Embraced at Seaside

by Addison Cole

  Jana’s phone vibrated, and when DO NOT RESPOND! flashed on her screen, she made a mental note to change it to Hunter’s name. She opened and read the text.

  I got tickets to the theater in Wellfleet for tonight since you only teach until six.

  She couldn’t imagine Hunter willingly going to a theater. That he would do that for her made her body hum with excitement. She texted a reply. Really? Did someone hold a gun to your head?

  His reply came seconds later. No. To my heart. A sigh escaped her lips before she could stop it. Be ready by 7:30. Wear that blue dress I love so much.

  “I think I need a rain check for the chunky-dunking.” Jana pressed her lips into a tight line to keep from saying more as she typed a response and sent it off. I see my bossy boy is back.

  “Why, and who’s your bossy boy?” Bella’s voice startled Jana.

  She turned her phone over against her leg, panic clawing at her again.

  “Oh, bossy boy, I love that,” Amy said. “Tony can be bossy sometimes, and it’s such a turn-on.”

  “Pete is always bossy,” Jenna said. “I think it runs in their family.”

  Jana’s pulse quickened as Sky’s knowing gaze pierced through her veil of secrecy.

  “Bossiness does run in our family.” Sky crossed her arms and sat back in her chair, eyes pinned on Jana, a smile playing on her lips. “It’s hard to avoid, and from what Sawyer tells me, it’s even harder to resist.”

  You’re telling me? The words it was Hunter were on the tip of her tongue, but she’d lived within the confines of her self-imposed prison for so long that without thought she was rising to her feet and saying, “I’ve got to go.”

  Bella put a firm hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. “Oh, no you don’t. Spill it, girlfriend.”

  Her mind told her to bolt from the deck, save herself from the peer pressure that was about to be unleashed upon her, but the weight of their inquisitive gazes, coupled with the mischievous look in Sky’s eyes, had her pinned in place.

  As panic bloomed inside her, dark and petrifying, she thought of Hunter and the look in his eyes as he’d listened to her share her past with him, and she knew she wasn’t being fair. He was working so hard to help her, to set me free, she wanted, needed, to do the same for him. But when she opened her mouth, her words betrayed her.

  “There’s nothing to spill.” She’d never felt so low in her life. Lying to her friends was worse than sneaking out of a room that charged by the hour.

  Jenna shook her head and looked down at Bea, sleeping soundly in her arms. “That lie was loud enough to wake my precious girl, wasn’t it, Bea?” As if on cue, Bea sighed in her sleep.

  “Wait.” Jana pressed her palms to the table as all the girls leaned in closer.

  “I’m sorry. I should have told you guys earlier. Hunter and I have been seeing each other.”

  “Well, duh,” Jenna said.

  Duh?

  “Like we didn’t already figure that out?” Amy added. “What do you think we are, amateurs?”

  “Shh. Let her talk.” Sky’s smile widened. “And…?”

  She felt tears sting her eyes with her confession, and their support only made her that much more emotional. And made her want to share more, to tell them everything.

  “And, I don’t know. You guys know me. I suck at dating. I just…I’m afraid something will happen and I’ll hurt him, or he’ll hurt me, and then you guys won’t know how to act around us, and everything will be a mess, and I’ll lose the best friends I’ve had in a long time.” She met their eyes, wondering if her face had turned blue from the exhaustive sentence.

  Amy covered Jana’s hand with her own. “You’re one of us now. Friends don’t abandon ship over a man.”

  “I knew it the night he drove you home from Undercover, when you were so drunk you could barely walk.” Jenna looked around the table. “Didn’t I tell you guys that when Sky said he was still there the next morning? I mean, really, what guy stays overnight with a girl he’s not sleeping with?”

  Bella, Sky, and Amy said “Blue” in unison. Blue was Sky’s closest male friend, and they used to sleep over at each other’s houses all the time, without ever once leaving the friend zone.

  “And the roses. That’s what sealed it for me,” Jessica said.

  “The roses threw me for a loop, because come on. Hunter? Flowers? I never thought I’d see the day,” Sky admitted.

  “So, Sky, you’re okay with me and Hunter seeing each other?” Jana twisted a lock of her hair, hoping Sky’s smile wasn’t feigned.

  “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. Are you okay 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.

  “It was my pleasure. I want you to be happy, Jana. I want you to wake up every morning excited to jump into the day instead of feeling like you’re trapped by your life. Between boxing and teaching and handling the studio, I thought you could use a reminder of something you loved.” He stopped walking a few feet from the car and reached for her hands.

  “I know you have a hard time with commitment, and you worry about taking the space I offered in case things don’t work out between us, but as I’ve said a million times, I’m in this for the long haul, and I wish you’d take the space and let your dreams come true. All I want is for you to be happy.”

  “I believe you.” She smiled and went up on her toes to kiss him. “I want to take the space, but only if you allow me to pay a fair rent and you treat me like you’d treat any other renter.”

  He lifted her off her feet and spun her around as he kissed her with all the emotions he’d been holding in. When he set her feet back on the ground, they were both laughing.

  “You’re taking it? You’re really going to follow your dreams? I’m so…” He reached for the right words—proud, happy, thankful—and finally decided that he couldn’t say what he wanted to in a single word.

  “Seeing you soar is almost everything I’ve ever hoped for.” He slanted his mouth over hers, and she pushed him away.

  “Wait, wait, wait.” She was still smiling so wide it made him laugh again. “Almost?”

  “I’m still waiting for you to have enough faith in us that I don’t have to hide my feelings in front of our friends and family,” he teased. “Now hurry up and get those lips back here.”

  “Oh, please,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I told the girls about us this morning.”

  She laughed as he lifted her into his arms again.

  “Thank heaven and the stars above. It’s about time, pretty girl.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  THE NEXT MORNING Jana was on fire during boxing practice. She felt lighter on her feet, invigorated with enthusiasm. Every punch felt stronger, more effective, and her mind was less cluttered. And she realized as she wrapped up the last thirty seconds of a sparring match that she no longer felt trapped.

  “That was awesome,” Brock said as she and her sparring partner knocked gloves and left the ring. “You were strong in there today. Quicker, less aggressive but more focused.”

  She removed her gloves and mouthpiece and gulped down water.

  “My life is finally falling into place. It feels good.” She looked up at her big brother and realized she hadn’t told him about Hunter yet. She waited for panic to set in, and when all that came was a nervous flutter in her stomach, she knew she’d made the right decision—about the space for the studio and about Hunter.

  “I accepted Hunter’s offer for the space on Route 6.”

  “Jana, that’s great.” Brock wrapped her in his strong arms.

  “Yeah, now all I have to do is give Marco my notice. I’m not looking forward to that, but I’m doing it today so I don’t chicken out.”

  “You never chicken out of anything.” Brock picked up her gear and she followed him up to the front of the gym.

  “That’s not exactly true.”

  “Pfft. Right. Jana, you wanted to do musicals, so you learned how to sing and dance—when you were six. You wanted to prove you could fight, and you nailed it. And now you want your own studio, and you’re going for it.” He touched the tip of her nose as he’d done a million times when she was a little girl and said, “You’re unstoppable.”

  She gathered her courage, and before she could overthink his potential responses, she said, “I’m seeing Hunter.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know,” Brock said with a serious tone.

  “You knew?” Did everyone know?

  “The guy called me at six thirty in the morning that day you were drunk out of your mind, remember? I can put two and two together. I wouldn’t have batted an eye if Sky had called me, but Hunter? Come on.” He laughed. “I was sort of tipped off when Sawyer asked if Hunter got you home safely, too. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Apparently I’m the only idiot around, because I was trying to save our friendships and not clue anyone in, but everyone apparently already knew.” She grabbed her bag from the counter. “So? Aren’t you going to tell me all the reasons I shouldn’t date him?”

  Brock smiled and began leafing through papers on the desk. “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because a certain someone told me to stay out of her personal life. For what it’s worth, I like Hunter. And from what I can tell, he’s really into you.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  He leaned across the counter so they were nose to nose. “Hunter left about ten minutes before you arrived this morning and asked me if I would mind if he dated you.”

  Jana’s jaw dropped open. “He came to see you when I was trying to keep it quiet? That little—”

  “Before you go all batty on him, he said you’d already told everyone else. Besides, if you told him not to speak to me specifically, then you’ve got to give the guy credit. He’s got more guts than most.”

  “I never told him not to talk to you specifically, and I told him last night that I already told the girls.”

  “Listen, if it helps, I already knew that you two were together, like I said. The guy risked the wrath of the Beast coming down on him, which is bad enough. But it sounds like he also risked an argument with you for asking. Want to hear what he said that won me over?”

  “I’m not sure.” Jana closed her eyes for a beat. When she opened them Brock was chuckling. “Just for the record, he’s going to be sorry for going behind my back.” She was only half kidding.

  “Hey, the guy did a stand-up thing. And
it sounds like he waited until you told everyone else.” Brock narrowed his eyes. “Which, by the way, tells me where I stand with you, little sister.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I just hadn’t seen you since I told the girls. Besides, they pretty much guessed. It’s not like I announced it.”

  “Fair enough.” Brock smiled, and she knew his feelings weren’t really hurt. “He said he’d wanted to talk to me sooner but that you weren’t ready, and he apologized for keeping it from me. He could have hidden your relationship forever, but now that I know that it was you trying to keep it a secret, I guess I can see how that would be hard for a guy like Hunter.”

  “What does that mean? A guy like Hunter?” Feeling protective of Hunter, her fingers curled tightly around her bag.

  “Just that he said hiding your relationship wasn’t in the game plan for him. That he used to be a guy who would do that, but that with you, he wanted to be a better man. A stand-up guy was how he put it. And while he might not have told me the whole truth—that you two were already dating—what he did say, baby sister, said it all.”

  Half an hour later Jana walked into Hunter’s shop, determined to talk to him about telling Brock before she had a chance to. Regardless of the wonderful things he’d said, she was still slightly annoyed.

  “Hey, Jana.” Clark turned from where he was working on the computer. “Thanks for helping Hunter out the other night. Nina and I really appreciated the time together.”

  “It was fun. Billy is really cute, and I hope you and Nina are doing okay.” She glanced at the photo on the desk of Clark, Nina, and Billy, and it warmed her to see them smiling.

  “We’re working on it. At least we’re talking now. That’s a start.” He rose from his seat and pushed open the door to the shop. “Go on back. Just stay away from the forge.”

  Jana peeked around him at the interior of the shop. She’d always been fascinated by their work and had been thrilled when Hunter told her that he’d designed the dresser handles and curtain rod she had in her bedroom. But she’d never actually seen Hunter in action. She’d never been inside his workshop, and it was nothing like she’d expected. The walls were made of old barn wood and the floors were concrete. She thought it would feel cold, because she’d always assimilated metal with cold in her mind, but there was nothing cold about the space. Besides the large pieces of equipment that looked complicated and sturdy, there were several long tables, both wooden and metal. Heavy anvils were set upon enormous tree trunks, giving the workshop an old-fashioned feel.