“And Mick’s,” Jenny said. “I think Mick’s carried more weight.”
“Not with Ethel,” Connie insisted. “She’s a big fan of Caleb’s and has made it plain she’s rooting for a reconciliation. She seems to think she has the inside scoop on one. Is she right?”
Jenny debated trying to equivocate, then nodded. This was her mother, after all, the woman she’d confided in all her life. “She’s right.”
Connie smiled. “And you’re obviously happy about that.”
“Happy. Terrified. It’s hard to say.”
“Don’t I know those feelings,” her mom said. “That’s how I felt when Thomas asked me to marry him.”
Jenny regarded her with surprise. “Really? I thought you were ecstatic.”
“Oh, in a lot of ways, I was. I certainly never expected to fall in love again. He’s an incredible man and we have so much in common. He treats me like I’m the best gift ever to come his way.” She gave Jenny a rueful look. “But it meant a lot of changes, you know? Not the least of which was what it was going to do to you and me.”
Jenny blinked at that. “You felt that way, too?”
“Of course. We’d been a team, sweetie. I didn’t want anything to shake up our relationship. I loved that strong bond we had, stronger than most mothers and daughters, at least when the daughter’s a teenager. Thomas and I talked about it. He made it clear that we were a package deal, you and me. He never saw it any other way. He’s been beside himself thinking that he caused this rift between us.”
“I should have cut him more slack,” Jenny said. “He didn’t make all the mistakes. Neither did you. I probably made the most of anyone.”
Her mom squeezed her hand. “Water under the bridge,” she assured her. “We’re good now, right?”
Jenny smiled and let go of the last of her hurt. “We’re good.”
“Then let’s turn our attention to finding the perfect sofa. I’m personally voting for something other than leather.” She grinned. “Not that I get a vote, of course. I just know your taste.”
“Flowered upholstery,” Jenny said at once. “Bright, casual, comfortable, cozy.”
Connie laughed. “Exactly what I was envisioning, and I think I see the perfect thing right over there,” she said, pointing. “And it won’t be all bad for Caleb. It’s long enough for him to stretch out on. Maybe that will make up for it not being dull and brown and leather.”
“Oh, I think I can convince him that it’ll accommodate the two of us very nicely,” Jenny said, thinking of the similar sofa in her Nashville home. He’d certainly gotten accustomed to that one quickly enough.
“Too much information,” her mom scolded, already beckoning for a salesman. She pointed to the rest of the display. “Those oversized chairs look as if they’re meant to go with it. Interested?”
“Perfect,” Jenny said at once. She could already envision them in front of the fireplace. “The lamps and tables, too.”
The delighted salesman wrote the order up quickly and promised delivery for the next day, first thing in the morning.
“They can’t be even a minute late,” Jenny cautioned. “I have a rehearsal at the theater at ten.”
His expression brightened. “You talking about that play over in Chesapeake Shores? My wife got tickets for the whole family.”
“Great,” Jenny said. “You’re going to love it.”
“My daughter wrote the music,” Connie told him proudly.
His eyes widened at that. He glanced at the credit card she’d given him, then up at her. “You’re Jenny Collins?”
“I am,” she confirmed.
“And you were involved with Caleb Green,” he said. “I think he’s the reason my wife bought the tickets. She’s crazy for his music. I know you wrote a lot of it.”
“It was a great collaboration,” Jenny said. “It’s been fun to work together again.”
He handed her the sales receipt. “The delivery will be right on time,” he promised. “I don’t think I’m going to tell my wife about meeting you till tomorrow afternoon. Otherwise, she might stow away on the delivery van in the hope that she’ll catch a glimpse of Caleb.”
Jenny laughed, but sadly, she was well aware that devoted fans were capable of far worse. “I’d appreciate that,” she told him. “But come backstage when you come to the show. I’ll see that she gets an autographed picture of Caleb.”
Outside, her mother was frowning. “Is it always like that?”
“Like what?”
“People going a little crazy when they realize who you are.”
Jenny shook her head. “Him? The salesman? He was sweet and thoughtful compared to a lot of fans. Of course, none of it happens much if I’m out on my own. People rarely recognize me or even my name. When I’m with Caleb, it’s another story. Some women have absolutely no sense of boundaries at all. And he can draw a crowd in nothing flat.”
“Like today in Panini Bistro.”
“Pretty much.” She tried to shrug it off. “It comes with the territory.”
Her mom shook her head, clearly not buying her blasé attitude. “And you’re ready to face all that again?”
“I don’t have a choice. Not if Caleb is the man I love, and he is.”
She wasn’t half as calm about that as she’d sounded. It was just something she had to come to terms with. She’d done it before. She could do it again. The payoff—being with Caleb—had been worth the sacrifice of privacy, at least till it had exploded in her face. God willing, that wouldn’t happen again.
* * *
Despite her promise to give the two of them another chance, Caleb knew he wasn’t off the hook with Jenny yet. He knew her reluctance to do that scene with him spoke volumes about the doubts she still harbored when it came to the unavoidable spotlight always being directed on their relationship. And the fact that she’d disappeared right after lunch, rather than coming to the theater said a lot, too. She’d clearly been worried that he and Bree would gang up on her.
When he finally got a break, he walked into the otherwise empty rehearsal room and spotted Jenny pacing as she talked on her cell phone. Apparently she’d finally dug it out of that drawer. He wasn’t sure what it was going to take to convince her that he was 100 percent trustworthy, but he wasn’t done trying.
Unfortunately, the expression on her face when she ended the call and caught sight of him wasn’t promising. Whatever ground they’d made up seemed to be vanishing before his eyes. The last time he’d seen that particular look on her face was when she’d seen the first tabloid exposé of his betrayal.
“Something wrong?” he asked carefully, walking over to join her.
“I suppose that depends,” she said, her voice chilly. “That was Ricky Nolan. I had a half-dozen messages from him when I finally retrieved my cell phone. He wanted to know if I’d agreed to let you have the song I gave him. Funny how you hadn’t mentioned anything about that song, not even once in the past couple of weeks.”
Caleb groaned. Ricky’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Caleb understood how the situation must look to Jenny, as if he’d come to town with an ulterior motive. And while it was true that the song had sent him here, Jenny was the reason—the only reason—he’d stayed.
“Is that song the reason you came to Chesapeake Shores, Caleb?” she persisted. “Is that why you’ve been so accommodating to Bree and everyone else in my family? Was it all about getting the rights to that song so you could launch your career again?”
Caleb cursed under his breath. “It’s not like that, Jenny. I swear it. Yes, I heard that song and I wanted it, but it’s not the only reason I came to Chesapeake Shores. I wanted you back more than any song, but I didn’t think I stood a chance of making that happen. The song just gave me the excuse I needed to come.”
H
urt darkened her eyes. “And to think I was almost ready to forgive you. I really am a fool,” she said with self-derision.
“You are not a fool,” Caleb said fiercely. “I never mentioned the song because once I got here and saw you, you were the only thing that mattered. Ricky’s welcome to the song. You can call him back right now and tell him that or I will. All I need is you.”
“Me and the exposure this play will give you and that oh-so-revealing ballad you want me to let you sing to me,” she said. “I don’t think so, Caleb. I won’t let you use me like that.”
She turned then, grabbed her coat and purse, and left the room. Caleb’s heart shattered as he watched her go, every hope for a reconciliation dashed. And, once again, it was his own stupid fault.
Chapter Fourteen
Jenny had Christmas carols turned up to the highest volume on the small CD player Caleb had bought. She was on her third cup of hot chocolate, which she had to admit was having some sort of weird effect between the caffeine and the sugary marshmallows. She’d lit a fire in the fireplace and had Jake set up a tree in her living room. She was going about capturing the Christmas spirit with a determination she hadn’t shown since she’d set out to weather Caleb’s first massive betrayal.
When first Jake and then her mom and then Jess had offered to help decorate the tree, she’d turned them down. Help would come with prying questions, questions she had no intention of answering. She’d actually been surprised by the offers of help from Jake and Jess, who had to know she’d blown off Bree’s request to appear in the play.
Jake had shown up with the tree and a worried frown on his face, just the same.
“You want to talk?” he’d asked.
“Nothing to talk about,” she’d assured him.
Though he’d still looked concerned, he was obviously relieved that she wasn’t going to burst into tears on his watch.
Jess had been less circumspect. She’d come with cookies and questions, and clearly hadn’t intended to leave without answers.
“What’s Caleb done now?” she’d asked. “Do I need to get Dad to run him out of town?”
Jenny had smiled at the sincerity of the offer. She knew Mick was capable of doing exactly that and probably much worse.
“Leave it alone, Jess. Bree needs him here. I’ll be fine,” she’d assured her.
Jess hadn’t looked as if she believed her. “I could send Will over. He’s neutral, and a shrink to boot. He could be exactly the person for you to talk to about whatever happened, maybe give you some perspective.”
“I don’t need to talk,” Jenny insisted. “I don’t need perspective.” She knew without a doubt what she had to do. She had to forget Caleb once and for all, even if that was a whole lot easier said than done. She’d failed miserably at it the first time he’d betrayed her. This time she intended to get it right. After all, practice was supposed to make perfect, wasn’t that the old adage?
Jess had looked unconvinced. “Are you sure? You look miserable.”
Jenny had even smiled at that. “You’re not too great at cheering a person up, if you don’t mind my saying so.”
“You’re right,” Jess said. “I’m no good at this. What will help?” Her eyes lit up. “One of Gail’s chocolate decadence cakes from the inn, all for you?”
“I don’t think cake, even that one, is the answer. There’s nothing I can think of that will change what happened,” Jenny told her. “Thanks for coming by, though.”
Though she’d sighed heavily, Jess had finally taken the hint and left.
Which meant Jenny was now all alone with her thoughts and a dozen boxes of decorations she’d bought on sale in a frenzy of holiday shopping. Unfortunately, none of it—not the decorations or the music or the hot chocolate—was helping to dispel her very unholiday-like mood.
She might have slammed a door on her relationship with Caleb, but the man sure as heck wouldn’t stay out of her head. She kept thinking about the night they’d shopped for outdoor decorations, about the huge train he’d bought as a surprise and about the way he’d reached out to her family for help in turning her yard into the kind of wonderland she’d remembered. The sweetness of that gesture reminded her of why she’d fallen in love with him. The man actually listened, and he knew how to make dreams come true.
But she didn’t need to keep remembering the good things, she told herself sternly. She needed to focus on all the bad, including how he’d lied to her about his reason for coming to town. It had been about a song, about his career.
No matter what he said now, no matter how he tried to spin it, she couldn’t make herself believe he’d come here for her the way he claimed he had. How could she when the evidence of that phone call from Ricky Nolan was still ringing in her ears? Ricky had been genuinely shocked that she hadn’t known. He couldn’t have faked his reaction, would have had no reason to.
So, bottom line? She wasn’t going to be taken in by the sweet-talking Caleb again, she thought fiercely. Never again.
“Stop it, stop it, stop it!” she ordered herself. “Why are you even thinking about this? You’ve made your decision. Now move on.”
Her house was shaping up quite nicely now that she had furniture in the living room. It was cozy and warm, exactly the way she’d envisioned it. A few pictures on the walls, a few aromatic candles, and it would feel like home whenever she had the time to spend here.
For now she had a beautiful tree, its scent filling the downstairs rooms. It needed just a few final touches to be the best tree ever. She had music and an endless supply of hot chocolate. She even had a mountain of presents to wrap. Taking off from the theater as she had had given her plenty of time to shop. She didn’t need to be wasting time thinking about Caleb and what might have been.
When the doorbell rang, she groaned. More company was the last thing she needed. She opened the door to find Sean on the stoop, shockingly all alone from the looks of it. He was bundled up in a winter coat, a bright green scarf, a knitted cap and gloves. She was surprised he could move. She could recall being sent out to play in the snow dressed almost exactly like that. Obviously, some of her mom’s habits hadn’t changed.
“Are you by yourself?” she asked worriedly, glancing around for some sign of her mother or Thomas.
“I came to visit,” Sean told her solemnly. “Mommy said maybe I could help put decorations on your tree. Can I?”
Jenny hesitated, still trying to figure out how he’d gotten himself over here. “We’ll see.”
“She said you’d probably have hot chocolate, too, and maybe some cookies.” His eyes brightened at the possibility. “Do you?”
Jenny smiled despite her sour mood. “Mommy seems to know me very well. Where is she?”
He gestured toward the street. “Down the block, waiting, just in case.”
“Just in case what?”
“You don’t want company,” he said, then regarded her hopefully. “Do you want company?”
It was the very last thing she wanted, but she couldn’t send him away when he was so clearly eager to spend time with her. Maybe this visit was exactly what she needed after all.
“I’m thrilled to have company, as long as it’s you,” she told him, injecting a note of enthusiasm into her voice and stepping aside so he could enter.
A smile broke across his face and he turned to yell exuberantly, “It’s okay, Mommy. I can stay.”
Jenny spotted her mom’s car and her thumbs-up gesture as she drove away. Nice move, she thought. She hadn’t realized that her mother’s level of sneakiness was so evolved. Must be the O’Brien influence, she decided.
Sean lifted the shopping bag she hadn’t noticed before. It was almost as big as he was and he struggled to carry it across the threshold.
“I’ll take that,” Jenny offered. The bag weighed a ton. Wa
s he moving in with her, for heaven’s sake? “What on earth do you have in here?”
Sean stripped off his jacket and tossed it on the floor, then grinned at her. “It’s my train set,” he said. “For under your tree. I want you to have it this year, ’cause Mommy said you’ve been sad and that you really like trains, too.”
Jenny’s eyes filled with tears at the sweetness of the gesture. “I love trains,” she told him solemnly. “How about some hot chocolate and then we’ll get this set up?”
“All right!” he said with a fist pump. “Cookies, too?”
“Of course, though I might have to save a couple for Santa on Christmas Eve.”
His eyes brightened. “You believe in Santa?”
“You bet,” she said.
In the kitchen she made his cup of hot chocolate, then put some of Jess’s cookies on a plate and carried them into the living room.
Sean studied the tree, his expression puzzled. “Did you forget to put lights on?”
She smiled. “No, they’re on there. I just haven’t turned them on yet.”
“Daddy says you should turn them on before you add anything else in case they need to be moved around.”
Jenny smiled. She had a hunch Thomas had gotten that tip elsewhere, from Jake more than likely. From what she’d heard from Caleb, Thomas didn’t have a lot of personal Christmas decorating experience.
“He’s absolutely right,” she told Sean. “And I did that. You want to take a look in case I missed something?”
He nodded solemnly. “I’d better. Daddy says I have a good eye.”
Once Sean had approved the placement of the lights, he threw himself eagerly into adding the last of the decorations, then said, “Can we do the train now?”
“You’ll have to teach me how,” she told him.
“I can do that,” he said proudly.
On his hands and knees with his tongue caught between his teeth and his brow furrowed in concentration, he assembled the track into an oval around the base of the tree.
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