Page 68 of Embraced at Seaside
The pit of Jana’s stomach knotted. She stumbled backward, tripping over a woman’s leg.
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she pushed her way back through the crowd toward her car. She felt her heart breaking with every unsteady step.LA. Two years of all-expenses-paid traveling.She couldn’t give Hunter the key now. Not when he had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the palm of his hands.
Chapter Thirty-Two
JANA DROVE AROUND town in a blur of tears and heartache, topped with a hefty helping of self-loathing. Half an hour after she’d left the competition she’d gotten another cursory text from Hunter.We need to talk.She’d sobbed so hard her chest ached. She’d driven to the beach where they’d watched the sunrise. How could she have been so blind to what was right in front of her? To the love that was growing inside her heart from the very moment she and Hunter had reconnected months ago, when she’d stopped even flirting with other guys? None of that mattered anymore, because she’d already been too selfish.
She drove up to Provincetown just to see the Governor Bradford, the bar where she and Hunter had hooked up a few times. But seeing it only stabbed the knife deeper into her chest. She got on the highway and drove all the way down to Yarmouth, where she pulled into an empty parking lot and sobbed some more. There was no way she was going to tell Hunter how she felt now and make him choose between her and his career. He deserved everything good that came to him.
He deserved a woman who didn’t panic at the thought of a key.
He deserved a woman who didn’t miss the first half of his competition.
Why did those thoughts hurt so much? She wanted to be that woman so badly she could taste it. She wanted to kick her insecurities in their wretched little butts. She wanted a do-over.
When she felt depleted of every ounce of energy, she finally gave up and drove toward home. She couldn’t escape her devastation. There was no escaping a broken heart. She’d been avoiding going home, because one night at home without Hunter had been enough to make her hate her sweet cottage just a little, and the thought of another night without him—forever without him—was too much to bear.
Hunter’s truck came into focus as she drove down her street, and the lump in her throat expanded. She wasn’t ready for the conversation that would end their relationship. Wasn’t losing her fight enough of a beating for one day? Couldn’t she pretend for one more day that he hadn’t won something amazing and that she and Hunter had a chance at making things right? That he’d accept her apology, and the key, and they could go back to the incredible, loving path they’d been on? She’d liked that path. A lot.
She pulled up beside his empty truck. Her house was pitch-dark, and there was no sign of Hunter anywhere. Her phone vibrated on the passenger seat. Hunter’s name appeared above his number, bringing fresh tears with it. She’d finally changed his contact information. How could such a small, silly thing like seeing Hunter’s name on her phone hurt so badly?
She swiped the screen and read the text.Can we talk?
Her pulse quickened as she looked up, scanning her yard. A figure of a man standing in her side yard came into focus. She would know him anywhere. The confident stance, his broad, powerful shoulders, and she was sure if she could see his face, the muscles in his jaw would be jumping with tension. She dried her eyes, pulled her shoulders back, and stepped out of the car. She refused to fall apart in front of him. She didn’t want him to feel guilty for taking the incredible opportunity he’d been given. She wasn’t going to be the woman who stood in his way.
The twenty feet between them seemed to pass in slow motion. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that he was wearing a suit and tie. Her heart skipped a beat. She’d never seen him dressed up like this. A piercing pain shot through her stomach with the realization that he wasn’t wearing the suit for her, but for the competition. He must have left the tie and coat in the car or something.
She couldn’t help but notice that he was clean-shaven and he smelled like cologne. Jealousy prickled her limbs, knowing thatthatwasn’t meant for her, either.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded as frayed as she felt.
He took a step closer, his eyes raking over her face, then lower, taking all of her in more quickly than usual. Just another reminder of the distance between them. He curled a finger under her chin and studied her face.
“You’re bleeding.”
She swallowed hard. Could he see the blood draining from her heart, too? She lifted one shoulder in a halfhearted shrug. “I lost.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to cheer you on.” His tone was serious, and another half shrug made his jaw do that jumping thing she worried about.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
She nodded, and when he waved a hand toward the backyard, she realized that he didn’t even want to step into her house. That twisted the stake that was shattering her heart.
The backyard was dark, and she stumbled over something on the grass.
“What…?”
“Stay here. Let me get the lights.” He walked to the back porch and plugged something into the outlet, illuminating the entire yard with tiny white lights strewn through the trees, over the bushes, and around the patio door, transforming her backyard into a magical wonderland.
“What…?” She couldn’t process what she was seeing. Bouquets of roses formed a heart in the grass, and she was standing in the center of it. A sculpture came into full view at the point where the two sides of the heart connected.
Hunter followed her gaze. “You haven’t seen that yet, have you?”
She shook her head. He hadn’t told her what he was making for the competition, but she’d never in her wildest dreams thought he’d sculpt a dancer. Mesmerized by the elegant piece of art, she finally found her voice.
“This is what you made for the competition? May I touch it?”
“Of course.” He placed his hand on her lower back, urging her closer, but she didn’t want to move away from him. She stayed where she was, lost in his touch, lost in the beauty before her, lost in confusion.
