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Chapter One

Joaquin Morales supposed that every ss’ was the biggest horse’s ass on the planet

Too bad that the horse’s ass was hi each side of Broad Street His lips were frozen in a tight smile as his eyes did what they had been trained to do, put into action for the past twelve s and suicide bo as families

He didn’t deserve this honor This back of the Christmas Parade position by the Snow Queen with Old Saint Nick trailing behind them No, there had been others more worthy But instead of a ride in a convertible, they had a one-way ticket ho in the underbelly of a plane

Festive decorations lined the street Garland wrapped around light posts while wreaths with dark red boayed with each gust of wind Dirty slush lined the sides of the street, a strange sight to see in North Carolina, since the coldest part of winter tended not to hit until about February

Eyes blurring, he blinked and exhaustion hit hiear, given his landlord notice, packed up his truck and driven straight home

Or rather the place he used to call hoed in the years Joaquin had been gone

The corner drugstore still served vanilla cokes and grilled cheese sandwiches at its lunch counter The only movie theater in town still played movies two months after their release for discount prices Tetterton’s Hardware still had the sa over the sa noise made him dive for cover in the back seat as he shouted, "Get down" Adrenaline infused his bloodstream His heart beat a sharp staccato

Time seemed to freeze and speed up all at once He heard every beat of Holland Springs High School’s drum line as they marched down Broad Street while the screa roar

"Let me up," a voice screeched in his ear, but he didn’t He couldn’t In fact he shoved the head belonging to that voice into the floor ain, followed by the sound of children’s laughter Firecrackers Firecrackers Dammit

He looked down

This year’s Snow Queen, Ella Swanson, lay pinned under hi in her perfectly made-up eyes

Oh, shit

He scra her ar position Her croas askew, hair halfway out of its perfect bun and her dress had a rip Frowning, she patted her hair into place and looked down, then smacked her hand over her mouth Unfortunately, it didn’t completely muffle the scream of fury and he winced

"What’s your probleest fake smile he’d ever seen

"Sorry, it…I--" What was he supposed to say--that he saved her fro of Snap Pops? Inspiration struck "There was a bird getting ready to er, poop in your hair" Never mind it was December and too cold for even the birds to venture out

Tears filled her eyes as she quickly fixed her hair "You really are a hero" She whipped out a pair of scissors fro on her dress

Joaquin didn’t knohat i skills or how quickly she pulled herself together "You’re welcome"

They resumed their forled not to flinch from the sound A part of him wanted to jump out of the car and run away from the humiliation And yet another wanted to find the closest bar and drink his way to oblivion But he had a job to do after this parade

One that scared the ever-loving hell out of hiar Maybe put your arlanced at her, watching in lossy redtwo years to beat Hannah Jane Sionna ruin my moment"

He really didn’t want to put his arm anywhere near her Hell, he really hadn’t wanted to be in the Christ no to Pastor Mike was unthinkable Especially since Pastor Mike was also the newly elected Mayor of Holland Springs All Joaquin had wanted was a steaotten was a cold cup of obligation

Exhaling, he forced a s her back

"Want to beof the Christeant wave

His brows shot up "How old are you?"

"Nineteen" She snuggled up to hied away "What’s that s old ACL’s, ones that he’d dug out of one of his duffle bags Pastor Mike had insisted on it Besides, barely legal wasn’t rele "It’s the smell of ‘I’m way too old for you’" And war He still sh detergent on the planet to get it out of his clothes Not enough soap to scrub it fro that could rip it out of his soul

Ella started talking again, but he’d already tuned her out and looked at the clock tower sitting on top of the courthouse Only ten more minutes and he’d be free

Sweat trickled between his shoulder blades The small of his back itched Jesus, he needed a shower He rubbed at his jaw, bristles scratching his skin, and a shave

Auburn hair glinted in thesun and his heart sped up The crowd shifted to the left, obscuring his view He craned his neck and pushed up on his hands, searching for another gli on his unifor at?"

Miraculously, the crowd parted and there she was--just as beautiful as he relasses and curves that innings of a smile crept on his face

The vision before his eyes crossed her are Caswell?" Ella asked, her voice incredulous "But y’all’s parents hate each other Oh! So, that’s why you won’t go out with hed dreae waved a piece of paper at hi like that" But only if Juliet had woken up and stabbed Roe knew

Of course, she knew, he rationalized Sage was one of the ent people he knew Maybe she would understand why he’d done what he’d done That he’d been a coward, but ultiiveness…and love

Sage had always had a soft spot for dumbasses Hell, she’d fallen for hiht as the sue tore his letter into pieces and he cursed under his breath She threw them into the air, turned on her heel and stormed away White confetti trailed behind her as it was tossed around by bodies and susts of wind

Defeated, he sank back down and mentally licked his wounds Guess it was time for Plan B

Chapter Two