Page 62 of Hearts at Seaside
Chapter Nineteen
SUNDAY MORNING PETE and Jenna sat on the couch drinking coffee, neither wanting to leave before the other.
“Want some toast?” Jenna’s leg bounced nervously.
“You’re stalling.” Pete kissed her neck. “You have to be at the book sale in half an hour.”
“Do you blame me?” She set his coffee cup on a coaster and climbed onto his lap. Pete was bare chested, wearing just a pair of Levi’s. His skin was still warm and moist from his shower, and he smelled delicious. Jenna nuzzled against his neck.
“I’m getting used to this whole wake-up-to-Petey thing.” She ran her hands through his wet hair and kissed each cheek.
He wrapped an arm around her and rested his head back. She knew he loved when she stroked his cheek, and she did so now. He had shaved this morning, and his face was smooth and soft. Jenna ran her thumb over his lips and then kissed them lightly, feeling the effect of her love beneath her.
“Careful, or you’ll be late.” He opened his eyes and kissed her deeply. “I’m getting used to us, too, Jenna. In fact, I never want to go back to not being us.”
PETE’S WORDS CARRIED Jenna through the chilly morning. By midafternoon the sun had burned through the clouds and crowds of people milled around the annual book sale—and Jenna was still smiling like a schoolgirl in love. Cars lined up along Main Street waiting to pull into the public parking area behind the church. The parking lot had been packed tight since eight o’clock in the morning. Churchgoers came decked out in their Sunday best, and families rode their bicycles through the quaint town, stopping to check out the titles, which were lined up three boxes deep in the alley, covering the tops of long tables and spread on blankets on the lawn.
“Everyone here is going to know you’re a dirty girl if you don’t get that stupid grin off your face,” Amy teased.
Amy and Jenna sat on metal chairs in front of Abiyoyo, a specialty shop with upscale toys, gifts, and clothing. Behind them was a waist-high brick wall with a New England garden boasting colorful flowers and verdant foliage of varying heights and types.
“You’d be smiling, too, if it were you and Tony.” Jenna handed a red-haired woman change for her purchase, and Amy bagged the books she bought for her two young children, who were tugging on her shorts.
“Thanks for stopping by.” Jenna watched them walk away and turned her attention back to Amy.
“So, anyway, it looks like I might be moving to the Cape!” She and Amy squealed and hugged for the hundredth time that day. No matter how many times she said it aloud, it still didn’t feel real.
“I’m sickeningly jealous, but so happy for you.” Amy had on a pair of shorts and a light blue tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and as she spoke, she tightened the elastic band, lifting her ponytail higher. She sat back with a sigh. “I can’t get over that you two are finally a couple. And when I see you two together, it’s like that’s how it’s always been.”
“That’s how it feels to us, too.”
“Have you told your mom you might be moving yet?” Amy asked.
Jenna’s pulse kicked up a notch. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that her mother was figuring out her own life, and that she wasn’t losing her mind. Relief came quickly as she recalled her mother’s confession. “Not yet. But I will. He just brought it up last night, and we didn’t make any final decisions. He just asked if I would consider it. If, orwhen, I move, my mom and I will still live close enough to see each other often.”
“If? I would stick withwhen.” Amy smiled and eyed a handsome guy in bike shorts flipping through a box of books. “It’s not like you have any obstacles. You rent your house, and you’re an art teacher, so you can work anywhere. Or maybe you can start painting again.” Amy raised her brows.
“That would be like two dreams come true. Me and Peteandpainting on the Cape. Gosh, Amy, who would have guessed that our lives would turn out like this?”
“Oh no. I just realized that if you move here, I’ll be the only one of us not living here.” Amy’s eyes filled with worry. “If you guys are always together and I’m the only one who’s not, I’ll start to feel like a fourth wheel.”
Jenna draped an arm around her shoulder. “Ames, you alreadyareour fourth wheel, and I’m our third. We need all four wheels to make the girlfriend bus go. That willneverchange. Besides, I can’t just quit work this close to the beginning of the school year. That would be irresponsible. Who knows when I can really move here?” The pieces of her life suddenly began swimming before her. She couldn’t leave the school without an art teacher, and she’d have to give her landlord notice. Neither was an insurmountable obstacle, and when she compared them to Pete’s declaration this morning, that it was time to put a stop to his father’s drinking, they paled in comparison.
Amy rolled her eyes and lowered her voice as she rose to help a customer. “You’ll make it happen, or I’ll make it happen for you.”
Jenna didn’t want to breach Pete’s confidence and tell Amy about Pete’s father, but she was having trouble holding it in, and Amy was one of her most trusted friends. She’d never kept secrets from Amy or their other friends before, and as she thought about sharing what Pete was going through, she realized how her priorities had shifted. How her heart had shifted. She hadn’t thought she could ever love anyone more than Amy, Bella, and Leanna, but as she ferreted away Pete’s secret, she realized that he’d moved to the head of the line. She waited for guilt to pump her to share the secret that was weighing heavily on her, and when it didn’t come, she knew she was making the right decision.
She turned her attention to a woman holding a stack of books and helped her set them on the table. “Wow, that’s an armful. I’m glad you found some you liked.”
“I always do.” The petite, gray-haired woman pulled a leather wallet from her purse. “I time my vacation around the annual sale, believe it or not. Pathetic, I know.” She shrugged with a smile.
“Not pathetic at all. Thrifty and smart.” Jenna bagged the books as the woman paid Amy. “Enjoy your vacation.”
“I’m in Wellfleet. How could I not?” The woman waved as she walked toward the parking lot.
“See? Everyone knows Wellfleet is the place to be. I still can’t believe I’ve gone all summer without seeing the man I wait all year to see.Thatshows me how little I mean to Tony.”
Although Amy hadn’t said much to Jenna about Tony not being there this summer, Jenna knew how upset she was. If the tables were turned, and she hadn’t seen Pete all summer, her heart would have been broken, too.
