Chapter Thirteen
JAMIE AND JESSICA spent the next few days enjoying each other, the sun, and their friends. Jamie took his normal morning runs with Caden, Evan, and Kurt, if he was around. Yesterday Pete joined them while Jessica had breakfast with the girls. After worrying about just how much of their relationship Jessica had shared with them, Jamie finally got up the courage to ask her if she was sharing the intimate details of their lovemaking. Jessica had pinked up when she’d said, I didn’t, but not because I’m embarrassed about it. I didn’t tell them because I don’t want them thinking about you in that way. He’d loved the little possessive comment, especially since she didn’t act possessive in any other way. He’d never dated a woman who didn’t watch him when other women were near, but Jessica had a quiet confidence about her. It was like his straying never crossed her mind—which was a good thing, because he was as loyal as a junkyard dog, and he would never hurt her in any way.
Vera joined them for afternoon outings to the bay and visits to nearby towns, like Chatham and Brewster. Jessica and Vera got along well, and both were excited about Jessica’s joining the quartet tonight. Come evening, Jessica and the girls from Seaside threw together salads and grilled, and they all ate dinners together in the quad. When the stars came out, they fell into Jessica’s bed or the dunes by the ocean, and made love until they were too exhausted to move. Jamie went back to his own cottage in the wee hours of the mornings and tried to catch up on his emails, but after one or two emails, he was just too wiped to focus, and caught a few hours’ sleep instead. All the while, he craved the day he could wake up with Jessica in his arms. For now, they chose not to take advantage of their close living situations to the fullest extent. Vera was kind enough not to make mention of Jamie’s early-morning returns, and although he doubted she’d care if he stayed with Jessica until morning, that didn’t lessen the guilt that he knew he’d feel for doing so. Self-inflicted guilt, of course, but it was what it was.
Thursday morning he was heading out for a run with Kurt and Caden when his phone rang. He blew out a breath, debated ignoring it, but gave in to responsibility when he saw Mark’s name on the screen. Great. He’d blown off a few emails from Mark and a number of other employees the last two nights out of sheer exhaustion, and he hadn’t checked them yet this morning.
“Hey, Mark. How’s it going?” He twisted the mood ring on his finger. Every time he looked at it he thought of Jessica.
“How’s it going? Really? You knew we had a nightmare going down over here and you’ve completely ignored my emails and my texts.”
“What? Hold on.” Jamie scrolled through his phone. He didn’t have a single text from Mark. “Mark. I don’t have any texts from you.” He paced the cottage, anxious to get on with his run and hoping Mark was overreacting.
“My eye, you don’t. I texted you about seven times between ten in the morning and two in the afternoon yesterday. I called, but it went straight to voicemail, and I sent you emails.”
He and Jessica had gone to the beach yesterday. There was no cell phone reception on any of the lower Cape ocean beaches. It was like a time warp. Once someone descended the dune, they were off radar until they headed back up to the parking lot.
“What is going on?” Mark demanded. “Are you dodging me for a reason?”
“Mark, chill a minute. You must have texted while I was on the beach. Texts don’t come through at the ocean here. You know that.” Jamie went outside on the deck. Vera looked up from the book she was reading and smiled at him. He squeezed her shoulder as he passed.
“Don’t you check your messages?”
“They don’t come through. It’s all messed up. They don’t even register. What’s going on that’s got you wound so tight?”
“What’s got me wound so tight? I’ll tell you what’s got me wound. Remember that issue you told me to handle?”
Jamie ran his hand through his hair, racking his brain. He vaguely remembered something he’d told Mark to handle while he was at the pool, but he’d been distracted by Tony and Jessica. “Remind me.”
Mark blew out another frustrated breath. Jamie pictured him stalking across his fifteenth-floor office, bushy brows drawn together, dark eyes seething. “I’ll remind you, all right. Search engine bug. Young kids searching for toys, video games, and movies with dragons are getting ads for military equipment and ammo. If the media gets wind of this, we’re screwed. Mothers are already complaining like there’s no tomorrow.”
“All right, so our team tracked it down, right? Get PR on it. Do some damage control, and we’re back in business.”
“Are you kidding me? Did you hear what I said? Kids and guns don’t mix. What are you smoking at the Cape, Jamie? Do you hear yourself?” He mocked Jamie. “So, our team tracked it down, right?” He blew out a breath again, a habit he had when he was too mad to form a response.
“If our team had tracked it down, would I have called you? We’ve got our cyber investigation team on it to see if we were hacked,” Mark explained. “You need to be here. You’ve got to come back and take charge of this situation.”
“Mark, you’ve got our teams on it and the cyber investigators. Let them do their jobs.” Before meeting Jessica, Jamie would have packed up and driven back to Boston. But that was then. Now he didn’t want to miss a minute of time with her, and he trusted his team of professionals to handle the issues without him micromanaging.
“Jamie, if this hits the news, you’re going to have a media nightmare to deal with.”
Mark was right. If it got that far, they’d have a bigger issue on their hands, but he’d hired the best programmers in the country. His being there wasn’t going to change a thing. Or at least that’s how, for the first time in his life, he was rationalizing putting his business second to his personal life.
Jessica came out of Amy’s cottage wearing a nightshirt and a pair of cutoffs. She waved to Jamie, and the evening before came rushing back. They’d washed her bedsheets at midnight, after spilling body oil on them, and when they went into the dark laundry room to get them from the dryer, the room was hot, and so were they. They’d ended up making love on top of the warm dryer.
“Are you even listening to me?” Mark snapped.
Oops. He’d zoned out. He waved to Jessica as she walked toward her cottage. She had a heck of a sweet backside.
“Jamie!” Mark yelled.
“Yeah, sorry. Listen, I’m not leaving the Cape. Whatever I need to do, I can do from here. Just set up a videoconference. Give me a time.”
“Bad move, Jamie. You need to be here to light a fire under their butts. I’m telling you, nipping this in the bud is critical.”
Jamie was sure his being there in person wouldn’t do any more good than a videoconference. He trusted his cyber investigators, and he trusted Mark, but he also knew Mark didn’t like his advice to be ignored. He had to level with Mark or Mark would never let up. He also knew how protective Mark was of him. He practically had the FBI check out every woman he dated, and while it pissed Jamie off at times, he was equally as thankful that Mark had his back.
“Mark, I met someone. I’m not leaving.”
Vera raised her eyes and smiled. Jamie knew that Vera understood how serious he was about Jessica, because he rarely shared his personal life with anyone. Especially Mark. But Mark had his ways of finding things out, so one way or another, his attorney and buddy since college would have figured this out without him.
“You’re blowing off business for a chick? Eight years of a stellar rep that you could lose over some idiot hacker…for a chick?”
“She’s not just a chick.” Anger simmered in Jamie’s gut.
Mark laughed. “She better be a fine piece for this risk, my boy.”
“Mark! Cut the crap.” He wanted to tell him not to ever refer to Jessica that way again, but Mark was already hot under the collar and he needed him to focus on the issues, not on his relationship.
“Fine. I’ll come there. I can be there this afternoon. We’ll structure a game plan and I’ll take care of it. You’re at Vera’s?”
Jamie let out a frustrated breath. Mark was a good friend to come all the way there instead of relying on a videoconference, and Jamie appreciated his efforts. He’d gone over and above the call of duty for Jamie many times, and in turn, Jamie paid him well. Not to mention that their friendship ran even deeper than their business relationship. Tonight was Jessica’s performance with Vera’s quartet, and he wanted to be there. His parents’ deaths had taught him how precarious life really was, and he wasn’t about to miss Jessica’s performance, even for Mark.
“Fine. I have plans at seven thirty, so make it early.”
“I SAY WE go chunky-dunking tonight,” Bella said as she looked out over the water. The girls were having a late lunch at Mac’s Seafood on the harbor. Pete, Kurt, and Caden were working, and Jamie had a meeting to prepare for with his attorney.
“What’s chunky-dunking?” Jessica was only half paying attention. She was thinking about Jamie. He’d been so sidetracked that morning when they had coffee with Vera after his run. He’d mentioned how many calls and texts he’d missed from his attorney, and Jessica worried that she was interfering with his work.
“Skinny-dipping,” Jenna explained. “For normal-sized women.” She glared at Amy. “Pin-thin girl over there can still go skinny-dipping.”
“Oh, please.” Amy waved a dismissive hand. “You think you’re normal sized? Miss Young Dolly Parton?”
Jenna cupped her breasts and pushed them up. “Mine are so much better than Dolly’s, and I’m a brunette, much sexi—”
“Don’t even go there.” Bella pointed a finger at Jenna. “We are not having the brunettes have more fun argument.”
“I’m not sure I can go skinny-dipping,” Jessica admitted.
“What? Why?” Bella asked.
“Because I’m playing with Vera’s quartet tonight.” Thank goodness, because she’d never gone skinny-dipping, and she didn’t like the idea of running around naked in front of anyone other than Jamie. “Besides, aren’t there sharks feeding at night?”
Leanna reached across the table and patted her hand. “We don’t chunky-dunk in the ocean. We go in the pool.”
“In the pool?” She couldn’t keep her eyes from popping open wide. “What about everyone else? Don’t you care if their boyfriends see you naked?”
They all laughed. “That’s why we do it after midnight when everyone’s asleep. And whatever you do, don’t tell Theresa. It’s against the rules.”
“Oh.” Now she really wasn’t sure about this. Jessica wasn’t a rule breaker, even if she and Jamie had fooled around on the beach. It was nighttime, after all, and they were fully dressed. When she was younger, she’d felt so guilty after sneaking out of her parents’ house to go to the Cape she’d told her father and then thanked him for grounding her. I have lived a sheltered life.
“You’re playing tonight, so after you and Jamie…you know.” Jenna raised her brows in quick succession. “When he goes back to Vera’s and falls asleep, then we’ll go.”
She dropped her eyes so they wouldn’t see her shock that they knew about him leaving in the middle of the night.
“She thought we didn’t know,” Amy said gently. “Jessica, we’re all friends. And we’re all women. We get it, and Jamie’s not a player, so we know he’s really into you.”
She breathed a little easier. A little. This summer of self-discovery was becoming way more than that. If they knew the sexy stuff she and Jamie did, would they still understand? Or would they think she was a tramp?
“Yeah, as long as we don’t have to see the pink fuzzy handcuffs attached to the bedpost…Bella.” Jenna pushed Bella’s shoulder.
“What?” Bella laughed.
“What if Evan had seen them?” Jenna asked.
“He’s a teenage boy,” Bella said. “The last thing he wants to do is walk into his father’s bedroom.”
“True,” Jenna agreed.
“We don’t. I don’t…” No, not handcuffs, but his hands worked perfectly well.
“Really?” Bella asked. “You should try them. But on a more serious note, we don’t judge each other. That’s not what girlfriends are for. Girlfriends are for calling each other on their bull, supporting each other when we’re down or frustrated, and…” She shrugged. “Maybe most important, we always, unconditionally and without judgment, have your back.”
She couldn’t stop envy from tumbling from her lips like pebbles. “You guys are so lucky to have each other.”
They all exchanged a glance she couldn’t read, and in the next second they were gathering around her for a group hug.
“You’re lucky, silly,” Amy said.
“Yeah. You’re a Seaside sister now.” Jenna kissed her cheek with a loud mmmwwwwaaahhh!
“Welcome to our little circle,” Leanna added.
As they settled back into their seats, leaving Jessica reeling with appreciation, Leanna asked, “So, Jamie’s meeting with his attorney today?”
“Yeah. There’s some issue at his office.” Jamie had assured her this morning that she hadn’t been keeping him from taking care of the work he needed to do, but even with his reassurance, she still worried.
“The guy’s a jerk,” Bella said. “He came up a few years ago to meet with Jamie about something and he was like…I don’t know. He’s slimy. I don’t like him.”
“He’s an attorney. What do you expect?” Leanna sipped her drink. “They have to be cutthroat.”
“I met him,” Jenna said. “When he was down that time. Remember, Bella? He’s not cutthroat. He’s like a snake in the grass. He stared at my boobs the whole time, then sidled up to me and propositioned me with a no-strings-attached offer of the best sex I ever had.” She said the last part with air quotes.
“Jamie said he’s a close friend. It sounded like they’d been friends forever. Did you tell him about it?” she asked Jenna.
“Of course I did.” Jenna pointed to a little girl in a pink bathing suit running in and out of the water’s edge beside the pier. “Oh my goodness she’s cute. Anyway, Jamie kind of blew it off. Made a joke or something. I got the feeling Mark did that stuff all the time, and really, what could Jamie have done about it? I mean, if he had touched me, Jamie would have torn him apart, but a proposition?” She shrugged.
“Really,” Bella said. “They’ve been buddies forever. I think Jamie ignores how slimy he is because he keeps Jamie’s business in line. It’s probably a good tradeoff. You don’t want a wussy attorney. You want a snake in the grass.”
“I can’t even imagine Jamie around a guy like that.” Jessica’s cell phone rang while she was still processing the information about Mark.
“Five bucks says it’s Jamie,” Jenna said. “Oh, Jessie. I miss you so much. Please, please come back!” She burst into a fit of laughter.
“Actually, I don’t recognize this number.” Jessica put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hello. Is this Jessica Ayers?” Each word was pronounced with careful precision, with a shaky, elderly sounding voice.
“Yes, this is she.” She met the girls’ curious gazes and shrugged.
“This is Mr. Elliott. Steve Lacasse sent me a message and indicated that you were interested in the baseball that I won from him.”
Without thinking, she reached for Amy’s hand.
Amy exchanged a worried glance with the others.
“Yes, sir,” she answered. “I think…that’s my father’s baseball from when he was a little boy, and I was wondering if I could buy it from you. I’ll pay double whatever you paid.”
“Oh.” The man was quiet.
“It would mean the world to me. My father is a wonderful man. He’s done so much for me, and I want to do this little thing for him.” She realized she was rambling and cut herself short. “I’ll pay triple. Whatever you want. Please.”
“I’m sorry, Jessica,” he said.
Jessica’s heart plunged as he explained.
“I bought that ball for my grandson, and it’s already in his hands. I can’t very well take it away from him. He’s six and an avid baseball fan already. Why, it would squash his excitement.”
“No, I suppose you can’t very well do that. Thank you for calling, and I hope your grandson enjoys the ball.” She ended the call and sat in disappointed silence.
“Jackass,” Bella said.
“Jerk.” Amy patted Jessica’s back.
Leanna’s eyes went soft. “I’m sorry, Jessica. I know you were hoping to get the ball for your father, but maybe there’s something else he’d want instead?”
“Yes! I’m sure we can find something,” Jenna said with far too much enthusiasm. “Tell us what he does. We’ll figure out the best present ever!” She sat back down and leaned across the table. “I could paint a portrait of you. What parent wouldn’t like that?”
Jessica managed a smile. “Thanks, you guys, but it’s okay. He doesn’t want anything. He’s never asked for a darn thing. He puts up with my mother’s stoic personality, works his butt off to pay for everything she could ever want, and he’s never asked for one single thing.”
“He sounds like a good man.” Amy stroked Jessica’s back. “I’m sure he’ll understand.”
“Yes, he will.” Jessica rolled her eyes as if she weren’t heartbroken. “He always understands.” She hadn’t realized how much she wanted this for him. It was supposed to be a silly little diversion, and it had worked as just that. In fact, being with Jamie had distracted her even from her own diversion. But now, as that door shut, she realized that the only reason she’d seen it as a silly little diversion in the first place was because her mother’s voice echoed in her head. Remember, Jessica, nothing compares to what you are working toward. Sports, dances, and the like? Silliness. Sheer silliness. Where will that get those kids in ten years? But you…you’re going to be a star. The best cellist ever.
Her mother had said it forever. When she was just a little girl, practicing her cello by the window of the conservatory in her parents’ home, listening to the laughter of the children outside. Every time her mother drove by the park where her friends were playing on the way to practice, and as a teenager, when the other girls were going to homecoming football games and dances and she longed to be included.
The best cellist ever.
She looked around the table at her new friends’ worried faces. The women who, without even having all the details, had heard bits and pieces of her conversation, read her body language, and instantly came to her defense. She considered Jamie and how her world was brighter with just the thought of him, and she wanted all of it. She wanted these friends, she wanted Jamie, and she wanted to be around Vera, to play their music together, drink coffee, talk, and sit by the pool.
She pulled on the reserves she’d relied on through Juilliard, when getting down on herself wasn’t an option, and when she was in the middle of playing for a huge audience. She drew her shoulders back. Coming to Wellfleet and finding her father’s baseball might have started as a diversion, but now it seemed like it was part of a path to a door to her new life, waiting to be opened.
“So, if Theresa doesn’t see us,” Jessica asked. “Can we drink wine when we go chunky-dunking?”