One of the kids walking by spoke up. “You can get in. They make them so moms and dads can play with their kids. See?” He pointed up and Jacob looked at the tunnel above. There were parents crawling through.
“Oh. Okay.” He lifted Aria up and tucked her into his side. “Should we go together, then?”
“Yes!”
Jacob jumped and Aria squealed. The foam blocks were soft, and they bounced a couple of times before settling on top. Aria giggled profusely. “Do it again.”
Jacob tried to stand, but the foam blocks were difficult to maneuver in. Aria climbed out of his arms and scurried on top of the foam until she was out of the pit. He tried to do the same thing, but only sank deeper into the foam. “Uh, help.”
Aria laughed at him. “Again!”
“I’m not sure I can.” Heat surged in his face when he saw Kendra approaching.
“Come on, Mr. Mitchell.”
He chuckled. It was hard for her to say Mr. Mitchell and it came out more like Mr. Michelle. “You can call me Jake.”
Aria clapped her hands. “Jake, come here. I want to jump again.”
Kendra leaned over the pit wall and looked at him. “Oh, no. You didn’t.”
“Yes. I did. And now I’m officially stuck.” He tried once again to get out, but his butt just sank in, trapping his legs up. He wiggled, trying to flip over, but it didn’t work. “You may have to call the fire department.”
Kendra pinched her lips together, but he could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Oh, dear.”
“Yeah. This isn’t funny, by the way. So, stop laughing.”
Her shoulders shook and she had trouble meeting his gaze. “I’m not laughing,” she said between giggles. Aria looked up at her mother and laughed, too.
Jacob squirmed until he was able to get one leg down into the foam to find the bottom. He didn’t want to admit how long it took. After he finally got himself standing upright, he then crawled over the blocks to the exit.
“Yay! Again!” Aria bounced on her toes.
Kendra put a finger over her lips, hiding another smile. “I don’t think we have enough time. The place closes at ten.”
“Funny. Now that I know how to work the foam pieces, I will be able to get out much faster this next time.” He picked up Aria and jumped again. Her laughter was worth every second of humiliation.
They called a number over the loudspeaker.
“The pizza is ready,” Kendra said. “I’ll go get the table set up. It should be stone cold by the time you get out.”
“Ha, you’re a real comedian.” Jacob once again tried to roll over so he could crawl out, but sunk in the foam instead. “Great,” he whispered. It took him a few minutes, but he finally got out and joined Kendra and Aria at the booth.
“Smells good.” He picked up a slice and bit the end.
Kendra watched him closely. He chewed, then swallowed. “Okay, you’re right,” he said with a sigh. “Cardboard.”
Aria giggled. “It’s pizza.”
“See?” Kendra picked off a piece of pineapple from her slice. “It’s the crust. It has no flavor.”
Jacob stared as Kendra picked off another piece of pineapple. “Did they put pineapple on by mistake?”
“No. I ordered it with pineapple.” She gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I like the flavor of the juice, but not the actual chunks of pineapple.”
He made a face. “Is this like when you order pistachio ice cream, but pick out all the nuts?”
“I don’t like the nuts.”
“There are so many choices of ice cream that don’t have nuts in them.” He bit back a smile.
“But I like the taste of the pistachio ice cream, just without the nuts.” Kendra shrugged. “I can’t help it if I’m odd.”
He laughed, loving the way her cheeks reddened. “You’re not odd. You’re…adorably quirky.”
Her eyebrows shot up and she leaned back in her chair. Maybe he should have kept that thought to himself. He almost wished it back, but then she smiled. “I’ll take it.”
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Do you still buy a whole bag of gummy bears, just to eat the red ones?”
“I don’t like the other ones,” Kendra said, laughing.
Aria’s eyes lit up. “I love gummy bears.”
“I bet. In fact, I’ll bet you’ve never tasted the red ones.”
Kendra kicked him under the table. “You’re such a brat.”
Aria pushed her half-eaten piece of pizza away. “I’m done. Can I go play?”
Kendra looked at Aria’s plate and frowned. “You barely ate anything. Take at least three more bites before you go.”
Aria didn’t look happy, but she nodded and took another bite.
“Nice,” Jacob said under his breath. “Good thinking.”
“I’ve learned that if I let her, she’ll play the entire time and then once we get in the car to go home, she’ll say she’s starving.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like me as a kid.”
Aria squirmed in her seat. She looked up at him. “Can you sing that song?”
The table grew silent and Jacob raised one eyebrow. “What song, sweetie?”
“That song you were humming.”
He didn’t remember humming a song. Kendra just shrugged. “When did I hum a song?”
“When I was playing that game. Sing it for me. I liked it.”
He had been working on a new song earlier. Maybe it had been running through his mind.
“Aria. He’s eating. Don’t bother Mr. Mitchell.”
“Jake.” Aria patted his shoulder. “His name is Jake.”
Kendra looked like she swallowed a marble. “What?”
“He told me, Mommy.” She took another large bite of her pizza. “Can I go play now?” she said with her mouth full.
“Okay,” Kendra said, not looking at him.
Jacob stood so Aria could get out of the booth. “Do you want me to go with her?”
Kendra shook her head. “It’s okay. We can watch her from here. Sit. Finish your cardboard pizza.”
He smiled at her. “It’s not that bad.”
Kendra gave him a half-smile, then turned back to picking pineapple off her slice. He cleared his throat. “Did I upset you?” he asked.
“Just now? No.”
Jacob paused, his hands growing sweaty. She hadn’t mentioned anything about their past before. Did she want to talk about it? Would he finally figure out what happened between them? “But I upset you in the past.”
Her eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch before she stiffened. “Let’s not talk about that.”
What kind of game was she playing? She’s the one who started it. Did she want to talk about it, or not? “You’re the one who brought it up.”
She let out a breath. “Sorry. Forget I said anything.”
He let his shoulders slump. Maybe she didn’t want to get into it, but he sure would like to know what happened all those years ago. “Fine. I’ll drop it. But someday I’d like to know what happened to make you cut off all communication.”
Her gaze snapped to his and she froze. “Me, cut off communication? What about you? Why didn’t you answer my letters?”
A sick feeling grew in his gut. “What letters? I never got any letters.”
Chapter 7
Kendra blinked, her face a stone mask. Her fingers trembled as she leaned forward. “You didn’t get my letters?”
Jacob’s heart stuttered. “No.” He sat back in his chair, trying to wrap his head around what had happened. He’d never received any letters. “When did you write me?”
“After I got back from Europe.”
He’d been in Nashville. But he hadn’t gotten an apartment yet. He was still living in that run-down hotel. Had the mail gotten lost there? How did she know where to write to him? He stared at her, confused. “Where did you send them?”
Her face paled. “I didn’t. I gave them to your mother to send to you.�
�� Her voice came out as a whisper.
Jacob’s head spun for a second before the full picture formed in his mind and he balled his hands into fists. His mother had held back letters from Kendra? What had his mother done? If he had any inkling that Kendra wanted him in Highland Falls, he wouldn’t have left.
And then it suddenly all made sense. His mother urging him to go while Kendra was in Europe. She always told him he had star potential. She knew he wanted to pursue music. And she didn’t like that he was so serious with a girl right out of high school.
All those times when he had dated Kendra, his mother had been supportive of him, but she’d always gently urged him to take things slow. To wait until he had a thriving career to date. She hadn’t really liked Kendra much. He’d always thought it was because they were so young. But maybe there was another reason she didn’t want him with Kendra.
But maybe it was because she didn’t want to see him potentially give up a singing career for a life in the small town of Highland Falls.
But one thing still bugged him. “Why didn’t you answer any of my calls? I know we had that fight, but I was calling to apologize. Why didn’t you answer?”
Kendra’s cheeks flushed. “I lost my phone in the airport. When I realized it, I was already in Paris. I called you from Laurie’s phone, but your mother answered. She said she’d give you the message to call Laurie’s phone if you wanted to talk to me.”
His mother. Again. He swallowed back a stream of curses. “I swear, Kendra, she never told me.”
“I’m starting to see that.”
“I felt terrible for the fight we had. It was a horrible way to leave things before you left on your trip. But when I called and you didn’t answer, I thought you were still mad at me. And then I got a call from an agent, and I had to go to Nashville. I thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Kendra blinked back tears. “Apparently, it was.”
Jacob sucked in a breath. She was right. He was a famous singer now. But he’d lost her. And lost his daughter. His emotions swelled in him as he looked into Kendra’s brown eyes. He reached across the table and tentatively touched her hand. “Look at what it cost me.”
A tear slid down her cheek as she stared at the table. “I’d better clean this up,” she finally said, pulling her hand away.
The noise from the arcade filtered through to his brain and he remembered where they were. He glanced over at Aria, playing the Whack-a-Mole game. He stood and picked up the empty paper plates. “Don’t run from me again, Kendra. We need to talk about this.”
She wiped at her cheeks. “I don’t want to talk about this right now. Not in front of Aria.”
“She’s not paying attention.”
Kendra turned from him. “Please. Not now.”
He followed after her to the trash receptacle. “Okay. Then, tonight.”
She stood silent for a moment before she nodded. “All right.”
Jacob felt a weight lift from him. He would finally get to understand everything that happened six years ago. And he would force Kendra to admit the truth about Aria.
He motioned toward the little girl. “I’m going to go help her whack moles.”
“That’s fine.” Kendra softened. “She’d like that.”
Jacob almost turned around, but then he paused and studied her face. “You okay?”
Kendra closed her eyes a moment. “Not really.”
Before he could think, he pulled her into his arms. Like a muscle memory, he buried his face into her hair. She clung to him. Melted into him. And he wished he could stay like that with her forever. But all too soon, she pulled back and broke the contact with him.
When she looked up at him, he saw pain in her eyes. “Thanks,” she whispered before returning to the booth.
He walked to where Aria was playing, his heart in his throat. Aria looked up at him, a brilliant grin on her face. “I got him. Did you see that?”
“I missed it. Do it again.”
“Okay,” she said, putting in another token.
He watched her hit the moles, her little fist clutching the plastic hammer. She was so small. So delicate. His emotions surged.
When she got bored with the mole game, they climbed into the giant tube and Jacob chased her around the above-ground maze. They played together until he noticed Kendra looking at the time on her phone. He motioned to Aria. “I think it’s time to go.”
“Aw,” she said. “Do we have to?”
“Maybe we can convince Mom to let us get ice cream on the way home.”
“Ice cream? Yay!”
They crawled out of the tubes and he approached Kendra. But before he could say anything, Aria shouted, “We’re going to get ice cream!”
Kendra tilted her head. “We are?”
“If it’s okay with you,” he interjected.
“Please, Mommy?” Aria clasped her hands together under her chin, and Jacob chuckled. There was no way Kendra would say no to that face.
Kendra sighed. “All right.”
He laughed. “She’s got you in her pocket.”
“And what about you? Ice cream?” Kendra raised an eyebrow.
“All right. She’s cute. And she kind of melts my heart.”
Kendra seemed startled at his admission. Her mouth opened, then closed. Finally, she said, “She is cute.”
“Let’s go.” Jacob pulled on his coat.
“Excuse me,” a woman said, stepping up to him. “Are you Jacob Mitchell?”
He tugged his baseball cap down. “Uh…”
“He’s Jake,” Aria said.
“You are Jacob Mitchell. I thought that was you. Could you sign my napkin?” She giggled and fished a felt-tipped pen out of her purse. “I’m a huge fan.” She shoved the napkin and pen at him.
“You’re Jacob Mitchell?” Another woman standing nearby turned to him.
Before he knew it, he had a small crowd of people around him, shoving napkins and paper plates at him. He signed for about ten minutes before they thinned. A young girl, probably around twelve, came up to him and handed him a CD of his. “Would you sign this for me, Mr. Mitchell?”
He picked it up and took her Sharpie. “You had a CD of mine? At Pizza Fun House?”
The girl blushed. “We were listening to it in the car on the way here.”
“Well, isn’t that nice?” He smiled at her. “What’s your name?”
“Candice.”
He wrote, “To Candice. Enjoy the holidays.” Then he signed his name and gave it back to her. “Have a great evening.”
“Thank you.” She ran to her mother and Jacob smiled. That made his night.
He scanned the room for Kendra but couldn’t see her. He slipped on his coat and walked outside. Kendra was fastening Aria’s seatbelt in the back seat of his rental car. He approached them. Kendra stood up. “Is it like that everywhere you go?”
“No. Most of the time there are lots more people.”
He meant it as a joke, but Kendra frowned. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
He took a step closer to her. “It’s not that bad. They’re just excited. That’s all.”
“Yeah. That’s just a reminder that this is your life now.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to her. She closed Aria’s car door, and Jacob helped her get into the front seat. Before he shut her door, he leaned down. “Does it bother you that badly?”
She sighed. “I think I’m just emotionally spent.”
“Then let’s get you home.” He shut her door and then walked around the car. After he got in, he said, “But first, ice cream.”
Aria yelled, “Yes!”
“Do you want chocolate or vanilla?”
“Chocolate.”
“And what about you?” He nudged Kendra. “Pistachio without the nuts?”
She smiled but shook her head. “I’m fine. You don’t have to get me any.”
“Get ice cream, Mommy. It’s good,” Aria called from the back seat.
Kendra turned to look at her daughter. “Oh? You think I should get ice cream?”
Aria giggled. “Yes.”
“Well, will you tell me your Christmas wish if I get ice cream?”
“No,” Aria said, like it was the silliest idea in the world. “I can’t tell you.”
Kendra shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
“An excellent attempt,” Jacob said, chuckling.
He pulled into the Dairy Queen drive through. “Last chance to tell me what you want.”
“I want chocolate,” Aria said.
“I know what you want, goofy. I mean your mother.” He shot her a look.
“I kind of want a banana split, but that’s way too much ice cream.”
“Well, if you want it, let’s get it.”
“I do. But I’d never be able to eat that whole thing.”
“Then I’ll share it with you.”
“It will melt before we get home.”
Jacob gave her a wicked grin. “Not the way I drive.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“Do you want the split, if I help you eat it?”
“All right.”
He pulled up to the window and ordered their food. The girl behind the window didn’t recognize him until she was handing him the food. Her eyes grew wide and she almost dropped Aria’s chocolate ice cream cone. “Are you Jacob Mitchell?”
He nodded. “I am.”
“Oh my gosh. I love your music.” She whipped out her cell phone. “Can I take a picture with you in the drive through?”
He chuckled. “Sure.”
She turned around and took a selfie, with him in the background. He gave her his camera smile and she squealed after she took the photo. More workers came to the window to see what she was making a fuss over.
“It’s Jacob Mitchell,” she told them.
After a few more autographs and photos, he said, “All right. I’m backing up the line. I’d better leave.”
“Thank you, Mr. Mitchell.”
“You’re welcome.”
He pulled out of the drive through and entered traffic. After a few moments of silence, Kendra spoke. “Does that ever get tiring?”
He shrugged. “Sure, it does.”
“But you handle it so well. You’re so nice to people.”
A Christmas Collection: Four Sweet Holiday Romances Page 4