Seaside Sunsets (12 page)

Bella slid her a
shut up
look.

“Did you get any?” Jenna asked Jessica with wide eyes.

“Me?” Jessica froze.

“Oh, come on. We know you spent the entire day with Jamie, and he’s such a doll. I mean, really. Easy on the eyes and sweet as pie.”

“Cliché,” Bella said. “Sweet as jam.”

“That’s a good one,” Amy said.

“Kurt gave me a thesaurus because I kept calling Caden
hot
and he got sick of hearing it.” Bella smiled and tucked her thick blond hair behind her ear. “So now I use other words, like
sexy
,
smoldering
,
scorching
…”

“Okay, okay, back to Jessica and Jamie.” Jenna touched Jessica’s arm.

“Jenna! She doesn’t have to kiss and tell,” Amy chided. “She’s nosy, Jessica. Sorry.” She sipped her coffee, then added, “But we are all curious. We love Jamie, and we only want him to be happy.”

“Yeah, so if you plan on using him and then tossing him aside, just forget it, because it’ll bring my claws out.” Bella blew on her fingernails with a serious, dark stare.

I wouldn’t know how to use a guy and toss him aside.

A smile spread across Bella’s lips. “We take care of our own.”

She didn’t know what to say, but her heart was galloping in her chest.

“They terrified me when I was younger,” Amy whispered to her.

Jenna playfully pushed Amy’s arm. “We did not. Bella’s all talk, Jessica. So, how was your date?”

Now she was afraid to answer, and she was pretty sure the word flying through her mind wasn’t appropriate.
Orgasmic
. She opened her mouth, intending to say something benign, like,
It was nice
, or,
We had a lovely time
, but her voice had a mind of its own, and out came a long, dreamy sigh, followed by, “A-ma-zing.”

The girls squealed. She felt her cheeks pink up, but she had no hope of keeping to her prim and proper upbringing. The girls were just as excited as she was. She sensed she could trust them as much as she feared Bella’s threat. She had a feeling that the threatening banter, the inquisition, and the smiles they were sending her way were all part of the sisterhood they shared, and she wanted in.

“He’s so…I need that thesaurus.” She laughed.

“Oh my.” Amy raised her brows.

“We didn’t do
that
.” Here came the prim. “He’s warm and kind, a great listener. Interesting and generous.”

Jenna and Bella rolled their eyes.

“And?” Jenna pushed.

Forget prim; she wanted girlfriend talk. She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “And the best kisser on the planet.”

Bella and Jenna high-fived.

“You guys, she’ll never talk to you again if you do that,” Amy warned. “Jamie never dates girls up here, and he never talks about the women he dates back home. He’s like our sweet, very private brother. We’re happy for you.”

“Thanks. Honestly, I’m happy for me.” Just thinking about Jamie made her smile.

“So were you going over to pretend that you needed computer help?” Jenna pointed to her laptop.

“Pretend? My computer hates me. I’m like the anti-geek. Give me a cello and I’m right at home. Give me a phone or computer? It might as well have dropped into my lap from Mars. But Jamie’s helping me. I’m trying to track down a baseball my dad had as a kid.”

“I knew you were some kind of musician. You were watching Vera with stars in your eyes the other night,” Amy said.

“She was looking at Jamie, goofus,” Bella added.

“Both, probably,” Jessica admitted.

“Speaking of Mr. Amazing Kisser.” Bella nodded toward Jamie’s car as it came up the gravel road and pulled into his driveway.

Jessica’s pulse ratcheted up a notch. “Please don’t say anything to him about what I said.”

All three of them pretended to lock their mouths and toss away the keys.

Jamie crossed the road, a lustful look in his eyes as they connected with Jessica’s.

“Hi, handsome,” Bella said.

“Want some coffee?” Amy asked.

He walked right past them, making a beeline for Jessica. “No, thanks.” He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Hi, beautiful. Did you sleep okay?”

I can’t breathe
. Heat swirled between them so thick she was sure it would sear the deck around their feet.

“Yeah,” she finally managed.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and eyed the girls’ wide-eyed gazes, the smirks on their pretty faces. His lips curled up.

“Did you get the scoop? Am I
all that
?”

Oh God!

“You’ve been all that since you were a kid.” Amy smiled at Jessica. “Now you’re all that with an awesome girlfriend who refuses to kiss and tell.”

She wanted to run over and hug Amy.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

“But we love her anyway.” Bella winked at Jessica.

She looked up at Jamie, standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders, that easy smile she adored on his lips. “I brought Vera flowers, and I was hoping you might help me with tracking down the baseball guy.”

He leaned down and whispered, “Already done. Come on. I’ll explain.”

When he kissed her cheek, all the girls
aww
ed in unison. She must be getting used to them, because she didn’t feel her cheeks pink up this time. Thank goodness. It was embarrassing to be a blushing twenty-seven-year old.

Jessica thanked Amy for the coffee and followed Jamie across the gravel road to his cottage.

“His store was in Orleans, but he closed it a while ago. He lives in Plymouth, and you won’t believe this, but he works the bigger flea markets around the Cape in the summers, and of course sells his stuff on eBay.”

“How do you know all of this?”

“Bread crumbs. Geeks know how to follow them. Anyway, I went to the flea market, and he wasn’t there, so I went to see Leanna. She’s going to talk to the Steves that are at the flea market today and figure out if one of them is the right guy. Kurt seemed to think one of them was. Anyway, she’ll text his info if he’s the right guy so we can call him.”

They were standing on his deck. Jessica hooked her finger into the front pocket of his shorts. “You did all of that for me?”

He smiled with a casual shrug.

“Thank you so much.” She went up on her tiptoes and kissed him just as the glass door slid open. Jessica stumbled back on her heels, and he caught her by the hip as Vera stepped outside carrying a beach tote.

“I’m sorry to have startled you. Please, continue.” She waved her hands with a conspiratorial grin and sat in one of the deck chairs.

As Jamie ran his hand down Jessica’s arm, his gaze lingered on her, warming her all over.

“Good morning, Gram. Want some coffee?”

“No, thank you, dear. I had some already. Did you two have fun last night?” Vera took a paperback out of her tote.

“We did,” Jamie answered.

The way the corner of his mouth kicked up combined with the heat Jessica saw in his eyes brought back the memory of being beneath him. Feeling his weight on her thighs and hips, the power behind each pelvic thrust, the passion in every heated kiss.
Oh, good Lord, I am breathing hard again
.

He squeezed her arm. She saw the recognition of her heady state in his eyes and had to look away. She handed Vera the wildflowers to distract herself from thinking of Jamie.

“I picked these for you.”

“Aren’t they lovely. Thank you, Jessica.”

“I’ll get a vase.” Jamie went inside the cottage and Jessica sat across from Vera.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day. Do you and Jamie have plans?” Vera asked.

“No, we don’t.” She just realized this was true, and yet it felt like a given that they’d do something together.

Jamie brought out a vase full of water and arranged the flowers in it. “There you go. What do you want to do today, Gram?”

“I’m still a little tired, so I’m going to sit and read for a while. Why don’t the two of you go do something fun?” She smiled up at Jessica.

Jessica recognized the matchmaking Jamie had mentioned, and when she glanced at Jamie she knew he felt it, too.

He touched her shoulder. “Do you like to bike?”

“Bike? Gosh, I haven’t been on a bicycle since I was little.” She honestly couldn’t remember how long it had been, but she had a vague memory of riding a bike before the cello took up all her free time.

“Oh, Jamie. Good idea. Jessica can use one of ours.” Vera patted Jessica’s leg. “It’s like reading music. It’ll come right back to you.”

“Sounds perfect.”

Jamie loaded the bikes on the rack on the back of his car, and they drove down to Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. The glass and brick building was built just off of Route 6, with a large amphitheater off to the side.

“Have you been here before?” Jamie took her hand as she stepped from the car.

“No. Other than one weekend trip as a teenager, this is the only time I’ve been to the Cape.” The air smelled like wet earth and sulfur. “What’s that smell?”

“Nauset Marsh. It’s behind the building. Let’s go inside before we ride. This is something you shouldn’t miss. I come every year, even though I’ve seen everything a million times.”

His hands were big and slightly calloused, manly and strong, like him. She loved how her hand felt in his. He had on a pair of army-green cargo shorts and a white tee, and he looked like every one of the words Bella had used to describe Caden. Only better.

“Did the girls grill you this morning?” he asked.

“A little, but it was obvious that they were just looking out for you. Especially Bella.”

He held open the door to the visitor center. “Bella’s protective of everyone, but her bark is worse than her bite.”

The atrium of the visitor center was spacious and busy with people milling about, talking to the forest rangers behind the information desk and hovering over a diorama of the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in the center of the room. The glass back wall offered a spectacular view of Nauset Marsh. Jamie led Jessica through the atrium and down a hallway.

“There’s a bookstore we can check out afterward.” He nodded to a small bookstore as they passed, but continued walking through a set of heavy wooden double doors. “This is my favorite exhibit.”

They walked into a small museum, with stuffed birds and other animals perched around the room. There were articles and artifacts detailing the changes in boating, industry, and other aspects of the Cape’s seafaring heritage. It was fascinating, and Jamie didn’t rush her through, even though he’d seen it many times. He stood patiently beside her while she looked at each exhibit, and when they finally made it to the bookstore, which also served as a gift shop, he bought his and hers key rings engraved with their names on one side and an outline of the lower Cape on the other. He gave Jessica the one that said Jamie.

“Now you’re branded.” He kissed her softly.

She loved that he’d given her something so simple and so meaningful.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I am, too.” He put the one with her name on his key ring and then ran his finger down her cheek. “I figured that since you grew up under an iron thumb, you probably never had much time for these types of boyfriend/girlfriend things.”

“I never even had a real boyfriend in high school.” She’d been too busy practicing.

“Well, I know it’s silly, but every girl should experience things that let them know how special they are. Even if it’s about ten years later than what’s typical.”

She reached into her purse and handed him her keys, and he slipped the silver ring that said Jamie onto her key ring. He was right. She did feel special.

They walked around for a while longer, and then they unloaded the bikes and hid her purse in the trunk.

“Why don’t you ride around the parking lot first to make sure you’re comfortable?” He took care of everything, just as he had earlier that morning with tracking down the eBay seller.

“I feel so silly needing to practice,” she admitted.

“Well, you look hot as hell, so if that’s what silly looks like, I’m all for it.” He patted the bike seat. “Come on. I want to make sure you’re comfortable.”

She climbed on the bike, and after a minute of wobbling and finding her balance, the muscle memory returned, and she sailed across the parking lot feeling free and light and incredibly happy.

They followed the paved bike trail as it wound through woods and behind several businesses all the way to the Orleans Rotary, where they passed several bikers coming in the opposite direction. For the first time in as long as she could recall, Jessica felt normal. How she’d longed to experience life the way others did, without every hour spoken for, without always being properly attired, aware of giving appropriate answers. Here, she was meeting friends, laughing, and enjoying herself more than she ever had, and she never realized how wonderful a relationship could be until she met Jamie. No matter what they were doing, it felt natural to be with him. He looked out for her, and he treated her well, not to mention those heart-stopping kisses he doled out like candy.

The trail was cool beneath the umbrella of tall trees. They rode side by side where the path was wide enough, and when Jamie was forced to pull ahead, he looked back often to check on Jessica. They were surrounded by woods, with the smell of the sea in the air; it was like they’d entered their own private paradise. The path widened and the trees became sparse as they entered reality again and came into town. They followed the bike path behind a bike rental shop, and a few feet ahead, the path crossed Main Street. Jamie looked handsome with his windblown hair and glistening skin as he came to a stop beside her and grabbed hold of Jessica’s handlebars, then leaned in for a kiss.

“I want to show you something.” He nodded up Main Street toward the traffic light.

“The Chocolate Sparrow?” she asked hopefully. The Chocolate Sparrow was a chocolate specialty store across the street. She’d seen it in the tourist magazines, and now, as the scent of chocolate hung in the air, she could practically taste it.

“Sure, but I had something else in mind.”

She followed him to a stoplight, where they crossed the street and turned down the main road. They came to what looked like an abandoned office complex and parked their bikes by the empty parking lot.