Chapter 13
Cricket Jenkins
I get into River’s rental car, and he shuts the door for me. It’s cooler this evening, so I’m wearing a sweater with a midi skirt and ankle boots I purchased last winter but hadn’t worn yet.
River slides into the driver’s seat and grins at me. “You look great. Where to?”
I pull my seat belt on. “The audition went well?”
“Yes. I have a good feeling about this one. I think I’ll get the part.” He rubs his hands together.
“That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you.” I point up the street. “Go up three blocks then turn left.”
He starts the car. “Where are we headed?”
“To the gallery. I thought it would be fun to see some local art before dinner.”
“Nice. And where do you want to do dinner?”
“How do you feel about seafood? I was thinking we could go to our local crab shack, The Salty Claw.”
“Seafood sounds perfect. I love trying local places.”
We drive through downtown, and River asks me more questions about Willow Shade. He’s genuinely interested in the island’s history, which I find sweet. But as we’re talking, I can’t help but think about how excited Micah was this morning after we decided on Atlantic Coast Records.
“Oh, you should know,” I say, thrilled to share the news, “Micah got offered a contract with a major record label today. Can you believe that?”
River’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wow, that’s incredible. He must be over the moon.”
“He is. I’m so proud of him.” I smooth down the fabric of my skirt. “I’ve been telling him for years that he’s talented enough to make it big, and now it’s actually happening.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Micah deserves this. He’s worked so hard, and his music is just… it’s amazing. He writes all his own songs, plays all the instruments, does his own production. He’s incredibly gifted.”
River glances at me with an unreadable expression. “He’s lucky to have someone who believes in him so much.”
The way he says it makes me think I’m talking about Micah too much, and I pinch my lips together. I don’t want to ruin our date by talking about another man. We pull up to the gallery, and River comes around to open my door. As we walk inside, I slide my arm through his.
The paintings in the first room are all modern, and as we stare at a white canvas with one red dot on it, River holds his hand up to the card on the wall and asks, “What do you think this one is named?”
I stare at the one red spot and contemplate. “Is it called Oops, I dripped paint?”
River laughs and shakes his head. “Nope. Guess again.”
“Rudolph in a Snowstorm?”
We laugh so hard I start wheezing.
River holds his sides. “I think it should be named I Sneezed While Painting.”
A couple of ladies enter the room, and we straighten up, hiding our laughter. I look at the real name of the painting, and it’s called Red Dot Number 16. Boring. I liked the sneeze one best.
We walk into the next room, which is full of watercolor paintings. We walk past several that look like the beach behind my house. They have the same rock formations. The waves are crafted masterfully. They mesmerize me.
The next painting is a watercolor of a lighthouse. “I love the way the shadows are painted in this one,” I say, pointing to the darker areas.
River slips his arm around me. “Look how they captured the light hitting the water. Those subtle reflections are so realistic. This artist is talented.”
“Thank you,” a voice says from behind us.
We turn around to see Kiki standing there, a huge grin on her face. My mouth drops. “Are these your paintings?”
She gives me a shy nod. “Yes.”
“Wow, they’re incredible,” River says.
“Thank you.” She looks curiously at River, and I realize she has no idea who he is.
“Sorry, where are my manners? Kiki, this is River, my date. River, this is Kiki, Micah’s sister-in-law.”
Kiki holds out her hand. “So nice to meet you, River. I didn’t know you were dating anyone, Cricket.”
River takes Kiki’s hand. “This is kind of new. It’s only our second date. But we have another one scheduled for this Friday, for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.”
“Lovely.” Kiki’s grin widens. “Are you new in town?”
“Just visiting.”
“Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving tomorrow?” Kiki gets a calculating look in her eye.
River shakes his head. “No, ma’am.”
“Why don’t you come with Cricket? We can pull up one more chair to the table.”
River looks to me, asking silent permission. I nod at him. I think it would be fun for him to meet the whole Barrett family. He turns back to Kiki. “I’d love to join you.”
Kiki clasps her hands together. “Great! I’ll tell Tobias. He will be thrilled.”
We walk through the rooms, looking at the rest of the art, then we leave the gallery and head over to The Salty Claw.
At dinner, River is the perfect gentleman.
He pulls out my chair, asks thoughtful questions about my classes, and even remembers details from our previous conversations.
But my thoughts keep turning back to Micah and his record deal.
“You know what’s funny?” I say, twirling linguine on my fork. “Micah was so nervous about signing with a record label, but I knew he could handle it. He’s stronger than he thinks he is.”
River sets down his water glass and studies me for a moment. “You really care about him.”
“Of course I do. He’s my best friend.”
Something flickers across River’s face, but he just nods. “That’s… that’s really nice, Cricket.”
“Oh!” I suddenly remember. “Did you get a chance to read those chapters I sent you?”
River looks uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, I haven’t had time yet. Between the audition prep and then the actual audition today, I’ve been swamped. But I promise I’ll read them soon.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“I’m really looking forward to it though,” he adds quickly. “I’m sure they’re great.”
I force a smile. “No worries. I know you’re busy.”
But I can’t help feeling disappointed. Writing is so important to me, and I was excited to hear what he thought. The fact that he hasn’t even looked at them stings a little.
River reaches across the table and takes my hand. “Hey, I really am sorry. Once this audition craziness is over, your chapters are at the top of my list.”
“It’s fine,” I say, pushing away the disappointment. “I’ve been talking too much. Why don’t you tell me about what it was like to be a child actor.”
River tells me funny stories from his acting days, and I laugh at all the right moments. It’s pleasant. But part of me keeps wondering what Micah is doing right now and whether he’s read any of my book yet.
When River walks me to my door again, he takes my hand and kisses my knuckles, not even trying for a kiss on the lips.
I’m slightly let down by this, but part of me feels like I deserve it because I wasn’t really present during our date like I was trying to be.
I was distracted by Micah, and that wasn’t fair to River.
“I had a really nice time,” I tell him, and I mean it. River is sweet. Any woman would be lucky to date him.
“So did I.” He steps back from me. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”
I suddenly feel really terrible for ruining our second date. For spending the entire time focused on Micah. I step to him and quickly give him a kiss on his cheek. “That sounds good.”
He raises his eyebrows at me. “What was that for?”
“Because you’re sweet. And I like you.” I blush after saying that, but River just smiles at me.
“Good night, Cricket.”
I watch him drive away, then I let myself into the house. The lights are on in the basement, which means Micah is still here.
“Cricket?” he calls from downstairs. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I head down to the family room, where I find Micah sitting on the couch with a stack of papers in his hands.
His eyes are bright with excitement. “Cricket, this is incredible.”
“What is?”
“Your book. I printed your chapters.”
My heart leaps. “You read it?”
“I couldn’t put it down. I’ve been sitting here for two hours straight.” He waves the pages at me. “This is really, really good. Like, professionally good.”
I sink onto the couch beside him, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“Are you kidding me? I had no idea you were this talented.” He shakes his head, looking almost dazed. “I mean, I knew you liked to write, but this… this is on another level.”
“You sound surprised,” I say, giving him a look.
“I am surprised. Not because I didn’t think you were good,” he adds quickly, “but because this is… wow. This is like, real-novel good.”
Despite my mock indignation, I’m glowing from his praise. This means more to me than any review from a professional editor could.
“Do you have more chapters?” He leans toward me. “Because I need to know what happens next. Does she ever tell him how she feels? Does he figure it out? Because honestly, this guy is an idiot.”
I stare at him. “An idiot?”
“Yeah. I mean, come on. His best friend is clearly in love with him and he has no clue? How oblivious can one person be?” Micah flips through the pages again.
“She’s always there for him, she supports his art even when no one else does, she knows him better than anyone…
and he just sees her as a friend? It’s driving me crazy. ”
My mouth falls open slightly. He has no idea. None whatsoever.
“You think he’s oblivious?” I manage to ask.
“Completely blind. This poor girl is so obviously in love with him, and he’s just…” Micah gestures helplessly at the pages. “How does he not see it? The signs are all there.”
I’m speechless. I’ve literally written our entire relationship down on paper, and Micah reads it like it’s about two completely different people.
“Cricket?” He’s looking at me strangely. “You okay? You look weird.”
“I’m fine. Just… tired from my date.”
“Right, your date. How was it?”
“Good. River’s really nice.”
Micah’s expression shifts slightly. “Great. That’s… fantastic.”
“He didn’t have time to read my chapters though.”
“His loss,” Micah says. “Seriously, you are amazing at writing cliffhanger chapters. When can I read the rest?”
I look at his genuine enthusiasm and his complete lack of recognition, and I feel a mixture of joy and heartbreak.
“I’ll email a few more chapters to you tomorrow.”
“Yes!” He grins at me. “I can’t wait to see if this guy ever gets his act together and realizes what’s right in front of him.”
I can’t either.