But he kept that to himself, vowing never to say it out loud. He felt several paces ahead of her, and he’d rather they were on the same page. Because the last time he was this far ahead of her, she’d left town.
“That’s fine,” he said. “I like this fine.” He lifted their joined hands a couple of inches and let them drop.
“You said fine twice in the same sentence.” She bumped him with her hip.
“Yeah, but when I say it, I mean it.” He grinned at her. “I’m not you.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t deny it. “Then let’s go visit the bell tower.”
Happiness soared through Bennett, and he hardly recognized it. Where he thought he’d been happy before, he realized now walking up the forty-seven steps to the bell tower that he hadn’t really tasted true happiness all that often.
* * *
Bennett whistled to get Gemma out of the surf. She liked to play with the waves as they stroked the shore, and she sometimes fell behind on their morning runs. She barked and one of Trent’s German shepherds yipped in response.
Bennett normally ran alone, but today, he had a pack of people and canines with him. Jason ran beside him, matching him stride for stride. And Trent, the K9 specialist on the police force, had joined them too.
He’d brought all four of his K9 dogs, and they ran beside him like a little army. Two on each side even, and Bennett really liked the way they looked trotting along the sand, never getting too far ahead or too far behind Trent.
Which, of course, made Gemma seem like a wayward toddler. Thankfully, Uno had come too, and he wasn’t as disciplined as the shepherds either.
With twice as many dogs as men in the line, anyone on the beach this early gave them a strange look and a wide berth.
Bennett kept waiting for Jason to say something about Jennie, but he didn’t.
It was Trent who said, “I heard you were going out with someone, Bennett,” that almost caused Bennett to fall down on the smooth sand.
“What?” he asked, his breath puffing out at having to talk.
“My sister said she saw you and someone at that new restaurant in Bell Hill the other night.”
Bennett had forgotten that Trent’s family was from Bell Hill too. “Yeah,” he said, hoping that would be it.
But Trent only let a few strides go by before saying, “Who was it?”
“My sister,” Jason said before Bennett could decide if he was going to answer.
“We’re not dating,” Bennett said quickly. “It was dinner.”
“Oh, okay. So Jennie.” Trent turned around and started jogging backward. “I’m looking to try dating again.”
“Oh, yeah?” Jason slowed to a walk, and all three men did too. “Even after the Terra incident?”
“It’s been what? Almost two years,” Trent said. “I don’t know. Porter is only five. He needs….” He pushed his breath out. “More than I can give him.”
“And you think he needs a new mom?” Bennett asked, not accusing, just wondering.
“Maybe, yeah.” Trent turned around and ran his fingers down the back of the dog closest to him. “I don’t know. My sister helps out a lot, but she’s been sick lately.” He shrugged, like maybe he’d find a new wife and new mother for his son by next week. Knowing him, he might.
Bennett had no advice for him. He’d been married before, but he hadn’t lost his wife in a car accident. Didn’t have a kid to raise. Couldn’t even get back together with an old flame very quickly.
“Who are you thinking about?” Jason asked. “Kaitlyn probably has a dozen names she could come up with.”
Trent looked like he might throw up and he kept stroking that German shepherd like the dog was his sole source of comfort. “Ask her.”
“Yeah?” Jason exchanged a glance with Bennett, looking dubious.
“Yeah,” Trent said. “I like brunettes.”
“Oh, so Jennie’s out.” Jason’s look changed to more of a smirk, and he didn’t look away. “She’s a blonde.”
Bennett remembered the happiness from the other night, and he’d enjoyed the texting sessions with Jennie when they hadn’t been able to see each other in person. So he looked steadily back and said, “Yeah, and I like blondes.”
Chapter Ten
Jennie’s phone chimed but she ignored it. She’d finally seized onto an idea for an entire series of sculptures that included a bowl, a vase, and three other pieces that would flow and drift together to make a stunning collection.
She’d need the kiln to get the collection done, but the outlet was fixed and Glauco paid, and everything seemed right with the world again.
Well, as right as Jennie’s world could get in Hawthorne Harbor. Her mind moved immediately to Bennett, and she twitched thinking maybe the message that had just come in had been from him.
And she’d really liked messaging him. They hadn’t done much texting in their previous relationship, and it was a whole new way of conversing that Jennie thrived in. She found it easier to ask him questions, give him answers, and flirt when she wasn’t face-to-face with him.
Her phone rang next, and she knew that wasn’t him. In fact, there was only one person who called her, and that was Mabel Magleby. Jennie refused to rush the clay, though, and if she stopped now, she’d have to start the piece over.
So she kept the wheel going, and kept carving and pressing and moving the clay in the shape her mind could see.
About twenty minutes later, she had the effect she wanted, and she slowed the wheel and leaned back to stretch the tightness in her muscles.
After washing up, she checked her phone and confirmed that the call had come from Mabel, and the text was from Pepper.
She groaned at the reminder that she and Pepper were going to the dress shop tomorrow on Wedding Row. Jennie had said yes to help shop for a wedding dress, because Pepper was her best friend and Jennie wanted to be supportive. But now that the actual event was upon her, she wanted to cancel. Maybe she’d get sick before tomorrow afternoon.
She ignored her friend for now and called Mabel. “Hey,” she said. “Sorry, I was at the wheel and couldn’t get to the phone.”
“Oh, it’s fine. Fine. You said you needed to meet with me and show me something.”
“Yes.” Jennie exhaled and pushed her hair out of her face. “When’s a good time?”
“I’ve got a big breakfast tomorrow,” Mabel said. “And there will be lots of leftovers. You should come eat some, and we can talk.”
“What time?”
“Eleven?”
So not the afternoon, and she couldn’t cancel with Pepper. “Can I bring a friend?”
“Is it Bennett?”
“No,” Jennie said quickly. “Pepper Howard. She’s getting married—”
“I know Pepper. She’s booked her event here. Of course, bring her.”
“Great. See you tomorrow.” Jennie hung up and caught sight of her snow white cat loitering in the doorway. Her stomach grumbled, and she realized Snowball had come out of hiding because she was also hungry.
So Jennie wandered down the hall and into the kitchen to make sure neither her nor Snowball would starve to death.
* * *
Pepper put the car in park outside the Mansion, and Jennie said, “Thanks for driving.” The thought of having to ride her bike up the hill to this beautiful venue in this heat wasn’t something Jennie wanted to do very often.
She got out and took a deep breath of the heated, salty air of the ocean, a flash of gratitude for this beautiful place where she’d grown up. She had the distinct thought that she should go visit her parents soon, as she hadn’t been by in a few weeks. Jason and his wife Kaitlyn had dinner with them every week, but Jennie hadn’t been able to bring herself to attend yet.
She and Pepper met Mabel near a long breakfast bar, the smell of bacon and maple syrup in the air. Jennie’s mouth started to water, and she reached for a plate—a real plate, no paper here—and started loading up with fruit, French t
oast, and as much salted, cured meat as she could fit.
“I’ll have Jaime box this stuff up.” Mabel waved to someone Jennie couldn’t see and didn’t even try to argue. Mabel would send her home with enough food to feed her for a week, and why should she argue with that?
A couple of assistants moved around her and Pepper as they ate, cleaning up and taking down from the event.
Mabel disappeared for a few minutes, and then she sat down at the table with Jennie and Pepper. Jennie hoped she’d have the energy and drive Mabel did in forty or fifty more years, but she sort of doubted it. She could barely get out of bed before nine a.m. She reasoned that Mabel probably went to bed by eight o’clock, and that was when Jennie started her best work.
“So tell me about this piece. You said it’s actually five pieces?”
“It’s a collection, yes,” Jennie said, reaching for her napkin. “It’s got five pieces, and they’re inspired by the beach. So we’ll have some of those blues and seafoam greens from the water. The lighter peach and tan from the sand. And just a hint of white or gold for the sun. They’ll be spectacular.”
Jennie was actually really excited about the pieces, and she could see them all in her mind’s eye.
“One is a vase,” she said. “Since you have all those flowers in the gardens. And one is a bowl. The others might just be pillars or driftwood type of pieces. Maybe another vase.” She couldn’t really decide.
“Bennett is building a big buffet,” Mabel said. “So five pieces should be okay. Do you have a drawing?”
Jennie did, and she pulled the sketches out of the satchel she’d brought with her. She showed Mabel the flow of the pieces, pointed out where the colored glazes might go, and couldn’t curb her enthusiasm about the project.
When Pepper cleared her throat and tapped her naked wrist as if she wore a watch, Jennie startled.
“Mabel, I’ve kept you for hours,” she said. “I’m so sorry.” She stood, surprised Pepper had lasted so long.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Mabel looked around the empty hall. “I don’t have another event for a couple more days. You’ve saved me from wandering outside in the sun.” The old woman smiled, and Jennie leaned down to embrace her.
After thanking Mabel for breakfast, Jennie followed Pepper out to the car. “You sounded happy about the project,” her friend said.
“I am.” Jennie leaned her elbow against the door and cradled her face. “It took forever to get an idea, so it feels nice to just have that.”
“You’ve had a rough few months. A big move.” What Pepper didn’t say was a broken heart. But Jennie heard the words anyway.
“Yeah,” she said.
“So what’s with you and Bennett Patterson?”
Jennie immediately regretted leaving her house. Working from the home-based studio had been so nice. No one to run into. No gossip to deflect.
“We’re…friends,” she said carefully, though they didn’t agree all that often.
“You went out with him.”
“How do you know?”
“A-ha!” Pepper practically punched the steering wheel. “So it’s true. And I had to hear about it from Mary at the groomers?” Pepper turned toward her, a look of hurt on her face combined with absolute glee.
“Mary at the groomers?” Jennie didn’t even know a Mary.
“Mary Stinner. She’s friends with Cheryl, who is like, BFFs with Kaitlyn.”
“Jason,” Jennie muttered. But she hadn’t told him anything either. Perhaps Bennett had. She knew he’d asked Jason for her cell phone number.
“So?” Pepper asked as she navigated the windy road back down the bluffs toward town. “Is it true? You’re dating again?”
“I mean, sort of,” Jennie said, thinking of the hand-holding and the promise not to play any games. He hadn’t tried to kiss her at the bell tower, and she hadn’t seen him in the flesh since. Her muse had struck, and he had a job with odd hours.
“Oh, I’ve heard this before.” Pepper laughed, played with her Mohawk, and pulled into an empty space on Wedding Row that sat right in front of Bows and Ties, a parking miracle if there ever was one.
“It’s strange,” Jennie said as she went into the dress shop with Pepper. “After Kyle stood me up, I didn’t think I’d ever want to be with a man again.”
“Oh, you’re not with a man,” Pepper said, fingering a dress on display near the door. “This is Bennett Patterson we’re talking about.”
Jennie snorted. “He’s not a god.”
“No?” Pepper made a beeline toward the sales associate who’d just waved at her. “Whatever you say, Jennie.” In the next breath, she squealed, hugged the woman in the expensive skirt suit, and disappeared with her down a hall hidden by at least a hundred wedding dresses.
“You can wait over here,” another associate said, this one just as polished and poised. “She’ll come out and show you all the ones Leann’s picked for her.”
“Great, thanks.” Jennie flashed a fake smile and sat on the poufy, pink couch, wishing she were anywhere but here.
Had Lisa felt nauseous when she’d gone gown shopping with Jennie? Of course not. Her best friend in San Francisco had loved everything wedding-related, and she’d spent more time looking at magazines for the perfect dress than Jennie had.
She lifted her phone and snapped a photo, quickly sharing it with Lisa. Guess where I am?
Why are you looking at wedding dresses?
Shopping with Pepper. She got engaged. Or she’s going to. Jennie wasn’t even sure if Hunter had even proposed yet.
Pepper had always been one to over-prepare, and when she came out a few minutes later wearing an all-lace ensemble, Jennie couldn’t help standing and ah-ing over the dress.
She didn’t necessarily want to be in Pepper’s shoes, and not just because they were literally the ugliest wedding slippers she’d ever seen.
She tried to see herself putting on another white dress. Ordering more flowers. Renting a facility. Getting pictures taken. The whole wedding affair exhausted her, and she’d already done it once with no payoff.
Could she do it again?
The quick thought in her mind said No way, Jose.
But a slower, quieter, more burning thought whispered, What if it were Bennett at the altar?
Jennie couldn’t answer that question, and she distracted herself by fiddling with the buttons on the second gown, and helping to secure the veil with the third.
After all, if there was one thing Jennie had gotten good at since Kyle’s sudden departure from her life, it was avoiding unpleasant things she didn’t want to think about or deal with.
Long after the dress fitting finished and she returned to her studio to work, Jennie still fretted over which category Bennett belonged in.
Boyfriend or bother?
Chapter Eleven
Bennett answered his phone when he saw Jennie’s name on the screen. She didn’t call very often, and he thought maybe she was hurt.
“Hey,” he said.
“I’m thinking boyfriend,” she said, making Bennett lower the dumbbell in his left hand.
“What?”
“No games, right?”
“Right.” He glanced around the gym located in the fire house. Alex Benson and Ray Alpin worked with each other at the bench press.
“So I’ve been having some weird thoughts,” she said. “If you should be my boyfriend or if it’s all too much of a bother, and I’ve decided boyfriend.”
Bennett wondered what it would be like to live inside her mind, even for an hour. “You do a lot of thinking,” he said.
“So maybe bother, then.”
He laughed, glad when she joined in. “No,” he said. “Boyfriend’s fine. Are we going public with that?”
“People think it anyway.”
“What people?”
“Kaityln apparently told Cheryl, who told Mary at the groomers, and Pepper found out.”
“Ah, I see.” All thoughts of weightlifting
had left Bennett’s mind. “So, lunch today? I’m done here at the station at eleven-thirty.”
“I want a hot dog from Ruby’s.”
“Perfect. I’ll come pick you up.”
She didn’t argue with him, and they hung up. So a very public lunch date on the pier, where everyone in town could see. And a lot of people would be there, as this was the last weekend before school started for kids. So families would be squeezing in one last beach trip.
From the other room, the radio blipped, and Alex practically sprinted for the doorway. Bennett chuckled, glad he wasn’t the only one fighting off the boredom at the station.
“It’s probably a cat,” Ray said, setting the weight back on the supports. “But he’ll take anything.”
“I’m next,” Bennett said. “I hope nothing else comes in. I need to get off on time today.”
Ray, a big, tall man who’d worked for the department for about a decade, looked at him. “Oh yeah? Was that your girlfriend?”
“As a matter of fact.” Bennett shrugged, though he expected the ribbing that came from Ray.
“I thought you were happy,” the dark-haired man said. “Content with Gemma and all that.”
“I was.”
“So you’ll do our calendar this year? The bachelor auction?”
Bennett had forgotten about that. Kind of. He’d refused to put on only the lower half of his fire suit and stand there with his shirt off for the photographer. The woman had brought six assistants with her—six! As if it took seven twittering women to snap a picture of someone holding a fire helmet and wearing a look like he’d just tamed the wildest flames in the known universe.
And letting someone spend money to go out with him? No, thank you. He wouldn’t be good company anyway, he’d told Ray last year. And this year…this year, maybe he’d be with Jennie once the New Year rolled around. She definitely wouldn’t like him splashing himself all over a calendar.
Hawthorne Harbor Box Set Page 49
