all sorts of ideas. With effort, he tore his gaze away and turned to stare out the front window.

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I—I have something to say, but I don’t know where to start.”

Johnny turned to study her. “I told you before—you can tell me anything. Always.”

He watched her throat work before she spoke. “It’s about something I’ve known for some time now.” She disconnected her gaze from his and looked down at her hands. “But it’s all so complicated . . . I don’t even know if you still feel the same way about me.”

“What are you trying to say, Marissa?” he asked.

“I love you.”

Johnny’s heart leapt in his chest, but he remained frozen in his seat, knowing it was all wrong. Finally, he sighed. “No. You don’t. You’re acting out, to hurt Brian.”

Marissa’s eyes took on a wild look. “No! I wouldn’t do that to you. Or to him! You know that. You know
me
.”

Johnny’s breathing became strangled and painful. God, how he wanted to believe her. But it made no sense. “You broke up with Brian
the day before yesterday
. You don’t just fall out of love with one person, and then jump into it with another in less than forty-eight hours, Marissa. You’re hurt. I’m here and I’m convenient. That’s all it is.”

A breeze blew through the open window and rustled Marissa’s hair and her billowy shirt, and it made the moment seem unreal, as if she’d blow away herself at any moment. “You don’t understand—”

“I do understand. Because I
do
love you and I know now how deeply it cuts and how crazy it can make you. You’re
acting out
. I won’t take advantage of that. The last thing I want is to be your rebound.”

Marissa scooted forward until her knee was hitting his thigh. “Look at me. Please,” she said. Johnny held his breath and looked at her. Her dark eyes searched his and implored him to listen, too. “The day before the wedding, you put a crown of flowers on my head, and you said the nicest words anyone has ever said to me, and I felt understood, and suddenly,
that
felt right, in a purer way. It was a simple truth, that you knew me and accepted me and understood me. It wasn’t something I’d decided or had to force. The next day, at the wedding, Brian began to feel wrong. I didn’t get it. I was mad at myself over it, and mad at you for confusing me. I was forcing myself to take control again, but I couldn’t manage it, and I drank more than I usually do so I wouldn’t have to think.”

Johnny looked away again. Hope was getting stronger. Caution was hot on its heels. “Your engagement party was supposed to be tomorrow night. You didn’t cancel it until yesterday, Marissa. Let’s just stop talking about this, okay? I’m tired of it all and we’ve got other things to attend to.” He moved away from her to glance at the rearview mirror, eager to be on his way home again.

“Jeez, you’re being such a hypocrite! You know what it’s like to get caught in the middle of a messy situation better than anyone I know. And you know how hard it is to figure your way out of it! I told Brian we needed to talk when I got back, before the engagement party, and he said not to worry, that we’d sort it all out, and that the party was informal, anyway. I was going to cancel it and inform everyone myself.”

She looked into his eyes. “
Do you know how hard that was going to be, Johnny?
I knew I loved you, but that he loved me, that no one wanted me with you, and that it would all turn into one big fat mess. I was scared and sad and happy all at once. I was going to try to ease my way out of one situation and into the other to save feelings. But then I found out what Brian did, and suddenly, I got tired of thinking about everyone except you and me. Despite what you think, I’m not confused. I don’t want to rub anything in his face, I’m mad as hell at him, but I don’t want to humiliate him.
But I want to be with you.
I want to start my life with you. Right now. If you’ll have me.”

Johnny stared at her. “If I’ll have you?”

 

Finally, Marissa seemed to be getting through to him. She scooted up to him, held his face in her hands, and touched her lips to his. The featherlight touch sent tingles everywhere. She drew back to look at him. Johnny’s eyes flashed. He came in, achingly slow, and bit her bottom lip, a wicked trick that sent hot flashes all through her body, before breaking away to watch her reaction.

His eyes smoldered into hers as he watched her gasp, and he slowly lowered her head to the seat, and began kissing her slowly, making her crazy with drugging, clinging kisses, while his fingers began grazing down her body, causing sparks and spasms everywhere. His lips began moving over her neck and behind her ear, making her wild, before coming back to her mouth to tease her lips open. He swept in, hungry and hot, and Marissa began to pant and writhe underneath him.

Thump thump
. “Get a room when we’re done here!” someone yelled. Johnny jumped up and banged his head against the roof. Marissa looked up to see a mustached man waggling his eyebrows at her. She screamed and turned her head into the seat, wanting to die.

“Stay here,” Johnny rasped, before clearing his throat. “Don’t let him see your face. He’s liable to dream about you tonight, and if he does, I’m liable to kill him.”

Marissa laughed into the seat at Johnny’s bizarre statement. Despite the situation, she felt happier than she had in ages.

A half hour later, Johnny and the man parted ways. Johnny buckled Marissa into the seat right next to him and kissed first her eyelids, and then her nose, all sweet and tender. But when he got to her lips, their breathing became shallow, and they kept drawing out the kisses until Marissa was pressed into the seat and Johnny was practically on her lap. A semi honked. Johnny shot up, panting. They took a few moments to catch their breath before they started laughing.

Marissa cuddled up to Johnny, and he began the long drive home, one hand draped around her shoulder, playing with her hair, the other atop the steering wheel.

“You ready?” he asked when their laughter had died down.

“No,” Marissa admitted on a sigh. She was comfortable there. She wanted to stay cuddled against Johnny’s warm body for days, not hours. “It’s been a whirlwind summer, I didn’t get any sleep last night, I’m not ready to face Brian, my parents, and Marty. I’m just . . . tired. I want to forget the world and everyone in it for at least one night. The forecast calls for a rainstorm. I can’t imagine anything better than staying at the Cursed Lover and cuddling up with you and the puppies while listening to the rain patter on the roof until we all fall asleep.”

 

Not ready. Tired. Forget the world outside. Brian.
Johnny was quiet for a moment, examining her words, his feelings, and the entire situation more deeply. Despite his current bliss, despite the laughter, something wasn’t right. It seemed transitory somehow. Like he was deluding himself. It was happening too fast. There were others involved, others to think about. He gently removed his arm from her shoulders and instead covered her hand with his. “Marissa, there’s nothing I’d love more. But we can’t move this fast. There are things you need to resolve. You’re right, and you need to listen to yourself. To your own words. You’re tired, and not ready to face things. You’re trying to shut out real life.”

“You don’t believe me.” Marissa shook her head and looked out the window. “I don’t blame you. I know what it seems like.”

Johnny sighed. “That’s not what I’m saying. All I’m saying is, let’s take this one step at a time. I’ve waited over a year for you. I can wait a little longer. We have the rest of our lives, Marissa, and I swore to your mom I wouldn’t get a Medina into any more trouble.”

M
arissa asked Johnny to drop her off at Huffy’s. She wasn’t ready to face her mom or her grandmother’s barrage of questions, but Huffy’s on a Saturday night was only slightly better. Johnny drove down the alley and parked in his usual spot next to Marty. Marissa hesitated, feeling too cramped and exhausted to deal.

As if sensing her thoughts, Johnny said, “Marty’s probably behind the bar. I can talk to him first, tell him the bare minimum, enough so he knows to ease off on the questions and fend other people off for you, until you get some rest. He has a cot in his office . . .”

Marissa nodded and they both got out. Johnny thumped on the back door twice, and Jenny, the waitress, opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw Marissa. “Oh my God, where have you been? Marty’s about to have a fit.”

They stepped inside, and Marty, who was in the kitchen giving orders, caught sight of them. “Where’ve you been? Everyone’s waiting for you, no one can reach you—Mom’s near hysterics.”

Marissa froze. “What do you mean?”

Marty threw his hands up. “Your engagement party? The one I’m throwing for you and Brian?”

Marissa was so shocked, she could only stand there.

“The engagement’s off, Marty, and Brian knew it. I heard her tell him myself,” Johnny said, sounding as stunned as she felt.

Marty looked at Johnny before looking at Marissa again. “Oh, for the love of—” He scrubbed his face.

Marissa quickly shook herself out of it. “No! It’s not what you’re thinking. Trust us on that, Marty, please.” Her mind began racing. This was a disaster. She’d told him to cancel! Why on earth hadn’t he called it off? He’d had two days! “Please find Brian. Tell him I’m here. He and I need to talk.”

Brian rounded the corner then. He took one look at Marissa and Johnny, and before anyone knew what was happening, he hissed, “I knew it,” grabbed Johnny by the shoulders, and tried to yank him away from Marissa’s side.

But he underestimated his opponent. Johnny might have been leaner, but he was pure muscle and he didn’t budge. Johnny shoved Brian away, hard, but Brian held fast to his shoulders and the two men flew backward through the swinging metal doors and landed with a loud
thud
in front of the small stage.

Conversations stopped and people stared. Marissa ran out as Johnny and Brian scrambled to their feet. Marissa cried, “Brian, stop! You know what you did!” Johnny turned to move Marissa out of the way, just as Brian lunged at him again. Johnny grabbed him and took him down with him. Brian pulled his fist back, and Johnny moved to block it while pulling his own punch. Brian’s head snapped back and Johnny quickly rolled him over and pinned him to the floor.

A voice yelled, “Get off my son,” and Johnny looked up in time to see Brian’s mom holding a chair over her head.

It came down fast and he flinched. “No, you don’t!” came Sam’s voice. Johnny looked up to see Sam grab the chair. Brian’s dad yelled, “Let go of my wife!” and shoved Sam. Dan shouted, “He wasn’t touching her, fool!” and held Mr. Golden back.

Brian took advantage of the new commotion and threw a punch. Johnny heard the
pop
, felt the sting in his right eye, and his head swung to the side. Next thing he knew, a bunch of hands were lifting him off of Brian and holding him back while Brian got up. “Get him, Bri!” they yelled. Brian pulled his fist back to score another punch, while Johnny struggled to break free, but Marty rushed Brian from the side before his fist could connect with Johnny’s gut.

Sam and Dan pulled whoever was holding Johnny off of him, and he turned to see a few beefy guys he didn’t know. They rounded on his brothers, fists ready, and Johnny threw himself onto them.

Rosa stood on a table and shouted, “Stop this right now!”

“Shut up, hag!” someone yelled back. Marty’s war cry sounded above everything else, and then all hell broke loose. Punches flew, chairs were wielded, men yelled, women screamed, and fingers clawed and scratched.

Marty and Brian were rolling around on the floor, each trying to pin the other down, and Cassie and Holly were holding back Mrs. Medina and Brian’s mom, who were both trying to help their boys, while Brian’s dad held back Melinda, who was trying to help her brother, too. Mr. Medina held Marissa, who wanted to jump on top of the beefy guy who was fighting Johnny. Both sisters were kicking and clawing at the air, with Melinda cussing mightily at Brian.

Ruby, Rosa, and Sherry stood on a table and directed Sam, Dan, and Johnny in the mess, telling them when to watch out and where to turn. With their help, they were finally able to overpower the beefy guys. A police siren rang. Johnny grabbed Brian, who had managed to overpower Marty, and yanked him off of his best friend. Marissa managed to break free, scramble up onto the stage, grab the microphone, and yell, “Brian! You started this! Stop it! Now!”

Brian’s dad let go of Melinda and rounded on Johnny. Sam and Dan held the man back, and Marty yelled to Johnny, “You and Marissa need to leave!”

Johnny leaped onto the stage, grabbed her hand, and they ran out. Michelle Medina’s voice rang out after them, “You promised me, Johnny! You promised you’d never get my kids into trouble again!”

Marissa and Johnny reached Johnny’s pickup and climbed in, just as Officers Megan Pearson and Keith White, both good friends of Johnny’s, arrived on the scene.

“Go slow, or they’ll stop you,” Marissa whispered, and Johnny directed a big fake smile at them before peeling out. He turned left at the end of the alley.

“Where are you going? Your house is that way,” Marissa exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction.

“You really want a torch-carrying mob following us
there
?”

“Not one person there had a torch, Johnny.”

“No, but I don’t want the house’s history giving anybody any ideas.”

Marissa giggled before clapping a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, what’s wrong with me?” A moment later, she shook her head. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know. All I know is your mom is going to kill me—if Brian doesn’t get to me first.”

“I’m so sorry! I should never have asked you to come in with me. Look at you! Your lip is busted—”

“You didn’t ask. I offered, and neither of us knew what was waiting inside,” he said, touching his thumb to his lip.

 

Ten minutes later, they were sitting in front of Johnny’s father’s grave. Sam had built a bench under a tree right in front of it years before. The grave and the bench looked out onto the entire town. It felt anticlimactic. Like that final scene in
The Graduate
, when Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross just ride the bus in silence.

Johnny put his head in his hands. Everything had happened so fast, and now Marissa—who hated hurting anyone and who loathed being the center of attention—was the star of one of the biggest scandals their town had witnessed in years. Everything that had happened made them both look bad, but Marissa especially would suffer, because she’d arrived at her own engagement party with “another man.”

“What are you thinking?” Johnny asked, almost afraid to know.

Marissa lifted her shoulders and let them drop.

“I’m sorry, Marissa.”

“Don’t be. This wasn’t your fault. I should’ve called.
I
should’ve canceled.”

“Shhh.” Johnny pulled her close. “Don’t beat yourself up. You told him to cancel. He knows what he did, and he knows how you felt about it. That was an ambush, Marissa.” Johnny felt a huge surge of anger. “And he’s not even allergic to dogs.”

Marissa gave a short, nervous laugh. “What?”

“Nothing. Forget it.” He gave his head a slight shake.

Marissa sighed and looked out into the distance. The warm night air enveloped them, and a sense of peace slowly settled over them.

“What are
you
thinking?” she asked after a while.

Johnny shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I’m talking to my dad.” In his mind, he was reintroducing Marissa to him, telling him she was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the girl whom he hoped would carry four of his grandchildren, and the girl he hoped to help take care of forever. But he was also telling him that things were really messed up. Still, the peace he was feeling didn’t leave him.

“You’re leaving for Ecuador in a few days.” It was not a question.

Marissa hesitated. “Yes.”

Johnny studied her. “If things were different, I’d drop everything and go with you, and try to learn some Spanish.”

“I can see you doing it. Habitat for Humanity goes to this village, too, to build houses. You could do that.” Marissa smiled a little, but where she’d looked so sure about everything when she was in the truck, telling him she loved him, she now looked uncertain, and her smile was sad.

“But things aren’t different. They are what they are.” Johnny got up and offered her his hand. “And I should probably take you home. You’ve got a lot going on, Marissa.”

“I do.” Marissa took his offered hand, got up, and looked into his eyes. “And I’ll figure it all out, Johnny. I promise.”

Johnny wished he knew what that meant, but now was not the time to press her about anything.

Marissa asked Johnny to drop her off at the corner. She knew he didn’t leave until he saw her walk up to the porch, because that was when she heard his truck drive away. The lights were all off, but there was a lone figure waiting for her on the front porch. Brian. He looked angry still.

They didn’t talk much, though there was much to say. Brian was mostly angry and defensive, while Marissa was blazing mad—and sorry. “I’m sorry I led you to believe that the life you were offering was the life I wanted.”

“You expect me to believe you didn’t know what you wanted?” Brian demanded, looking as if he didn’t believe her.

Marissa looked up at him. “It’s not that I didn’t know; it’s that I thought I knew. And I’m sorry for that. More than I can say. But we wouldn’t have survived what you did with the grant, Brian. There’s no way.”

Brian looked like he was going to say something, try to defend or explain away his actions one more time, but the look on her face must’ve told him the truth, because instead he turned and left.

 

When Johnny arrived at the Cursed Lover, it was dark. He went to his room, took his shirt off, lay down on the bed, and closed his tired eyes. But the pretense of rest was short-lived. Lights were flickering across his room.

“The angry villagers,” he muttered before getting up and looking out the window. Two long rows of headlights glared at him. Tires crunched to a stop on the gravel. The first door slammed. And then another. And another.

The door knocked. Johnny opened it. A chorus of questions, news, accusations, and barking filled the night air. At least they weren’t carrying torches and pitchforks.

Ruby stepped in first. Then Rosa, Marty, Melinda, Marissa’s parents, Dan, Holly, Sam, and Cassie, who was holding a pet carrier with five yelping puppies.

“Where’s Marissa?” Michelle Medina demanded.

“I dropped her off at your house.” Johnny calmly replied.

“When? We just came from there!” she exclaimed.

Johnny looked at his watch as if his living room wasn’t full of hostiles and barks. Only his brothers, and Cassie and Holly, had come in peace. “I dropped her off about ten minutes ago.”

Michelle threw her hands in the air before placing them atop her head. “And why did you two arrive at her engagement party together? Why was she so late? Why wouldn’t she answer her phone? Why were you and Brian fighting? Are Brian’s accusations true?” She fired off her questions, her voice rising with each one.

Rosa and Melinda began talking over each other, echoing the same questions in different ways. Marty exploded. “The police left my place an hour ago, I called you, I came here, I went to Dan’s and Sam’s—”

Dan and Sam interrupted him, telling him to be quiet and let their brother talk. Johnny raised his hands, palms up, to stop the barrage. “I can explain.”

Michelle opened her mouth to speak again, but Marissa’s dad put his hands on her shoulders and said, “Let him explain,” though he was looking worn out, tired, and about ready to snap, too.

“Listen! I’ve done nothing wrong this time. And I’ll be happy to explain as much as I can without betraying Marissa’s privacy, but
not
if you all keep acting like it’s okay to barge in here and disrespect me in my own home.” Johnny’s angry voice sliced through the air. Nobody had ever seen or heard Johnny so livid before.

The villagers were finally stunned into silence, Johnny thought.

He gave them a look before beginning his explanation. “Marissa broke up with Brian and told him to cancel the party. He ignored her and went through with it anyway. If you want to know why she broke up with him, though, you’ll have to ask her.”

Everyone started talking again and, to his surprise, Roberto Medina was the one to tell everyone, “
Shut up
.
Please.”
He stepped forward and looked Johnny in the eye. “I hope you know I admire you in many ways, Johnny, and I didn’t come here to disrespect you. But Marissa’s my daughter. And it’s been brought to our attention tonight that Marissa was the woman you fell for a year ago. I can’t leave without telling you that no matter why she broke up with Brian, she needs time to recover. She shouldn’t rush into a new relationship.”

“I know. I love Marissa, Mr. Medina. I’d marry her right here and right now if I could, but—”

He was interrupted by an ecstatic Ruby clapping her hands together and shouting, “Oh! Did you hear that, everyone?” But Michelle and Roberto didn’t look as pleased.

“Bro,” Dan said, looking over at him, an exasperated look on his face. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Johnny shot Ruby a look. “Let me finish. It’s because I love her and want to spend my life with her that I agree, and it’s because I’m trying to change that I’m laying out my feelings like this now. Trust me, I don’t want her to rush into anything, either. If anything happens between us, I want her to be as sure as I am. We both deserve that. She’s leaving in a few days for Ecuador, she has a lot going on, and I intend to stay away from her for now. But you should talk to her and find out from her what happened.” He looked at the crowd. “Not all of you, though. Please. Most of you should go home.”