“Why not your grandmother? What made her different?”
She gazed up at him without judgment, and he could have thanked her for that. He’d felt judged for so long, he was sick of it even though he knew he deserved it. “My grandmother didn’t gloss over what my father had done. She acknowledged the anger and pain he’d caused. She eventually forgave him, but she never pushed me to do the same.”
“Maybe she thought if she did, she’d lose you, too.”
No one had ever suggested that before, and as he thought about it, the idea felt raw and sharp. It felt wrong. But he wasn’t a stupid man, and even though he didn’t want to believe it, he knew she might be right.
“Grandparents see everything from a different perspective,” Tegan said sweetly. “It must have been hard to have such a special connection with your father, learning baseball, collecting cards together, and then to feel like you were left behind. I never had that type of special bond with my parents. I love them, and we’re close, but if my uncle had suddenly stopped seeing me over the summers, I would have been heartbroken.”
Jett had always known what he’d felt when his father had left was bigger than anger, but he hadn’t been able to define it. Heartbroken was the emotion he’d never been able to name. Tegan embraced him, and she didn’t say anything more. She didn’t have to. She’d already given him the missing piece of his fucked-up puzzle of a life he’d never realized he was missing.
She looked up at him and said, “I bet on some level your grandmother wanted to make up for all that your father had done because it was her son who had done it, even if he left for good reasons. But also, she’s your grandmother. She loves you, and she knows how amazing you are apart from whatever trouble you’re having moving forward with your dad. You guys are obviously trying, and I’m sure she’s proud of you both for that.”
But was he proud of himself? He knew he could try harder. “I’ve spent a lifetime avoiding personal connections, but you make me want to be a better man, Tegs. You make me want to live a fuller life, a better life, beyond the world I’ve created for myself.”
“For a guy who tries not to make personal connections, you’re pretty good at the boyfriend thing. I know how little time you have, and you’ve already done more than I ever thought you would for us. We’re on an adventure, and you haven’t been tied to your phone or stressing over work like everyone warned me you would be. And soon you’re going to be in a room with people you grew up with, people you didn’t turn your back on when you got on that plane after the storm. They’re probably scared and confused about where to turn next, and you’ve pushed business meetings aside, you’re pushing us aside tonight, to make time for them. I know you said not to get my hopes up about you helping them, but even meeting with those people could give them hope or direction. All those things say so much about who you are and the connections you hold dear. You are a hell of a man, Jett, and I’m sure if you and your father want it bad enough, you’ll find your way back to solid ground. It might never be what it was, or what your family wishes you had with him, but that’s okay. All that matters is that you and your father are happy with wherever you end up.”
He was too mystified by her insight to respond.
“So, tell me,” she said, looking around. “Is this hiding place yours? Are you the owner? Because Emery mentioned that you owned property on the Cape.”
“Yeah, babe. It’s mine.”
“What do you plan to do with it?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to own it. I haven’t even been back here since I purchased it several years ago.”
“Do you want to know what I think?” she asked, walking along the edge of the dune grass.
“Always.”
“I think you never found the answers you were searching for when you were a kid, so you used all that anger and heartbreak to fuel your success, and from what I’ve heard, you succeeded beyond everyone’s expectations, maybe even your own.” She walked toward him, the wind lifting the ends of her hair. “You’ve proved to your father and everyone else that nothing can hold you down. But you never figured out all that crap between you and your dad, and this gorgeous property, your hiding place, holds all those emotions and questions that you struggled with as a teenager. You got them out of your head enough to carry on, but they never sailed away. They’re buried in the very ground we’re standing on.” She grabbed both sides of his jacket collar and spoke in a hushed, conspiratorial tone as she said, “Maybe, just maybe, you thought that one day you’d come back and find those answers here.”
“You think you’re pretty clever, don’t you? That planting all that stuff in my head will make me think about it and work harder to figure things out.”
She bounced on her toes and said, “A girl can hope.”
He had to laugh, because his beautiful pixie knew just how to get to him.
“But I guess there’s always the chance that you just wanted to own this property like everything else you’ve bought. Because if there’s a mountain, Jett Masters wants to climb it!” She patted his chest and said, “Whatever the reason, I’m really glad that you took me here. I like getting to know teenage Jett. I still wish I had known that brooding kid who kicked ass in baseball. I bet we would have had fun together despite all the stuff you were dealing with.”
“You make everything sound so easy.”
“Not easy, just possible. After I lost my uncle, I realized we had all those weeks together over the summers, and they were amazing, but I still wish we had more time together. It wasn’t enough.” Sadness rose in her eyes. “I miss him.”
Jett reached for her hand and said, “I know you do. I’m sorry, babe.”
“It’s fine,” she said with the smile that always seemed at the ready—for herself and for others. “I’m supposed to miss him. I loved him. I don’t want to push you in one direction or another where your family or your father are concerned. Whatever you do or don’t do has to be your choice. But if I learned one thing from my uncle’s death, it’s that once a person is gone, that’s it. All we have are memories, good or bad. You’ve been wrestling with this for a long time with no answers in sight. Maybe you should ask yourself a really awful question. If you found out today that your father was going to die tomorrow and you’d never see him again, that you’d run out of time to figure out what you wanted or how to get back into each other’s good graces, would all that water under the bridge that you’ve been drowning in still be enough to keep you away? Or would you swim with everything you had and risk going under just for a chance to salvage whatever you could with the father you once adored?”
Before he could wrap his head around the images she’d painted, she spun on her heel and said, “Do we have time for one last adventure before your meeting? Because I could sure use some fried clams and ice cream.”
And just like that, she shared her light, leading him out of the darkness.
WITH A BELLY full of clams and ice cream and a heart full of Jett, Tegan raced him to the car in the parking lot of Arnold’s Lobster and Clam Bar. They’d lost track of time and were running late. She flew into her seat and tugged on her seat belt, saying, “Go, go, go!” but Jett was one step ahead, already turning onto Route 6 and speeding toward the highway. As he put on his seat belt, she rested her head back and said, “Will we make it?”
“If traffic isn’t bad, we should get there right on time.” He reached for her hand. “Today was incredible.”
“So fun,” she agreed, thanking the stars above that he didn’t hate her after her thoughts about him and his father had tumbled out. He’d been quiet on the way to Arnold’s, and she’d wondered if she’d just cut their relationship off at the knees. But when they were waiting in line, he’d put his arms around her from behind and kissed her cheek. From that moment on, he’d been his charming self.
“I’m sorry that I don’t have time to drop you at home, but you can take the car and I’ll take an Uber back to your place when I’m done.”
“How long do you think you’ll be?”
“I don’t know. It could take an hour, or it might take two or three. It depends on how things go and what direction I decide to move in.”
“I think I’ll go into town and explore. I’ve really only seen the one block where Mitchell’s store is. Chloe told me about a few shops at the mall I’d like to check out. Maybe I’ll drive around and find your old school so I can try to spot the tree under which Katie Garland stole your first kiss in elementary school.”
He squeezed her hand again and said, “When you and I kissed, it was like there was never anyone before you.”
“You are such a charmer.”
He waggled his brows.
They arrived at Mitchell’s house at seven thirty on the dot. “Good luck!” Tegan said as he handed her the car keys.
“I don’t need luck, babe. This is business. If I want it to happen, it will.” He kissed her and said, “I need to figure out if the people running the businesses are smart enough and eager enough to carry out what’s needed to turn bigger profits and how much time I can spare to teach them.”
“Oh. I thought it was about helping them save their stores. But I guess they go hand in hand. You’re not in the business of losing money.”
“That’s right.” He winked, and she watched him walk up to the door. He embraced a woman who she assumed was Mitchell’s wife and went inside.
She was debating where to go first when Jett’s father’s car came down the street, stopping beside her.
Sherry rolled down her window and said, “Tegan, what a nice surprise. What are you doing here?”
Tegan bent down to see Jett’s father, and she noticed an elderly, white-haired woman in the back seat watching her with interest. “Jett has a meeting with Mitchell and some of the other business owners whose properties were damaged in the storm.”
“Does he?” his father said.
“We didn’t even know he was in town,” Sherry said.
“It was spur of the moment. I’m sure he was planning to call you,” she said, even though she had no idea whether he was planning to call them or not. “But we’ve been out all day, and we were running late from dinner, which is why I’m here. We didn’t have time for him to drop me off, so I was just going to head into town and keep myself busy until he was done.”
The woman in the back seat leaned forward and said, “You won’t find anything more interesting in town than the three of us. I’m Jett’s grandmother Rose, and I’d love a chance to get to know you. Why don’t you join us?”
Tegan glanced at Mitchell’s house, conflicted. She didn’t want to upset Jett by spending time with his family, and she definitely didn’t want to get into a situation where she was expected to talk about him. But at the same time, she liked his parents and she was curious about his grandmother.
“Rose made cherry pie,” Sherry said.
“That sounds delicious.” Tegan put a hand on her stomach. “But I just ate fried clams and ice cream. I couldn’t eat another bite, but I’ll come in for a few minutes.”
“Climb in, honey,” Rose said, and Tegan sat beside her on the way up to the house.
Jett’s father helped Rose inside, though she moved quite spryly. She was petite and funny, teasing him about treating her like an old woman. Inside, they hung up their coats and went into the living room. Jett’s father offered them drinks, which Tegan and Sherry declined.
“I’d love a glass of wine.” Rose looked at Tegan and said, “Good for the heart, you know.” She sat on the couch and patted the cushion beside her. “Sit here, honey. Emmie told me about what you’re doing with the amphitheater. I think it’s wonderful. I want to hear all about you and those spicy romantic comedies you’re going to be hosting. But first, where did you get those sexy boots? My friend Mags would kill for them. Sherry would look nice in them, too. Wouldn’t she, Douglas? Remember how cute she was in those white go-go boots when she was younger?”
Jett’s father gave his wife a heated look and said, “How could I forget? Sherry still has the nicest legs around.”
Sherry blushed. “Where did you say you got them, Tegan?”
“I think I got them back home at Chelsea’s Boutique, where I do seamstress work.”
“Did you hear that, Sherry? She sews.” Rose lowered her voice a little and said, “That means you’re good with your hands. No wonder Jetty came back into town.”
“Rose,” Sherry warned with a shake of her head, but her smile told Tegan that she loved her mother-in-law’s feistiness as much as Jett did.
Tegan told them about the seamstress work she’d done, and the costumes she made for Princess for a Day, a children’s boutique. She also described the costume she’d made for Joni. Rose asked her a lot of questions, eventually asking about her family and then circling back to the amphitheater.
“Will you be offering senior citizen discounts for the romantic comedies?” Rose asked. “Many of my friends are on fixed incomes, but they won’t want to miss out on seeing those hot young actors.”
“Mother, please,” Jett’s father said from his perch on the love seat beside his wife.
Rose sipped her wine and said, “We might be old, Douglas, but we’re not dead yet.” She turned to Tegan and said, “We all need a little light in our lives, don’t we? How can we order tickets for the shows?”
“We’re testing a new website right now, but it should be ready soon. I’ll make sure Jett gives you the address once it’s up and running.”
“Did I hear you say that you and Jett had been out all day?” his father asked. “Does that mean he’s not here just for the business meeting?”
She felt guilty that Jett had come to see her and hadn’t even called his parents to let them know he was in town. She debated saying he’d come just for the meeting, but she was not a good liar. “No. He was supposed to be traveling, but I was having a hard time going through my uncle’s things, and he came to help. I’m really sorry he didn’t call to let you know he was in town.”
“If I had a pretty woman like you by my side, calling my family would be the last thing on my mind,” Rose said.
His father raised his drink as if he agreed and took a sip.
“Did you enjoy your day together?” his mother asked.
“We went on a magnificent adventure.” Tegan told them all about their day and how fun it was to see Jett at the batting cages. “I wish I could have seen him play ball when he was a teenager.”
“He was a handsome boy,” his mother said.
“Tough as nails and smart as a whip,” his father said. “There was nothing Jett couldn’t accomplish.”
“Sherry and I went to almost every one of his games,” Rose said. “Douglas had to work, of course, but we took loads of pictures and Sherry filled him in on all the details. Jett loved baseball so much. Douglas, do you remember how he used to rattle off all those statistics?”
“He was something else.” His father looked at Tegan and said, “He still is. I can’t get over that you got Jett to play mini golf and arcade games. He needs more of that in his life. I was old and gray before I learned what quality time really meant. I’m glad he’s not following so closely in my footsteps after all.”
“You raised an amazing man,” Tegan said. “I know Jett works a lot, but even when we’re apart he makes time for me. We have a lot of fun together, and we’re both competitive so we always end up laughing.” Or having sex, but she wasn’t about to say that.
“That makes me so happy,” Sherry said. “When our boys were little, they laughed all the time. Sometimes I’d just stop what I was doing to listen to them playing. They’d always end up in the treehouse. It could be dead silent, and I’d wonder what they were up to, and then laughter would float out from behind the treehouse walls, or there would be a flurry of commands and discussions, and their toy guns, or whatever they had that day—for Jett it was usually a baseball bat—would suddenly poke out over the walls aimed at invisible villains.�
�
“They were crafty,” his father said. “It seemed like they were always planning things, scheming. Jett couldn’t have been more than five or six when they made a pulley using about three dozen nails and some rope with one of my wife’s baskets tied to it.”
“I used to send lunch or snacks up to them in that basket,” Sherry said with a faraway look in her eyes, as if she were reliving the memories.
Rose shared more stories about when the boys were little, how they’d try to trick her into giving them extra treats or letting them stay up late when she had them overnight. Every memory stirred another story, painting a picture of a happy family when Jett was young, and a very different family when he was a teenager, just as he’d described. But the more Tegan heard, the clearer it became that even in the not-so-good times, his parents’ love was always there.
When Tegan’s phone vibrated with a text from Jett asking where she was, she got a little nervous and thumbed out, At your parents’ house. They saw me getting into the car and invited me over. I’m sorry!
“Oh, goodness, look at the time,” Sherry said. “Rose, I’m so sorry. You wanted to be home by nine, and it’s already nine thirty. Honey, we need to go.”
As they rose to their feet, the front door flew open and Jett strode in like a man on a mission. His eyes moved swiftly over them as he strode to his grandmother and kissed her cheek, a cautious, “Hi, Gram,” coming out. Tension billowed off him as he slid an arm around Tegan’s waist and said, “What’s going on?”
“Relax, Jetty,” Rose said. “We’re just getting to know your lovely friend.”
Tegan put her arm around him, sinking into his side, and felt some of that tension dissipate.
“We heard you had quite a fun day together,” his mother said.
“And that Tegan blew you away on the go-kart track,” his father said teasingly. “Seems like you might have met your match.”
“She’s badass in business, too,” Jett said, as if he had something to prove to his father.
Bayside Fantasies (Bayside Summers Book 6) Page 30
