Page 55 of Embraced at Seaside
“Are you kidding? I’m totally okay with it, but, honestly, you are right about you two. Neither one of you has a great track record with dating. Areyouokay with it?”
“To be honest, it was really hard for me to let him in, and sometimes it’s still difficult. But he’s so…” She searched her brain for the right words to describe Hunter, and there were too many that fit, so she shared them all. “He’s romantic and caring. Thoughtful and patient.” She held back on saying that he was a lion in bed and a kitten when she least expected it, and instead said, “He’s got to be the most generous and understanding person I know, and yeah, he’s a stubborn mule of a man, but…he’s just the right amount of soft and hard.”
“There’s nothing soft about that man,” Jenna mumbled.
Amy giggled.
Jana laughed. “You know what I mean. Before Hunter, I was never used to, you know, dealing with real emotions beyond an hour or two of great sex.”
“Wow, you get an hour or two?” Leanna nibbled on her lower lip. “Ever since Sloan was born, we’re lucky if we get fifteen minutes.”
“Tell me about it.” Jessica nodded in agreement. “We’ve snuck into the bedroom for a quickie more than once while Dustin was in his bouncy seat.”
“You guys are great birth control,” Sky teased. “More importantly, Jana, just tell me one thing. How long have you guys been seeing each other?”
She dropped her eyes, and for a split second she debated not telling them the truth, but she’d come this far, and she had to admit that getting it off her chest felt too good to keep it in any longer.
“Remember the grand opening of your tattoo parlor?” She told them about how she and Hunter had hooked up after the grand opening and how they’d bumped into each other every few weeks afterward, always happenstance, and at the end of the night, they’d almost always hooked up.
“But it wasn’t until that night at the Governor Bradford when we were listening to Sawyer play and Hunter was giving me a hard time about boxing.” She looked around the table at the curious and supportive eyes of the women who had become her closest friends, and she knew she was doing the right thing. “Remember that night?”
“Boy, do I ever,” Jenna said. “I thought you were going to rip each other’s heads off.” She shifted her eyes up for a moment, her brows knitted, and then a smile crept across her lips. “Now I totally see it. Wow, that’s a totally different kind of hot.”
“I honestly thought you were going to rip each other’s clothes off right there in the bar,” Bella said. “But Sky pointed out that you guys would probably tear each other’s heads off first.”
“Well, we, um…find other uses for all that energy.” Relief washed through her. How could Hunter have known that telling her friends was exactly what she needed?
Because you’re setting me free.
Chapter Twenty-Five
THE WELLFLEET THEATER was buzzing by the end of the last act, and Jana was positively glowing. It wasn’t just her gorgeous smile that sparked glints of delight in her baby blues, either. It was the way she squared her shoulders and craned her neck to make sure she didn’t miss a single thing happening on the stage. She mouthed the words to the songs, and even some of the lines, as if she’d acted in the play before, which she probably had, since up until this summer she’d been in musicals with nearly all the theaters on the Cape.
When the musical ended, Jana pushed to her feet, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she applauded.
“Let’s go backstage.” She dragged Hunter across the crowded floor toward the doors that he assumed led to the private actor area. She stopped to greet a large man who stood eye to eye with Hunter and blocked the doorway.
The big man’s harsh features softened when Jana opened her arms and said, “Micah! I’ve missed you. This is Hunter. I want to go back and say hi to everyone.”
Micah embraced her. “Good to see you, Jayjay.” He held a hand out to Hunter. “How’s it going, Hunter?”
“Great. Nice to meet you.”
Micah held the door open for them. “Go on back. Everyone will be thrilled to see you.”
Hunter leaned in close to Jana and whispered, “Jayjay?”
She laughed. “Stage name. Everyone here calls me something different. Jayjay, Jana girl, Garner. Whatever comes to them, I guess.”
They entered a large room cordoned off by heavy dark curtains. The room hummed with excitement as the actors’ voices rose and fell, each talking over the next.
“Jana girl!” A redheaded woman ran across the room, calling the attention of the others, and within seconds Jana was engulfed by welcoming hugs and shouts about missing her.
Hunter stood off to the side, soaking it all in, his chest tight with conflicting emotions. He was overjoyed to see Jana among so many friends who were not only excited to see her, but asking her when they could expect her back among them. That joy was underscored by sadness over how much she’d missed out on because of her work situation. Now, more than ever, he was determined to help her see the light and open her own studio, so she could go back to taking part in this other, obviously very meaningful part of her life.
After the whirlwind calmed, Jana introduced Hunter to her friends, and a while later, when they left the theater, Jana sighed dreamily as they walked toward the car.
“Thank you for that.” She gazed up at him and he couldn’t think of a time, except when he’d seen her dancing in the studio, when she’d looked so content. A gentle breeze blew her hair off her shoulders, the sweet scent of her perfume mingled with the scents of the sea, and Hunter slid his hand to the nape of her neck.
