topic at hand. The old pipes pinged as she squirted tropical passion body wash onto her loofah scrub brush. Even after a night of turning over all the different possibilities in her head, she kept coming back to the same one: she had to turn Blue Sky’s profits around. The extra advertising and vacation packages she’d implemented before Jared arrived were good. As was updating the website, but she needed more.
She knew she didn’t have much business experience when it came to Blue Sky. That had been all Steven. He’d handled most aspects of the business while Jenny had been only too happy to play a supporting role. The division of responsibilities had seemed to please Steven, and that had been all that mattered to her. Over the years, she’d had a few ideas but had never pursued them. What had been the point? Steven was the brains, the one with all the ideas. Hers had been too farfetched to even share.
The water began to turn cold, and she quickly finished. Wrapping her hair in a towel turban-style and slipping on her robe, she went back to her room and sat on the bed.
Plan. Brief. Execute.
Jared’s infuriating words came back to her. She wanted to throw them back in his face, tell him he was wrong.
But as much as she hated to admit it, they held a truth. She did need a plan. And a way to carry it out. But like hell she’d brief him on anything she was going to do.
She looked out her window and saw the sun rising over the uneven peaks of the distant mountains. Today was going to be another glorious day. And not only because of the weather; Jenny was determined to figure out a new plan on how to get rid of Jared. Feeling almost transformed, she quickly dressed in white capris and a turquoise top. As she slipped on a pair of blue flip-flops, she couldn’t help but remember yesterday when Jared had helped her put on a different pair of flip-flops. Then her gaze lifted to the end of her bed where she’d tossed the hooded sweatshirt, and she was remembering more. Remembering last night. The two of them near the staircase.
Ever since Steven’s death, Jenny had shut herself away. She’d stopped hanging out with her friends . . . going to all of her and Steven’s familiar spots. It had been the only way she’d known how to protect herself from the pain. But the irony was, her seclusion hadn’t worked. She learned that heartache found you no matter where you were. Just like memories. And she didn’t want to outrun them anymore. Steven had been the love of her life. He would always have a special place in her heart. But maybe her mother was right. Maybe it was time for Jenny to reenter her old life.
She picked up the sweatshirt off her bed and folded it. As she put it away in her dresser, she told herself that the only reason she’d responded to Jared like she had was because he was the only person she’d let in. No, that wasn’t right. She hadn’t let him in—he’d forced his way into her life. But either way, it didn’t matter. What did matter was protecting herself. She wasn’t about to risk her heart on a man who kept his duffel bag packed and had one foot out the door.
She went to her bedside table and picked up the phone. “Maddy?” she said when her best friend answered. “What are you doing Monday night?”
Maddy laughed. “Monday margaritas?”
“Absolutely.”
“Just tell me where and when.”
“How about my place? We can build a fire on the beach.”
“Sounds perfect. And, Jenny?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s about time.”
“Yeah,” Jenny said again, knowing it was true.
Feeling better than she had all week, she headed downstairs.
The closer she got to the kitchen, the stronger the smell of bacon, freshly brewed coffee, and something else, something almost like baking bread, made her stomach growl.
As she rounded the end of the hallway, she stopped at the edge of the kitchen, not quite believing what she was seeing. Jared was at the stove, cooking. His back was toward her. Cody was seated on a stool at the peninsula, a plate full of food in front of him. Hearing her, he turned, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel with nuts.
“Hey, Aunt Jen,” he said around a mouthful. A streak of blueberry syrup ran across his cheek while powdered sugar coated his lips and dusted his