It Was Always You (Harpers Ridge Book 1)

by Ann Carver

  “She’s already gone,” he said sorrowfully.

  “Go fix it,” Rebecca said sternly.

  But as luck would have it, the call came in for a fifteen-vehicle pile-up on the highway. Dylan offered to go instead of Joe, but with that big of a mess, all three would be needed. So, they all ran out to the truck and took off toward the accident.

  Tears streamed down Harpers face as she left the parking lot. Joey had never belittled her like that. Sure, she knew she slept with some guys in high school, but he made it seem like she slept with every male in the universe. It hurt that he’d said she hadn’t changed. She’d told him that while she was with him that she’d only be with him. What made him think that she’d betrayed him like that?

  People change. She’d changed and she thought Joey would have seen that, but he obviously didn’t. She’d wanted to come home and tell him that she loved him…that she finally figured out what love was because of him. Then she wanted to make love with him because that’s what it was…love.

  She drove home…rather, to Joey’s apartment, heartbroken. Once she got inside, she went to the closet and pulled out her bag and began to fill it. It was hard to concentrate because she’d look over at the bed and imagine him lying there, waiting for her.

  The task of packing took longer than it should have because she couldn’t stop her feelings from reminiscing about any little thing that caught her eye and made her remember something about Joey.

  Harper placed the key to Joey’s apartment on the table with a sob. Then she locked the door and pulled it closed behind her. She dragged her stuff down the stairs and into her truck. With one look back up the stairs, she wiped the tears under her eyes and left.

  At the block house, she didn’t turn on a single light. She used her phone to light the way up the stairs. She passed all the other bedrooms and kept going to her room. Even though there was no furniture in it, she could sleep on the floor.

  She stopped at the door and leaned against it, letting the wood cool her cheek. She whispered Joey’s name and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She hadn’t been in her room for a long time. Joey told her it was too dangerous as long as there was a hole in the roof and that she shouldn’t go in there until it was finished.

  No, she didn’t want to go in there. She wanted her first night in her bedroom to be with Joey. But, he ruined that dream. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to go inside. Not until Vinny finished. So, she hauled her stuff to a spare bedroom.

  Again, not turning on a single light, she fumbled her way to the bed and sank onto it. She laid back and pulled her feet up on the bed. She laid there and cried herself to sleep.

  Joe was physically sick by the time his shift ended. The major accident took three hours to clear up and that was the only time he hadn’t thought about Harper. The rest of his shift was hell. A hell brought on by himself.

  Rebecca and Dylan called him everything but a nice person and he agreed. He hurt Harper so bad and he didn’t think anything he could tell her would make it better. Even though she’d slept with Tristan, she still didn’t deserve the words he said.

  After his shift, he drove to the hardware store to say hi to his grandpa. The store wouldn’t open for a couple of hours, but he knew his grandpa was wandering around in there somewhere. As he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Tristan’s truck.

  There was no way he could face Tristan right now. Not after he’d slept with his girlfriend…the woman he loved. So, he drove right back out of the parking lot and drove to his apartment, thinking of places he could go if Harper’s truck was there.

  Thankfully her truck wasn’t there, but none-the-less, he cautiously entered his apartment and looked around. When he realized she was gone, completely gone because all her bags and stuff were gone, he didn’t feel better.

  His gut hurt along with his heart. He’d wanted to spend the rest of his life with Harper. He’d wanted to tell her that, but then he saw her being whisked away by Tristan into his tent. To ease the pain, he took a shower and fell into his bed with a major headache.

  The next morning, Harper woke with a headache. She managed to drag herself to the shower and get dressed, just to find herself standing in the kitchen wondering what to do next. The house was almost completed. Vinny needed to finish the roof and she needed to finish furnishing the place.

  After determining that there was no food in the house, she grabbed her keys to head to her truck to go to the grocery store. She needed to stock up now that she’d be staying there. After looking at her bank account, she thanked the stars that she was starting work tomorrow.

  As she opened the door, Vinny was standing on her porch with his hand up, ready to knock. Harper jumped and clutched at her heart.

  “You scared the crap out of me,” she said regaining her composure.

  Vinny smiled. “Sorry about that. I saw your truck and wanted to stop by and see how you liked the roof.”

  Her eyes grew big. “It’s done? I didn’t know. I got here after dark, last night.”

  “Yeah, I can’t believe Joe didn’t tell you,” he said as he waved her down the steps. “I know it’s two stories and you can’t see the top, but you can get the idea by the porch over-hang.”

  Harper followed him and looked up above the porch. It, indeed, was completed and looked like a miracle had taken place. It was amazing what a new roof could do for the livelihood of an old house.

  “Vinny, it looks amazing,” she said in awe.

  “Thanks. I can’t believe Joe didn’t tell you. Did you see his surprise?” he asked with a big smile on his face.

  Her heart sank again. “No, I haven’t talked to him,” she said not wanting to talk about breaking up. Vinny didn’t seem to have a clue that Joe broke up with her and she didn’t have the energy to discuss it. “What surprise?” she asked quietly.

  His smile turned into a laugh. “I’m not going to ruin it. You’ll have to wait for him,” he said. “But, I have to get to my next job, I’ll talk to you later,” he added with a wave as he went to his truck and then drove away.

  Why would Joey give her a surprise and then break up with her? Oh, right, she hadn’t changed. She was the same girl she’d been in high school and slept around because people don’t change. But she had changed.

  Just the thought of his words made her stomach turn angrily. She needed food or it’d be twice as bad to throw up on an empty stomach. She got in her truck and drove to town. When she passed the hardware store, she scanned the parking lot wondering if Joey would be there.

  Why she cared was beyond her. It’s not like she’d stop in and have a conversation with him. Nope, he made his point very clear. He couldn’t do this anymore.

  As she pushed the shopping cart around the store, she began to wonder why she’d changed a year ago. Not that she’d completely enjoyed the company of the men she’d been with, but at least she hadn’t been alone. Maybe she needed to go out and find a willing guy to fill the void tonight. To ease the pain of losing Joey.

  She sighed. No, that’s not who she was anymore. Even though Joey hurt her, she wasn’t going back to her old ways. There was always an empty feeling inside her and now that she got a taste of what that was like to be full, thanks to Joey, she’d never go back to the emptiness.

  After buying only what was necessary to get through the week, she prayed her debit card wouldn’t be declined. Of course, she knew it wouldn’t because the money for Vinny was still in there. She was thankful he hadn’t collected this morning, but he seemed in a hurry to get to his next job. She’d have to get a hold of him later in the week to pay him.

  Back at the block house, she put her things away and then went outside and pulled out the lawn mower. She put in her earbuds and hit shuffle. A weary frown crossed her lips when “See You Again” by Whiz Khalifa blared in her ears. It tugged at her heart and as much as she wanted to skip the song, she couldn’t. Damn, it was going to be hard getting over Joey.

  She pushed along and w
as thankful when the song ended. The rest of her lineup was filled with Eminem, L. L. Cool J, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Naughty by Nature, Macklemore, and many more. For her, every song was a little part of her. It probably wasn’t what the intended words were supposed to mean, but she had the ability to make it hers. That’s what music does. It allows you to make it your own. Relate it to you.

  When the lawn was mowed, she pulled out her phone. She hoped there was a message or call from Joey, but there hadn’t been. She wanted to call him so badly, but say what? I heard what you said about me, but want to hang out? There were no good options here.

  So, instead, she made herself busy, finding an old crate in the garage and painting it. When it had dried, she attached it to the porch to create a shadow box. She found a beautiful, old bench behind the garage. It was made of rounded, rough timber instead of the traditional flat boards. It was gorgeous, but needed a good sanding and paint.

  Several hours later, the bench was drying on the porch. Harper stepped back and looked at her house. Her block house. An unusual flood of emotions came over her. She missed her foster parents. She loved them and wished they could see her now.

  Time went by, wasting away, and at the end of the day, she climbed into the same bed she had the night before and thought about the last twenty-four hours. When she couldn’t think anymore, she cried herself to sleep, again.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Joe was woken up by his phone. He frantically reached for it, hoping it as Harper. He’d do anything to hear from her. He wanted to apologize to her. It still wouldn’t change things. They still wouldn’t be seeing each other because she’d cheated on him. But disappointment filled him when he saw it was Tristan.

  Tristan was the last person he wanted to talk to. His brother knew he was dating Harper, yet, he still slept with her. Family didn’t do things like that. Ever.

  He ignored the call and rolled out of bed feeling like he’d been hit by a semi. The hot shower he took didn’t do anything for him so he went to the kitchen, hoping that coffee would make him feel better.

  The smell or coffee brewing perked him up a little, but not enough to feel well. He cautiously sipped the hot drink and leaned against the counter. After burning his throat with the scorching coffee, he set the mug down and walked away.

  After an hour of agonizing thoughts of how much he missed Harper, he drove to his grandpa’s hardware store. When he got there, his grandpa raised his brow at him.

  “You’re not working here today,” he said as a stern statement.

  Joe shook his head. “No, just came to say hi and pick up a few things,” he lied to his grandpa. He had every intention of throwing himself into work in hopes it’d take his mind off Harper.

  “Okay then,” he said lightly. “Tristan was by and said him and Andy and your girl came home early yesterday. I bet you liked that.” He waggled his brows up and down.

  “Geez, grandpa, stop doing that,” Joe said with a shake of his head. “And, Harper and I aren’t seeing each other anymore,” he said sadly.

  Grandpa’s eyes narrowed in on him. “What did you do, boy?”

  “What makes you think I did something wrong?” Joe asked.

  “Did you?” he asked without changing his facial expression.

  Joe exhaled and slumped his shoulders. “Yeah.”

  “Fix it,” his grandpa said sternly.

  Joe shook his head. “We both did something wrong, Grandpa. It’s not something I can just fix.” Sure, he could apologize for his mean words, but it still didn’t take away her betrayal.

  “If you don’t start somewhere, you’ll go your whole life regretting it. Start with you and that’s half the battle. Once she sees you’re willing to fix half, it’ll be a lot easier for her.” His grandpa’s demeanor changed. It wasn’t accusatory anymore, it was supportive.

  His grandpa was a wise man. It made all the sense in the world to apologize for his part, but would she apologize for hers? Could he forgive her for sleeping with his brother? He wasn’t sure, but he knew the right thing to do was apologize for being an asshole and saying those dreadful words.

  But he wouldn’t be able to do it today. Something like this took a great deal of thinking and planning. He wanted to say the right words this time and assure her that he’d never make that mistake again. So, he’d work on his part and then see how the rest went.

  He hugged his grandpa, told him he loved him and then walked to the front of the store to let himself out. He wanted to get home and figure out how he was going to figure out how to apologize for his part in this mess.

  As he reached the door, Tristan and Andy were walking in. He put his head down and intended to keep going without saying a word to them. Well, at least Tristan.

  “Hey, Joe, have a good night?” Tristan asked as he walked by.

  Joe didn’t respond. Their shoulders checked each other and Joe kept going without a word. He was afraid he wouldn’t find words, but find his fists instead.

  “What’s up with him?” Tristan asked Andy.

  “Beats me,” Andy replied.

  Tristan laughed. “He probably didn’t get laid last night.”

  Joe saw red. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and meet Tristan’s face with his fist. Against the great need to do just that, Joe kept walking. He got in his vehicle and drove to his apartment. He had shit to do.

  The next morning, Harper woke up bright and early. It was her first day on the job and she wanted to make sure she was on time. Her supervisor had called and told her to wear old clothes. They’d give her overalls to wear over top, but dealing with what they did, old clothes was a must.

  She arrived at John’s Port-A-Potties ten minutes early. She checked in with the receptionist who eyed her like she was crazy for wanting to work here. But, she didn’t say anything and went in the back to notify someone that she was here.

  A tall, broad-shouldered, blonde haired man came out. “Hi, I’m Jerry,” he said as he shook my hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Jerry. Thanks for giving me this opportunity,” she said appreciatively.

  “Of course,” he said firmly. “Anyone willing to try a job like this has to have gumption. Come on back and I’ll show you everything here before we head out for the day.”

  She followed him to the back where he showed her a locker to leave any personal things and then where the overalls were stored and where to drop them off at the end of the shift. He showed her a room full of cleaners, gloves, masks and hats. It looked like a hazmat storage room. Which made sense, dealing with what they were about to deal with it.

  After showing her around, he left her to get geared up and said he’d meet her out in the parking lot in ten minutes. She pulled on the bright yellow overalls and hat. She carried her gloves, protective glasses and mask with her. She figured she wouldn’t need them until she actually got to the designated job.

  They loaded up into the truck and noticed Jerry didn’t have on the wonderful yellow ensemble of protection. She didn’t want to question her boss, but the thought crept through her for the next several minutes.

  She couldn’t take it no longer. “I noticed you didn’t have this wonderful sunshine of protective gear on,” she said with a hint of laughter.

  Jerry laughed. “It’s not a requirement, but we always have newbies wear them for the first week or so. Some of the guys always wear them and others eventually lose them. It gets quite warm in them.”

  “Why do newbies have to wear them?” she asked curiously. “Is it some sort of initiation thing?”

  He laughed again. “No, you’ll see.”

  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at their first destination. Harpers Ridge Park was located along the Potomac river. There were several playgrounds scattered across the three acres, along with a tennis court and several basketball hoops.

  They pulled up to four port-a-potties in a row. Jerry got out and she followed after him. He gave her the quick rundown on what they’d be doing, but it was easie
r to show her than to give directions.

  Jerry had been right. She certainly did see why newbies were expected to wear the sanitation suit. She was splashed with water, cleaner and other things she’d rather not discuss. The other thing he’d been right on was diving in and doing it instead of rattling off directions.

  He did he first one while she watched. He took out the toilet paper and then brought out a house to vacuum out the waste in the toilet. He sprayed the inside of the toilet with a hose while continuing to suck it out with the other hose. Then, he took a scrub brush and cleaner and scrubbed the entire inside of the port-a-potty. Then, he took the water hose and sprayed the entire inside of the bathroom, washing away the cleaner. After that, he took something that looked like a leaf blower and dried the inside of the bathroom and then he filled the toilet and replaced the toilet paper.

  It seemed simple enough until she sprayed the inside of the toilet and it splashed right back up at her. She thanked the evening stars that she was wearing her sunshine yellow protective gear. When she scrubbed down everything with the brush, she slopped the cleaning detergents all over her arms and legs. Then, when she sprayed it all out with the hose, it propelled right back at her.

  She was a mess and she’d only cleaned one damn port-a-potty. Luckily for her, Jerry only laughed at her until they finished the third one. She didn’t take it to heart. For one, her heart was already occupied by being hurt, but because she’d be laughing if it had happened to someone else other than her.

  “Well, still want the job?” Jerry asked as they stood outside the truck with four clean toilets behind them.

  She nodded. “Yes, Sir,” she said adamantly.

  “Okay, let’s get you back to the shop for a clean set of jumpers before we head to the next spot,” he said as he opened the door for her.

  She slid inside the truck. “That sounds like a great idea.”