Page 21 of Embraced at Seaside
“Listen, that’s his issue, not yours. He’s not even here to see what you do athisstudio. Do you think he’s going to worry about yours?” Jenna reminded her.
“Besides, competition is what makes a business thrive,” Jessica said. “Do you think Jamie worried about what Google would think when he unveiled his search engine?”
“Well, no. I guess you’re right.” A lump formed in Jana’s throat. “You guys…I’m so overwhelmed. You haven’t known me that long, and you’re willing to help me do all this stuff?”
“It’s not about how long you’ve known someone,” Jessica said. “Gosh, I knew Jamie was the man for me from almost the very second I threw my phone at him when I was renting the apartment above Theresa’s house.”
The girls all laughed.
Jessica laughed, too. “Itwasfunny. I also knew instantly that you guys were as kindhearted as you seemed.”
Bella smiled warmly and said to Jana, “You still see yourself as Sky’s friend, but, Jana, we see you asourfriend. We’re happy to help. Now all we have to do is check with Theresa.”
“I have an idea!” Leanna jumped to her feet, waking Sloan, who had dozed off in her arms. He began crying and she lifted him to her shoulder and patted his back. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s just excited,” she said in a hushed tone. Once he settled down, she spoke softly. “How about if I make Theresa’s favorite muffins and we bring them to her tomorrow morning? That should soften her up.”
“Sounds good to me,” Bella said.
“Wait, you guys. Everything is moving so fast.” Jana’s heart raced with the idea that this might be able to really happen. “I can’t just stop working and start this. I have responsibilities to Marco, and putting out flyers, getting ready, buying supplies, that all takes time. There’s so much to do.”
Amy waved her hand again. “Pfft.Easy peasy. Give Jerko a month’s notice, tell Brock you’re going to need some time off from training, and focus on making your dream a reality.”
“You make it sound so easy. What if I fail?” Her stomach sank. “There are so few dance instruction positions here that I’d probably end up having to drive to Hyannis, or farther, to find another job if it doesn’t work out. I’m sure Marco wouldn’t take me back after I leave him.”
“You don’t want to work with him anyway,” Bella reminded her.
“I’m the queen of making quick life-altering decisions,” Leanna said as she paced with Sloan, who was now sleeping again. “The way I make them is by not thinking them through.”
“Oh my goodness,” Jana said. “Harper would lock you in a room far, far away from me if she heard you say that.”
Leanna laughed. “That’s probably a good strategy on her part. But what I mean is, don’t think about failure. Don’t even let that enter your mind. Just decide that you’re going to make it work. What’s the worst thing that happens? You have to start over, or drive farther?” Leanna held Jana’s gaze. “Besides, how will you ever know what you’re capable of if you don’t try? It’s like with love. When you know it’s right, why question it?”
“Yeah, well. I’m not very good in that department either.” Jana glanced at the message light blinking on her phone. She must have been so caught up in the conversation that she’d missed a text fromDO NOT RESPOND!She swiped the screen and opened the message.
I dreamed about you in that tub all night. It was a very long night.
Jana felt her entire body flush as she turned her phone over on the table. She had a feeling it was going to be a very long day, too, now that the image of Hunter was in the forefront of her mind again.
She thought about that for a moment. She was already exploring uncharted territory with Hunter. Why not make her entire life a shambles and upend her career, too?
“Okay. You’ve convinced me. Let’s do this.”
Chapter Nine
HUNTER HAD BEEN in a rotten mood all day. It started last night when Jana had ended their FaceTime call without a word. After what they’d done, he’d assumed they’d talk orsomething. Then he’d texted her this morning, and she hadn’t texted back. Had he pushed her too far? Crossed a line she was too embarrassed to come back from? He hoped not.
Last night he’d realized just how brave Jana really was. Boxing was nothing compared to the trust she’d shown in him, the way she’d completely given herself over to their sexy video call. But what he hadn’t realized until after she’d failed to return his text this morning was that he’d opened himself up to her, too. He’d trusted her and given just as much of himself as she had.
He tried to work out his frustrations through metalwork, but even the pounding, twisting, shaping, and in the end,mangling, just left him even more annoyed. It didn’t help that Clark and Nina were arguing again. They’d had a nice time last night, and when they’d returned this morning it had seemed like they were making amends, but by noon Clark had already taken three calls from Nina, and every one of them had ended in an argument.
What was it about women and arguments?
With one last look around the shop, he grabbed his hoodie from his office and stormed up front.
“Taking off?” Grayson asked as Hunter stalked past the drawing table.
“Yup.”
“Want to grab a beer?” Grayson set down his pen and leaned back, crossing his ankle over his knee. He looked so relaxed it magnified how stressed Hunter felt.
