Jenna rolled her eyes and brushed her hair away from her face. She’d always worn her hair in a bob cut just below her ears, but over the winter she’d grown it out, and she liked the way it felt brushing against her shoulders. She felt sexier, and this summer, she needed all the sexy she could muster.
“No, I don’t look like that, and I’m not looking for sex. Although it has been so long since I’ve gotten any that I wonder if my body’s revirginized itself. You guys heard Pete say he might sail away. What do you expect me to do? Hang around vying for his attention for another lonely summer? He’s not interested. Period. Now let me get into the swing of summer dating again. I’m totally out of practice, and it’s so much more fun than dating back home. Everything is better here, and not that I’d remember, but I bet the sex is better here, too.”
Bella held up her finger. “I can attest to that. Come here.” She grabbed Jenna’s arm and pulled her into a hug. Jenna face-planted between Bella’s breasts. “I don’t expect you to wait around for Pete to make a move. But I swear, Jenna, if you turn into a scrump-and-dump whore, I’ll kick your butt.”
Jenna laughed. “I know you will, and I love you for it. I just want…” She pushed from Bella’s arms and gazed out the window. “I want someone to adore me like Caden adores you. I want to experience that moment when our bodies come together for the first time and my stomach dips like I’m going downhill on a roller coaster. That first moment of bliss when everything I worried about—my breath, what I wore on the date, if sex would change things—disappears, and all that remains is total, unencumbered ecstasy. You know that moment when your mind falls to pieces, and it’s all you can do to remember to breathe?”
Amy fell back on the bed with her hand over her heart. “I want that moment, too.”
“I know that moment well.” Bella sighed.
“We know,” Amy and Jenna said in unison.
“So, then, what’s your plan?” Amy sat up and asked.
“I don’t have a plan. When I saw Pete this afternoon and he still wasn’t looking at me like…Well, you know, like he wanted me, and he said he might sail away…Ugh! And you know what’s even worse? I was jealous of his adorable little puppy. I wanted to take her from his arms so I could climb into them and snuggle up against his chest and have him hold me like he wanted to protect me.” Jenna sighed dreamily. “That’s stupid, I know, because I love puppies. I just had to get out of there and refocus my attention on moving forward. I’ve been stuck for too many years.”
“I meant your plan for tonight, goofus,” Amy said. “I know you think you’re over Pete.”
“Which you’re totally not,” Bella added.
“Yes, I am. Or at least I am trying to be.” Jenna pulled Amy to her feet and they went into the living room. The interior of Jenna’s cottage was painted white. Her furniture was Scandinavian in design with sharp edges and neutral flavors of beige with black-and-white accents throughout. The living room was only about twelve feet long and ten feet wide, with a kitchen that was really more of a nook tucked off to the side. The bathroom was built off the living room, and the master bedroom took up the back of the tiny cottage.
Jenna patted Amy’s hip as she walked past and weaved around the coffee table. “Okay, I have to run. I’m meeting Charlie at the Beachcomber.”
“That was smart. No need to be locked in to driving with him. You never know if he’s a freak or not.” Amy motioned for Jenna to spin around. “You look really cute, but, Jenna, are you sure you want to do this? You’ve wanted to be with Pete for so long that I can’t help but feel sad that you’re supposedly done with him. It should be him you’re going out with tonight, not Charlie.” She lowered her voice and said Charlie’s name like a curse word.
“Yeah, well, he had his chance, and obviously I’m a nimrod around him. Can’t you just put your pretty little ideas away and support me on this?” Jenna stuck out her lower lip in a feigned pout.
“Okay, okay, fine. You win.”
Jenna bounced up and down on her toes and hugged Amy. “Thank you. I feel better now. Walk me to my car so I’m not so nervous. I haven’t been on a date in forever.” She took Amy’s hand—borrowing a little of her strength and confidence to carry along with her on her date—and followed Bella outside.
“Do we need an emergency call for tonight?” Amy asked. An emergency call was when they called each other at designated times while they were out on dates, just in case the one on the date needed an excuse to leave. If Amy called and Jenna was having an awful time, she could tell Charlie she had to tend to an emergency—and voilà, the date would end.
“Yes, she does.” Bella pulled her phone out and set an alarm. “It’s seven thirty. I’ll call you at eight fifteen.”
“I’ll call you at nine,” Amy assured Jenna. “Why does this feel so nerve-racking? Bella didn’t need an emergency call when she first went out with Caden.”
Bella climbed into her car. “Maybe because Jenna picked up a construction worker.”
“Oh, please. So what? You picked up a cop.” Jenna settled into her car and reached for Amy’s hand. “When are Tony and Jamie getting here?” Jamie’s grandmother, Vera, owned the cottage on the far side of Leanna’s, and Tony owned the cottage on the opposite side. Vera was in her eighties, and Jamie came up during the weekends to look after her.
“Jamie’s started some new project, so he’s not sure when, maybe in a week or two, but Tony is booked solid with speaking engagements. He texted last night and said that between his surfing competitions and the motivational speaking schedule, he’s not sure he’ll come at all this summer.” Amy’s eyes filled with sadness. She’d had a crush on Tony for years, and like Jenna with Pete, every summer she hoped for more.
“Oh no, Amy. I’m so sorry. I can stay home with you tonight,” Jenna offered. Part of her hoped Amy would ask her to stay.
“Go. Have fun. I’m fine. I have a juicy romance novel to read.” Amy tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Aww, Ames. We both need to get a life, don’t we? You can’t hang on to the hope that Tony will finally come to his senses and realize you’re the best woman on the planet any more than I can wait around for Pete to notice how magnificent I am.” Jenna smiled and pointed to her head. “Men are thick. I’m telling you, thick.”
Amy glanced at Tony’s cottage, then brought her attention back to Jenna. “Yeah. I know. Let’s see how your summer goes before I throw my hope into the wind.”
Jenna blew her a kiss and then headed for the Beachcomber with her heart beating so hard she was sure she’d pop the few buttons she’d secured. What was she doing? She didn’t pick up men on the street, not even fine-looking, hard-bodied men. She thought about what Amy had said about Pete and she wondered if he really had looked like he was going to kill Charlie. The thought made her smile, and then it made her angry. He had no right to get upset, especially since he never seemed to think she was worth asking out.