Page 48 of Hearts at Seaside
“I didn’t do it, but I’d bet a million dollars that Bella and Amy did. Or at least Bella. They were less than pleased when I asked Charlie out.”
“Well, then, I’ll have to thank them.”
She remembered her towel falling and the way Pete had looked over her butt, all the while causing her entire body to catch flames. She thought she might just have to thank them, too.
“Iwasn’t pleased about you asking him out either.”
She snuggled into his side. “Who are you kidding? If I hadn’t asked him out, you might never have been interested in me.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. I have always been interested in you. If I wasn’t interested, would I know that your favorite color is orange? Or that the dinner we’re eating is your favorite? Would I know that on Tuesday mornings you peek at me from around the side of your cottage? Or that you’re afraid of sharks? Would I know that you secretly wish you could go out on the sand barge with the seals when they gather at low tide on the beach near P-town—regardless of the ten-thousand-dollar fine if you’re caught?”
Holy cow.“Pete? How do you know all that?”
He ran his finger down her cheek. “Because during all those get-togethers, the only thing that interested me was you. I might look like I’m a million miles away, but my mind has always been on you, Jenna. Just you.” He pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.
“I never knew.” Oh, how she wished she had. Maybe she wouldn’t have been so nervous around him. “You said,just me, but at the Beachcomber you were all over that blonde.”
Pete smiled and turned away.
“This is one of those times when you should lie to me.” Jealousy sliced through her.
Pete moved closer and set their food aside; then he pulled Jenna’s legs over his and wrapped her in his arms. “Babe, I have some fessing up of my own to do, and it’s a little embarrassing.”
Jenna braced herself for a blow. “If you slept with her, please lie to me.” She heard the fear in her own voice.
He shook his head. “She’s only a friend, babe. But I did something that I probably shouldn’t have. You were with that guy, and it made me insanely jealous.”
“I like where this is going.” Jenna smiled and ran her finger along his lower lip.
Pete’s eyes went dark.
“Keep going.” She could tell by the way his mouth twitched that he was embarrassed about whatever he was going to reveal, even if he was staring at her like he wanted to devour her.
He touched his forehead to hers. “I feel like a stupid teenager.” He shook his head. “Here goes. I asked her to make you jealous so you would want me as badly as I wanted you.”
Jenna threw her head back with a loud laugh. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Youtried to makemejealous? Me? The woman who has been trying to get your attention forever?”
He looked away. “I’m not proud of it.”
“Well, it worked. She basically told me that you were an animal in bed. I thought she’d slept with you, and between that and your comment about erotic, sensual sex…”
A coy grin curved his lips. “Promises, not comments. I got your attention.”
She kissed his chin. “Petey, you had my attention the first time you cleaned the pool in that white tank top and black board shorts, with your John Lennon sunglasses.”
Pete laughed. “You remember my round sunglasses?”
“There are so many things about you that I’ll never forget. And the list just keeps getting longer and longer.”
AN HOUR LATER they were standing at the edge of the crowded Tabernacle in the Campground neighborhood of Oak Bluffs, where Illumination Night was taking place. The Tabernacle was surrounded by small cottages decorated elaborately with flowers and brightly colored paper lanterns hanging from their eaves and off the porch railings. The cottages were built very closely together, boasting vibrant colors, peaks adorned with gingerbread, and decks complete with fancy balusters. Children played on the lawns, light sticks glowing like sabers in the darkness, as people of all ages sang and moved to the melody beneath dozens of paper lanterns that hung from the rafters and on the railings of the Tabernacle.
Pete watched Jenna’s eyes widen as she took in the enormous wooden Tabernacle. A band played on a stage beneath the high ceiling, and the crowd began to sing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.” She gasped an excited breath, and he was glad that he hadn’t ruined the surprise by telling her about it ahead of time. Her hand flew to her chest, and she opened her mouth to say something to Pete, who could do little more than beam at her delight. She didn’t say a word. Her eyes shifted back to the crowd, and a few minutes later she joined the crowd in singing, “Someone’s in the Kitchen with Dinah.”
Jenna wrapped her arms around Pete’s waist and gazed up at him. Joey wagged her tail at their feet. “What is all of this?”
“It’s called Illumination Night. It’s an annual event put on by the Camp Meeting Association. They don’t publicize it to try to keep crowds to a minimum.” He watched her as she turned slowly around, taking in the interesting architecture of the two-story cottages. “Back in the 1800s, when the Tabernacle was first built, Methodists gathered here and held their annual meetings. They camped back then, and over the years they replaced the campsites with these cottages.”
“Why are the roads so narrow?”
“Because they were made to fit horse-drawn buggies.”
The crowd sang “Yankee Doodle,” and then the din of the crowd quieted, calling Jenna’s attention back to the Tabernacle. The band silenced, and all eyes were drawn to the stage, where two men, one older and one about Pete’s age, lit a paper lantern. As if the lighting of the lantern controlled the electricity in the entire neighborhood, as soon as the lantern was lit, all of the lights in the neighborhood went off. A collective gasp rose from the crowd as the paper lanterns bloomed to life, illuminating the Tabernacle, cottages, and streets in bubbles of color and magic.
Jenna inhaled loudly, her eyes opened wide as she tugged on Pete’s shirt. “Petey, take a picture. Quick, before the lights go back on.”
He already had his cell phone in hand, clicked a picture, and captured Jenna’s excitement. He bent down so their cheeks were pressed together and snapped another picture; then he kissed her lips. Joey crawled up their legs and they crouched beside her, getting her in the shot. Jenna laughed and made faces as he snapped a few more; then her eyes grew serious and she pressed her small, soft hands to his cheeks.
“It’s not this place that’s magical, Pete. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
