Chesapeake 10 - A Seaside Christmas (13 page)

“I made a minor change to the script to make it work,” Bree explained. “You haven’t seen rehearsals for a couple of days now.”

That much was true. Jenny had steered clear because listening to Caleb sing her songs had reminded her a little too much of what might have been, especially when it came to that ballad. And now Bree was asking her to let him sing it to her onstage with the whole world—or at least one small part of her world—looking on.

“Bree, you don’t know what you’re asking of me,” she whispered. She’d poured her heart into that song. She’d never intended to let an entire audience, especially comprised of people who knew her so well, see how deeply it touched her. The emotions were still too raw.

Bree touched her cheek. “Oh, sweetie, I know exactly what I’m asking. So does Caleb. He loves you. And you still love him. He wants to celebrate that.”

“You of all people know what this town is like once they get the bit in their teeth as far as romance is concerned. We won’t have a moment’s peace. So far they’ve been giving us time, but once Caleb sings that song, makes that public declaration, our relationship will be fair game. To say nothing of what the media’s likely to do if they get wind of it.”

“Are you really worried about people here in town or even the media?” Bree asked. “Or are you just scared that he’ll knock down the last of your defenses?”

“Okay, that, too.”

“Sweetie, whether you say yes or no to what I’m asking, don’t shut the door on a future with Caleb, not because of what happened in the past. Believe in the here and now. Believe in everything he’s done these past couple of weeks to prove how much he’s changed, how much he loves you.”

“I’m trying to,” Jenny said, tears gathering in her eyes. “I’m just not there yet.”

“Then think about what I’m asking. Can you do that much? Not for me. Not even for the play. Or for Caleb. Do it for yourself.”

“I’ll think about it,” Jenny agreed at last. In fact, she doubted she’d be thinking about much else.

Bree studied her. “I know you’re not entirely convinced that I don’t have an ulterior motive when it comes to you and Caleb. Your getting back together works out for me in terms of publicity—no question about it—but I’m your friend first and foremost. I truly want to see you happy. That’s my bottom line here. You do believe that, don’t you?”

Jenny nodded, knowing that Bree had always been in her corner.

“How about this, then? Talk to your uncle,” Bree suggested.

Jenny was taken aback by the suggestion. “You want me to talk to Jake about Caleb? Why? I know he’s mellowed toward the man, but he’s not as gaga as you are.”

Bree laughed. “I certainly hope not, but what I meant was, talk to Jake about forgiveness and moving on. I’ve told you my side of what happened between us. He might be able to give you some insight into how he was able to forgive me.”

Jenny tried to imagine bringing up such a touchy subject with her uncle, but couldn’t. Jake was no more inclined to be open about his innermost feelings than most men.

“Want me to pave the way?” Bree asked as if she’d read Jenny’s mind. “Or do you want me to back off and leave you alone to figure things out?”

While it might be a lot more comfortable to be left alone, Jenny knew she needed help. She trusted her uncle Jake to be honest with her, even if baring his soul was difficult for him. He’d do it if he thought hearing what he had to say mattered to her peace of mind.

“It’s okay,” she said eventually. “I’ll talk to Jake.”

Bree gave her a fierce hug. “Good.”

“You seem awfully certain things will work out the way you want them to if I talk to him,” Jenny said.

“Because no matter what his personal reservations about Caleb might be, my husband is as fair as they come. He’s going to do what’s best for you, even if it goes against the grain.”

“In other words, you intend to coach him on exactly what’s best for me,” Jenny said, suddenly getting it. “The way you did with Dillon years ago when Jake wanted to rip his heart out for messing with me in his office at the nursery. You calmed him down, made him get to know Dillon.”

Bree grinned. “Can’t deny it. But my influence will only go so far. The man is stubborn as a mule. He’ll say what’s on his mind, no matter what I want him to do.”

Jenny drew in a deep breath. She was counting on that. Maybe some straight talk from the male perspective was exactly what she needed.

* * *

Jake sat in his usual booth at Sally’s expecting the arrival of Will and Mack for lunch. He was stunned when Jenny slipped in opposite him.

“I don’t usually see you in here this time of day,” he said. “What brings you by? Did my wife give you a well-deserved break or did you escape on your own?”

“To be honest, I was looking for you. I know this is your regular lunchtime and I was just up the street at the flower shop helping Bree with the flower arrangements for a wedding on Saturday.”

“Oh? And my name happened to come up?”

Jenny squirmed uncomfortably, but nodded. “I was hoping we could talk,” she said.

“Sure, but Mack and Will should be here soon.”

She shook her head. “Bree called them and told them to give me some time with you.”

He blinked at that. “Bree shooed them away?”

Jenny laughed. “She was pretty adamant, in fact.”

“Boy, this must be important. Why does that make me nervous?”

“It shouldn’t,” she said. “I just need some advice.”

“No, you shouldn’t have sex until you get married,” he said flatly.

Jenny smiled. “I’m afraid that ship has sailed and I wouldn’t come to you about advice like that, anyway. You’re an old stick-in-the-mud, at least when it comes to me and men.”

Jake picked up his soda, suddenly wishing it were something much stronger. He sipped slowly and regarded her with a narrowed gaze. “So, what sort of advice are you looking for?” he asked eventually.

“The big stuff,” she said. “Betrayal, forgiveness, that kind of thing.”

Jake barely contained a groan. He did not want to go down that road, not with his niece. “Since when do you want advice from me? You’re usually all too eager to run off when I start to tell you what to do.”

“I’m hoping you’ll make suggestions, not give me the kind of orders that set my teeth on edge,” she told him, grinning.

“Okay, fine. You’re asking a lot, but I’ll try,” he grumbled. “What’s up?”

“I’m having a little trouble letting go of all the anger I’m feeling toward Caleb over what he did to me,” she explained.

“Good for you,” Jake said automatically, then winced as her expression shut down. “Sorry. What’s the question?”

“How did you forgive Bree for what she did to you?”

Jake set down his drink so hard ice bounced out of the glass. “You know about that?” he demanded. “I mean the details? How? Who filled you in?” He shook his head. The answer was obvious. “Never mind. It could only have been my wife. And I’m sure she had her reasons.”

She nodded. “I know how hurt you were back then, how angry. I saw that much for myself. Bree explained why.”

“Did she now?” he said, unable to keep the annoyance from his voice.

“Come on, Jake. Don’t get all worked up. She was trying to point out that people do get past betrayals. You did.” She studied him hopefully. “How’d you do it?”

He finally managed to put aside his exasperation with his wife for sharing such an intimate story and focused on what his niece really wanted to know—if forgiveness was possible. “I had no choice,” he told her. “I loved Bree more than I hated what she’d done. I believed her when she said she was sorry. I made a conscious decision to let it go.”

Jenny looked skeptical. “Just like that? I don’t remember it that way.”

“Okay, it took time. And Marty showing up here to try to win her back didn’t help. Eventually, I had to decide if I was going to be happier taking a risk on loving her again or if I was going to play it safe and spend the rest of my life without the woman I loved. Safe and alone didn’t hold a lot of appeal.”

Jenny sighed. “You make it sound easy when you put it like that.”

“No way, kid. There’s nothing easy about it. I’m not going to sit here and tell you doubts never crop up, because they do. Not because of anything Bree’s done,” he said hurriedly. “I guess a certain amount of insecurity never dies. It’s just outweighed by all the positives in our life together.”

He waited, studying Jenny’s expression as she considered his words. He could see how hard she was struggling with whatever decision she felt she had to make.

“Is Caleb pressuring you about this?” he asked. “I can tell him to back off.”

She smiled. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? But, no, he’s not pressuring me, at least not the way you mean. He’s just here, being all charming and sweet and sensitive and so blasted patient it makes my teeth hurt from gritting them.”

“And you’re falling for him all over again,” Jake concluded.

“Afraid so,” she said wryly.

“Then, as reluctant as I am to say this, it sounds as if you’re where I was with Bree. You have to take that leap of faith, kiddo. If it’s any comfort, there are a whole slew of people who’ll be here for you if he dares to let you down.”

“I don’t want to start something thinking it’s going to fail,” she said. “That’s way too fatalistic.”

“Then believe in it with everything you’ve got until the very second that you can’t,” he advised.

Her eyes were shimmering with tears when she met his gaze. “Thanks, Uncle Jake.”

“You just let me know if you ever need me to punch his lights out,” he told her.

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “You’ll be the first person I call.” She slid out of the booth. “Now I’d better run. We have rehearsal soon.”

Jake nodded. “Send Mack and Will over on your way out. They’ve been watching intently from the counter for the past fifteen minutes. I’m sure they’d like to add their two cents, so you might want to say hello and goodbye in a very big hurry unless you’re up for a full-scale counseling session.”

Jenny shuddered. She loved both men, but she’d already gotten the advice she’d come for. “Not so much,” she told Jake. “See you, and thanks.”

“Anytime, kiddo.”

Jake shook his head as she paused to speak to his friends, then hurried on.

This role of advice giver was a new one for him. This was Will’s stock-in-trade. Most worrisome of all was that he had a daughter of his own at home. He had a hunch this was just the first of many uncomfortable conversations he was likely to face in his lifetime. He couldn’t help wondering if he’d passed the test on this trial run or if he’d just set Jenny up to get her heart broken all over again.

Chapter Thirteen

C
aleb walked into Flowers on Main, hoping to ask Jenny to join him for lunch at Panini Bistro, which he’d heard was one of her favorite places along the waterfront. Instead, he found Bree in the shop all alone, practically buried in a sea of red and white roses.

“You just missed Jenny,” she said.

“Oh? Where’d she go?” he asked, watching as she worked quickly with florist tape, wires and streaming satin ribbons to make what he assumed were to be bouquets for the bridesmaids for the wedding he’d heard was taking place this weekend.

“She’s over at Sally’s having a talk with my husband.”

Caleb frowned. “Should I be concerned about that?”

Bree looked amused by the question. “Why? Have you done something to feel guilty about? Something new, I mean?”

“Not a chance.” He spotted the twinkle in Bree’s eyes. “You’ve been matchmaking, haven’t you?”

“Trying to,” she confessed readily. “I gave her a nudge in your direction. I’m hoping Jake will push her the rest of the way.”

As much as he appreciated the support, Caleb worried that the pressure would backfire. “Bree, I think I have this covered. Jenny needs to come to her own conclusions about the two of us.”

“I agree, but she’s having trouble getting there. I’m not telling her what to do, just helping her cut through all the chatter in her head. She’s listening to logic instead of her heart.” She gave him a hard look. “
That
won’t turn out well for you.”

He laughed. “Nice spin. You’re meddling.”

“Oh, so what?” she said, waving a red rose in his direction in a dismissive gesture. “I’m a rank amateur compared to my dad. Be glad he’s not on the case.”

Caleb merely shook his head. “Have you had a chance to talk to Jenny about being in that scene with me?”

“That’s what we were talking about when I concluded that she needed to have a chat with her uncle.”

“I don’t get it,” Caleb said, confused. “You think Jake will convince her to come onstage with me?”

“No, I think Jake will convince her to take a blind leap of faith back into your arms when you sing that ballad to her.” She studied him over the lovely bouquet of flowers she’d just created. “That is what you’re counting on, isn’t it?”

“Of course, but I don’t think Jake’s one of my biggest fans. He’s mellowed toward me, true, but asking him to give Jenny a push in my direction? I don’t see it happening. Jake doesn’t strike me as a softhearted romantic.”

“Oh, he’s most definitely not, and I doubt he’ll push,” Bree agreed. “What he will do is say exactly what she needs to hear about forgiveness. I’m counting on that to make it possible for Jenny to do what her heart is telling her to do.”

“Let me back into her life,” Caleb concluded.

“Yep,” Bree said. Just then a smile broke across her face. “And here she comes now. Unless I’m way worse at this than I think I am, we’ll know if it worked when she spots you.”

Caleb turned toward the door and saw the precise instant when Jenny noticed him. Color flared in her cheeks. A once-familiar spark lit her eyes. As skeptical as he’d been about Bree’s plan, he had to admit that it appeared to have had an effect, perhaps even a positive one.

“Bingo!” Bree said softly, apparently seeing exactly what he saw.

“What are you doing here, Caleb?” Jenny asked, a surprisingly breathless hitch in her voice.

“I came by to see if you’d have time for lunch.”

Jenny glanced toward Bree, who immediately nodded.

“Sure, if it’s okay with Bree, I can spare a half hour.”

“Take longer,” Bree encouraged. “I’ll get Abby and Jess over here to help me. I can call Gram, too. After all, she’s the one who taught me everything I know. You come back whenever.”

“A half hour,” Jenny repeated firmly. “I promised to help. Besides, it’s fun doing these fancy arrangements and bridal bouquets again.”

Caleb figured he’d better take what he could get. “Let’s go, then. Is Panini Bistro okay?”

“Perfect,” she said, following him out. “It’s one of my favorites and I haven’t had time to stop in on this trip.”

As they walked down Main and turned the corner toward the restaurant, Caleb kept glancing over, trying to read Jenny’s mood.

“Everything okay?” he asked eventually.

“Great, actually.”

“You and your uncle Jake had a good talk?”

She frowned. “You know about that?” She shook her head. “Of course you do, Bree told you.”

“Got it,” he said, then switched gears. “Have you given any thought to doing that scene with me in the play?” he asked. “Bree seemed to think it was a great idea.”

“Bree’s a romantic,” she said. “Apparently, she’s also a publicity hound. If it was good for publicity, she’d try to convince you to streak across the stage naked.”

Caleb laughed. “We both know that would be flat-out
great
for publicity, but she hasn’t mentioned it.”

“Just wait. Maybe I’ll plant the idea in her head. You look pretty darn good in the buff, as I recall,” she said, giving him a lingering once-over.

Caleb stared at her in astonishment. “Jenny Louise, are you flirting with me?”

She slanted a half smile in his direction. “Could be.”

“Maybe you should spend more time with your uncle.”

“Not necessary. We wrapped things up today.”

Since he had a hunch the conversation had gone in his favor, Caleb let the subject go and returned to the issue of the play.

“You’re avoiding my question,” he accused lightly. “Are you going to do that scene with me?”

Her smile faded. “I’m thinking about it.”

“Aside from your advanced case of stage fright, what’s holding you back?” he asked.

She frowned at him. “We both know it’s about more than my panicking over the thought of being onstage. If you sing that song to me, word will spread ten seconds after the final scene on opening night. It’s going to be plastered all over the tabloids and the entertainment shows. People will assume we’re back together.”

“And we’re not,” he concluded, knowing it was true, but not all that happy that despite the change in attitude he’d just witnessed, they still hadn’t managed to get over whatever last hurdle was holding Jenny back.

“No, we’re not,” she said without hesitation. “We’re getting there, Caleb. Maybe we’re even there, but once that particular cat is out of the bag, the pressure will come from every direction, including my family here. We won’t have a minute’s peace to work things out in private. You know how it was when we first started dating. It turned into a circus everywhere we went.”

Silent after her explanation—especially since he couldn’t think of a single valid argument to contradict what she was saying or her memory of the early days of their relationship—he made his way to a table that was away from most of the prying eyes in the small restaurant.

“We could always work things out in private now,” he suggested hopefully after the waitress had taken their order. “It’s noisy enough that I doubt anyone can overhear us.”

“A preemptive strike?” she said, seemingly willing to consider the suggestion.

He nodded. “So to speak.”

“Sorry, but I don’t think so. The kind of work we need to do to resolve things is going to take longer than a half hour of hurried conversation over a sandwich,” she said.

“We could at least take a stab at it,” he said, struck by a sense of urgency that had nothing to do with the play and everything to do with his fear that Bree had been right, that the more thinking Jenny did, the less likely things would work out as he hoped they would.

Her frown returned. “Caleb, you said you were willing to give me time. What changed? Why are you suddenly in such a rush to make our relationship official again?”

“It’s an opportunity, that’s all. I saw the potential in that scene with that song and wanted to make the most of it.”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he knew what a mistake they’d been. It was entirely the wrong tactic to use. She was regarding him now with deepening suspicion.

“Have you run the idea by anyone else?” she asked, her tone cool. “Aside from Bree, I mean?”

“Such as?”

“Your agent? Margo?”

He felt a moment’s guilt. “I did mention it to my manager,” he acknowledged. “He thought it might jump-start things for me again in Nashville, but I swear to you that’s not what this is about, Jenny.”

“Of course it is,” she said with a sigh. “I’m sure he thought it was a fantastic idea. Even I can see that much.” She gave him a weary look. “Thank you for being honest about talking to him.”

“I told you I’d never deceive you again. It’s not as if this wouldn’t be a win for everybody. Bree stands to get a huge amount of buzz from it, too.”

“I know that. It’s one of the reasons I promised to consider doing that scene.” Her expression troubled, she looked into his eyes. “It just makes me feel so exposed to think about our relationship being front and center again. Sure, right now all the reports will be positively giddy with excitement, but everyone will be watching for the first misstep. You know they will.”

Caleb understood what she was saying. He wasn’t happy about it, but how could he deny the role the tabloid media had had in tearing their lives apart before? Not that he hadn’t done the deed, so to speak, but the photographers who always seemed to be lurking in the shadows had been right there to capture it for Jenny and the rest of the world to see. When it came to this kind of stuff, there was no such thing as neutral objectivity in the reporting. It was all about sensationalism. Thankfully they’d lost interest while he was in rehab, giving him this breathing space, but it wouldn’t last.

He studied her with regret. “You really hate this idea, don’t you?”

“Not entirely,” she said softly. “I like the thought of your singing that song to me.” A grin spread across her face. “Especially if it means you won’t be singing it to Ms. Broadway Hottie.”

At her nickname for his costar, Caleb chuckled. “I hope you don’t call Helena that in front of other people.”

“Why not?”

“She’s really a very nice woman.”

“Who has the hots for a man who professes to want me back.”

“I
do
want you back,” Caleb assured her. “Badly. And I want the whole world to know just how badly.”

“Is it a deal breaker for you if I don’t want the world to know just yet?” she asked.

“Absolutely not,” he said hurriedly. “All I care about is getting us back on track. I thought the song might be a way to do that and give the show a boost, too.”

To his relief, she at least looked as if she wanted to believe him.

“I told Bree I’d think about it, and I will,” she promised. “That’s the best I can do right this second.”

Their order came and after they’d taken a few bites, Caleb dared to ask, “So, what did you and Jake talk about? Bree said you’d gone to him for some advice.”

“We talked about forgiveness,” she said. “And betrayal.”

“Ah, I see. The little, inconsequential stuff. Did he help?”

She smiled. “He did. He helped me to realize something, something I should have known from the second you turned up in Chesapeake Shores.”

“What’s that?”

She looked into his eyes. “That, despite what happened and how much you hurt me, my life is so much better with you than without you,” she said simply.

Caleb felt the knot in his chest loosen at her admission. That was huge and he knew it.

“I was trying so hard to pretend that wasn’t true so it would be easier to send you away.” She regarded him with apparent frustration. “But you wouldn’t go.”

He smiled. “I’m afraid that was never an option.”

“And here we are,” she said, a mix of resignation and something else in her voice.

“Good thing or bad?” he asked.

“Good for you,” she said, a smile tugging at her lips. “It remains to be seen if it’s good for me.”

“I have another chance?” Caleb said, his tone cautious. He didn’t want to misread what she was saying.

A full-fledged smile broke across her face. “You have another chance,” she confirmed. “Crazy as it may be, I don’t want to go through life without you.”

Caleb let out a whoop that had the other customers turning to stare. He didn’t care. He was on his feet, scooping Jenny into his arms and twirling her around. Sure, they still had a ton of things to work out and a long time before she truly put the past behind them, but she was willing to work at it. That was huge!

“So much for discretion,” she said, laughing as he finally set her back down. “I suppose now it hardly matters whether I let you sing that song to me. I saw half a dozen cell phones snapping pictures of this happy little scene.”

“Oops!” Caleb said, not very contritely. He did stand again and shout for attention over the excited chatter in the place. “I know it’s asking a lot,” he said to his immediately attentive audience. “But would you mind not sharing any pictures you took just now? As you can imagine, Jenny and I have a huge beef with the tabloids and we’d really prefer not to see our faces on their front pages again.”

Suddenly Mick O’Brien, who’d apparently arrived after they had, was on his feet at the front of the room. “I’d consider it a personal favor, too,” he said. “These two deserve to patch things up without the whole world watching every little kiss, right? Let’s keep this between us right here in Chesapeake Shores. This town knows how to protect its own.”

Though there was no mistaking the disappointment on some of the faces, most everyone nodded.

“I’m deleting the picture right now,” one woman said.

“Me, too,” her companion added.

While others did the same, Caleb suspected it was too much to hope that everyone who’d snapped the telling photo would comply. All he could hope was that, with Mick’s help, he’d bought a little more time and privacy for him and Jenny before the world intruded.

* * *

Jenny knew both Caleb and Bree were anxious about her answer when it came to whether she’d appear in that scene with Caleb, but she simply couldn’t decide. She’d almost been prepared to give in and say yes, when all those cell phone cameras had started snapping pictures at lunch earlier. It had reminded her of what the frenzy would be like if she agreed to go onstage with him.