Sunset on Moonlight Beach - Sheila Roberts Page 0,22
her gaze up to his face.
That was when she caught him staring. Juggling the two gift baskets had put a strain on her V-neck tee and it was dipping down her chest, showing off the top of her left boob. He looked back up and saw he was busted and his cheeks turned russet.
He cleared his throat and took one of the baskets. “Here, let me help you.”
He set it on the bed, then turned to take the other one and found her right next to him. There they stood, kissing-close. She remembered a certain New Year’s Eve kiss they’d shared, back before he’d made a resolution to leave her alone. The very memory of that kiss was enough to start the tingles going. If one of them moved just a little closer...
Now he was looking at her lips.
She swallowed hard. Okay, pivotal moment here.
But the moment didn’t pivot. He actually grimaced.
“You need to hurry up and get engaged,” he said.
Disappointment swept over her. “Maybe I do.”
She turned to go and he caught her arm. “It’s not that I don’t care,” he said softly. “You know that.”
“Rejecting me for my own good. What a guy,” she said bitterly. She pulled her arm away and started for the door.
“Don’t go away mad,” he pleaded.
“Just go away.”
She sounded angry and resentful. What a coincidence. She was. She was sick of him being so stupid and noble, driving her away and not even giving them a chance. Nobility was overrated.
“You really do make me so mad,” she growled.
“And you make me crazy,” he said with a half smile, “so I guess we’re even.”
“Do you want to be even?” she demanded in disgust.
He frowned. “I need a beer. Go back to the house, Jenna.”
And she needed to break one of those beer bottles over his stubborn head.
She pointed a finger at him. “You know, life is all about choices. You make a dumb one and you’re going to have to live with it.”
His face shut down and he swung the door wide, his invitation for her to leave loud and clear. “I know all about choices, and some of them have nothing to do with what you want.”
Of course he did. One of his choices, noble as it was, had cost him years of his life, landing him in prison for something he hadn’t done.
“I’m sorry,” Jenna said, instantly penitent. “That was a stupid thing to say.”
He shrugged, forgiving her, but said nothing, just stood there by the door, waiting for her to leave.
“But your life’s not over,” she added.
“Neither is yours. Quit wasting time, Jenna.”
She wanted to say more, but he ended the conversation with, “Thanks again for the basket,” and began to shut the door.
Short of pushing it back open, there was nothing to do but wrap her pride around her shoulders and leave.
Okay, fine. If Seth wanted to make it easy for her then she’d let him. Brody was a great choice, and he not only wanted her, he wanted to be with her. And she was just fine being with him. She was done wasting her time.
* * *
Jenna slapped the platonic label on her relationship with Seth and moved on, and life settled into a quiet, drama-free routine. Gray clouds began to give way to the occasional blue sky.
Easter Sunday was a blue sky day. After church and Easter dinner, Jenna held an egg hunt on the beach for a bunch of Sabrina’s friends, hiding plastic eggs, some filled with candies and others with gift cards in small amounts to favorite places such as Beans and Books, the funplex, and of course, Good Times Ice Cream Parlor.
She met the amazing Scotty and was pleased to see that he was, indeed, a nice kid. The proof? He gave the Beans and Books gift card he found to Sabrina.
Brody came over bringing a bouquet of spring flowers and hung around. He even took part in some of the games the kids were playing, including spoons, a competition that involved cards and diving for a spoon. There was always one less spoon than there were players, and whoever wound up with no spoon on enough rounds was out of the game. It was teen-level competitive and Brody finally wound up getting elbowed in the eye by Scotty as they wrestled for the last available spoon.
“Man, I’m sorry, Mr. Green,” Scotty apologized. “Are you okay?”