When Jenna gained custody of the girls, it had been a blip in the media radar since she was hardly in the same league as A-list celebrities. Until Rod. It had gotten to the point she couldn’t leave the house without him in her face, asking for an exclusive interview or pictures at home with her and the girls. Only the restraining order could slow him down.
“If he hadn’t gotten so obsessed with us, we would have been fine back in LA”
“Look,” Nealy said. “You’re here. You’re safe. We have your back. Get that awful reporter out of your mind. He’ll latch on to another story and forget all about you.”
He had to. Jenna had based her move to Florida on that hope.
“Just be thankful Wyatt came upon you when he did.”
At the mention of his name, Jenna remembered the terse man who’d come to her rescue, his act of bravery at odds with his sharp parting words. Her skin prickled with indignation. “I’m grateful for what he did, but didn’t appreciate the mini lecture before he took off.”
“That’s Wyatt Hamilton. I’ve known him for a long time, but after the rough few years he’s had, he’s not the most...easy guy to be around.”
“Understatement.”
“You only talked to him for a few minutes.”
“It was a long few minutes.” Jenna recalled the memory. His eyes had been so intense, so judging. “Besides, I wasn’t thrilled he was doing the rescuing while I stood on the beach feeling helpless. I should have been the one to save Bridget.”
“C’mon, Jenna. It’s not like he rushed in the water just to make you look bad.”
True, logic reminded her, but his quick actions had made her feel incompetent.
“Listen, he’s got a lot of baggage, so we all tend to cut him some slack,” Nealy said.
Had her annoyance been so obvious? Jenna sighed. “I guess no one is immune to baggage.”
“Yeah, but his is pretty horrible.”
The crash of ice cubes falling from the freezer ice maker broke the silence following Nealy’s statement.
“Are you going to tell me?” Jenna prodded.
“His son died about two years ago. He was only eight.”
Jenna’s chest tightened. “How awful.” She’d just lost Carrie and the hurt was still so fresh, but to lose a child? She’d only had custody of the girls for less than a year but had known them their entire lives. How would she deal with a loss like his? She couldn’t even imagine the pain he must live with every day.
“It was a boating accident,” Nealy continued. “About six months later, his wife filed for divorce.”
“I’ve heard that happens sometimes when parents lose a child, but a double whammy? No wonder he has issues.”
“He’s still so torn up.”
“You said you’ve known him for a long time?”
She nodded. “Yes. Wyatt grew up here, so we were all devastated by his loss. My sister told me he disappeared right after the funeral. About four months ago, a friend of ours, Max Sanders, met up with Wyatt and talked him into coming back. Now Wyatt captains a fishing charter boat, but I think he’s only going through the motions, not really living.”
“I don’t know what to say. Poor guy.” Jenna sipped her tea, her heart breaking for a man she didn’t know. “Where does he live? I think the girls and I will bake cookies as a way of saying thank-you.”
Nealy’s eyes grew troubled. “I’d rethink the idea. He’s kind of a loner.”
“Even loners who disapprove of my parenting skills need to eat.”
“Jenna’s answer to all and every problem. Food.”
“What can I say? It’s who I am.”
Jenna had discovered her love for cooking early on when she helped out in each foster home she’d lived in. In high school, she’d worked for a catering company specializing in weddings and loved it. Who knew food would turn into a career?
“Which I, for one, am happy about,” Nealy said. “You’re still going to make your gourmet mac and cheese for the welcome party, right?”
“Yes. You might be an event planner extraordinaire, but you can’t boil water.”
“We can’t all be gifted in the kitchen.”
“True.” Jenna smiled. “Thanks for throwing a party to welcome us to Cypress Pointe. It’s nice of Dane to hold the shindig at his hotel.”
“Anything to show off the Grand Cypress. Of course, it does help that he’s wild about me.”
Jenna laughed. “I still can’t believe he came to LA with you to pack up your belongings. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never believe just how crazy Dane is about you.”
She also couldn’t imagine a love that strong and found herself a bit envious.
“After being apart for so many years, we have a lot of catching up to do. And besides, he’s happy to have the party for you.”
“I gotta say, I thought the guest of honor only had to show up and meet her new neighbors, not bring the food.”
“True for most mere mortals, but you make a mean mac and cheese. Since I’ve bragged about your culinary prowess nonstop since you told me you were moving to town, you can’t show up empty-handed.”
“Fine. Besides, you know I would have brought something even if you didn’t ask.”
“Yep, so why not put my order in?”
Jenna admitted that spending time with Nealy went a long way to easing her insecurities.
Nealy glanced at her watch. “I need to get going. Will you be all right?”
“Yes. And, Nealy?”
Her friend raised her eyebrows.
“Thanks. For everything.”
“Anytime.” Nealy swooped in for another hug. “Actually, all the time now that you’re here in Cypress Pointe.”
Jenna’s heart lifted with affection for her friend. “I hope I don’t become a nuisance.”
“Unlikely. Once you figure this motherhood thing out, you’ll feel better.”
Jenna crossed her arms over her chest, rubbed her chilly forearms. “We’ll see.”
“Hey, quit with the gloom and doom. You can do this.”
“You’re right.” Jenna dropped her arms. Tilted her chin. “I can do this.”
“That’s my friend.” Nealy walked to the front door. “Don’t forget. Tomorrow night. Six. Grand Cypress Hotel.”
“Got it.”
Nealy’s smile softened. “I promise, once you meet my family and get to know the wonderful people in Cypress Pointe, you’ll be glad you came.” That said, she swept out the door into the hot, humid August night.
Watching her friend get into her car and drive away, Jenna tried to take Nealy’s confidence in her to heart. She could do this, right? Be a single mom? But the doubts and worries continued nagging at her. Take today, for example. As much as Wyatt’s response made her angry, he was right. She had to do better.
Still, grief weighed on Jenna. As much as she tried to keep a sunny outlook for the girls, at times, the sorrow took her to her knees. Mostly in the quiet, late at night after the girls went to bed and she only had herself for company. Missing Carrie, asking why she’d been taken from them at such a young age,