by Jeannie Moon
“Don’t sell yourself short. You can handle pressure, you just don’t want that pressure. So, if a change is what you want, and your wife is with you on this, you know your mother and I will welcome you as a partner. It’s what we’ve always wanted.”
He’d never been so relieved, and hugged his father, thankful he understood and respected his decision. His parents had been disappointed when he put his plans to work at Kylemore on hold for Reliance, but they never pressured him and they were proud of everything he’d accomplished. Nate hoped he could be half the parent to his own kids. “Thanks, Da.”
“Anytime. Now, go take care of that gelding for me. Just because we’ve had a moment doesn’t mean the chores will do themselves.”
“I’m on it.” Nate started to make his way to the big barn and looked toward the guest house, where Jenna was probably still in bed. Because of her, he was finally finding the courage to put his life back on its original path. The one he was meant to be on.
***
Jenna was lying in bed in a post-sex stupor when there was a knock at the door. All she could think was that it was her mother. Or Nate’s mother. Or Sally. Dammit. Popping up in the bed she called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s me.” Kim.
“Okay, hold on.” She looked frantically for her nightshirt, but hadn’t found it when not only Kim, but Meg, entered the room.
“Well, we know what went on in here this morning.” Meg grinned. Kim was starving and Meg was carrying a basket with muffins, but Jenna was still contemplating violence. “Enjoy it now. Once the kids arrive, there’s no more morning nookie.”
“It’s early, why are you guys here?” Still naked, she pulled the covers over her head.
Kim had a pot of coffee and basket with mugs, cream and sugar, which she’d placed on the dresser near the door. “You’re kidding, right? We saw Nate leave for the barn, now we want details.” Kim pulled the blanket down just enough so Jenna’s eyes were visible.
“Details?” Jenna asked.
“Yes.” Kim plopped on the bed and tossed the T-shirt she found on the floor to Jenna. It was Nate’s but she didn’t care. Pulling it over her head, she reached for the basket Meg had in her hands. “Give me that. I’m hungry.”
Meg handed it over and Kim picked a blueberry muffin and a napkin out of the basket and drew in its scent. “This is heaven. And it’s still warm.”
“Okay, you’re fed and I have coffee, but come on. We want details.”
Jenna reached for the phone on her night table and opened up the camera gallery.
It took them seeing one picture for her friends to fall into line. It was a candid shot that a perfect stranger had taken when Nate proposed to her on the Promenade. The gentleman had texted it to her, and it was one of Jenna’s favorites from their time away. The love on her face, the love on Nate’s, was palpable. There were pictures from the wedding with her in her beautiful gown and Nate in his formal kilt and jacket, which made her smile all over again.
Kim shook her head. “He wore a kilt? Damn.”
“He’d packed it just in case we decided to get married when we were there. He looked amazing.” He did, and there was no shortage of fun investigating what her handsome Scot had under his kilt.
“No kilt for Owen,” Kim said. “It’s sad.”
“He has a uniform,” Meg reminded her. “Jason has a kilt, but he never wears it.”
Kim flipped through the pictures and stopped. A tear spilled down her cheek. “God, Jenna. You look beautiful and so happy.” Glancing at her phone, Jenna saw she was looking at a picture from just after the wedding. She and Nate were walking hand in hand through the square near the ancient town hall in Como, and someone had caught a photo of them smiling at each other. “I wish I’d been there. I wish I hadn’t made you feel like you couldn’t tell me.”
“It wasn’t you.” Jenna hugged Kim. “Nate just thought it was best if everyone was out of the loop so we had time to really think about what we wanted for our future. We didn’t go to Italy thinking we were going to be married, but everything fell into place.”
“It sounds like something Nate would do,” Meg added. “He gets so annoyed with Owen and Jason. They question him all the time, not thinking anyone notices, but I have and Harper has, big time. Those two knuckleheads forget that Nate keeps them grounded. Owen would go off halfcocked at times if Nate didn’t diffuse a situation, and Jason wouldn’t ever come out of his lab.”
Jenna pulled her knees up as she thought about all the things he told her on their walk yesterday. How he felt about the business and the changes he wanted to make. “He loves both of them like brothers. It’s hard for him, and lately the challenges are coming from all sides. I mean, what the hell is up with his sister Leah?”
“Oh,” Meg said. “She is interesting. What an attitude.”
“Attitude is one way to put it. All we want is for our families and friends to let us be happy. And to be happy for us. That’s it.”
Meg hugged her. “I don’t think that’s unreasonable.”
“Me, either,” Kim agreed. “So, now the job is to get everyone else on board.”
Jenna shrugged, tired of fighting for approval. She didn’t know if they would ever get everyone’s blessing.
“Show your mother the pictures,” Meg said. “That should do it.”
“You’re really underestimating her. She’s tougher than all of us. Harder. Trust me on that. It’s going to take more than pictures for her to change her mind about me.”
Kim handed her friend another muffin. “I’ve known your mother a long time, and yes, she’s a tough nut, but those pictures of you and Nate in Italy? She will cave. No doubt about it. She’ll be happy for you.”
***
Jenna couldn’t believe the number of people at the Bayards’ July 4th party. They’d pulled out all the stops and made it not only a family day, but a day for business and a day to make themselves more a part of the community on the East End.
Reliance had asked a number of clients to come. There were friends of the family, new and old, from the horse community, and all Reliance employees were invited as well. Jenna had a big family, and there had been some huge parties over the course of her life—the “family” dinner Nate attended had almost one hundred people—but absolutely nothing rivaled this “barbecue”. Sally and Nate’s mother were directing the chefs who manned the grills, the caterers, the servers, and the bartenders. Valets were parking cars. When she was chatting with Sally that morning, she found out they’d gotten a permit to have the party. A permit.
She’d learned a lot over the past few days, about her new husband and the people in his life. Money was a presence. They had it, they used it. But they didn’t think about it.
The party she was witnessing? It wasn’t about impressing people. It was about doing something nice, saying hello, saying thank you. It was hospitality, albeit on a grand scale, but that’s what it was. The Bayards could afford it, so in their eyes, why not do it?
Jenna grew up in a home that kept to a strict budget. Her parents were good people but tight-fisted. However, the result was that they paid off their house early, contributed heavily to their children’s college educations, and would have a secure and comfortable retirement. No small feat. And something to be proud of.
But choices were often made that made Jenna feel like she didn’t belong. Sports camps for her brother and sister, science competitions, trips for business clubs, her parents found money for those. Dance classes? Art classes? Riding lessons? Jenna was the outlier in the family, and she definitely felt like one.
It was probably part of the reason they had such a hard time with what Jenna went through in California. They saw her life as one of excess. Of relying on talent rather than serious hard work. Nothing good could come from that.
Her family never understood her art. They respec
ted brains and bravery, not photographs and paint. In her mother’s opinion, people who spent a lot of money for something to hang on the wall should donate the money to those who needed it.
In turn, Jenna resented the idea that her mother felt “left out” of her life. She never really wanted to be part of it. Her mother wasn’t abusive or cruel, but she was disinterested. Jenna was so different from her siblings, she never felt connected to her mother. And it hurt.
“Hey.”
Jenna turned and came face to face with her sisters, Christina and Francesca. Chessie looked nervous, but Tina looked mad. Really mad. “Well, you really upset Mom and Dad this time, Jenna. You couldn’t even invite them to your wedding?”
“Well, hi there, Tina! How am I? I’m great. Yeah, I’m feeling terrific. We’re very happy. How are you? How’s work?”
“Don’t be a bitch,” Tina paced, snarling like a rabid dog. It wasn’t a good look for her big sister, who was, when she wasn’t biting off heads, a raven-haired stunner.
“Oh, for God’s sake, Tina.” Chessie lunged at Jenna, arms extended, and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Don’t listen to her. I’m so happy for you. Worried, but happy.” Chessie, sweet as always, touched Jenna’s belly with the flat of her hand. “You’re going to be a mommy? I can’t believe it. You’re going to be the best mother.”
Sweet Chessie. When her mother brought her little sister home from the hospital, Jenna thought the baby was just for her. Almost nine years apart, she and Francesca had an unbreakable bond. Jenna felt better just knowing one of her sisters was in her corner. “Thank you, Ches. You are going to be an amazing aunt.”
Tina was glaring at both of her sisters, not liking the feeling of being dissed. Jenna didn’t care one single bit. Not at all.
“Tommy would kick Nate’s ass for getting you pregnant.”
“Oh, are you really going there? Invoking our dead brother’s name?”
“Why not? He was a good man. Can you imagine what he would think?”
“Tom was a brave marine, but I don’t think a guy who cheated on his fiancée should be your moral compass.”
“Don’t speak ill of the dead,” Tina snapped. “What if Mom heard you?”
“Then she’d cope.” Her brother had been engaged to Kim and his cheating was discovered right after he was killed in action in Afghanistan. Tom was a good marine, who did his duty honorably, but he wasn’t honest with the woman he’d asked to marry him. “Besides, I think Tom would have liked Nate. If you think about it, you know I’m right.”
For once, Tina didn’t argue. No one could argue with the facts.
“Whoa. Who is that?” Chessie was staring toward the food tent, and when Jenna focused on the figure walking toward them, she smiled. Her gorgeous husband was decked out in a pair of blue shorts, boat shoes, and a soft red plaid button-down shirt, that he’d left untucked and rolled up the sleeves. He was a preppy dream come true. His short golden-brown hair caught the sunlight, as did his lightly bronzed skin.
He was wearing a pair of wayfarer sunglasses to finish off his look, which exuded class, wealth, and confidence. If he made it look easy, it’s because it was who he was born to be.
Nate pushed his sunglasses up on his head and he looked at her with the knowledge one has of someone they know intimately.
“Holy crap, Jenna, that’s Nate?”
“It is.” Chessie had been away in Europe finishing her semester when Kim and Owen were married, so unlike the rest of the Albanese clan, she had never met Nate.
“Oh, my God. You’re sleeping with him?” she blurted out.
“Francesca!” Tina scolded.
“What? He’s like a freaking movie star.”
He was. And the best part was the beauty on the outside was reflected within. And Jenna knew he loved her without any reservations. He walked right to her, grabbed her around the waist, and kissed her soundly. “Hello, Wife.”
“Hello, Husband.” The way he looked at her, the way she felt when she was with him, had Jenna falling a little more in love with him every moment. “I want you to meet someone.” Jenna reached out and grabbed Chessie by the wrist, dragging her close. “This is my sister Francesca. We call her Chessie for short. She’s amazing, and she’s happy for us.”
Nate smiled his killer smile and hugged her little sis hard. “Jenna talks about you all the time. I’m really glad to meet you.”
He glanced over and caught sight of Tina, who hadn’t stopped scowling since she’d gotten there. It made her sister, who was only thirty-three, look much older than her years. Jenna was going to tell him to leave her alone, but he must have seen something, a crack in the armor, that had her darling husband reaching out to her big sister.
“Come on, Tina. You know you’re not mad. You’re hurt.” Shockingly, Tina let Nate fold her into his arms. “Am I right?”
“You married my little sister.” She sniffled. “We didn’t even know she was that serious about you.”
“I know. But I will take care of her. I promise.”
Tina smacked his arm. “You’d better. She’s special. Not like the rest of us.”
Jenna was stunned listening to her sister’s words. She was special? Tina was protective? What the hell?
“I know she’s special. I know. I’ll take care of her. I promise you that.”
“Good. If you don’t I’ll have to hurt you. I’m a doctor—there will be no evidence.”
Nate nodded. “Noted, and thanks for the warning.”
He stole a quick look in Jenna’s direction and winked. “Let’s get a burger.”
“A burger?” Tina asked.
“Yes, we have food here. Burgers make everything better.”
Tina stopped and narrowed her eyes at the man who had been manipulating her to his will. She was wise to him.
“You’re trying to sweet talk me with a hamburger?”
“Uh. Hmmm. Grilled shrimp? Lobster tail?”
“Food doesn’t do it. Tell me you’ll love my sister forever.” Tina’s eyes were full, the tears threatening to spill over.
Nate nodded. “Without a doubt.”
There was quiet as the two of them considered each other. Nate, his face open, and accepting. Tina, more skeptical and suspicious. Finally, there was a softening in her sister. An acceptance, and Jenna couldn’t believe it.
“I might try to like you,” Tina grumbled.
Nate grinned and took a long pull on the beer bottle he was carrying. “I’m irresistible. You’ll love me before long.”
“Don’t be so sure,” she said.
Nate and her sister challenged each other. They were both brilliant, both quick on their feet. Jenna had no idea what to expect next, but simply walking arm-in-arm with her little sister and seeing her oldest sister spar with Nate was worth all the aggravation of the day. He was so easy with everyone. Not one person who arrived that day felt anything but welcome. Jenna counted her blessings. He was amazing.
Right now the only person who was really putting a damper on the party was Leah. And for the life of her, Jenna couldn’t figure out her problem. Maybe it was something as simple as worrying about Nate’s money. Leah was an attorney and being cautious and protecting people was part of the job. Additionally, Jenna was a fairly low-paid teacher. To Leah, it looked like Jenna was after Nate’s fortune, as well as the status being part of the Bayard family provided. So, if that was Leah’s thought process, she couldn’t fault the logic, except for the fact that Jenna didn’t care about money. She cared about people.
Jenna always cared about people first, and it tended to bite her in the ass from time to time.
Walking with Chessie, Jenna relaxed for the first time since the party began. Her sister chatted away, telling her all about her semester abroad and asking a dozen questions about Nate and the baby. Talking with her sister helped take her
mind off any discord about the marriage and her nerves about being the center of attention at the party.
Yawning as she sat on a deep, comfy chair on the patio, Jenna wished she could go back to bed and take a nap. Suddenly so tired she was afraid she’d fall asleep, she was jarred into full consciousness when she heard a very smooth, very distinct voice. It was deep and a cross between a Boston accent and English; she knew immediately who it was.
Royce was here, and this officially became the worst day ever. There was no way to describe to anyone what she was feeling, but as the bile rose in her throat her flight reflex was kicking ass, and not in a good way.
Royce. The man who’d stolen more than just money from her, was back in her space. Why was he here? Last she heard he was in Boston, no doubt living quite well. She hoped he wouldn’t notice her, that the Bayards’ party was just one of many he was attending that day and that he’d be leaving, but knowing her luck that wasn’t going to happen.
Just then, he turned in her direction. They locked eyes and at first, he looked nervous, but then his unshakable confidence kicked in, and he started toward her.
“Jenna?” Frozen in place, Jenna didn’t know why he’d dropped back into her orbit. Nate, who was close by, came over when he heard her name.
“Oh my God, of all the places to see you. How are you?” Royce’s blonde head dipped slightly and kissed her on the cheek. “You look gorgeous. Are you photographing the horse set now? Good plan.” He leaned in, so only she’d be able to hear him. “These folks have money to burn. I can only imagine what they’d pay to have a picture of little Buffy on her pony.”
Still slimy. Still a money-grubbing bastard. Jenna’s skin crawled being close to him.
“Royce. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, my company has a marketing consultant working with Reliance and another company on the Island, so when the invitation came in for the party, I volunteered.”
