Romance Through the Ages

by Amy Harmon

  “I know. But you didn’t because you’re a better person than me.” Jessa’s sandal tapped against the concrete step.

  Taycee yawned, unable to fight the exhaustion anymore. “I wasn’t right for the job, Jess. You can see that now, right?”

  “No,” Jessa said. “You were perfect for the job. If Luke had won instead of Jake, everything would have ended as it should.”

  The warm humid night air seemed to mix with Jessa’s words and seep into Taycee, easing some of the ache she’d lived with for the past several days. Although things were far from great, it helped that Jessa was still here. Still her friend. “Or,” Taycee said. “If you’d been the bachelorette instead, things might have ended as it should, too.”

  Silence. And then, “What?”

  Taycee suppressed a laugh. It wasn’t often she surprised Jessa, and she loved it when she did. “I’m saying that maybe you and Jake would be a good fit, that’s all. You do think he’s handsome, rich, and charming.”

  “I think that about a lot of guys.”

  Taycee’s eyebrows rose.

  “Well, okay,” Jessa said. “So maybe there aren’t a lot that fit into that category around here. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for just anyone—least of all one of the bachelors on your dating show. I’m not that idiotic.”

  “You keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.”

  “I will,” said Jessa. “Despite everything, though, things still worked out. We raised enough money, and assuming everything goes smoothly, the farmers market will be open in two weeks. And, if they’re able to sell enough to pay off their loans, the majority of them plan to sign up with Jake’s company in the fall.”

  “Glad to hear it.” Taycee smiled, nudging Jessa’s shoulder with her own. “Hey, mind if I ask you a question?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why are you still in Shelter Springs instead of out in the real world, making your splash? Because it would be huge. And beautiful. Like one of those cool fountain shows.” Please don’t say it’s because of me.

  “I think you overestimate me.” Jessa’s sandal tapped against the concrete again, faster this time. “Honestly? I guess it’s because I lack the courage.”

  “Please. You’re the most daring person I know.”

  “It’s all an act.” Jessa’s hands clasped her knees as she leaned back and examined the sky. She rarely allowed her vulnerability to show, but now, right here, on this warm, clear night it was there in her big blue eyes.

  What’s more, it looked good on her.

  “Maybe you should ask Jake if his company has any openings,” Taycee said. It hurt to say the words, to make the suggestion that a life outside of Shelter Springs might be a better fit for her friend. She didn’t want to see Jessa go, just like she hadn’t wanted to see anyone else go. But go they did, and now they were better for it. Maybe Jessa would be better too.

  A quiet chuckle sounded. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that. After the whole bachelorette fiasco, he’s sure to want to hire me.”

  “He was actually really impressed with what you did,” said Taycee.

  Jessa’s head shook again, but something shone in her eyes that wasn’t there before. Hope maybe. “No, if I’m going to venture out of here, I’m going to do it on my own—not that I wouldn’t mind living in Sacramento.”

  Taycee grinned. “I’ve heard through the rumor mill that Jake isn’t leaving until tomorrow morning. According to Mary, he’s planning to grab some breakfast at the diner before heading out of town. You should, you know, drop by and say goodbye.”

  “Maybe I will.” Jessa pursed her lips, and then cocked her head at Taycee. “And speaking of guys, heard anything from Luke?”

  The mere mention of his name was all it took to suck the happy, light-heartedness away. “No. I’m worried he left town because I’ve tried everything. It’s like he gave up without a fight.” A thought Taycee hated voicing aloud because it sounded even more true. More real. The only possible conclusion.

  “In that case, I think it’s time I give that boy a piece of my mind. In fact—

  “No. You’ve done enough, thanks.”

  Jessa’s finger poked Taycee’s shoulder. “You’re making it sound like I’d make it worse.”

  “Because you would,” Taycee said. “You’d track him down, probably punch him, and then yell at him—assuming you can find him, that is. Good luck with that.”

  “And you’re saying punching and yelling wouldn’t help?”

  Taycee tried for a wry smile, but a yawn came out instead. “Just leave this one alone, okay?”

  “Fine,” Jessa said. “But if he doesn’t show his face in the next day or two and beg you to take him back, I am going to track him down and then strangle him, okay?”

  “Okay.” Taycee agreed. “I’ll even go with you.”

  Chapter Forty-one

  Luke tossed overnight bag on the couch, and then flung open his fridge. Nothing. Only sour milk and fuzzy cheese. He would have stopped by the diner on his way home if it hadn’t been closed. His flight had been delayed, and it was now after midnight, which meant he’d have to wait until morning before he could talk to Taycee.

  He closed the door and sauntered over to the couch, dropping down beside his bag. His fingers raked through his hair as he glanced at his watch yet again.

  His phone vibrated with a text, and Luke grabbed it from his pocket, hoping Taycee’s name would appear and that she was still awake. But it was only Caleb.

  Idiot, where R you? If you don’t fix things w/ Tace soon, I might have to kill you. Or sue. So sick of hearing about it.

  A second later, another text came.

  If you haven’t seen her final interview, watch it. NOW. Idiot.

  For the first time in days, Luke smiled. Really smiled. Forgetting his hunger pangs, he grabbed his laptop and pried it open. What final interview?

  * * *

  Jake’s Audi was still parked in front of the diner. Good. Before Jessa could talk herself out of it, she pulled open the door and walked in, head held high.

  She clutched her purse and schooled her face into a surprised smile, but Jake was already talking to someone. Liza. She sat opposite him, leaning across the table with dreamy, flirty eyes.

  Jessa made a beeline for the table and stopped beside it. “Hey, Liza. Long time no see.”

  An annoyed glance darted Jessa’s way. “I just saw you the other day.”

  “Oh, that’s right. My bad.” Jessa scrunched her face in a look of confusion. “Now, was that before or after you took those pictures of Luke and Taycee and emailed them to Babette?”

  A flush crept over Liza’s face.

  Jessa bit back a smile. “Yeah, probably not the smartest move to email them from your home computer since IP addresses can be traced. Jake, here, actually taught me that.”

  The flush darkened as Liza quickly stood. Before she could escape, Jessa put a hand on her arm. “Tell you what, if you promise to start being prompt with Taycee’s orders from here on out, I’ll forget about the whole thing. If not, well, let’s just say that you’re not the only one who can spin news to the town gossip blog. Oh, and I’d love a Sprite.”

  With a glare, Liza turned and left.

  Problem solved.

  Two problems, actually, because the seat opposite Jake was now vacant. Jessa slid right in. Jake looked amazing, as always, in a light blue polo with a navy stripe across his chest. It made his eyes look bluer than usual. “Fancy meeting you here. I figured you’d be long gone by now.”

  Jake gave a wry smile. “There’s just something about Shelter that made me want to stay a little longer. And now I know why. I just got breakfast and a show. Nicely played.”

  “I have my moments.

  “Yes, you do.” His fingers fiddled with his drinking straw as he studied her.

  “I’m actually glad I ran into you, Jake. I, uh, wanted to apologize. Again.”

  An eyebrow raised in question.


  “And to let you know that I was the one who convinced Taycee to continue with the show after things started to happen with Luke.” She paused, searching for the right words. “I’ve always had this issue with failure. As in, I don’t like it. At all.”

  Jake chuckled. “Somehow, I already knew that. But no worries. We’re good.”

  A glass of Sprite came between them, hitting the counter with a thunk. Jessa glanced up. “Thanks, Liza.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Liza huffed before turning away.

  Jake pointed at the Sprite. “You going to drink that?”

  “It’s all yours.” Jessa slid the glass forward. “I only ordered it to tick her off.”

  “I figured.” He took a swig of the drink before setting it back on the counter. “So I hear you’ve been given the ax.”

  The joys of living in a small town. “Funny you should mention that. I actually got an email from the mayor this morning apologizing and saying the job’s still mine—if I want it.”

  “Do you?”

  “I don’t know.” Jessa rubbed at a sticker on her pink painted fingernail. She was officially at a crossroads in her life. She could either take the easy and predictable route or make a leap into the unknown. Whether it was her talk with Taycee or some deeply rooted need to have an adventure of her own, the latter suddenly didn’t seem as scary as it used to. “Shelter’s been good for me, but thanks to you and your family’s company, I’m not sure they need me anymore. It might be time to spread my wings.”

  Jake took another long swig of the Sprite before setting it back on the counter. He reached for his wallet and pulled out some cash for a tip, along with a business card, which he tossed across the table. “If you ever think of venturing west—say Sacramento—give me a call. We could use someone like you on our team.”

  Jessa fingered the card with both fear and excitement. Jake was giving her an opportunity to take a plunge and see if there really was life beyond Shelter Springs. Did she dare take it?

  Jessa slid the card into her purse. “Thanks,” she said. “I might take you up on that.”

  “I hope you do.” Jake stood, easing his tall frame out of the booth. “It was great meeting you, Jessa McCray.” He gave her one last smile before walking out the door.

  As Jessa watched him drive away, a happy feeling surrounded her—the kind that comes when life gives you sweet, juicy strawberries rather than lemons. Maybe Taycee was right. Maybe it was time to see how big of a splash she really could make.

  Chapter Forty-two

  Taycee hugged on of her soft, ivory down pillows to her chest and stared at her bedroom ceiling.

  It was over. Finally.

  No more cameras, no more dating a bunch of guys, and no more pretending. Taycee could finally be herself again, whatever that meant. She didn’t really know anymore because it felt like something huge was missing from her life. Someone.

  Taycee frowned—something she did every time she thought of Luke, which was often. If she kept it up, she’d probably etch permanent sad lines across her face. It had been five days since she’d walked away from him. Five days since she’d talked to him.

  Five. Long. Miserable. Days.

  No more. It was time to put an end to the misery. If Luke didn’t want to see or talk to her, that was his problem. Taycee refused to wallow any longer. It was a new beautiful day outside, and she planned to spend it doing whatever she wanted. Forget work. Forget responsibility. And most importantly, forget Luke. She’d earned a day of freedom.

  Taycee rolled out of bed, took her time in the shower, and then slipped on some comfy yoga pants and a lime green T-shirt with the words, “Just how many frogs do I have to kiss?” scrawled across the front—a thank you gift from Jessa. She padded barefoot to her kitchen and rummaged through her pantry. Cornflakes? No. Popcorn? Yes. Taycee stuffed the package into the microwave.

  Today was a day for celebrating the demise of Shelter’s Bachelorette. She would watch her favorite non-romantic movies. She would read her favorite non-romantic book. She would eat whatever she wanted. And she would not think of Luke.

  The buttery smell of popcorn drifted into her nose, reminding her of a certain drive-in style date. Taycee frowned at the microwave. Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t eat anything she wanted.

  She yanked on the handle and grabbed the steaming popcorn bag, playing Hot Potato with it as she carried it out to the trash. When she came back inside, the smell was still there, taunting her with images of Luke throwing popcorn at her while Sneakers played on the wall of the garage in front of them.

  Argh.

  With purposeful steps, Taycee opened all the windows in her house, even going so far as to place a box fan in the front window to help purge the room of that rich, popcorn smell.

  Three raps sounded on the door in quick succession.

  Taycee turned her frown on the door, not interested in talking to anyone—not even Jessa. Maybe if she didn’t answer, whoever it was would go away. She turned toward the kitchen.

  “Taycee Lynne? You in there?” a muffled voice called through the door.

  On second thought.

  She rushed to the door and flung it open, revealing Luke with one hand planted firmly on her doorjamb as he leaned toward her, looking more delicious than any popcorn. Damp hair and all.

  Taycee’s heart dropped to her toes, and she felt the crazy urge to beat him and kiss him at the same time. “Where have you been?” she blurted. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days. Did you lose your phone or something? Because if you’ve been ignoring my calls on purpose, I’m going to… to…”

  “You’re going to what?” His brown eyes smiled at her, making her heart beat double-time. He took a step toward her. “Punch me? Write me out of your will? Or were you planning to sic Missy on me again?”

  She cleared her throat and lifted her chin. “All of the above.”

  “Then you’d better get started because I didn’t lose my phone.”

  “What?” Taycee suddenly felt like she really did want to punch him. Her fingers fisted at her side. “How could you? Do you have any idea what you’ve put me through?”

  He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, nodding toward her front room. “What’s with the fan and open windows? You’re making your apartment hot and muggy.”

  “I’m trying to get rid of the popcorn smell.” Taycee cringed after she’d said it. Seriously, who eats popcorn for breakfast? Someone who needs help, that’s who. “Stop trying to change the subject.”

  Luke’s eyes shifted to the TV, featuring Men in Black. Yet another non-morning type thing to be doing. He probably wondered if she’d officially gone insane. “Why get rid of the popcorn smell if you’re watching a movie? I thought you loved popcorn.”

  “I like to eat it, not smell it.” She waltzed over to the TV and flipped it off. “Are you going to tell me where you’ve been now? I don’t like being ignored.”

  “I know.” He pushed away from the door and moved toward her.

  Taycee held up a hand. “If you think I’m going to come running into your arms after you deliberately avoided me for five days with no explanation, you are one stick short of a bundle.”

  Luke’s lips twitched as the usual teasing glint appeared in his eyes. “What makes you think that’s what I want?”

  Of all the—Taycee’s foot stomped against the floor. “Luke Spencer Carney, you stop it right now! I am so not in the mood for this!”

  “What are you in the mood for?” A lop-sided smile joined his teasing eyes as he moved toward her. “More popcorn?”

  “No!”

  “’Sneakers?’”

  “No!”

  Luke closed the distance between them. “Me?”

  Without waiting for an answer, his mouth covered hers with a kiss that curled Taycee’s toes—another thing that didn’t usually happen at nine-o’clock in the morning. Her fingers somehow found their way to the back of his head, pulling him
toward her. It had been too long since she’d kissed him, too long since she’d felt his arms around her.

  Something that was all his fault.

  The almost unbidden reminder took over, smothering the happy moment. She tried to shove it aside for later, but it pestered and nagged until she finally gave up and pushed him back.

  “You can’t do that until you explain! And even then, maybe not.”

  “Okay, okay, fine.” His hands travelled down her arms, stopping at her wrists. “If you have to know, I’ve been in Ohio. With my ex-fiancée.”

  Taycee didn’t realize her jaw had dropped until his finger pushed it back into place. Was he joking? The teasing glint was still there, but she also heard an undercurrent of truth in his words. Which she didn’t like. At all. “Say what?”

  Luke sighed. “Her father—my former boss and mentor—passed away a few days ago. I went out there for the funeral.”

  “Oh,” Taycee said, feeling a mixture of relief and embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, Luke.”

  “Me too.” His thumb traced along her jaw line. “His family asked me to stay to help out with his practice for a while.”

  Taycee frowned. Awhile? What did that mean? As in more than a few days? She clamped her mouth shut because she knew whatever she said would be the wrong thing. Sorry, you can’t. No way. I forbid it. Better to bite the inside of her cheek instead.

  His lips twitched as he watched her, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. ”I turned them down. I’m back for good.”

  Taycee had heard those same words before, several weeks ago. At the time they’d nearly induced a panic attack, but not anymore. Now those words made her heart feel bigger somehow, more powerful and capable than ever before. Now they sounded fabulous.

  Luke watched her face. Searching. Seeking. “Just out of curiosity, if I had said yes, would you have come with me?”

  Those words, on the other hand, made Taycee’s heart stop. “Would you have asked me to go with you?”

  “I would have wanted to.”