Page 51 of The Sandover Beach Billionaire

Chapter Sixteen

Jackson couldn’t have askedfor a better start to the Farmer’s Market and the official launch of the Bohn’s Local initiative. The weather had warmed and it definitely felt closer to summer than spring in the sun. A gentle breeze lofted the ocean scent over the tables and tents set up in the parking lot. The part of the lot that wasn’t roped off had totally filled and parking now spilled over into the strip center next door. People had come early and were sticking around. Mercer had really outdone herself. As if that wasn’t enough, she would be singing with Beau and the rest of the worship band from their church in a few minutes.

The only person missing was Jenna. Scanning the crowd again for her, Jackson pulled out his phone and sent her a quick text.

Jackson:Here yet? I’ve got my eye out for you.

Worry sent beads of sweat rolling down his spine. Since the other night when she left for the hospital, it seemed like Jenna was avoiding him. Jackson had been at Bohn’s all day, pulling together some of the details for the Farmer’s Market. He had planned to bring her dinner after, but Jenna called and told him that she was too tired. He hadn’t thought too much about it. But then she sent a text the next morning telling him that she wanted to work alone. When he had called, she didn’t pick up. Now she was fifteen minutes late to meet him.

Had he moved too quickly, pushed her too hard? The last thing he wanted was to hurt her or to drive her away. But Jenna was strong, stronger than she knew. It drew him to her, that inner resilience and the ability to move past what she’d been through without anger or bitterness. When pummeling the heavy bag under the deck with his fists, Jackson wished that he could have just a little of her strength. He always felt like the veil between his emotions and his reactions was so thin, barely able to keep him in check.

Despite her strength, Jenna had been deeply hurt in her romantic relationships. Jackson knew this, had been cautioned by Beau and tried to restrict himself. Yet he must have pushed too far, let her see too much of how he felt. He should have given her more space, held himself in check. That’s the only reason he could think of for her pulling away.

As the sound of guitars filled the air, Jackson’s fingers curled into fists. If he had lost Jenna, he didn’t know how he could recover from it.

“Jax?” Jenna’s voice close to his ear sent hope spinning through him.

He turned, grinning. “You used my nickname.”

She smiled back at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, looking a little shy. The breeze blew her hair right back and he fought the urge to brush it back.

“I didn’t even notice. Is that okay?”

“Is that okay? I love it.” Jackson couldn’t help himself. He pulled her into a hug. She stiffened and he almost pulled back, but then she seemed to melt into him. Her hands ran up and down his back in a way that sent heat all the way to the tips of his ears. Maybe he hadn’t pushed her away. He was reading too much into it.

They were in the middle of a crowd, so Jackson pulled away before he wanted to and resisted the urge to kiss her lips. Public or no, he didn’t think he would be able to keep a kiss soft and sweet. Instead, he pressed his lips to her temple, letting them linger just a little longer than he needed. But definitely not as long as he wanted.

Shaking his head, he stepped back, but took her hand. “Want to walk around?”

“I’d love to. This is really amazing, Jackson. You’re so good for the community.”

His chest warmed under her words. That’s what he wanted and hoped for. Even as he sank money into Bohn’s that he didn’t think would come back to him. “Thank you. I hope so. I can’t take the credit though. Really, this was all Mercer.”

“Oh?”

“She was the brainchild behind a bigger campaign we’ll be running: Bohn’s Local. This is just a part of it. We’ll be offering more local things in the store as well. She had the idea and I just let her run with it. Amazing, right?”

“Mm-hm.”

Her voice had dropped a few degrees, sounding cooler. But maybe he was imagining that too. He was overthinking everything. Jenna’s eyes were on everything and he watched her, finding her much more fascinating than the tables with local fruits and vegetables or even the hand-crafted candles, artisan jewelry, or oil paintings of beach landscapes. The nagging sense that something was wrong filled him again, almost like an internal radar. He tried to shake it off.

When the first notes of guitar and Mercer’s voice cut through the crowd over the speakers, it was almost as though a spell had been cast on the crowd. Conversations halted and people stopped moving. Jackson and Jenna both turned to the stage. He got to hear Mercer every week in church, but never got over the richness of her voice. Turning, he realized that Jenna stared at him with a look he couldn’t read in her eyes.

“She sings beautifully,” Jenna said. There was something wistful in her voice. Had Jenna wanted to be a singer? Or maybe it was sadness. Jackson opened his mouth to ask if something was wrong when she dropped his hand. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and pulled away. “I wanted to pick up a few things in the store. I’ll catch up with you later?”

Before Jackson could respond, Jenna slipped away from him, lost in the crowd and leaving him feeling more alone than should have been possible in a crowd of people. Why had that brief kiss felt like a goodbye?

* * *

Jenna wandered into Bohn’s, still hearing the music in her ears. Mercer’s voice, so pure and beautiful, hanging in the air. A match for her striking features and her ability to pull off something as amazing as the Farmer’s Market outside. She didn’t feel bitter, just resigned. Hopeless. She could hear the respect Jackson held for Mercer in his voice. She saw the way his head whipped toward her on the stage when she began to sing. His gaze had softened with affection when he looked toward the stage.

Steve’s words crawled beneath her skin. Why wouldn’t Jackson like Mercer? She had doubted them at first, fought against them the day before as she avoided Jackson. After a day of stewing, she had finally decided that she was reading too much into it and that Jackson wouldn’t lead her on like that. He’d looked so furious when she told him about Mark. There’s no way he would do that same thing to Jenna. She had told herself that she was being ridiculous. But had they been looking at houses together? What about the secretive phone call? When Jenna saw the way he watched Mercer sing, it felt like a part of her shattered.

Maybe what she needed to do was cut her losses. She couldn’t take another heartbreak. If she backed off now, she would have the memories of a week with him, starting in the elevator—had it only been a week? Days’ worth of conversations and kisses. Time where she felt herself falling for him in a way that she never had for Mark or Steve.

But it obviously was one-sided or somehow imagined. Jenna couldn’t compete with someone like Mercer: younger, more beautiful, so talented. She hadn’t been through a divorce or been given an STD by her ex. Jenna felt old and used up in comparison to Mercer, so broken.

No, it was better if she went with what she had originally been thinking—she would move to Burlington to stay near Rachel and be with family. She would go before she fell any harder for Jackson. Forget the future she had started to imagine with him as a real possibility. Rachel had been right to warn her. Too bad she hadn’t listened.

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