Jenna slapped her leg under the table.
“Oh! Sorry. I forgot.” Amy covered her mouth and flashed a smile at Bella.
“My eye, you forgot,” Jenna grumbled.
“No, thanks. I’m just on my way to clean the pool but wanted to check on the landscaping by the fire pit. Theresa said animals were digging in the plants. See you around.” He parked at the laundry building, catty-corner to Jenna’s cottage. Theresa Ottoline lived in the big house on the other side of the laundry building. The big house was the original house on the Seaside property, before the land was subdivided and the cottages were built. Theresa was a stickler for rules and spent time at the cottages during the winters when most of the Seaside owners couldn’t be there. As such, she was the elected property manager for the third year in a row.
As soon as Pete was beyond hearing distance, Jenna smacked Amy again. “What was that?”
“I’m sorry. I’m used to being nice to him, and I still don’t believe you’re over him.” Amy picked at her scone.
“You’re supposed to be my friend, not his. Geez, Amy, and you—” Jenna pointed at Bella, who was smiling with a glint of mischief in her eyes. “What was that look between the two of you?”
“I saw it, too,” Leanna said. “They’re up to something.”
“Yup. I smell two blond rats.” Jenna got up and moved to the chair beside Leanna. “At least I have one loyal friend.”
“Oh, bull. You have all of us. We’re loyal as can be and you know it.” Bella shrugged. “We just know you, Jenna. You’re as OCD with Pete as you are with everything else in your life. Once you set your mind on something, it sticks like glue. And your mind has been on Peter Lacroux forever. There’s no way Charlie measures up to Pete. I don’t care how good of a body he has. What’s Pete, chopped liver? That man’s sizzling hot.”
No kidding, Sherlock. “That was the old Jenna. The new and improved Jenna realizes when she’s taken on a losing proposition. The new Jenna liked being out on a real date with a man who was interested in more than what I say, but in me as a woman—as opposed to Pete, who can’t see this body for what it’s worth.”
They all turned at the sound of Bella’s cottage door closing. Caden and Evan, Caden’s fifteen-year-old son, came around the side of the cottage a minute later.
Caden smiled when he saw Bella. “There’s my beautiful wife-to-be.”
“Hi, babe. Hey, Ev, ready for work?” Bella rose and hugged Caden.
Caden looked handsome in his police officer uniform, and even though he and Bella had been together for a year, he still looked at her like he was as hot for her as the first night they’d met. Jenna longed for that. She’d had boyfriends and she’d dated one or two guys for more than a year, but she’d never been with a man who adored her the way Caden adored Bella or Kurt adored Leanna. And now that she’d witnessed what true love could be, there was no way she was settling for anything less.
“Ready to roll,” Evan said. Last summer, unbeknownst to Evan, he’d been hanging out with a few kids that were breaking into cottages and cars. His friends had broken into Vera’s cottage and scared her half to death. Evan had stopped hanging out with them as soon as he found out what they were up to, and once school started, thankfully, he’d met a nice group of kids with similar interests. Evan had worked hard to regain the trust of the Seaside residents, and Bella was proud of him.
“I’m taking him over to TGG before my shift.” Caden put an arm around Bella’s shoulder. TGG, The Geeky Guys, was one of the companies taking part in the work-study program Bella had developed for the high school. Although Evan’s job with them wasn’t part of the program, Bella had connected Evan with them last summer when she learned of Evan’s love of computers and programming. Evan had spent time with Jamie last summer, learning to program, and had been working part-time with TGG ever since. “Did you ask everyone about the movie tonight?”
“Not yet.” Bella turned her attention back to the girls. “They’re putting on a documentary film behind Town Hall tonight about shark migration on the Cape. It’s being put on by the Brave Foundation. Want to go?”
“It’s gonna be so cool,” Evan added. “The guy who runs the foundation is going to be there, so we can ask him anything. Dad said I could ask him if I can go out on one of their shark-tagging missions.”
“That’s Dane Braden,” Leanna said. “His sister, Savannah, is married to Kurt’s brother Jack. We’re going to see it, but I didn’t think you guys would be interested.”
“No way. Really?” Evan pushed his shaggy brown hair from his eyes. He’d grown three inches over the winter and stood almost eye to eye with Caden. He was beginning to fill out and wasn’t quite as lanky as he’d been last summer.
“Yeah. I bet Kurt can get you on the boat if there’s space available.” Leanna dug her phone from her pocket and typed in a text. “I’m texting him. I’ll let you know.”
“I’m in,” Amy said. “Jenna? Want to go with me?”
“Sure. Charlie and I didn’t make plans, so why not?” The truth was, Charlie had asked her out for tonight, but when she’d seen Pete, her mind had begun playing tricks on her, and she’d begun comparing the two men. And no matter how much she tried to deny it, there was no comparison. Pete already owned too big of a piece of her heart to open it to anyone else.
“Great. So we’ll all go. It’s at eight.” Caden kissed Bella again. “See ya, babe. Ready, Ev? I want to talk to Pete before we take off.”
Bella stared after them. “Gosh, I love them.”
“We know,” Leanna, Amy, and Jenna said in unison.
They sat on Jenna’s deck and talked about Leanna’s business and Bella’s new life on the Cape. Jenna could barely concentrate when Pete drove by on his way to the pool.
“Jenna, you look like you’re worried about being chosen for the Hunger Games. What’s up?” Amy tucked her legs beneath her on the deck chair.
“I’m just…You guys, you don’t really think Pete was checking up on me, do you? I mean, he’s never seemed very interested. Why would he be interested now?”
“You’ve never given him any competition before. It’s always been all about Pete. Every summer, Pete, Pete, Pete.” Bella waved her hand. “Now, with Charlie, you’ve shaken Pete up like a snow globe and upended all that stuff in his head.”
Leanna’s phone vibrated and she read a text. “I hate to change the subject, but that was Kurt. He said he’ll do what he can for Evan and that Dane loves to take people out on the boat, so it looks good.”
“Thanks, Leanna,” Bella said. “Please thank Kurt for me, too. Evan will be so happy. After last summer’s fiasco, and how hard he’s worked to rectify things with everyone, I’m glad this might come through for him.”
“I’m excited for him to meet Dane.”