Chapter Text
And when I was shipwrecked
I thought of you
In the cracks of light
I dreamed of you
It was real enough
To get me through
But I swear
You were there...
- Evermore - Taylor Swift
Prologue
“You seeing this, bro!?”
Joel reluctantly glanced up from his newspaper, irritated. Tommy was anxiously hovering by the kitchen window, looking as if he was about to piss his pants with the way he was hopping from one foot to the next, gripping the edge of the sink for support. Exhaling sharply, Joel tossed the newspaper aside, resigned to his fate. It was rare he had the chance to sit on his ass for more than five minutes, but he shouldn’t have been surprised, since Tommy and trouble were never far from each other’s side. Judging by Tommy’s agitation, another storm was stirring, Joel readying himself to weather it as he went over to the window.
Some blonde woman was on his lawn, half way up the old crabapple tree that had never once bore fruit in all his time living here, whilst a large orange cat perched on a branch high above her, hissing and spitting, back arched. Down below, Sarah, his ten year old daughter was tugging on the collar of the Adler family’s dog, trying to pull it away. Then Mrs. Adler herself was suddenly storming up the path, her husband nervously watching from their porch, wringing his wrinkled hands. Cursing, Joel shoved Tommy aside, ignoring his brother’s loud objection. Was it really too much to ask for if he just wanted to read the sports page and enjoy a cold beer in peace? he thought bitterly, slamming the screen door behind him.
“What’s going on, Mrs. A?” he called over, dragging the back of his hand across his brow as he moved.
“This hussy is giving me a lecture on how to control my dog!” Mrs. Adler complained, wagging her finger at the strange woman still up his tree. “Mercy wouldn’t harm a fly! Tell her, Joel!”
“OK, OK, OK,” Joel said quickly, holding his hands up. “Let’s all just calm down, alright?”
“Yeah, once I get this cat down,” the blonde woman retorted, hauling herself up even higher.
“Hey, that’s my tree, lady,” Joel objected. “Show some respect.”
“I don’t care if it’s the tree of knowledge itself, pal!” the woman snapped. “All I’m concerned with is the cat, OK?”
“Blaspheming the Good Book, are we?” Mrs. Adler observed, lips pursed. “I shouldn’t be surprised though, not if I were to go by the obscene length of those shorts you’re flaunting yourself forth in.”
On reflex, Joel glanced at the woman’s bare legs; only to see she was sporting a pair of what Tommy would deem ‘fine stems’. Catching himself, Joel averted his gaze, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand. “Mrs. Adler, I’ll handle this,” he placated, placing his hand on her arm in an attempt to appear reassuring. “You best be taking Mercy inside, day’s too hot for a dog to be out in just now.”
Mrs. Adler narrowed her eyes, before capitulating, much to Joel’s terrible relief. With a pointed sniff, she snatched Mercy’s collar from Sarah’s grip and frogmarched the errant dog back into her house, her husband hurriedly following her inside.
Joel watched her go before turning to Sarah, pulling an exaggerated face in an attempt to alleviate her own worried one. That was his kid all over, taking all the world’s woes upon her shoulders. “Wanna tell me how some crazy broad has wound up in our apple tree?” he asked, ruffling up her wild curls.
“Marnie was showing me Pumpkin,” Sarah explained with a worried glance over at the magnolia bushes dividing his property from the old Anderson place. “Then Mercy spooked her. He chased Pumpkin across the lot. We tried to catch her but they were too fast and then Pumpkin shot up the tree” –
-“Wait, Marnie Pumpkin what?” Joel interrupted, bewildered. “And what did I say about staying away from the lot? You could have been hit by a car, kid!”
“I told you before, Marnie’s a new friend I made,” Sarah said impatiently, “we walk home together every day. She lives next door with her big sister. They just moved in a few weeks ago.” She glanced nervously at the magnolia bushes again, biting her lower lip anxiously.
Joel ran his hand down the side of his face, trying to remember Sarah mentioning this phantom Marnie and their so called new neighbors, but drew a big fat blank. Work had been brutal for the past month, Joel not knowing whether he was coming or going, never mind noticing somebody new had moved in, having never been home long enough to. If Tommy had ever talked about it, then it must have simply slipped Joel’s mind altogether. He glanced at the woman who was still up his tree, the cat now making a weird wailing noise. Then there was a sudden bang on the kitchen window behind them, making Joel turn around, only to see Tommy signalling what the fuck, man? Joel flapped an impatient hand at his brother, glad he had the sense to stay put, not needing Tommy’s two cents on top of everything else.
“Miss, you’re gonna have to just leave it,” he called up to the woman, gesturing for Sarah to stay back as he stepped forwards. “Your cat will come down on its own.”
The woman glared down at him, nostrils flaring. She was younger than he thought, in her early to mid-twenties, too young for his taste, with a cloud of golden hair framing a faintly freckled face. Despite everything, he couldn’t help but notice she had beautiful eyes that were wide and of a vivid hazel, flecked with flashes of bright green. “I’m not leaving a pregnant cat up this tree, pal,” she snapped, clinging to the closest branch, her balance beginning to look precarious.
“Should I call 911, Bess?” a small voice asked, making Joel’s head snap up, only to see a little girl emerge from the magnolia bushes, suddenly explaining Sarah’s worried glances.
“No, I’ve got it covered, Marnie,” Bess said, struggling not to sound exasperated. “But you and I are going to have a long talk later, OK?”
Marnie nodded mournfully, before beginning to chew on a strand of her long black glossy hair. She seemed to be around Sarah’s age, maybe older by a year or so, and was also of mixed heritage like Sarah, except she appeared to be of Asian and white descent instead. As Bess then told Marnie to go home, Joel distinguished the sisters shared the same dimples, tip-tilted nose and pointed chin, but other than that, they were as different as day and night. Bess seemed to be cast along more stalwart lines than Marnie with her athletic frame and attitude problem, whilst Marnie was small and meek.
“Miss, I seriously suggest you get down before you break your neck,” Joel then called up again, rumpling up his hair. “It’s too dangerous” –
- “What did I just say, man!?” -
-“Hey, lady, you’re trespassing on private property here,” Joel snapped, pointing at her. “So you better haul ass before I call the cops.” It was an empty threat, but this Bess didn’t need to know that. She surprisingly fell silent, wavering, her balance with it, much to his worry, Joel not needing a lawsuit on his hands if she sued him for personal injury even if it would be her own goddamn fault if she cracked her skull open like an egg -
Before he could react, Tommy suddenly came bounding down the porch steps, rolling up his sleeves as he moved. “What you think you’re doing, you crazy bitch!?” he exclaimed, gesturing wildly at Bess. “Get off my brother’s lawn!”
“I – I can’t,” Bess said weakly, startling them all. “I’m stuck.”
“You what!?” Tommy gaped, tugging at his flipped up shirt collar.
Marnie clutched at Sarah, dark eyes becoming wide with terror, obviously envisioning her sister with a broken neck, Joel’s thoughts still running along the same lines. Her chin started wobbling, heralding a fit of hysterics, the last thing Joel needed right now, especially if she set Sarah off too.
“Tommy, take the kids into the kitchen,” Joel then said quickly, trying to seize control of a rapidly spiralling situation. “Give them ice-cream or something.”
“Ain’t got no ice cream for love or money, man.”
“Well, give them a soda instead!” Joel snapped, flinging his hands up in the air in frustration. “Just get them the hell out of here while I deal with this!”
As if on cue, Marnie let out a small whimper, a tear rolling down her cheek, Sarah then turning tearful eyes on Joel too. He tried to smile encouragingly at his daughter, but it came out more as a pained grimace. Tommy rolled his eyes, but he steered the two girls up the porch steps, talking loudly about raiding the icebox; too loudly, making Joel’s head pound.
Knuckling his eyes, Joel tried to get a grip of himself, since nobody else was. “Lady, don’t move,” he then said, pointing again at her. “I’m going to get my ladder, OK?”
Bess nodded, having the grace to flush hotly as she finally realised the extent of the trouble she had caused. Whether it was her fault or not, Joel didn’t care, just wanting her gone. Well as gone as she could be when living smack bang right next door, he thought dryly, going to fetch the ladder from the garage. Within a few minutes, he had it safely set up, ready for her to climb down, Joel holding it steady. But Bess seemed rooted to the spot, her face now dangerously white, looking as if she was about to throw up. Joel edged back as far as he dared, wondering what the hell she was doing and hoping to God she wasn't about to barf over him. He glanced up, trying to ascertain the distance between them, checking to see if he was safe from any unsavoury fallout. But as he did, she suddenly leaned forwards, clutching the tree for dear life, making Joel reel, his body almost bent in half backwards.
“Everything okay, Joel, Bess?”
Joel winced, not needing this. From his almost upside down position, he saw Denise, who lived across the road, coming towards them, her pink sunglasses askew. She then drew level with the ladder, gripping it, allowing Joel to hurriedly straighten up and make his escape.
“You know each other?” he asked, shooting Bess a wary look, who was still looking like she was going to hurl at any moment.
“Oh, yeah, honey,” Denise exclaimed, pushing her sunglasses atop her head with her free hand. “Bess moved in a few weeks ago. Soon as Sam’s back from his work trip, we’re gonna be throwing a lil barbecue to welcome her to the neighborhood.” She beamed up at Bess, who merely bestowed a blank look upon her, now looking distinctly green around the gills. “She helped neuter our Timmy,” she then wittered on, “kept him calm while the vet” –
-“Please, Denise, I do not need that mental image,” Joel flinched, holding his hands up.
“Golly,” Denise laughed. “Imagine a big beefcake like you having a weak stomach!?”
“Excuse me, can you please just get me down?” Bess cut in, wincing.
“OK, OK, OK,” Joel agreed, holding his hands up again. “Just please don’t puke on me. I’m wearing the only clean t-shirt I have left.”
“I’ll do your laundry for a month if you get me down from here, and then that damned cat,” Bess bargained, her tone desperate. “Please.”
Joel studied her for a moment, weighing up his chances of emerging unscathed from this situation. Biting the bullet, he asked Denise to hold the ladder steady, Denise acquiescing, much intrigued by the proceedings. A few moments later, he climbed the ladder, hesitating before grabbing Bess in a fireman’s lift, trying to handle her as respectfully as possible. Wincing at the weight of her, and the general awkwardness of it all, he then descended, clinging to the rungs with one hand. Joel then hurriedly detached himself, all but dropping Bess onto the ground whilst apologizing for the indignity, Bess now blushing a bright flaming red, humiliated and humbled into merciful silence.
Now sweating heavily, Joel made the return journey for the pregnant Pumpkin, the cat cringing away from him. It took a good ten minutes for him to finally catch hold of the cat, Denise shouting encouragement up at him. Tensing, he hurriedly passed Pumpkin down to Bess, where it threw itself upon her neck, spitting at Joel over its shoulder. Bess quickly excused herself in order to take the cat back into her own house, saying to Joel she would be back in five, Joel telling her with only the slightest hint of sarcasm to take her time; that there was no rush.
“Thank God that’s over,” Joel then said to Denise, burying his face in his hands. “I thought she was going to be up that tree forever.”
“Pretty though, ain’t she?” Denise mused. “What, with those big hazel eyes of hers. Wouldn’t make butter melt.”
“Uh-huh,” Joel frowned, looking at Denise as if she were mad.
“I better be on my way, then,” Denise then said, stirring herself. “The boys are due back from baseball practise any minute now and I haven’t even got started on the sandwiches for lunch.” She giggled girlishly, before quickly covering her buck teeth with her hand on reflex, sensitive about her smile. With a wave, she then turned and went back over the road, leaving Joel to his own furious thoughts, anger replacing relief now the crisis was over, Joel pissed at being placed in such a ridiculous position on his own property.
He stood there, hands on his hips, waiting for the erstwhile Bess to return and face the music. A couple of minutes later, she reappeared, her blonde hair tied back, face still damp from where she’d splashed water on it in an attempt to clean up. To his relief, she no longer looked like she was going to hurl all over him. She met his accusing gaze head-on, her own expression a mixture of embarrassment and defiance, daring him to do his worst. Joel looked at her for a long moment, his ire increasing by the second. Did she seriously think her pretty face would hold sway with him? To be fair, it wasn’t as if she was actually trying to appeal to him in any way to get the upper hand here, but she was unpredictable. Where aggression had failed, she might try another tactic upon him instead, like batting those long lashes to make him feel bad. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman would have tried to use her wiles on him to get her own way, but it had never worked on him and it wouldn’t now.
“I think you owe me an apology, lady,” Joel said abruptly, jerking his chin at her.
Bess bit her lip. “I’m sorry, alright?” she said in a wild rush. “I just didn’t think.”
“Well, people who don’t have a head for heights should think first before heading up the nearest tree.”
“Thanks for the homespun wisdom, pal, but I don’t need it,” Bess flared up. “I’ve already learned my lesson. Next time, I’ll knock on your door, OK.”
“I’d prefer it if you never darkened my door ever actually.”
Bess rolled her eyes. “That’s your problem, then,” she shrugged, “my sister is friends with your daughter for starters and I also intend to keep my side of the bargain.”
“Huh?”
“I said I’d do your laundry for a month,” Bess snapped again, gesturing impatiently at his grubby grey t-shirt, “the deal still stands. It would be entirely to your advantage, not mine, I can assure you.” She squinted at him, brow creasing. “That's seriously your last clean t-shirt?” she then demanded, sounding incredulous. “Seems to me your last clean t-shirt went to meet its maker a long time ago and you’re wearing its corpse.”
“God, you must charm the birds off the trees with such a silver tongue,” Joel said sarcastically. “Care to insult me further? Go on, you have my permission.”
Bess side-eyed him, before shaking her head and stalking off in the direction of his house without even waiting for an invitation first. Joel watched her go, amused against his will, his speculative gaze drifting downwards. Again, good legs, very good legs in fact, but it still wasn’t enough to earn his high opinion. With that last thought, he followed her inside, slamming the door shut behind him.