The January Cove Series Boxed Set Books 1-8

by Rachel Hanna

  "Duh, Jenna. Do I have to spell everything out for you?"

  "Apparently."

  "You have to find a good looking man who wants to wine and dine you a bit, and then you have to do your best to make Kyle jealous."

  "That sounds very middle schoolish, Becca."

  "Which explains why I had more boyfriends than you could shake a stick at in middle school," Becca said, grinning.

  "Have you been reading some kind of Southern phrase dictionary?"

  "I'll ignore that snide comment because I know you are lovesick and not thinking clearly," she said balling up another piece of newspaper. "Now, are you agreeing with my plan or do I need to execute another attack?"

  Jenna sat for a moment and finally nodded. "Fine. I agree. But where do we find a man to wine and dine me that I won't hurt in the end?"

  "I know just the man!" Becca said rubbing her hands together as she let out a ghoulish laugh. Jenna knew she was now in over her head.

  Kyle sat at his desk going over paperwork and looking out at the ocean. He'd been trying to go over numbers for two of his rehab homes for the last two hours, but all he could think about this morning was Jenna. Her smile. Her smell. Her voice. What kind of crazy plan had he come up with? Moving her and her adorable daughter into his house for a few months? Was he insane?

  He already had their rooms ready and was just waiting for Jenna to finish packing. He'd stopped short of asking if she needed his help packing because he didn't want to give her the wrong idea. What was the wrong idea anyway?

  Just as he was getting lost in thought again, his phone rang.

  "Kyle Parker," he said gruffly into his phone.

  "Good morning to you, too," Jenna said, her voice soft and sweet and everything he wanted to hear every morning for the rest of his life. Crap! Where did that come from?

  "Oh, hey. Good morning, I mean," he said, stumbling over his words like a buffoon.

  "I just wanted to tell you that my friend, Becca, came over last night and helped me get most of our stuff packed. I thought since Kaitlyn was at school all day, maybe I could bring a few boxes by? My car isn't very big, and I can't afford to hire a real mover."

  "Sure. Actually, why don't you let me come over and fill up my Jeep, too?"

  "Kyle, I know you're busy. I don't want to interfere..."

  "You could never interfere, Jenna. I'd be happy to."

  "Oh. Okay then. I'll be waiting," she said softly as she hung up. Good Lord, what was he doing to himself?

  Kyle drove to Jenna's house with an unusual smile on his face. As much as he wanted to wipe it off, he couldn't help himself. Being near her again was making him feel whole. At the same time, he knew he couldn't let it go far. She was too dangerous to have in his life as more than a friend.

  He pulled into her driveway as she opened the front door. She was loading a large box into the trunk of her small compact car. He jogged over to her and took one side of it.

  "You should've waited for me. This is way too heavy," he said as he helped her slide it into the tight trunk space.

  "I had it just fine, Kyle," she said trying not to smile. "Besides, a single mom has to learn to do things on her own. No one there to help."

  "I'm here to help," he said softly as they walked toward the front door.

  "I appreciate you saying that, but are you really?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, unnerved at her sudden independent streak.

  "It means that I know you're trying to help us, and I am more grateful than you will ever know, but I'm the mother. I'm alone in raising my daughter. I'm responsible for her needs, her college fund, and her first car. So, as I see it, I need to start taking charge of our future."

  "What brought this on?"

  "Nothing brought it on. I've just realized that I can't sit here stewing about what could have been in my life. I have to start making some major changes."

  "Like what?" he asked, unsure of if he wanted the answer.

  "Well, for one, I can't be alone forever."

  Kyle cocked his head at her in confusion.

  "Let me just come right out and ask this, Kyle."

  "Okay..."

  "If we move in, are you going to be okay seeing me start dating again?" The words hit him like a ton of bricks. Here he was thinking he was rushing in to save the day, and she was thinking about finding dates? Had he been completely wrong about her?

  Realizing she was waiting for an answer, he shrugged his shoulders as if not to care. "Of course. I date, so why shouldn't you?" he said, turning to pick up a box in hopes that she didn't see his face. He didn't date, at least not currently. He'd only been out with a handful of women in the many years since Jenna left him.

  "Oh. I didn't realize..."

  "You think I've lived as a monk since you left me, Jenna?" he asked staring at her for a moment.

  "Of course not. Good, I'm glad we got that settled between us then," she said as she picked up another box and headed for the door.

  Jenna drove her car behind Kyle's Jeep, cursing herself over and over again. What had she been thinking? The next time she saw Becca, she was going to smack her. No, strangle her. No, shoot her. Maybe she'd do all three for giving her that advice. Now she was further from ever getting Kyle back than ever. Why had she made that stupid remark about dating? She didn't want to date anyone!

  "Hello?"

  "Becca? I am going to kill you!" Jenna snapped as her friend answered the phone.

  "Mom?" Becca said.

  "Very funny. I took your stupid advice and told Kyle I wanted to start dating, and it backfired. Big time."

  "How?"

  "He said that was fine because he was already dating other people anyway."

  "That's great!"

  "How?" Jenna asked. "How is that great?"

  "Because you took him off guard; kept him on his toes. Now he knows that you intend to move forward, so he's trying to save face."

  "Or he really is dating someone and trying to warn me."

  "Please. If he was dating someone, he would have never agreed to move you into his house." Jenna thought for a moment and realized her friend was more than likely right.

  "So, you're saying that he just told me that because I shocked him?"

  "Yep. Which means our plan is already working." Jenna had to smile at that.

  "Alright, I'll hold off on killing you for a little while longer then," Jenna said laughing. "Oh, gotta go. We're pulling into his driveway now."

  Kyle and Jenna both got out of their cars at the same time, and Jenna walked toward him awaiting further instructions on what they were doing next.

  "Before we unload, I'd like to show you around if you don't mind," he said pointing back at the house. "I wanted to show you your rooms so you can tell me if there is anything else you guys will need."

  "Sure. I can't wait to see it. I've always loved this part of the beach," she said smiling. Of course she loved it because it was Emerald Cove.

  Kyle walked up to the front door and unlocked it as he waved Jenna to go through in front of him. If there was one thing his mother had taught him and his brothers, it was how to be a Southern gentleman. And that meant always opening the door for a female. Before she could walk too far, a big chocolate lab came running toward her. He jumped up and kissed her right on the cheek.

  Jenna laughed. “Sorry. This is my dog. His name is Cat,” Kyle said smiling.

  “You named your dog Cat?”

  “I’ve always been a bit strange. You know that,” he said pulling the dog down and telling him to sit. Jenna laughed and nodded as she walked further into the house.

  "Oh, Kyle, this is beautiful!" she said as she walked into the living room. With its hardwood floors and soaring ceilings, she was amazed at how clean and modern it was. The walls were a sand color and there was a wall of windows looking out over the ocean.

  She walked around as Kyle stood by silently watching her move across the room. He'd almost forgotten how she walked,
with the grace of a ballet dancer but the enthusiasm of a child. She stopped and looked out the windows and put her hand over her mouth. Spinning around, she stared at Kyle and he knew in an instant that she remembered.

  "Kyle, is this the place?"

  "What place?" he asked, still trying to brush it off.

  "You know what place. Right out there, by that big rock..." she said, pointing to the beach. Without waiting for an answer, she slipped off her shoes and walked through the French doors that led to a large white deck. She ran down the stairs and onto the beach with Kyle following her quietly.

  Jenna made her way to a large rock that was being washed away over time, however slightly, by the crashing waves. She ran her hand along it as if she was looking for something, and when her fingers ran along the sharp edges facing the ocean, she found what she was looking for.

  Kyle loves Jenna - Always & Forever

  She traced the outlines of the letters slowly as her eyes welled with tears that she fought not to shed.

  "Kyle," she said just loud enough where he could hear her over the sound of the waves.

  He looked down at his feet. She walked closer and stood with her face only inches from his.

  "Kyle, look at me, please," she said. When his eyes met hers, all he could see was the young girl he'd fallen in love with. "This house... how is it in the same spot where we had our first kiss?"

  She was right, of course. The house sat on the exact spot where they'd shared their first kiss followed by many others. The rock was a spot where they'd kissed, carved their names and talked about life dreams. It was "their" place, and she'd remembered that.

  "I could try to lie right now, but I'm not going to. When this house came up for sale, I had to buy it because I needed a way to remember you... us..."

  Her eyes welled with tears. "That is quite possibly the sweetest thing I've ever heard anyone say."

  "Don't get all sentimental, Jenna. It was years ago," he said, trying his best to brush it off and appear nonchalant. Inside, he was dying.

  "Oh... I understand," she said looking very hurt and trying to force a smile as she walked toward the house.

  "Jenna, wait."

  "Yes?"

  "You were everything to me back then. I bought this house because it was the only link I had to you. I used to come down here everyday and sit on that rock and look out into the ocean. I would think about you, what you were doing at the time, where you might be. It was both heartbreaking and healing at the same time. Of course, I had no idea you were living so close for the last few years."

  "Kyle, when did you buy this house?" she asked cocking her head.

  "Why?" He knew why she was asking. He couldn't have possibly bought it right after they broke up. He was far too young back then and wouldn't have had the money.

  "Just humor me. When did you buy it?" she asked, darting her eyes around.

  Kyle leaned against the rock and stared at the blue sky. "I bought it six years ago."

  Jenna covered her mouth with her hand. "Kyle, that was years after we broke up..."

  "I know. I wasn't getting over it, and this house came on the market as a fixer upper. It was my first real investment property. I learned a lot about the business from this house, just like I learned a lot about life from you," he said quietly, as he finally cracked a smile in her direction. Jenna sighed and leaned against the rock with him. "I never really understood why, Jenna."

  "Why what?"

  "Why you left me the way you did."

  "Kyle, I was young and stupid. My parents were really pushing me to get out of January Cove and make something of my life. I was happy here, with you. You know how judgmental my parents were. My mother was pushing me everyday to find a successful man and get married. You know I didn't even get to major in art because she was so critical of the idea. When I met Nick, they were thrilled. He seemed more settled than you, and he was on the path to being a doctor. They saw that as my ticket to a life of wealth and success, and they started pushing hard. I've never told anyone this, but my mother threatened to cut me off from contact if I didn't drop you and date Nick, even though I'd told her time and again that I didn't think I could ever really love Nick.”

  Kyle stood there fuming inside. He'd despised her mother, but had never said so. Her father wasn't great either, but mainly because he went along with her mother. She was a force to be reckoned with and few people crossed her.

  "After a while apart, I realized that the only way to protect you would be to do as she asked. If you and I had gotten married, she would’ve made your life miserable, and I couldn't do that to you."

  "You know I would have done anything for you, Jenna. Even if it meant being around the wrath of your mother."

  "I know, but I couldn't allow it. I wasn't going to watch her degrade you for years on end. She thought you'd never go anywhere just because you were raised by a single mother. Your outgoing personality scared her," Jenna said smiling half-heartedly. "When I think back now on all those years we lost and how weak I was, it makes me sick. But it is what it is, and I can't change any of it now."

  "No, we can't go back again. What's done is done, but I've always wondered," Kyle said taking in a deep breath of the briny sea air. "Well, I should show you to your room."

  "Kyle?" Jenna said as he started to walk toward the house.

  "Yeah?" he said turning around.

  "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

  "I know," he said with a smile as he turned and continued to walk.

  Jenna and Kyle carted several boxes up to her room. As she unpacked a few of them into the dressers and closets, she looked out the window at the ocean and marveled at how some things never change. The sea never changes, and the feeling of something constant was what she needed. Stability.

  With all her parents' efforts to make sure she was stable, they had failed. Now, she was as unstable as she'd ever been. Single motherhood. The one thing that her own mother was so critical about in Kyle's mother, and here she was in the same situation.

  "Everything look okay?" Kyle asked standing in the doorway.

  "Yeah."

  "You alright?"

  "I will be," she said with a smile as she returned her gaze to the ocean.

  "Can I help?" he asked, obviously worried about her. He walked up behind her, and the scent of his cologne immediately carried her back to their days as a couple.

  "No one can really help, Kyle. I was just thinking about the irony."

  "Of what?"

  "My mother didn't want me to date you, and one of the reasons was that your mom was a single mother. Now, here I am — a single mother. I bet she is rolling over in her grave." She chuckled softly, but it wasn't funny at all.

  "Jenna, your mother loved you in her own weird way. She thought she knew best, but she didn't. Even parents make mistakes."

  "I know. I just wish..."

  "Don't do that. Some things can never be changed."

  He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, a gesture that both shocked and comforted her. She wanted to turn around and fall into his embrace and erase all the years that had pulled them apart. Instead, she stood still, careful not to scare him away. He was like a timid dog that had been kicked by its owner, and she knew that coming on too strong would be a sure recipe for disaster.

  "What time is it?" she finally asked after a few moments.

  "It's eleven o'clock," he said looking at his watch.

  "Oh, crap!" she said, as she started scurrying around looking for her keys.

  "What's wrong?" he asked following her as she ran down the stairs.

  "I'm supposed to go see my Dad and have lunch with him," she said as she grabbed her purse and opened the front door.

  "Mind if I tag along?" Kyle asked, which stopped Jenna in her tracks on the sidewalk.

  "You want to see my Dad?" she asked with her mouth gaping open.

  "I actually liked your Dad... a little bit anyway," he said with a smile that made her i
nsides melt. His dimples seemed to have deepened over the years, and she wanted to bite one of them right now.

  "Sure. I'd love to have the company. Dad doesn't know who I am most of the time."

  "Let me drive," Kyle said opening the door to his Jeep.

  As they drove the five miles to the nursing home, they chatted about changes in the area like the new pier and the coffee shop that had recently been bought by some out-of-towner. Laughter filled the car, and Jenna longed for those old days where she could laugh and enjoy life with Kyle. Oh, how she wished things had turned out differently. How she wished Kaitlyn was his daughter and she was his wife.

  They pulled into the Shady Grove nursing home, and Jenna's palms started to sweat. How would her father react to Kyle? Would he remember her? Him? She never knew what to expect when she visited him. It was heartbreaking to her that he barely remembered her name sometimes.

  "Good morning, Mrs. Watson," a woman at the front desk said as they walked through the double glass doors. Kyle would never get used to hearing people call her that. She would never be "Mrs. Watson" in his mind. At the very least, she was Miss Davis, although he'd hoped years ago she would eventually be Mrs. Parker.

  "Morning, Sue. How's Daddy today?"

  "Confused, sweetie. We found him in Earl's room again."

  "Oh, no. They didn't fight again, did they?"

  "No, we caught him in time. He's over in the day room," she said as she answered the phone.

  "Earl?" Kyle asked as they walked.

  "Earl is Daddy's arch nemesis in here. They are constantly at odds, and Daddy ends up in his room a lot. He sometimes gets into Earl's chocolate stash, and that usually results in a very slow paced fist fight," Jenna said with a wry smile.

  "Slow, but deadly?"

  "Something like that," she said laughing as they entered the day room. Kyle was shocked at the sight of her father. Bill Davis was a tall, lanky man, and he'd always been strong. As a top basketball star in high school and college, he was always fit and trim, and he still was. His hair was no longer jet black, but solid white. The years had not been kind, as dementia had taken his facial expressions and mannerisms away.