Sunset on Moonlight Beach - Sheila Roberts Page 0,23
she gave Brody ice to put on it.
“If I hadn’t about lost my eye I’d have gotten that spoon,” he insisted.
“Maybe it’s just as well you’re out of the game. You don’t want to end up with two black eyes.”
The fight for spoons kept going among the kids, and Jenna and Brody retired to the living room to join Aunt Edie.
“That was one of Ralph’s favorite games,” she said as Brody and his ice pack settled with Jenna on the couch.
“And ours growing up,” Jenna said.
“Did you play that aggressively?” Brody asked. “Oh, wait. Never mind. Dumb question. Of course you did.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being determined,” she said.
“No, there’s not,” he agreed. “I’m pretty determined myself,” he added, the expression on his face telling her exactly what he was determined about.
Later, after the kids had left, and it was just him and her standing in the doorway, he drew her to him. “How about coming over to my place for a while?” he murmured.
Jenna knew where that would lead. “That’s a little too tempting,” she said. Although why she was hesitating to move things along between them, she had no idea. It really didn’t make sense in light of the fact that she had, finally and firmly, categorized her relationship with Seth as a no-go. Brody was ready to go. She should be, too.
“I really am okay waiting as long as you tell me I’m not waiting for nothing.”
“You’re not,” she said. “Once I get Sabrina graduated then I can think about myself.”
“Good. That’ll make two of us thinking about yourself,” he said with a grin.
Then, to keep her thinking about him, he kissed her. The man knew how to kiss, that was for sure. It was stupid not to move their relationship to the next level. Come summer, she decided. Then she’d give Brody a thumbs-up and enjoy some summer sizzle.
She was smiling when she went to bed. Now her love life was all resolved.
Until Seth Waters showed up in her dreams again, this time in a gondola, dressed like a gondolier. There she stood, on the beach of a desert island, still in that same gown she’d worn in her last dream, holding the same long-stemmed rose. It was wilted now.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, his boat bobbing on the waves.
“I’m waiting for Brody. You remember him, the man who’s actually committing to me.”
“Him? Don’t be stupid.”
“You’re always saying that to me but you’re the one who’s being stupid and I’m tired of waiting for you. Anyway, I love Brody.”
“As much as you do me?”
“Absolutely. And he’s a better kisser.”
“Oh, yeah?”
Instead of hopping out of the boat and proving her wrong, he paddled away.
“Come back!” she called, but he ignored her.
She awakened with a frown. “You are a chicken,” she muttered. “Even in my dreams.”
Too late for him, anyway. She’d made up her mind and she’d made the right choice.
There. Her love life was settled and the rest of her life was falling into place beautifully. Calm waters ahead.
Until the council meeting. Jenna had gone to the mayor’s office a couple of days before, pushing for a chance to bring up the idea of a convention center. She found Parker Thorne looking both mayoral and chic in a dark blue suit with a pencil skirt and heels. She wore a tiny pin shaped like a half moon on the lapel, to signify her loyalty to Moonlight Harbor. Her smile was as polished as her look, and she kept it in place as Jenna made her case. Of course, with Parker that didn’t necessarily mean she was in agreement. It simply meant she was a good politician.
“It would really benefit the town,” Jenna concluded.
“I’m sure it would,” said Parker. “Let’s wait to put it on our agenda. Right now, as you know, we have many pressing matters to deal with.”
Couldn’t they deal with those matters and introduce the topic of the convention center, too? Jenna asked as much.
“People can only take in so many things at a time, Jenna. We have other business we must deal with first. We need to make a decision on where to add new sidewalks. We don’t have much money budgeted for that this year so we can only pick two locations. Then there’s the business of rounding up the artists to paint the fire hydrants and deciding on what theme we’re going with.”
“Isn’t that already decided? I thought we were going with a beach theme?”