Ventura Highway

VENTURA HIGHWAY

© 2024 by Jalibar62

Just an idea that popped into my head and took up residence. It's my second attempt at a romance between women. Fair warning; it gets a little dark... and it's pretty long, and a slow build, but there's also sun, surfing, and summer in California...

I am greatly indebted to

MaryFrancis36

for her thoughtful comments and suggestions throughout multiple drafts. Tremendous thanks also go to

THBGato

, who is a far better writer in this genre than I, and whose advice breathed fresh life into this story. Finally, thanks to

UpperNorthLeft

for an early beta-read.

You've all helped bring this story to a better place, and have my heartfelt appreciation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 1

In mockery of my mood, it was a beautiful early June afternoon as I left my lawyer's office in Oxnard, and drove up the Pacific Coast Highway toward my folks' place. Heather was staying with them - well, we both were - I hadn't the energy to find something of our own, not with the divorce and the new agency taking up most of my time, and I badly needed a hug from my daughter.

I had my favorite country station on the satellite radio; maybe not the best decision considering the mood I was in, because when I realized I was listening to Maddie & Tae singing about dying from a broken heart, that's when I started to lose it. The tears that I'd held back for so long were no longer going to be denied. I really should have pulled over to the shoulder.

I remember trying to wipe my eyes with my sleeve, then looking up. I screamed and slammed on my brakes with both feet. My beat-up old Subaru shuddered to a halt about 10 feet from a shiny black sedan that was stopped at an angle, half on the shoulder, half in my lane. Thank God traffic was light, or I would have been rear-ended for sure.

I was sitting there shaking, white-knuckled hands gripping the wheel, when the passenger door of the black car opened. A woman staggered out, fell to her knees, then tried to scramble back to her feet. She was looking back into the car, clearly terrified. Almost in slow motion, her head turned, and she saw my car. Her eyes lifted, then focused, as she stared directly at me. She had one hand braced on the ground as she tried to push herself upright, but the other slowly stretched out toward me, fingers splayed.

I could read her lips plainly. Help, please! I froze for an instant, then making a snap decision, I nodded my head at her and made beckoning gestures as I popped the release to unlock the doors.

Just about the time that she reached my car, the driver's side door flew open, and a mountain of a man climbed out. He had to have been 6'5" and over 250 pounds, and it was all muscle, the way his shirt stretched tightly across his shoulders and arms.. Steroids, gotta be, passed through my mind as the woman scrambled inside, and I re-locked the doors as I struggled to find reverse. Her feet were scrabbling at the floorboard as she tried to press herself back into the seat, and she was staring at him, mumbling, "Go go go go go go..."

"Glove box," I yelled. "Pepper spray!"

She looked at me, uncomprehending, and I repeated it. He was getting closer. She finally understood, and grabbed for it, handing it to me.

The mountain was beside me now, yanking at the door handle. When it wouldn't open, he drew back a huge fist and punched the glass. It spider-webbed, but didn't break, and we both screamed. He hit it again and this time it gave way, pieces of broken glass showering me. I had turned my face away, shielding myself with my left arm as I sprayed blindly out the window at him with my right. I must have gotten lucky because he staggered back, and I dropped the canister, and frantically grabbed for the shifter. This time the car slipped into the correct gear, and I backed away, then slammed it into drive and went around him, my foot on the floor.

"What's he doing?" I asked my passenger, and she turned to look.

"Nothing, yet... just wiping his face... oh shit; he's getting into the car." She turned to look at me. "Please, help me!"

I took a quick glance at the rearview mirror. Holy crap, I was deep in it now. "Do you know how to use Waze?" I asked, naming a popular travel app. She nodded, so I handed her my phone. "Find the nearest police station and plug it in."

Once that was done, I told her to call 911 and put it on speaker.

"911, please state the nature of your emergency?"

"My name is Tabitha Sinclair, and I am headed north on the PCH. I have..." I looked at my passenger.

"Joy Robie," she provided.

"...in the car with me. I picked her up about two minutes ago on the side of the road. She was being attacked by her..."

"Boyfriend. Martin Douglas," Joy said.

"... He attacked me as well and punched out the window of my car. I pepper-sprayed him and we are headed toward Santa Barbara, but he's following us, driving a black..."

"Audi S8," Joy supplied.

Shit. I'm not outrunning that!

"... I'm driving a POS blue Outback, so I expect he'll catch us up in pretty short order. We just passed Mussel Shoals. We could use a little assistance," I added drily. Why I wasn't crapping my pants already, I had no idea.

"Keep heading toward Carpinteria; deputies are en route to intercept," the dispatcher said. Her cool professionalism was doing a lot to help calm me down.

"Thank you!"

Then... "Oh shit." I looked in the mirror to see the black car flying up behind us. He was flashing his lights and honking, right on my bumper, and his car was jerking back and forth as he pounded on the horn.

"Holy crap, can you hear that? He's right on our ass."

"Please try to stay calm, ma'am. Do you have your seatbelts on?"

Joy jumped, then buckled up.

"Yes ma'am."

"Okay, hang tight; help is almost there."

Sure enough, a few moments later, we saw flashing lights coming toward us from the north, and the police car did some fancy driving maneuver, skidding around 180 degrees to begin pursuing us.

The dispatcher said, "Please pull over to the shoulder, but remain in your vehicle. Let the deputies handle it."

I was more than happy to comply and took my foot off the gas. The Audi tapped my bumper and Joy screamed again.

"He hit us!"

"Please try to maintain control of the vehicle and continue to bring it to a stop."

I did my best, but the black car bumped us a few more times, once quite hard, and Joy let out a whimper each time. But finally, we were on the shoulder.

Behind us, two deputies leapt out of the police car and approached the Audi from each side, weapons drawn. Then I saw another police vehicle angle across the northbound lane in front of us, and two more deputies jumped out.

I heard some shouted commands and at first, nothing happened. When the police repeated themselves, the black car's driver door slowly opened slightly, and two hands stuck up in the air. The door opened farther, and the man got out and lay face down on the ground. As I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw that his head was raised, and he was staring at my car. The look of fury on his face sent a shiver down my spine. I was very glad the police were there.

As the deputies placed him in handcuffs and put him into the back of the police car, I heard him yell, "Call my lawyer and then get your ass to the station and bail me out, you hear me, bitch?"

I looked over at her. Her head was down, her eyes were closed, and she was trembling. She shuddered, head down, as the deputy pushed him into the police car.

One of the other deputies approached us. "Ma'am? You can get out now. You're safe."

I looked over at my passenger and nodded, then released my seatbelt and climbed shakily out of the car. I had to lean on the door for a moment before I could walk around to help her, but as soon as I opened her door, she was in my arms, sobbing on my shoulder. "Thank you, thank you," she whispered. "I was so scared..."

Nonplussed, I just held her and rubbed her back. "It's okay, you're safe now, I've got you," I repeated over and over until she settled down.

The deputies were very solicitous. "Ma'am? Can we give you a ride to the station? We'd like to get a statement, if you're up to it. We can arrange to have your car towed to the impound lot. No charge," he smiled.

I looked at Joy. "What do you think? Might as well get it done."

She nodded. "As long as you stay with me? Please?"

I smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not leaving you."

"Deputy? Can you grab her purse from his car please?" I asked.

"Oh, and my stuff from the trunk? Should be my laptop, my portfolio, and a blue suitcase." He nodded and as he opened up the Audi, I got my phone, my small backpack that I carried instead of a purse, and my copy of the divorce paperwork from my car. Looking at the envelope, I started to laugh a little hysterically.

Not understanding, she smiled back and wrapped both arms around me in a side hug as we walked to the other police vehicle. It made it a little hard to walk, but if it made her more comfortable, then I was okay with it. I put one arm around her shoulders, and she snuggled a little tighter.

On the way to the station, I called Dad. I told him I was fine, that I'd had a little bit of an adventure, and could he please come get me from the police station? I said I'd fill him in when he got here, and reiterated that I was fine and I wasn't actually in jail.

He gave me a relieved chuckle. "Glad to hear it, honey."

"Oh, hang on Dad." I covered the phone with my hand. "Joy, do you have a place to stay?"

She just looked at me and gave kind of a half-shrug.

Okayyy...

"Plus one, Dad. And no, it's not Cole."

"Well, that's okay then," he gruffed, and said he was on his way.

She looked at me. "You've already done too much; I don't want to cause you any more trouble," she said softly.

"No trouble," I replied. "I didn't save you just to kick you out now, did I?" I smiled.

"Thank you," she whispered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time my dad got there, we had given our statements. They took them separately, of course, and hers was the longer story, so when I was finished, I thought about her as I waited. Obviously, she was terrified of her boyfriend, and I wondered what had happened. I figured she would tell me if and when she wanted to. Then I thought about Joy herself. She certainly seemed to have attached herself to me, which I found a little bemusing, but I put it down to shock.

Finally, she was finished, and I stood up as she walked toward me. Her eyes widened as she drew closer.

"You're so tall!" she exclaimed, looking up at me.

Well, she wasn't wrong - in my heels I was almost as tall as my ex, and he played volleyball at San Diego State, where we had met. But to be fair, she was tiny - the top of her head barely reached past my chin.

I got a good look at her for perhaps the first time. Her facial features and skin tone hinted at a fascinating mélange of ancestry, but as I looked closer, I saw the beginnings of a black eye, as well as bruising around her throat.

I let out a small sound, as I tentatively reached out to touch her cheek but stopped before I made contact. "Joy, are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital? Your neck..."

She reached up and winced. "N-no... it hurts but I think I'll be okay."

I nodded, but asked one of the officers if they had an ice pack. He hurried off and returned with one, plus a small towel to wrap it in.

She sucked in a breath as I laid it gently against her cheek. "Hold that there, 'k?"

She acquiesced, and shortly, my phone buzzed. "Great; my dad is here. Are we good to go, officer? Did you get her injuries documented?"

"Yep, all taken care of. We have your contact information if we need anything else."

I looked at my new friend. "Did you ask for a restraining order? Assuming he gets out on bail?"

She said, "They told me how to file one. I'll have to fill out the paperwork for a temporary one and then run it to the county clerk's office. They said I need to schedule a hearing to get the permanent order and have him served. He's going to be so angry," she added in a terrified whisper.

"Hey. Don't you worry about him; he has enough problems with the cops already. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Getting the restraining order is not going to be a problem, especially since you have police witnesses. And I'll help as much as I can. But let's get you home." I paused. "Well, you know what I mean."

She smiled for the first time since I'd picked her up. She really was lovely. "Thank you."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In the parking lot, I almost broke down as I hugged my father tightly.

"Hey, sweetie, you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern as he rubbed my back.

"Yeah, I think so... just the adrenalin wearing off, I think," I sighed shakily. "Thanks for coming. What did you tell Mom?"

"That you got into a fender bender. She'll give me hell later, but it won't be too bad once she sees you're okay," he smirked.

"Oh, Dad, this is Joy. Joy, my dad, George Sinclair. She needs a place to stay for a little while; hope that's okay."

"Of course. You're more than welcome, Joy. I'm pleased to meet you."

"Thank you, sir," she said softly.

"Please, call me George," he smiled as he opened the rear car door for her. She got in and looked at me a little desperately. I knew what she was asking and slid in beside her. She grabbed my hand in relief.

"Sorry for being such a baby, I just need some human contact right now," she explained, sounding a little hoarse.

"Of course, it's no problem. But are you sure you're okay? Your voice..."

"I... I can't right now. I just want to lie down. If it's not any better in the morning, I'll go, okay?"

"Sure. A hot bath, some tea with honey, and a good night's sleep. Sound good?"

"Heavenly," she replied, and she lay down and put her head in my lap. Nonplussed, I caught my dad's concerned look in the rearview mirror and mouthed, "Later?"

He nodded and gave me a wink.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 2

It was about a half-hour drive from the station to my parents' place on the other side of Lake Casitas. Joy had fallen asleep - poor thing had to be emotionally wiped out from the day's events - and as we pulled into the drive, I shook her very gently.

"Hey," I whispered. "We're here."

She jerked awake, looking round fearfully. I murmured, "Shh, you're safe, it's okay."

As memories returned, she calmed and sat up, looking around. Dad opened the door on her side and helped her out, as I went to the house and opened the front door. Two black and tan whirlwinds flew out to swirl around my legs, tails wagging. They saw Joy and whined. I went down on one knee, an arm around each of them.

"Hans, Greta, this is Joy. Friend!" I beckoned to her. "It's okay, please come over and let them get to know you." She glanced at my dad who was standing beside her, and at his nod, she stepped over to us and cautiously held out a hand. They sniffed at her. Deciding she was okay, they each gave her hand a lick and then greeted my father.

The two German Shepherd/American Akita mixes were similar in coloration, favoring their shepherd side, but with the size of their Akita heritage.

I explained to Joy, "Hans is bigger. He's darker, too," as I rubbed behind his ears. He grinned at me, his tongue lolling. "And this is Greta," I continued. "She's the boss." She chuffed in agreement, and I gave her some head scritchies.

Standing, I called, "Mom? Heather? We're back!"

The light of my life came running outside and pounced on me. "Mommy! Grandma said you had an accident! I was scared!"

"Hey, Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm fine, see?" I said, wrapping my arms around her, bussing her on the cheek. "I missed you."

She squeezed me back, then looked curiously over my shoulder. "Who's that with Grandpa?" she asked, as my mother joined us.

"That's my new friend, Joy," I said. "She's going to be visiting with us for a bit."

Turning to look at her, "Joy, this is my daughter, Heather."

Joy held out her hand and said, "It's very nice to meet you!"

Heather tentatively shook, looking wide-eyed at Joy. "Hello," she said shyly.

"And this is my mother, Vanessa." As they greeted each other, Mom said, "Come in, come in, let's not stand around outside. It's very nice to meet you, Joy."

We all headed inside, the dogs doing their best to get underfoot, and Heather made sounds of good-natured exasperation as she shooed them along. Despite her day, Joy smiled at their antics. Once we were all settled at the kitchen table, I asked my mother if we could please have some tea. I was usually a coffee drinker, but I figured Joy might want something to help her sleep.

She was apologetic. "I'm so sorry for the intrusion, Mrs. Sinclair, I appreciate your kindness and I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can," she said. Her gaze moved from one person to the next, quick glances and then down again, before moving on. Her hands twined in her lap.

In the brighter light of the kitchen, Mom's sharp eyes took in Joy's bruises, and she flicked a glance at me, but looking back at Joy, said, "You can call me Nessa, dear. And don't worry yourself, it's no imposition at all. We're very happy to meet you, and you're welcome in our home!" And she busied herself with the kettle, getting mugs down from the cupboard, and honey from the pantry. Joy sat quietly, just watching.

I caught my mother's eye and mouthed, "Thank you." She smiled back.

"How are you, Tabitha? Your dad said you had an accident? I'm assuming Joy was involved?"

With a glance at Heather, I said carefully, "Umm, yes. I think we've both had a long day, so let's help her get settled, okay? Heather, can you go start a bath for Miss Joy in our bathroom?

She nodded at me, and after she scampered upstairs, Dad and the dogs also left to take a walk around the property, something he was in the habit of doing each evening.

I reached out to stroke Joy's shoulder and then said to my mother, "Sorry, Mom. I didn't want to say too much in front of Heather. But Joy really does need a place to stay. It's not safe for her at home."

Joy's head was down, and I scooted a little closer. "I'm sorry if I'm talking out of turn..." but before I could continue, my mother came to her other side and put one arm around her.

"You're welcome here," she repeated, more firmly. She examined Joy's face and neck more closely, and then, taking her hand, said, "You're safe here, too. Tabitha will take good care of you, and let me know if I can help, okay?" She looked at both of us.

Near tears again, Joy whispered, "Thank you."

"Of course, dear. You go relax and I'll see you in the morning?" A raised eyebrow went with the question.

Joy nodded, and I led her to the bathroom. Heather followed us in, and with a kiss and a hug, I shooed her off to help Grandma clean up. I added some rosemary oil into the bath. It had worked for me many times as a home remedy, helping stimulate circulation and getting rid of bruises faster.

I turned to look at Joy, who was standing there, a little out of it. Still in shock, I guessed.

"Joy?"

She blinked at me. "Hmm?"

"Do you need my help? Or are you okay?"

She continued to look at me, a little helplessly, and made a vague gesture. My heart broke a little when I saw a tear slide down her cheek.

I hugged her again, while she wept silently.

After a few moments, she murmured, "Sorry. I'm such a mess."