While Carrie appeared to be awed by his presence, Caitlyn’s expression was indignant. “Jenny, how can you even stand to look at that man after what he did to you?” She whirled on her twin. “And you, get over the starry-eyed, hero-worship thing. He might be the hottest thing in country music since Tim McGraw or Kenny Chesney, but you know he’s a creep.”
Despite her own misgivings about the situation, Jenny stepped in.
“It’s okay, Caitlyn. Caleb’s not here because of me. Your Aunt Bree asked him to perform a couple of songs in the play. You know how persuasive she can be.”
“Well, I can’t imagine what she was thinking,” Caitlyn said. “Did she invite him here today, too?”
“Of course she did, you ninny,” Carrie said. “Remember that guy from Chicago? She hated his guts, but she asked him to come to Thanksgiving dinner. Unlike you, Aunt Bree doesn’t hold grudges.”
Jenny glanced at Caleb and noted that he seemed more amused than distraught by the debate over his presence. “Caleb, I want you to meet Carrie and Caitlyn. Their mom’s an O’Brien. Abby. She’s bound to be inside somewhere.”
“Twins?” he guessed.
“Yes, but we’re nothing alike,” Caitlyn was quick to declare.
“Are you really going to be in the Christmas play?” Carrie asked Caleb.
“I’ve agreed to take a small part,” he said. “I’ll be singing a couple of Jenny’s songs.”
“I told you we should be in the play,” Carrie said to her sister. “It would be awesome to tell the kids at school we were onstage with Caleb Green. They would totally freak out.”
“And I told you to go ahead,” Caitlyn reminded her. “I have too much studying to do.”
Carrie rolled her eyes. “She could make straight A’s without cracking a book. She’ll probably graduate from college in three years instead of four.”
“While you’ll drag it out as long as possible because you like the parties,” Caitlyn countered.
Jenny laughed, but Carrie didn’t even bother trying to deny it.
“So what if I want to meet someone and get married?” Carrie said. “That’s what you’re supposed to do in college. Half the seniors in our sorority are already engaged and planning June weddings.”
“If Mom heard you say that, she’d have a heart attack,” Caitlyn responded.
“Mom’s been married twice,” Carrie countered.
“But she has a great job and is totally capable of being an independent woman. That’s what she wants for us, to be able to stand on our own two feet. You’ll be happy to marry some rich guy and let him pay the bills.”
Carrie shrugged, clearly unoffended. “There could be worse things.”
“Like having no job skills when he divorces you,” Caitlyn suggested.
It was obviously a long-running discussion between the two young women. Jenny dared to step in. “For whatever it’s worth, I’m with your mom,” she said.
“So am I,” Caleb added, drawing a shocked look from Carrie and the first approving one of the encounter from Caitlyn.
“People should always know who they are and what they’re capable of accomplishing before they get into a relationship,” Caleb said. “You don’t want to live in someone else’s shadow.”
“Exactly,” Caitlyn responded. She hesitated, then glanced at Jenny. “Is that how it was with you two?”
“Jenny was already successful when we met,” Caleb said before Jenny could try to explain the complexities of their relationship, probably in more detail than either girl needed to hear.
“But you took her talent to another level when you started collaborating,” Carrie said, her gaze on Caleb. “Isn’t that true?”
It was Jenny who answered. “Yes,” she said.
“But she would have done incredible work even if I’d never come along,” Caleb insisted.
“But together you were magic,” Carrie said dreamily.
Jenny bit back a sigh. Most of the time they had been.
Carrie looked from Jenny to Caleb and back again, then said softly, “I hope you will be again. I bet this play will rock because of the two of you. Come on, Caitlyn. We should leave them alone.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Now you’re Miss Sensitivity.” She glanced worriedly at Jenny. “Do you want us to go?”
“Why don’t we all go inside?” Jenny suggested. “Dinner’s bound to be ready soon.”
With any luck, she could find a place at the table far, far away from Caleb. Unfortunately, steering clear of all the likely matchmakers was going to be more difficult.
* * *
Nell O’Brien was everything Caleb had heard her described to be, a petite matriarch who ruled over the household with a great deal of love and wisdom. Dillon O’Malley, who’d once been an old flame in Ireland and was now her second husband, sat beside her and quietly looked after her every need, putting a little extra food on her plate, keeping her water glass filled.
What really touched Caleb, though, was not the attentiveness, but the unmistakable tenderness in his expression as he watched Nell’s interactions with this huge, rambunctious family. He was clearly prepared to jump in at the slightest hint of disrespect, though it seemed unlikely to Caleb that the need would ever arise. Everyone clearly adored Nell.
“They’re remarkable, aren’t they?” Jenny commented.
Despite her very deliberate attempts to find a place at the far end of the massive dining room table, Jenny had landed in the seat beside him. Caleb had noted the precise instant when she’d realized that changing places would cause more commotion than it was worth.
“Theirs is such a romantic story,” she said, her expression wistful. “They fell in love as teenagers while she was visiting her grandparents in Ireland, but she came back to the States to marry someone else. Then, years later, she went back with the whole family at Christmas...” She looked at him. “I told you about that trip, right?”
Caleb nodded. What he remembered, though, was that she’d found out on Christmas Day that her mom and Thomas were expecting a baby. That news had left her reeling. He was a little surprised that she remembered other events of the trip with such distinct fondness.
“Anyway, Nell went to the old tobacco shop that had been run by her grandfather. Dillon had worked there during the summer, and he was still there. He owns it now, along with a ton of other businesses. He was a widower, and he’d never forgotten her.”
She smiled. “Mick nearly had a heart attack over his mother dating an old flame. You’d have thought she was an errant teenager, rather than in her eighties,” she told Caleb. “Everyone else thought it was fantastic. Dillon came here for a visit a few months later, they got married in the garden at Nell’s cottage on the same day his granddaughter married Luke, Nell’s grandson. Now they live there.”
“That is pretty amazing,” Caleb said. It was proof of just how long love could endure when it was right. He could only hope his and Jenny’s was that strong.
He noticed that on Jenny’s other side, her little brother was trying to get her attention. More than once, he’d noticed how difficult it seemed to be for Jenny to warm up to the boy who clearly craved her affection.
“Hey, buddy,” Caleb said. “What’s up?”
There was no mistaking the frown on Jenny’s lips, even though it came and went in a heartbeat as she reluctantly turned to Sean.
“Guess what, Jenny? Mommy and Daddy bought me a guitar so I can learn to play music like you,” Sean announced excitedly. He’d clearly decided music might be the link to tie him to his big sister.
“Wanna hear me play?” he asked her.
When Jenny remained silent a beat too long, Caleb jumped in. “Absolutely,” he said at once. “We can have a jam session after lunch, you and me. How about it?”
Sean looked confused. “What’s a jam session?”
“We’ll play something together,” Caleb explained. “Maybe I can teach you some chords or one of Jenny’s songs.”
“One of Jenny’s songs,” Sean said beaming. His expression faltered as he turned to her. “Would that be okay?”
Caleb awaited her reply with almost as much nervousness as Sean did.
“Of course,” she told him.
“Me, too. Me, too,” Emily Rose announced when she overheard them. Her face fell. “But I don’t have a guitar.”
“I have a spare,” Caleb said at once. “It might be a little too big for you, but we can figure out a way to make it work.”
Jenny seemed startled by his response. She leaned over. “Caleb, you don’t have to do that,” she told him quietly. “I know how expensive those guitars of yours are. They’re not toys.”
“It’s no big deal,” he insisted. “I want to do this.” Maybe she hadn’t seen the hope in that little boy’s eyes, but he had. And who could turn a blind eye to Emily Rose when she was filled with such boundless excitement? Somebody had to build a bridge between all of them. Maybe he could at least get it started.
Jenny shrugged. “Up to you.”
He gave her a long look. “You’ll be joining us, right? We need Jenny to play, too, don’t we, Sean?”
The boy’s head bobbed enthusiastically. “Please, Jenny.”
“Yes, please, Jenny,” Emily Rose echoed.
Jenny hesitated, then nodded. “Sure.”
Over Sean’s head, Connie caught Caleb’s eye. “Thank you,” she mouthed.
He merely winked back.
He’d wondered when he came to Chesapeake Shores if he could possibly make peace with Jenny, wondered, too, if he’d ever find a way to fit in. Day by day, though, it was increasingly clear that while they might not entirely trust him yet, Jenny’s extended family had warm hearts and were eager to welcome him. He might even have a role to play in at least one little boy’s relationship with the big sister he so desperately wanted to impress.
* * *
Caleb had run out to his truck to retrieve his guitars after lunch while Jenny hid out in the kitchen helping the women clean up. She’d harbored the faint hope that he wouldn’t come looking for her on his return.
“I like your young man,” Nell said to her as they put away the dishes while Jess, Abby and Bree finished drying them. “I’m aware he made some mistakes, but I can tell how fond he is of you.”
“He’s not my young man,” Jenny told her. “Not anymore.”
Nell chuckled. “If you’ve told him that, he doesn’t seem to be buying it.”
“Because he’s stubborn,” Jenny said in frustration.
“Well, for whatever it’s worth, I don’t think you should be so quick to write him off.”
Jenny regarded her curiously. “Why? You’ve barely exchanged more than a few sentences with him.”
“I saw how kind he was to Sean,” she said simply. “For a man who’s new to all of us to see what that child needed—what you need—demonstrates a depth of sensitivity I don’t see all that often.” She smiled. “Except in my own family, of course. I like to think I’ve had a little influence with them.”
Just then Caleb came back into the kitchen, Sean and Emily Rose hanging on his every word. He’d made conquests, Jenny thought, not entirely certain how she felt about that. How was she supposed to hold out, to cling to her well-deserved anger, when everyone else was giving Caleb the benefit of the doubt?
Caleb bent down and whispered something to Sean. A shy smile spread across her little brother’s face, though there was uncertainty in his eyes as he approached Jenny and Nell. As if she understood, Nell put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Jenny, Caleb wants to know if you’re ready to play music now,” Sean asked, his expression hopeful.
Aware that everyone in the kitchen had gone silent awaiting her reply, she bit back any last trace of resentment and forced a smile she hoped looked genuine. “Absolutely,” she told him. She glanced at Nell. “Do you suppose Mick would mind if we used his office, so we don’t drive off the rest of the guests? This could be more noise than music.”
Nell immediately shook her head. “I think we’re all going to want to hear. You’ll play in the living room.” She glanced toward Caleb. “If you happen to play a few old Christmas carols, I might even be tempted to join in on the piano.”
Caleb grinned at her. “Now we have ourselves a real jam session, Sean.”
Sean ran back to him and slapped his hand in a jubilant high five.
Jenny shook her head. “The man is full of surprises,” she commented under her breath.
Nell laughed. “Take a word of advice from someone who’s been around a very long time. Surprises are essential. Not a day goes by that Dillon doesn’t find some new way to take my breath away. Whoever thought that at my age, with all I’ve seen and done, anyone would be able to do that again?” She glanced toward the doorway to the dining room, spotted the man in question, and blushed like a girl.
“I hope I can find someone like that someday,” Jenny said.
Nell pointedly looked in Caleb’s direction. “Not that my opinion is the one that counts, but it seems to me you already have.”
Jenny had a huge amount of faith in Nell’s wisdom, but this time? She told herself Nell wouldn’t have sounded half so certain if she knew everything Caleb had done not only to destroy his own life, but to rip her heart to shreds, too.
Of course, the real problem was that even though she’d lived through the experience, she was starting to have trouble remembering just how devastating it had been. And that, she warned herself, certainly wasn’t good.
Chapter Ten
Just a few notes into one of the first hits that Caleb had recorded of one of Jenny’s songs, Emily Rose picked up a pink princess hairbrush and began belting out the lyrics like a little pro. She missed the notes more often than not, but made up for it in flair and enthusiasm. Caleb accompanied her with an expression of astonishment on his face. As she strummed along, Jenny couldn’t help laughing at the two of them. She wasn’t sure which one was having more fun.
When they’d finished their duet, everyone in the room burst into spontaneous applause and cheers. Emily Rose bowed deeply from the waist, a huge grin on her face. Caleb leaned down and kissed her cheek, whispering something into her ear that had her laughing, then scampering away to climb into Jake’s arms.
Caleb and Jenny put down their guitars then, since it was evident that nothing could top that performance. As the family slowly started to disperse, Caleb moved closer to Jenny. He gave her a peck on the cheek no friendlier than the one he’d given Emily Rose.
“A pleasure performing with you again,” he said, his voice solemn, but a twinkle in his eyes.
“Is that what you said to Emily Rose?”
“Nah. I told her I was thinking we ought to team up,” he said. “I said I’d have my people speak to her people.”
Jenny laughed at the outrageous suggestion. “Watch it, pal. That little girl is already smitten. If you’re not careful, she’s going to expect you to take her on the road on your next concert tour.”
“I could do a lot worse for an opening act,” he said. “Or a duet partner. She’d have the crowds eating out of the palm of her hand.”
“Bree and Jake might object,” Jenny said, though she actually wondered about that. Bree might be all for her daughter being a superstar by age six.
“I imagine I could convince them,” Caleb said confidently. His gaze narrowed and he studied her more intently. “How about you, Jenny? Did you have fun this afternoon?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” she admitted.
“You made Sean happy, I know that.”
“He’s a good kid,” she acknowledged. She might not entirely feel the family connection the way everyone wanted her to, but she certainly wasn’t immune to his bright smile and eagerness to please.
“He adores you,” Caleb reminded her. “Your mom has obviously made sure he thinks of you as his big sister, even though you haven’t been around much.”
“I haven’t been around at all,” she corrected. “I’m still embarrassed by that. Maybe if I had been, I’d feel a stronger connection to him.”
“Instead of that last little bit of lingering resentment?” Caleb asked with surprising insight.
“Okay, yes. A part of me does resent him, but I do know that’s wrong. None of this was his fault. It’s nobody’s fault. Mom and Thomas fell in love. They had a child together, which is an incredible gift. I need to grow up and get over it. I realize that my attitude stinks,” she said, unable to keep a defensive note from her voice. “And I know everyone is still judging me for that.”
“I haven’t heard a single critical word,” Caleb told her. “In fact, it seems to me the only person who hasn’t understood how hard this has been and forgiven you for taking the time you needed to adjust is you.”
“Everyone’s just too discreet to say anything in front of you,” she insisted. “For all the inroads you may have made with your charm, you’re still even more of an outsider than I am.”
Caleb frowned. “Why do you keep saying that? You’re not an outsider, Jenny. These people are family, or at least they’re willing to be. Can’t you at least meet them halfway?”
She was startled by the impatience in his voice. Now he, too, was judging her? What right did he have? He hadn’t been here, hadn’t known the bond she’d had with her mom before Thomas and then Sean had taken her place.
“You don’t understand,” she said, blinking back tears.
“No, I don’t,” he acknowledged. “I’ve heard the longing in your voice, the admiration, when you talked about the O’Briens. I assumed they were the ones who hadn’t accepted the situation, that you were like a kid locked outside a candy store with all those wonderful treats just out of reach. Instead, you’ve had the key all along.”
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