by Addison Cole
Bella, Amy, and Jenna jumped into the water, splashing both of them. Jamie pulled himself up halfway on the raft to shield Jessica from the splashes.
“Mr. Chivalrous, look at you,” Jenna yelled as she doggie paddled around the deep water.
“Lame excuse to get closer,” Tony hollered.
“What’s up with him today?” Jamie asked Bella.
“Ames had a date last night.” Bella swatted Jenna as she tried to cling to her. “He’s been grumpy ever since.”
“Poor guy. He had his chance. How’d it go, Amy?” Jamie climbed off of Jessica but kept his hand on hers.
Amy had a foam noodle beneath her arms as she floated around the pool in her baby-blue bikini. “It was nice. We’re going out again tonight.”
“We’re all going so we can check him out.” Jenna grabbed a noodle and floated over to Jessica’s raft. “You two should come. We’re going to listen to a band play at Marconi Beach. I’m going to make Petey dance with me.”
“I’ve never even seen a band on a beach.” Jessica squeezed Jamie’s hand. “Do you think Vera would want to go?”
“You have no idea how much I love that you want to include her, but she’s been going to bed early these days. I’ll ask her, but it’ll probably be just us. Do you mind if I go spend a few minutes with her?”
“Of course not. Go.”
After a quick kiss, he swam the length of the pool, grabbed a towel, and joined Vera, the call with Mark all but forgotten.
“YOU CAN BURN a hole through a man if you stare too much,” Bella teased.
“Do they sell full-body heat protectors, then? Because there’s no chance that I’ll be done staring at him anytime soon.” Jessica couldn’t believe she’d admitted that out loud, but she was practically salivating over Jamie’s muscles as they bunched and flexed while he dried his delicious body—the taste of which was too fresh in her mind to forget.
“Said by the woman who suspiciously didn’t answer the door this morning at seven thirty.” Bella raised her brows.
“Bella!” Amy yelled. “We said we wouldn’t embarrass her.”
Jessica pulled Amy’s noodle closer and asked quietly, “Did you guys really come by?”
Amy nodded. “Don’t worry. We didn’t stick around and listen or anything. But we heard enough to know that we shouldn’t bother you.”
“Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.” She covered her mouth and shot a look at Jamie. He was laughing with Vera. She loved how attentive he was to his grandmother. “Oh no. Did Vera hear us, too?”
“No, Vera was playing her violin,” Amy assured her. “Tony was too angry about me going on a date to be aware of anything, Kurt had his nose in his computer, and Caden was out running, so it was only us girls.”
“Oh, thank heavens. I’m sorry I didn’t answer the door.” No, she really wasn’t. She’d had the best morning of her life, and every time she revisited the feel of Jamie lying with her, or… She had to stop thinking of him.
“Don’t be. At least you’re not like Leanna.” Amy laughed. “She leaves her windows open and all of Wellfleet can hear her. That’s probably the real reason they stay at their house on the bay instead of the cottage.”
“Oh, that’s awful. If we ever do that, please, please tell us, because I’d be mortified.” She realized she’d used the term us. It felt natural. It felt good.
“You guys are such a cute couple. I wish my favorite surfer dude would ask me out. I’ve been in love with him forever.” Amy’s eyes went soft when she looked at Tony lying on a lounge chair.
“If he’s that mad over you dating, it means he likes you. I know he was only helping me onto the raft to make you jealous.” Jessica lowered her voice to a whisper. “He looked right past me and stared at you.”
“Well, he sure doesn’t act like it, but I do like the guy I’m going out with,” Amy explained. “Jake Ryder, he’s Blue’s younger brother.”
“Much younger brother. She’s a cradle robber,” Jenna said.
Did that make Jamie a cradle robber, too?
“He’s only twenty-eight, but he’s some kind of hot, mountain rescue guy, so…” Jenna wiggled her eyebrows in quick succession.
Amy swatted Jenna’s arm. “Stop trying to stir up trouble.”
Jenna laughed.
Jamie and Vera walked by, and Jamie crouched beside the pool. “I’m going to help Vera get situated. She doesn’t want to come this evening, so it will be just us. Okay?”
“Sounds good.” Jessica waved to Vera. “We’ll miss you tonight.”
“Thank you, dear. Have a nice time.”
She watched Jamie escort Vera out of the pool gates and sighed, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. She got out of the pool to lie in the sun, and her phone rang with an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Jessica Ayers?”
“Yes.” She watched the girls fight over the raft she’d used.
“This is Steve Lacasse. You left me a message the other day.” His voice was energetic and friendly.
“Oh! Steve, yes, thank you for calling back. You had a baseball for sale, the one with Mickey Mantle’s signature all colored in with red ink.”
“Yes, but that’s been sold. Shipped it off the other day.”
“Yes. I know it was sold. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that was my father’s ball from when he was a child, and I’d like to contact the new owner to see if I can buy it from him. I was wondering if you could share his contact information with me.” Please, please, please.
“I’m sorry, Jessica, but I can’t give out any personal information. You can probably track him down on eBay.”
“Yes, I’ve tried that. Could you please pass along my information to him?”
“I suppose I could do that. What’s your email address?”
“It’s Jessica at BSO dot com, but could you please give him my phone number instead?”
“Darlin’, I’m not sure that’s a wise thing to do. Email is much safer.”
She smiled at his concern for her, but she hardly ever used email, and the less she had to rely on the computer, the better. “Thank you, yes, I understand that, but if you wouldn’t mind?”
He agreed, and Jessica hung up the phone feeling hopeful about finding her father’s baseball.
She lay down on the towel as Amy dried off a few feet away.
“Do you think I’m crazy to go out with someone a few years younger than me?” Amy laid her towel on her chair and tucked her wet hair behind her ears.
“I’m not the best person to give dating advice, but I’m younger than Jamie. I think you should follow your heart.”
Amy sighed. “I tried that.” She glared at Tony, who was nose deep in a novel. “I want to run down to the crazy store. Want to come with me?”
“What’s the crazy store?”
“Oh, right. Sorry. You know the two souvenir shops that are across the street from each other in South Wellfleet? Right on Route 6?”
Jessica shook her head.
“The ones with all the inner tubes and blow up stuff all over?”
“Oh, those. Yes.”
“We had a renter here once whose little girl called them the crazy stores, and it kind of stuck. Anyway, they have tie-dyed dresses, and I want to see if I can pick one up for tonight.”
An hour later Jessica, Amy, Bella, and Jenna came out of the crazy store with bags in hand. Jessica had a fun new dress to wear, which went perfectly with her new life. She’d bought Jamie a mood ring, and she’d picked up a cute beach bag for Vera.
When they got back to Seaside, Jessica heard Vera playing her violin. She walked around to the back deck of Jamie and Vera’s cottage to listen and found Jamie sitting with his back to Jessica, working on his laptop. Vera was playing “Czárdás” by Vittorio Monti, a piece that Jessica had always loved. She closed her eyes for a minute and let the music wash over her. Her fingers moved out of habit. She ached to play again. She opened her ey
es as Jamie looked up from where he was working on his laptop and smiled.
“Hey, Jess.”
“Hi. I got Vera a little something. I’ve always loved that piece she’s playing.”
“It’s one of my favorites, too.” He reached for her hand as she stepped onto the deck and kissed her cheek.
“I saw this bag at the crazy store and thought Vera might like it for the pool.”
“The crazy store. You must have gone with the girls.” He held up the bag and showed it to Vera. “Look what Jess brought you.”
Vera stopped playing and joined them at the table. “That was very sweet of you. Thank you. This is lovely.”
“I’m glad you like it. I love listening to you play.” Jessica decided to wait and give Jamie his gift when they were alone. A mood ring wasn’t just silly. It implied intimacy, and she was still a little shy after what Amy had said.
“Thank you. Until my fingers won’t allow it, I’m going to play to my heart’s content.”
Jessica knew that feeling. She’d been working hard at ignoring the urge to pick up her cello. She focused on her father’s baseball to stifle the urge to join Vera. “Jamie, I heard back from Steve, and he’s going to give the buyer my number.”
“That’s awesome.” Jamie folded her into his arms and hugged her tight. “You might get that baseball after all.”
“I hope so. I’m going to run this stuff home. I want to call my father and catch up on a few things.”
“I still haven’t given you a lesson on eBay or the computer. I’m sorry that fell through the cracks. Want to do that now?”
She couldn’t tell if the desire in his eyes was her imagination or if he was making up an excuse so they could be alone and intimate again. She already missed the feel of him, and ever since he made the innuendo in the pool about being aroused, she’d been fighting memories of lying in his arms and being spoiled by his hands, his mouth, his body. Oh my. She had to go home before Vera saw right through her.
“That’s okay. You’re working and spending time with Vera. Hopefully, the buyer will call me, so there’s no rush.”
“Jessica, why don’t you bring your cello down and accompany me in a piece? I would love to hear you play.” Vera patted Jamie on the shoulder. “Go on, Jamie. Help her bring her cello down.”
“I don’t want to interfere.” Jessica couldn’t ignore the goose bumps racing up her arms at the idea of playing with Vera. Playing for Jamie was one thing, but Vera was an accomplished musician. She’d appreciate the musicality of Jessica’s style, which would be thrilling, but she would also notice her weaknesses.
“What do you say, Jess?” Jamie rose to his feet.
How could she say no to Vera? “Okay. Sure. Thank you, Vera.” They walked across the quad toward her apartment.
“Where are y’all going?” Bella hollered from her deck, where she was grilling. The smell of seasoned steaks rose around her cottage.
“Jess is going to play with Vera,” Jamie answered. “Come on over.” He turned to Jessica and lowered his voice. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, it’s fine.” She wasn’t sure if she was so nervous about playing in front of everyone, or because once she did, she might not be able to keep herself from playing again and again.
“I’ll bring steaks.” Bella hung over the edge of her deck and hollered, “Jenna! Pete! Jessica’s playing with Vera. Grab some salad!”
Jenna ran outside in her new tie-dyed sundress with Joey on her heels. “Really? Oh, yay! I’ll get Ames. Can you tell Kurt and Leanna? Oh, and Tony?”
“Amy left to meet Jake.” Bella stepped off her deck.
“And Tony’s right here.” Tony waved from his side yard. “I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Go get ready!” Bella shooed Jamie and Jessica away.
Jessica looked nervously at Jamie, who was smiling with pride in his eyes, while her stomach twisted and turned.
“See? Everyone wants to hear you play.” He draped an arm over her shoulder as they headed up the stairs to her apartment.
Jessica realized the real cause of her stress. She’d played in front of thousands of people, the media, even the president, and she wasn’t as nervous as she was to play in front of her new friends. She wanted to be plain old Jessica Ayers to them, and she knew the minute Vera heard her play, she’d know how accomplished she really was, and even though the others may not realize the level of expertise she possessed, surely they’d recognize that her cello playing was above average. She hoped Jamie was right and that she was misjudging how she could fit her cello into the real world, and more specifically, into their relationship.
In her apartment, she fisted her hands in Jamie’s shirt and kissed him. She needed to get her mind off her nerves and she’d been thinking about his lips all day.
“I’ve waited all day for that.” He sealed his mouth over hers again, and within seconds her legs turned to jelly and her nerves eased.
She was blissfully under his spell. When he pulled back, she was breathless.
“Are you nervous?”
“You can tell?”
He covered her hand with his on his chest. “You’ve got a handful of chest hair in there. Some skin, too.”
She opened her fists. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you nervous? Didn’t you say that you play in an orchestra?” He drew those sexy brows together.
“Yes.” She went to get her cello before either of them could make another move and they ended up between the sheets instead of down on his deck where everyone would be waiting to watch her play.
Oh gosh.
Chapter Ten
JESSICA’S EYES WERE closed as her fingers danced along the fingerboard of the cello against the backdrop of the setting sun. The bow moved gracefully, then forcefully, then full of grace once again, across the strings. In the few days Jamie had known her, he’d never seen such a peaceful expression on her beautiful face. It was as if the music had seeped into her body and filled it with serenity. Surrounded by the people he loved most, she opened her eyes for a split second and immediately sought his, and in that second, she leveled him flat.
Her lips curved up and her dimples appeared, making his entire world spin on its axis. In the next moment her eyes closed, and the combination of the music and Jessica made his chest feel full.
“Dude, she’s amazing,” Tony whispered.
“Yeah,” was all he could manage. Jamie had listened to his grandmother play in enough orchestras to know expert cello playing when he heard it.
After they played, Vera lowered her violin and gazed at Jessica. Jamie had never seen his grandmother in awe of anyone. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes as she watched Jessica humbly look down at her cello with something akin to love in her eyes. Jamie looked over the others, as they clapped and smiled and told both Vera and Jessica how marvelously they’d played, and on their faces he saw the same admiration for the duo that swelled inside him. Jessica’s eyes found Vera’s and held. Jamie couldn’t read the silent message that passed between them, but he felt the power of a secret world, a secret love. A kinship. If there was one thing he understood, it was that his grandmother had recognized something in Jessica that none of them could see, and he wanted to be in the know.
While the others gathered around the table filling their plates with the potluck dinner everyone had pitched in to make and Jessica settled her cello in the case, Jamie went to Vera’s side.
“That was beautiful, Gram.”
“Yes. Magnificent,” she said as she tucked her violin into its case. Vera pulled her thick sweater around her shoulders and crossed her frail arms over her chest with a slow exhalation. “Magnificent,” she whispered, as she shifted her eyes to Jessica again. “Be a dear, would you, please? I’d love a plate of food. I’m famished.”
Jamie knew when he was being dismissed. He could see that she wanted to speak with Jessica alone, and again he wished he could swim in Vera’s brain long enough to
understand what she’d seen.
He grabbed a plate and filled it with salad, steak, and a slice of Leanna’s homemade bread and layered it with her delicious Strawberry Spice jam.
“Didn’t Jessica say she played a little the other night?” Bella asked.
“Yeah, she sure did.” Jamie respected his grandmother’s privacy and purposely didn’t try to eavesdrop on her conversation with Jessica, but he couldn’t help glancing at the woman who continually proved to be so much more than he ever expected. In every way, from her kindness and generosity, to her sweet demeanor and sensual instincts. She was standing with her hands laced together, swaying just the slightest bit, like a blade of grass in the breeze. Her lips were pressed together in that I’m-embarrassed-but-happy way that he’d fallen head over heels for, but her beautiful blue eyes were serious as she spoke to Vera. She nodded, said something that caused Vera’s mouth to open wide and then ease into her own pleasant smile.
“Well, I think she more than plays a little.” Bella handed a plate to Caden, then turned to ask Evan if he wanted her to fill one for him.
“Man, Jamie. Gorgeous and talented.” Tony had a plate loaded with steak, potatoes, salad, and bread. “Lucky dude.”
Vera reached out and embraced Jessica, and they both headed his way.
“That I am. What’s up with you and Amy? Did you blow it altogether?” Jamie asked.
Tony clenched his jaw. “Nothing to blow.”
“Really? Could have fooled me, but what do I know?” Jamie patted him on the back. “You going to the beach party tonight?”
“Of course.” Tony tossed his chin to the side and his hair fell over his brows as he draped an arm around Jamie’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “Surfing only satisfies one type of desire in this hard bod.”
The ache of jealousy in his friend’s voice wasn’t lost on Jamie, and as Tony joined Kurt, Caden, and the others and Jessica came to his side, he couldn’t help but feel empathy for him. He knew that hookups would only lessen a fleeting desire. And now that he’d experienced what being with someone he cared about felt like, he knew that making love could be a deeper, more fulfilling experience, and he hoped his friend would find that one day, too.
