Can't Get Over You (Fortune's Island, Book 2)

by Shirley Jump

  “You have the voice of an angel,” her father said. “I’m so proud, I could burst.”

  Carter joined the hug. “Didn’t sound one bit like a cow dying. Way to go, sis.”

  She laughed. “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

  There was only one opinion she wanted to hear right now, though. The one opinion she’d always wanted—and the one she’d been afraid to hear. That was why she hadn’t shared her music with Zach. Because if he hated it, she didn’t know if she could take the disappointment.

  Then he was there, and her parents moved to the side and let him through. “You were amazing,” Zach said. “Just as I knew you would be.”

  “You really think so?”

  He nodded, and she could see the pride in his face. Why had she waited so long to share this with him? It was a moment that seemed to bond them in all the ways they’d been missing over the years. “You’re incredible, Jillian.”

  “She is,” Ethan said. He strode over to the group. “So incredible, that I want to make you an offer, Jillian.”

  An offer. A real record contract. For her songs. “But…what about The Outsiders?”

  Ethan gave Zach a dismissive glance. “They’re great, too. But I only have enough left in my budget to offer one contract. We have a lot of bands on our roster. Not a lot of one-woman acts. So, the contract is yours, Jillian, if you want it.”

  Meaning, she would be taking the chance that Zach, Duff, AJ and Ian had been dreaming about for years. The opportunity that the four of them had worked to achieve. She could have what she wanted—at the cost of Zach’s dream. She caught Zach’s eye. He gave her a slow nod and whispered, go ahead, and in that moment, she knew what she had to do.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Zach stepped back and left Jillian to talk to Ethan. He wasn’t going to lie—there was a hell of a lot of disappointment in his gut right now. He’d really thought he had this record contract in the bag, but then Ethan had gone and offered it to Jillian. Zach was thrilled for Jillian, of course, and thought the best course was to just walk away and let her have what she wanted.

  “Dude, what happened?” Duff said.

  Zach shrugged. “Ethan only had one contract and he offered it to Jillian.”

  AJ and Ian started to complain, but Duff put up a hand to stop them. “She can sing, so I’m not surprised. Don’t worry about it, man. We’ll find something else.”

  But as the four of them stood in that circle, they knew the truth. Duff had a baby on the way. This was his big chance to make a real living with his music. Without the contract, the four of them might try to hold things together, but they were eventually going to disband and go their separate ways. End up working in factories or on roofs or something that would pay the bills. There was nothing left to say, really.

  “Well, we’re booked to play here tonight,” Zach said. “So why don’t we all take a nice long break, eat something and then regroup a little before eight for our first set?”

  “Sounds like a plan,” AJ said. Ian nodded. “At least we still have this gig.”

  “Yeah.” Zach felt like a heel. This was all his fault. He never should have slugged Ethan. He’d ruined it for all of them, and he could see the looks on their faces that said the band agreed. The three guys who had always been there for him were the three he had let down the most.

  Jillian crossed the room. “Zach, wait. Don’t go yet.”

  He stopped and waved to the other guys to go ahead, then waited until he and Jillian were alone before he spoke. “It’s fine, Jillian. Really. I’m excited for you.” He gave her a smile that he only half felt. It wasn’t Jillian’s fault. It was his own. He should have done what Jillian said a long time ago—and grown up.

  “I didn’t take the deal, Zach.” She reached out and put a hand on his arm. For a second, it was just like old times, as if they’d never broken up. “Like I said before, this is really your dream, not mine. I don’t know what I want yet. I just know I want to be involved in music. It’s why I’m going to school, so I can try it out and see what I want to do. Maybe I’ll want to perform, maybe I’ll want to manage, or maybe I’ll just want to write songs. But I’m not ready to make that choice yet.”

  “But, Jillian, this could be a huge break. You could end up famous.”

  “Maybe, or maybe I’ll be a one-hit wonder.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if I even want that yet. What I want is time. And support while I’m making up my mind.”

  “You’ve always had my support. You know that.”

  Her smile softened. She tilted her head in his direction. “And you’ve always had mine. So go over there and sign that contract.”

  “What?”

  “Ethan only had one contract to offer, and since I turned it down, it’s yours. It should have been yours from the beginning, and he told me that.” She shot a glance at Ethan, then turned back to Zach. Her gaze softened. “When I confronted him just now, Ethan admitted that part of why he offered me the deal first was to hurt you. He said you guys are amazing. I knew that. I always knew that. But he was a little pissed that you punched him.”

  Understandable. Most men weren’t real happy to be punched. Zach was lucky Ethan hadn’t done worse than offer a contract to Jillian. “I’m sorry about that, Jillian. I really am.”

  “I probably would have done the same thing if I saw you out with some girl.” She shrugged and let out a little laugh. “Listen, Zach, I’m not ready for a record deal. I’m not ready to make a decision today about my future career. But you are. You’ve been ready for years. So go take that contract and light up the world with your songs. Just like you always lit up mine.”

  He held her gaze for a long time, and thought there was no one in the world he would ever love as much as he loved this girl. Then he turned on his heel, grabbed the rest of the band and headed back to Ethan.

  “Jillian told me you still had an offer for us,” Zach said.

  “You guys have a good sound,” Ethan said. “Kind of earthy, soul-touching. We need that kind of thing. If you’re still interested.”

  Zach looked at Duff, AJ and Ian in turn. The three of them each gave him a somber nod. He’d known these guys for years. Knew what they were thinking. That was part of what made them not just a band, but also a small family. “Thanks, Ethan, but uh…no thanks.”

  Ethan’s brows furrowed. “You’re turning down my offer? Do you know what this means?”

  “We do.” Zach looked at the band again, because this was a big decision, and he wanted to be sure they were on the same page. “We don’t want to be anyone’s second choice. We’re better than that. And if you loved us, someone else will, too. So, thanks for your time, but we’re going to say goodbye now.”

  Then the four of them walked away, leaving a sputtering Ethan holding a contract and a pen. A second later, Ethan stormed out of The Love Shack.

  “You guys okay?” Zach asked the band after Ethan had slammed the door.

  “Yeah, we are,” Duff said. “And you’re right. If he loved us, someone else will, too. We just gotta keep on playing.”

  “But what about the baby and paying the bills?” Zach asked.

  “I’m probably going to have to work some days,” Duff said. “We all probably will. And that’ll make it harder to find practice time. But that’s part of being a grown-up, and if you guys are in for making this work one way or the other, so am I.”

  “Yeah,” AJ said. “If we want it bad enough, we’ll keep on working for it.”

  “We didn’t get this far,” Ian added, “to quit because some prissy studio exec stomped out of here like a two-year-old having a temper tantrum.”

  Zach loved these guys like brothers. Damn, he was lucky to have such good friends and band mates. “All right. It’s a plan. See you all back here later tonight?”

  “Where else would we go?” Duff clapped him on the back. “Now go show Jillian where she ranks in your priorities.”

  Duff and the guys headed toward the kitchen. “Hey, Grac
e,” Duff called out, “you got anything to feed a hungry unemployed band?”

  “I sure do.” Grace gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead, then she and Whit headed into the kitchen with the three guys. There was the sound of laughter and the rolling wave of conversation on the other side of the swinging door.

  Zach headed for Jillian, but his father stepped in front of him and stopped him.

  “Hey, Dad,” Zach said. “Thanks for coming tonight. I’m sorry it didn’t work out and it was kind of a waste of time.”

  “You tried, though, and that’s what matters.” Carl looked at his feet for a second. “I never got that far. Never had the guts to audition. Maybe if I did, I would have had the courage to keep performing. You’ve got that, Zach. You’ve got what it takes. And that will get you there, one of these days. I’m…I’m proud of you, son. I don’t say that often enough. But I’m going to try to say it a lot, going forward.”

  Zach drew his father into a hug. It took a second, the two of them so used to being adversaries that neither of them quite knew how to relax into the embrace, but then Carl raised his arms and tightened his grip on Zach. One hug didn’t solve everything, but that was okay. They were moving forward, and sometimes, that was all you needed. A little forward momentum.

  “We’re, uh, going to run downtown for a little while,” his dad said as he drew back, his voice thick. “You know your mom, she wants to shop. But if it’s okay, we’ll come back here tonight and catch the show.”

  “That would be great,” Zach said to his parents. Maybe he’d get the band to switch up the set list a little, play some of his parents’ favorite songs. Mom and Dad would like that. “Absolutely great.”

  His parents said goodbye and headed outside, but Keith lingered. He toed a circle into the floor. Zach had never seen his big, tough brother so unsure. “I…I wanted to talk to Jillian, if it’s okay,” Keith said.

  It was time, Zach realized. Past time. They all needed some closure, some apologies.

  “Sure, sure.” Zach stepped aside and headed to the bar to pour himself a glass of water. Keith crossed to Jillian and stood there a moment before saying anything. She looked at him, a little unsure, a little worried. Zach wanted to rush over there and make it all easier on her, but he knew that this was something that was just between Jillian and Keith. Something both of them needed to get through on their own. He couldn’t make it right back then, and he couldn’t do it now, either. Only Keith could do that.

  “I’m sorry for what I did that night,” Keith said, his voice a little rocky. “I was young and stupid and drinking a lot and angry at the world. I had no idea it was you, I swear. And I wish…” He let out a sigh. “I wish you had turned me in. Maybe then I would have gotten my act together sooner.”

  Jillian stood there, absorbing it all without a trace of anger on her face. Zach’s admiration of her went up a thousand notches. She could have screamed at Keith, told him off for everything that had happened. Instead, she just accepted his apology. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re on the right track now.”

  Then she surprised them both by giving Keith a hug. His brother talked to her for a moment longer, then turned away. Zach swore he saw tears in Keith’s eyes. “Don’t be an idiot and let her get away again,” Keith said, then he headed out the door.

  It was just Zach and Jillian now, inside The Love Shack. He half expected her to leave, too. But instead, she came over to him, wearing a smile. That was all he needed to see, he thought, today and every day forward.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You believed in me when I needed it most. You put what I wanted and needed at the head of your list. You put me at the head of your list.”

  “It’s the same thing you’ve been doing for me for eight years. I was just too caught up in my own stuff to notice. But I’m noticing now, Jillian, I really am.” He drew in a deep breath, then decided he had come this far, taken this many risks, so he might as well take one more. “Can you sit, right here?” He tugged a chair out from one of the tables and spun it into place directly in front of the stage. “I have something new that I want to run by you.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Back to the music, Zach? We can’t have five minutes to talk about us?”

  “All I want is a minute, Jillian, then we can talk for five years if you want.”

  She gave him a dubious look, but sank into the chair. He climbed onto the stage and grabbed his acoustic guitar. Then he settled onto the stool and started to sing. No amps, no mic, just him and Jillian.

  “You are the everything,” he sang, “and I never realized how true that was. I made mistakes, I let you go, but if you’ll say yes this time, I promise I’ll spend the rest of my life proving you are the everything, Jillian. You are…the everything. And I…I love you.”

  Then he lowered the guitar into the stand, slipped off the stool and got down on one knee. He fished in his pocket and pulled out the ring she’d left on his amp all those months ago. The diamond sparkled in the overhead lights, almost like it was winking at him. “Will you marry me, Jillian? Even though I might be a struggling musician for a while and might not always make the right decisions? This being a grown-up thing is hard work, but I promise, I’ll never let us go back to the way things were.”

  She was crying. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or bad. He froze in position, his heart in his throat. Then, she rose and took three steps forward. She stopped before him, and nodded. “Yes, Zach, yes, I’ll marry you.”

  And when Jillian slipped his ring back into its place on her finger, Zach finally knew the meaning of the song he had written years ago. He had everything he ever needed right here. He’d almost lost it all, but he was damned grateful to have it back. That, Zach realized, was the only song he wanted to sing going forward.

  Thank you for visiting the world of Fortune’s Island! If you loved Can’t Get Over You, keep reading for an excerpt from the first book in the series – And Then Forever.

  Other Books by Shirley Jump

  THE FORTUNE’S ISLAND SERIES:

  And Then Forever

  COLLABORATIVE TITLES:

  Ask Me Why

  (with Marie Force, Virginia Kantra, and Jodi Thomas)

  THE SWEETHEART SISTERS SERIES:

  The Sweetheart Bargain

  The Sweetheart Rules

  The Sweetheart Secret

  THE SWEET AND SAVORY ROMANCES:

  The Bride Wore Chocolate

  The Devil Served Desire

  The Angel Tasted Temptation

  The Playboy Savored Seduction

  The Boss Courted Trouble

  Excerpt from And Then Forever by Shirley Jump

  DARCY CALLED NONA AND asked the older woman if she could stay the night with Emma. Not that Darcy had any plans with Kincaid beyond the one drink, but she thought it best to let Nona stay in the guest room just in case Darcy lingered too long. Yeah, that was her reason for it. Not because something had shifted inside her when he’d approached her on the deck. It was only because she was feeling a little vulnerable. Late night, pretty sky, good music.

  Uh-huh. Exactly. Not the way he whispered in her ear and sent desire roaring through her body.

  When the night was over and the customers were gone, Darcy did the cleanup, letting Jillian go home early this time. Her friend looked drained, and ready to cry. Darcy’s heart broke for her. It sucked to be on the outside of a couple breaking up, and unable to do anything but just be a listening ear.

  “Do you want to talk?” Darcy asked.

  “No. I just want to be alone. Drink too much wine and watch too much junk TV.” Jillian grinned, but the smile wavered. “Maybe even buy stuff I don’t need off of QVC.”

  Darcy gathered Jillian into a hug. “Okay, but promise to call if you need me to come over. I’ll bring chocolate.”

  “Now that’s a promise I’ll take you up on.” Jillian yawned. And though she looked tired, she
looked a little better. Resigned to her decision. “Later. It’s been a long day and I just want some time to…decompress.”

  “Okay. Call me in the morning.”

  “I will.” Jillian returned the hug, then gestured toward the outside deck. “Seems someone is waiting for you.”

  The thought of Kincaid waiting for her—anticipating her arrival—made her heart leap. She tried to tamp it down, but the excitement simmered in her all the same.

  “I agreed to have one drink with him. Just one.” She reiterated the words for Jillian, and herself. It didn’t mean anything.

  Jillian laughed. “We all know where one drink can lead. Have fun.”

  “I’m not planning on having fun with him. Just…talking.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jillian dug in her purse and came up with a foil lined package. She pressed it into Darcy’s palm. “For when you stop talking and start acting.”

  “I’m not going to need this. In fact, I’m going to put it in my pocket and give it back to you tomorrow.” Darcy tucked the condom in her back pocket. But her mind thought about making love to Kincaid, how damned good that had always been, and how much she wanted him now.

  “If you give that back to me tomorrow, I’m going to be mighty disappointed.” Jillian held up a finger before Darcy could protest. “It’s been a while since you’ve been on a date, and even longer since you’ve had sex that didn’t require batteries. You have a hot guy out there who has been looking at you like you’re the most delicious thing on the menu and he hasn’t eaten in a month.”

  Darcy glanced at Kincaid. “I think he just wants to catch up. We broke up years ago—”

  Jillian gave her a little nudge. “And if you delay any longer, the poor man is going to fall asleep. So go on out there.” Jillian reached over the bar, grabbed two shot glasses and the bottle of Jose Cuervo. “But don’t forget this.”

  Darcy was still laughing as she left the main restaurant and headed out to the deck with the drinks. Inside, she saw Whit and Grace wave to her as they left for the night, their arms around their daughter, which Jillian gratefully accepted with a teary nod. That left Darcy alone with Kincaid.