by Donna Fasano
She stroked his cheek. “Happy to give it. But I did want to talk to you. Mostly because I’m worried about my mother and how she’ll react to this.”
“Your mother?”
Jenna nodded. “Do you remember I once mentioned she had a drinking problem? And, well, she has manic moods. She takes meds now and hasn’t used alcohol in years, so I know my sister would tell me I’m crazy to be so scared. But I haven’t spoken to my mom about this yet. She’s been on cloud nine since I got on the show. She even got it in her head that I was going to marry a movie star. So when I told her I broke off with Sean, she fell into a real funk. She’s sort of an excitement addict.”
“So, that’s where you get it from.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just trying to please my mother. To keep her from getting sad and retreating under a dark cloud and disappearing on me like she did back then.” Jenna’s voice cracked and she burst into tears.
Aiden pulled Jenna close and held her tight to his chest, kissing her hair and her face. “I understand. My dad not only drank and went into dark moods, he used his fists. But remember this—just because old childhood fears never completely go away, it doesn’t mean they’re real.”
She glanced up at him. “I’m so sorry to bring up my problems when Coty’s cancer must make painful memories come rushing back for you.” The moment it was out of her mouth, she regretted saying this. She knew his wife’s illness and death had hit him hard.
“Yeah, it does. But Coty keeps telling me I’ve got to start living for now, not for things that happened in the past.”
“Maybe I can help.”
“You already have.” Aiden dipped his head, and his lips met hers in a slow, sensual, heat-filled kiss that made her bones turn to butter. When he released her, he said, “So, does this mean you’ll go back to the ballet company?”
“They’re on tour in China, so I have to wait out my leave. But I think that’s a good thing, because even though Sunrise Lane gave me the opportunity to break away from dance, it wasn’t the reason I left. Aside from being tired of the exhausting and difficult grind and constant pressure of keeping up, I’d never tried anything else—never even considered it. And I’d made that decision when I was a teenager, years before I had any clue who I might be as an adult. Over the last year I felt like I’d become a dance bot. Remember I told you I was numb?”
He nodded. “So acting in the show made you feel more alive?”
“No. You did.”
Chapter 19
Aiden’s day started on an upbeat note, thanks to a phone call. Coty called from the hospital and relayed the good news. The doctor’s prognosis was excellent. Turned out, they’d caught his cancer in a very early stage and predicted a mild dose of chemo would complete the job.
With a renewed sense of optimism, Aiden zipped up his jacket and bounded out the door in the mood to treat himself. Even the cold, gray February morning couldn’t dampen his spirits.
He’d always considered the scent of freshly baked pastry combined with coffee to be one of the most enticing forces on earth. And right now he found himself in the thick of it, standing before the display case at Natalie’s Coffee Cove. Hands in his jacket pockets, still as a statue, his sights were set on a fresh rack of chocolate raisin brownies that only seconds ago Natalie herself had slid into the case. Chunky little squares, glistening with a stucco coating of rich, black chocolate.
The sight and smell of them took him back to a day from his childhood in Massachusetts. Coming from a home where treats were rare, Aiden had only been seven years old when he, along with his two friends Gary Cowan and Jeff Gullan, pulled a heist snitching brownies off the shelf of the neighborhood bakery. They ran like the wind trailing high-pitched laughter and met in Jeff’s garage to divvy up the goods into thirds. A section for each. He could still see their eager fingers and mouths covered in chocolate icing. Scruffy faces lit with joy as they stuffed themselves with the stolen delicacy.
It made Aiden remember just how lucky he was to have come so far in his life—and reminded him to never take for granted the simple pleasure of being able to buy treats when he wanted them. He couldn’t help but wonder whatever happened to his old partners in crime. Then again, another part of him didn’t want to find out.
To his right, a customer rested his palms squarely on the glass counter. Nicked and scraped around the knuckles, they were strong hands, the hands of a workman.
“Not you again,” Natalie said to the guy, teasing. “Always coming back for more.”
Aiden looked over and saw a tall, strikingly handsome thirty-something man grinning back at her. He had a square jaw and lean athletic build. A crop of dark hair flopped loosely across his brow as he Natalie back. He looked vaguely familiar. “Do you know how many calories there are in those monsters that you’re serving up? I should contact the board of health and have them shut the place down.”
“Really? Will that be before or after you pick up your usual three cannoli, a Danish, and two apple turnovers?”
He raised a brow and said, “After of course.”
Aiden laughed. “No, please don’t bust the place yet. At least not until I get my brownies.”
The man shook his head. “Another happy victim. Sad.” Then he smiled and nodded toward Aiden, saying, “Actually, this gentleman was here ahead of me, so please take care of him first.”
“Sorry,” Natalie said, walking over to Aiden. “When it gets this crowded I can’t tell who’s where. God forbid anyone would form a line.”
“But, Natalie, that would spoil the ambience of your chaos,” the guy said.
“Don’t mind us,” Natalie said to Aiden. “Parker’s family around here. We like to kid.”
Parker? As in Parker Richardson?
While Natalie put together Aiden’s order of brownies, he studied the man. He could see it now. His classic bone structure was so similar to a face he adored. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sister named Jenna?” he asked him.
An inquisitive look. “I might. Who are you?”
“My name is Aiden Flynn.” He held out his hand. “I’ve been staying at your mother’s bed and breakfast.”
“Parker Richardson,” he said, shaking Aiden’s hand. “So you’re the stargazer.”
“That’s me.” Had he heard that from his mother? Or could Jenna have spoken to her big bro about him?
“My sister told me good things about you,” Parker said, answering his question and causing Natalie to give him the once over.
“You’re the one dating baby sis, huh?” She passed the box of brownies to Aiden. He gave her a ten, nearly blushing. He’d grown up in the city and wasn’t used to the way small town people knew everything about everybody. He nodded. “Jenna’s a very special lady.”
“She sure is,” Parker said. “And the man who beat the hell out of Nick the Dick for what he did to Rachel can date my sister any time. Plus, you know about Orion and Cassiopeia. I’m a sky man, too. But I favor the sunlight.”
Aiden smiled, relieved. Nothing like the ultimate A-okay from the protective older brother. Couldn’t ask for more. “Hope to see you again.”
Parker nodded. “Good chance.”
The day was just getting better and better. Back at the B&B, Aiden sat in his room trying to work on his latest novel, but his thoughts kept veering off to Jenna. She’d gone to dance class, and he loved the way she looked when she returned, all flushed with the adrenaline still running through her veins and muscles. Nothing hotter than a body that reverberates with the raw animal power of an athlete.
It wasn’t long before he could hear beyond the door to his room the sound of feet coming up the stairs. Aiden pushed himself away from the desk and opened his door a crack. Her full lips and radiant smile took his breath away same as always.
“Finish all your pirouettes?” he asked.
Dance bag slung over her shoulder, Jenna answered with two crisp pirouettes and a little glide across the floor, finishing face-to-face wit
h Aiden.
Their lips met in a short, sweet kiss.
“Whatchya been up to?” she asked him with a cute flick of her chin. Her sultry girlish mannerisms drove him crazy.
“Trying to write.” He opened the door wide. “Now, get in here.”
Jenna slinked into the small room and perched on the corner of his bed. Aiden slid into the chair at his desk and turned to his laptop. “Give me a minute. I just need to save my work and close out a couple programs here.”
When Aiden finished, he turned to see Jenna reclining back on her elbows. She’d pulled her hair out of its tie and her thick brown locks draped behind her onto the bed. It still amazed him that this beautiful fairy princess was actually here in his room, waiting for him.
Her eyes met his, but then her gaze shifted to the stack of books he’d piled on the floor next to the desk. His own novels. He liked to have his past work available when he was writing a new book in case he wanted to reference something or remember what he’d done with certain characters.
“You have every book by K.Z. Knight,” she said with a frown. “I never noticed before.”
“That bothers you?”
Jenna shrugged. “Painful topic.”
“Why so?”
“Because the K.Z. Knight Aftermath movie is having a big premiere in New York City, and Sean had said he wanted take me to it. I went and hired my friend Lexi to design a really cool dress for me. Don’t ask me when I’ll ever get to wear it now. When I broke up with Sean he made it clear I was no longer going to be his date for the big night. One of my punishments.” She titled her head. “I confess, I was kind of excited about actually being one of those special folk who walk the red carpet at a real live movie premiere.”
“Ah, it’s just a dumb movie when you get right down to it.”
“How can you call any of K.Z. Knight’s books dumb? I’m no expert, but the couple I’ve read are really well put together and sound like they come from an intelligent mind. Not to mention being fantastic reads that kept me up all night.” She pointed to the stack at his feet. “And you must really like them or you wouldn’t have bought them all.”
The thrilling rush that went through Aiden at Jenna’s praise was so gratifying he was tempted to come right out and reveal that the author was none other than himself.
But that thrill was replaced by a wave of guilt when she walked up to him and gave him a sympathetic hug, saying, “I understand, Aiden. As a striving writer you must get pretty tired of hearing people rave about K.Z. Knight.”
He stammered a bit, slightly ashamed and not sure what to say. “Uh, yeah, well, they do make a lot of fuss over this guy.”
“Or girl. But that’s to be expected. He—or she—is today’s rock star of fiction.” Jenna climbed into his lap and even the wonderful feel of having her in his arms didn’t stop his stunned reaction to what she said.
“Girl? You think K.Z. Knight is a girl?”
“I have no idea. People are all starting to take bets because there’s this buzz going around that the author might finally make an appearance—at the Aftermath premiere.”
“You’re kidding.” Where did that crazy story come from?
“I confess, I’d love to see what he-she looks like. Probably some short, roly-poly, bald guy with two chins. Or else some middle-aged housewife who walks around in a muumuu.” Jenna giggled. Aiden did not.
“Either way,” she continued with a smirk, “anybody who goes to such lengths to remain in hiding has got to be a little strange.”
“People have their reasons,” Aiden said.
Jenna just rolled her eyes. Then she leaned forward and kissed him. “Despite what you may believe about my excitement addict issues, I’m really glad you’re not some rich and famous nutcase like K.Z. Knight.”
“Uh, right.” Aiden swallowed the dry lump in his throat, remembering Coty’s warning about deceiving Jenna. Lately he’d begun to imagine a future with her. In fact, at this point he had trouble imagining one without her. But would she hate him when she found out he’d been hiding this from her? Was there a way to tell her that wouldn’t mean the end of their relationship?
But how? And when?
Or was it already too late?
Chapter 20
It was a cold Thursday in early March. Taking the advanced level ballet in Studio B at the North Cove Performing Arts Academy, Jenna continued a series of precise fouetté turns, her right leg moving quickly out and in as she muscled through plié-relevé repetitions on her left. She pushed hard against the floor as she rose on pointe for each turn, sucking in her abs and keeping her back strong while whipping her head around quickly to focus on the same spot each time.
Her sister, Casey, stood at the front of the classroom calling out corrections and encouragement to her students. “Good, Shara! Keep the shoulders even. No wild arms, Missy. Control! Full relevé each time, Rose.”
Jenna knew that the dancers waiting along the wall for their turn to perform the exercise were watching her, curious and slightly in awe of the local girl who’d actually made it into the ranks of one of the top ballet companies in the world. She liked feeling like a ballerina again.
Over the past three weeks since Sean and the Sunrise Lane producers had eliminated her from the cast, Jenna had gone back to taking daily technique class. She also began giving private ballet lessons at her sister’s studio, donating the proceeds to the academy’s scholarship fund, since her contract kept the hefty paychecks coming from the TV show.
She also spent every minute she could with Aiden now. It amazed her how this guy who took her to such ecstatic heights in bed could also have such a settling effect on the rest of her life. The two of them could do the simplest things together—like shoveling the walk, buying groceries, or watching the stars—and it somehow made the worried child-self inside her believe everything would be all right.
Was she falling in love with him? Or was it just that he was an ordinary guy? Not rich or famous or tops in his field like all the other egocentric, attention-demanding men she’d hooked up with in the past.
When ballet class ended, Jenna headed into the hallway outside the studio, perspiring and exhilarated from the rigorous workout. The phone in her duffle bag tinkled. She didn’t recognize the number but picked up anyway.
“Hello?”
“Jenna, it’s Tony Pacca. Just got off the phone with Marv Davitz, but I wanted to be the first to give you the news. Mainly because I feel bad about what happened with Sunrise. I wanted to keep you on the show. Believe me, I argued like hell with Sean and the other producers about the changes, but I lost.”
Jenna was touched that he’d call and tell her that. None of the others had bothered to contact her. “Thanks, Tony. But it’s okay. Now that it’s over, I can admit I hated that role.”
He let out a deep guffaw. “Well, you handled it like a pro. And it paid off. Here’s why. Are you sitting down?”
“No. Should I be?”
“Do you know the prime time comedy Reaching Out?”
“Sure. Who doesn’t?”
“Jason Fresno, the director, is an old friend of mine. During the last season I encouraged him to introduce a new character into the show. He went for the idea. And guess what? Now that you’re on the loose, he wants you. Told me he loved your face. And your performance on Sunrise. Thinks you’d be perfect. I think he’s right.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Me?”
“Yep. You innocently pulled a coup on the Sunrise pricks who axed you. And Jason is a great guy to work for. I’ve known him for years. It’s a slam dunk.”
Stunned and flattered, a part of Jenna went all giddy. But then a warning voice surfaced. Her tone changed. “Really? And what am I expected to do in return?”
“Sign the contract. Move to LA. Get ready to go back to work.”
“I’m not going to bed with you, Tony.”
“What?”
“Just wanted to make sure you know that.
”
He sounded perplexed. “I don’t get it. What makes you think—”
“Sean told me about the little game the two of you play.”
“Oh, no, no, no. Not this again. You mean about him and me competing for women? It’s bullcrap. About six years ago, before I met my wife, I dated a certain actress he was interested in. He insisted I did it to take her away from him. Then another woman he was hot on happened to like me more than him. Sean’s still getting me back. High school crap. Pathetic if you ask me. Especially since I’ve been happily married for the past four years and have two great kids. Now can we please get back to business?”
Could she trust him? She’d always seen Tony as a straight shooter, and right now his words rang true to her. In which case, it was a whole new ball game. And an exciting one. “How soon would I have to decide?”
“Decide? Is there a problem? I thought you’d be ecstatic. I don’t have to tell you about Reaching Out. We’re talking big. You’d be a household name. Not to mention it’s a chance to kick sand in Sean’s face for how he treated you.”
Totally confused and spun around, Jenna gripped the phone until her knuckles turned white. “I really do appreciate this, Tony. And I’m grateful for your faith in me. And elated at being chosen. I…I’m just not sure this work is right for me. I need time to think it through. When would I have to—”
“One week. Next Thursday. Marvin’s going over the contract now. He’ll be calling you later. And, Jenna, if there’s even the slightest chance you want to do this, say yes before Jason gets antsy. Most actors wait a lifetime for an offer like this—and usually never get one.”
“You’re right, Tony. I’d be a fool to turn it down.”
“Thatta girl.”
They ended the call, and Jenna continued toward the dressing rooms with an extra bounce in her step, letting herself enjoy the thrill of this unexpected turn. Reaching Out was the biggest show on TV. If she were in it, her acting career would go over the top. If the director thought she was good, maybe she did have ability in acting. Maybe this was the path she was meant to take.
