Merrier With You Read online

  Merrier with You

  Camden Cove, Volume 3

  Ellen Joy

  Published by Ellen Joy, 2019.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  MERRIER WITH YOU

  First edition. October 29, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 Ellen Joy.

  Written by Ellen Joy.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  The Next Chapter

  Did you enjoy what you read?

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  To Jay.

  I love you.

  Thank you for my happily ever after.

  One

  Kate O’Neil didn’t want to cry. Especially not in front of all the holiday travelers in line at the car rentals. The twenty-something behind the counter had no idea why Kate would be upset at being given a minivan, but she was. Because the last thing Kate wanted to drive after her fiancé dumped her was a family vehicle.

  Instead of crying, she focused on how her chest tightened as though someone had wrapped a string of tinsel around it and pulled. She might be having a heart attack. She had the signs. It wasn’t unheard of for someone in their thirties to have a heart attack was it?

  The familiar heat rash crawled up her neck and perspiration curled the wisps along her forehead as tears stung her eyes. Come on, Kate, pull it together. She straightened and pushed back the minivan’s keys, trying to keep her chin from trembling, but her words still came out wobbly. “But I reserved an SUV.”

  The girl looked blankly at her.

  Kate’s eyes darted toward the airport’s window. The nor’easter that had threatened the flight up to the last minute made its predicted descent. At least a few inches had accumulated since baggage claim, and now large clumps of snow fell from the sky. She may have lived in Minnesota her whole life, but the Maine storm seemed more than she bargained for, especially in a minivan.

  It wasn’t the girl’s fault, she reminded herself, taking in a deep breath, ignoring the irritated holiday travelers in line behind her. She had to keep it together, at least until she made it to her aunt’s beach house, but her emotions had been as unpredictable as the storm. A tear teetered on the edge of her eyelid as a look of horror flashed across the girl’s face.

  She cleared her throat. “Are there any other rentals that have four-wheel drive?”

  “You ordered an all-wheel drive vehicle.”

  Kate focused on her nametag instead of looking the girl in the face.

  Brianna pointed to a screen that faced away from Kate. “Our minivan is the only one with all-wheel drive.”

  Brianna emphasized all-wheel, as though there was a big difference. Kate shook her head. “I’ll take anything other than the minivan.”

  “But they won’t come with all-wheel drive.” The girl’s face contorted in confusion. How could she explain that an eight-person vehicle was too much room for a woman who was alone for Christmas?

  Brianna clicked the keys of her computer as Kate’s hands tightened around the strap of her carry-on.

  “You’ll love the minivan,” said a middle-aged woman behind her in line. “With the snow, an all-wheel drive vehicle is what you want for your family.”

  Kate unconsciously rubbed the band of her engagement ring with her thumb, but the habit made her throat ache and tears quivered once again in her eyes. With one last ditch effort, she resorted to begging. “Please, I’ll take anything, anything, other than the minivan.”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but with the holidays, we only have the vehicle your family reserved.”

  “I don’t have a family!” Her voice projected more than she anticipated, grabbing the attention of others in line. “I’m traveling alone.”

  The woman behind her backed away, closer to her husband.

  Brianna’s eyebrows lifted, creasing her forehead. Her feigned friendly tone quickly turned to aggravation. “Look lady, do you want the rental or not?”

  Kate’s head dropped in defeat. She swiped the keys in concession and signed the receipt.

  She turned away and pushed through the holiday travelers, using her carry-on like a snowplow. Her overstuffed suitcases gyrated behind her and threatened to fall at any moment. It may have been ridiculous to pack the snow boots, but she’d rather be beaten with them than admit she would not use them.

  She’d never give Eric the satisfaction.

  “Excuse me,” she mumbled, as she worked her way through the crowd to the exit.

  She groaned as she passed all the Christmas lights and garlands hanging from the ceilings while traditional Christmas music played in the background. She practically ran toward the doors, but as soon as the sliding glass doors opened, she immediately stopped. The cold slapped her face like a frozen glove. Snow whipped her hair, thrashing it against her face.

  She dug in her pockets for her gloves, but remembered stuffing them somewhere inside her suitcase with her boots, and she had already forgotten where she put the rental keys. With a grunt, she dragged her bags through the cold, wet, white, mess, patting down all twenty pockets of her new ski jacket as she reached the silver minivan. When she recovered the keys, her fingers could no longer bend as she fumbled at the fob to unlock the doors. She pulled the handle, but the driver’s door wouldn’t budge. The passenger’s side door was also frozen shut. With her coat sleeve, Kate wiped the snow off the window. She could see an ice scraper on the back seat.

  Of course.

  As she stared inside the minivan with the snow churning around her, she had never hated her life more than in that moment.

  With her credit card, she chipped away enough of the ice to get the passenger’s sliding door open. Her designer leather boots now sported a salty white mark along the top stitching.

  She fell into the van, thankful for the shelter. A text chimed from the belly of her purse. She dove for her phone, digging around in each pocket.

  Great work, O’Neil! Clients extremely happy. I’m sending you on vacation more often!

  A sinking sensation of regret weighed her down. Emotions pierced every nerve in her body as she looked at her boss’s words. How was she going to keep pretending?

  Christmas was two days away. If she told her mom or sister that Eric had left, it would be game over. They’d never be able to forgive him. Her mother’s motto: Trust no man.

  And what if Eric changed his mind? What if he just had cold feet, and came back?

  “No more thinking,” she said aloud. She had a week to figure things out before she had to go back home. Until then, everything would remain the same. Even if that meant pretending to be with Eric over the holidays in Camden Cove.

  She threw her phone on the passenger seat and took another deep breath. With both hands she pulled back her damp, wildly out of control curls into a ponytail and took off toward the entrance ramp.

  Brake lights lined the interstate as she pulled onto the highway. Creeping along, there was no movement in sight. Her cellphone sat dangerously close to her in the next seat. Would Eric call to check in with her? To make sure she made it? To see if she was okay after he’d broken her heart?

  The traffic crawled around the edge of the ci
ty of Portland. She recognized some of the buildings from when she was a kid. The coastal city hadn’t changed much in fifteen years. Long docks jutted out into the water. Anchored boats rocked back and forth in the harbor with the storm. As she drove over the Back Cove Bridge, the sky, the sea, and the snow all blended together into a single shade of gray.

  The traffic moved slowly and with each tap of the gas, the minivan fishtailed in the snow. So much for all-wheel drive. With each inch forward, she squeezed her hands tighter around the wheel, focusing on the tire tracks in front of her. Visibility became worse as the afternoon sun snuck away. Even the snow and the traffic didn’t stop her thoughts from spinning around and around in her head. Her life, as she knew it, had ended.

  She had spent months looking forward to showing Eric where she spent all of her childhood summers and winter holidays. Camden Cove was magical to her. Snuggled up against the coast of Maine, the small village had miles of rocky beaches to explore and swim, quaint shops and restaurants, and her aunt Vivi’s cape all nestled in along the cove. It was like living in a fairytale.

  Now it would be her refuge from the reality that she and Eric were over. Forever.

  Then another heart palpitation made her grip the wheel, and after two hours and four heart attacks later, the exit for Camden Cove finally appeared. She had hoped that once she reached the village, it would give her some relief, but it hadn’t. The breaths she struggled to take just became harder as she exited off the interstate.

  However, once on Main Street, the little town turned in a winter wonderland, glistening in lights and snowflakes. Even with the storm, people were out Christmas shopping. The classic New England grey-shingled buildings were all aglow. In the prime hour of the evening commute, the road was packed with vehicles and people. Christmas wreaths hung from the street lamps, business doors decorated with holiday flare, and a tall Christmas tree lit the village square. She squinted to see a lobster holding a star at the top.

  As she passed the old hotels and inns, she strained her neck and leaned forward in her seat, trying to find the one thing she had looked forward to since leaving Minnesota... the ocean. But even with the familiar twists and turns along the edges of the Atlantic, she could not make out the water through the snowflakes falling from the sky.

  When she passed the white Congregational church, she knew she had less than a mile to go. The last bend curved up a steep hill toward Prospect Street. As she pressed the gas, the wheels slipped to the shoulder. The van slid dangerously close to the ditch that dropped at least six feet down the hill. Somehow she managed to steer the van back onto the road, but just as relief swept in, a snowplow thundered out of the adjacent road before she had time to move to the right side. Its giant blade rumbled head-on toward her, and the noise was startling. In panic, she slammed her foot on the brake, but there was no stopping. She swerved the van to the left and nose-dived into the ditch. The metal groaned as it hit the frozen earth.

  She would never drive a minivan again.­­­­­­

  THE PHONE RANG, AND Matt Williams put down his cup of coffee. With the snow coming down, he shouldn’t have been surprised he’d be called out, but he was, nonetheless. A snowstorm wasn’t going to keep any Mainer from their Christmas shopping.

  “Turner Towing.”

  “Hey, Matt.” It was Susan, the roadside operator. “A woman in a minivan is off the road on Prospect by the fire station. She needs a pull.”

  “Got it.” Matt grabbed his coat off the back of his chair. “I’ll head over.”

  He hung up and grabbed the keys to the truck. He couldn’t remember why he agreed to do this side gig for his friend Dan. He’d rather be out on the Atlantic than having to drive a tow truck in the biggest snowstorm of the year. Even with all the warnings, someone always drove too fast or recklessly through the snow. One thing he learned early on in his fishing career was to never underestimate a storm, especially a nor’easter.

  He jumped into the truck and let the engine warm up. No need to rush, the woman was just a few miles away. The truck moaned as he pulled into reverse, the tires crunching through the snow. In only a couple hours’ time, almost a foot lay on the ground, and it didn’t look like the snow was stopping anytime soon. It stuck to every surface. He could barely make out his headlights through the flakes.

  Just like Susan said, a minivan flashed its hazards up past the fire station. It was a bad spot to get stuck, but he’d get her out of there in no time. She hadn’t gone too far into the ditch.

  Pulling his jacket’s hood over his head, he jumped out to inspect the damage. The woman watched him through the side mirror. He gave a quick wave and went around to the passenger side to check the right wheel. It was lodged in the snow, but nothing the tow truck couldn’t handle.

  He walked up to the window as she rolled it down. “You alright?”

  She nodded. A low glow from the dashboard lit her face. “Thank you so much for coming.”

  “You’re welcome.” Matt leaned further inside the car when he recognized her. Katie O’Neil was back in town after all these years. His mother mentioned she was coming for the holidays, staying at her aunt’s place, but he never expected to see her. He certainly never expected to be pulling her out of a ditch.

  “Katie O’Neil, you look exactly the same.” He smiled at the coincidence, but her face appeared startled. “It’s me, Matt.”

  He ran his hand through his hair as he pulled off his baseball cap.

  “Matt?” Her eyes widened. “How are you?”

  Matt settled further into the window. “My mom mentioned you were staying in town for the holidays.” His mom never let him forget that he had a thing for Katie back in the day. He looked beyond her into the car. Where was the fiancé?

  “Oh.” She looked away, cutting off eye contact.

  Adrenaline swirled inside him like the flakes falling down from the sky. After fifteen years, she still got to him. Long lost memories flashed through his head. Things he hadn’t thought about in years.

  Matt snapped back to reality. “I don’t see any damage except a few scratches. Maybe a dent or two. You can sit in my truck while I pull your minivan out of the ditch.”

  Her hands slapped her face before he noticed her shoulders shaking. It took him a minute to realize what she was doing. Was she crying? Heavy sobs, to be exact. What the...?

  Matt didn’t speak, but stayed still. He had seen people become emotional in accidents, but this wasn’t even an accident. She and the car were fine, but she cried like her whole world had fallen apart.

  “I reserved an SUV!” she cried into her hands. A low moan came from deep inside her, and she sounded like a dying animal.

  He’d never admit it, but he’d imagined what it might be like to see her again. Katie O’Neil was the one who got away. They may only have been teenagers, but he never stopped thinking of her. Though he’d never imagined their next encounter to be like this.

  He noticed the large diamond ring on her finger. So he was right about the fiancé.

  He wished with everything he knew what to do in a moment like this. His sister would be in the car, wrapping her arms around her, listening. His brother would have helped her somehow, but all he did was stand there frozen, unsure what to do.

  He waited a few moments before asking, “Are you going to be okay?”

  She sniffled and nodded her head as she hiccupped a breath.

  “I’ll get you out of here in no time, but you need to sit in my truck or stand by the side of the road while I pull you out. You can’t stay in your...” Matt paused before saying, “vehicle.”

  She nodded and wiped her eyes with both hands. She pulled out a tissue from her purse and blew her nose before opening the door and getting out. They jogged to the tow truck and he opened the door for her.

  “Thanks,” she said as she climbed into the passenger’s seat, but she didn’t look at him.

  “No problem.” Matt put his hat back on. “Let me hook up and I’ll pull you out. Y
ou’ll be on your way in no time.”

  Her eyes watered up as she looked at the van. “Is there any way I could pay you to tow the car to my grandmother’s?” Her voice cracked. “I don’t want to drive anymore.”

  Matt had towed plenty of vehicles, but never so the driver didn’t have to drive. He couldn’t say no, not with her eyes brimming with tears.

  “Sure thing, stay tight.” He closed the door and got to work. As soon as the vehicle was secured to the truck, Matt hopped in the driver’s side. He brushed off the snow from his cap and blew his breath into his frozen hands.

  “Hope you have plans to stay in tonight. This storm looks like it will stick around for a while,” he said, as he put the truck into drive.

  She looked the other way out the window. “I have no plans.”

  He could’ve hit himself in the forehead when an awkward silence fell between them. Normally, he could make small talk with just about anyone, but she avoided eye contact, so he stayed quiet the rest of the drive. He wasn’t sure if she’d start crying again. Maybe it was the culmination of everything, with traveling through the storm and sliding off the road that made her this upset. Or she had become extremely dramatic over the years.

  When he reached Riverside Lane, he backed the truck into the driveway. “It’ll just take a few minutes to release your vehicle.”

  Katie nodded, and before she opened the door, she said, “Thank you for bringing me home.”

  She jumped out of the truck and walked through the snow, leaving a trail. She opened the garage door, ducking underneath and out of sight. By the time the door was completely open, she had already gone into the house, leaving Matt behind in the snow.

  “Good to see you, too,” he mumbled.

  It only took a few minutes for him to drop the minivan. He drew up the receipt on the portable printer and walked toward the front door. He glanced in the window and saw Katie standing under the kitchen light. Her head tilted back as she took a drink from a bottle of amber-tinged liquor.