Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jess
Jess sat cross-legged on her parents’ back patio in a chaise lounge. It was a gorgeous morning, still in that space where it was not too hot. Her laptop balanced in front of her, a coffee cup cooling on the table next to her. Maisie was in the kitchen with Henry and Claudia, eating breakfast.
Claudia offered to watch Maisie for the first part of the morning so that Jess could fully immerse herself in work. Her email inbox was full, and her Instagram and Facebook DMs were also full.
This had become the new normal ever since the buzz about the solstice party started circulating on social media.
She had posted a few short reels of the lantern prep, some throwback photos of Vineyard Haven’s earliest celebrations, and an elegant carousel of the event’s branding, all of which had gone mildly viral in the small, close-knit world of the Vineyard.
Are you the one behind the solstice promo? It’s stunning.
Hey! I run a boutique in Oak Bluffs and could use help with my online presence. You take on new clients?
Loved your flier for the event. Can you help with a fall fundraiser we’re planning?
Jess scrolled through message after message, eyes flicking from usernames she didn’t recognize to ones she vaguely remembered from high school.
Her chest swelled with a giddy excitement.
This was it, this was the break and buzz she needed after her failed tech business in California.
This was something new and exciting, something she would excel at.
Something that was just hers and that Clark couldn’t take away from her.
Every inquiry got a tailored response. She opened a fresh tab for each one, researching their business, checking out their current social media, their engagement rates, and their website functionality. Then, with practiced care, she crafted pitches that were specific, actionable, and kind.
One boutique owner, a woman named Lila who ran a seasonal shop called Drift and Dune, was hosting a grand reopening after a recent remodel. Jess had looked up the store and noticed the last Instagram post was over a year old.
Jess typed up her pitch:
Hi Lila,
I took a look at Drift and Dune and I love the refreshed coastal style you’re leaning into, it feels modern and relaxed, exactly what summer visitors are drawn to. I’d love to help you create a strong relaunch strategy.
I’d recommend a quick 3-week social push: branded teaser posts, a 15-second vertical video showing the remodel process, a launch day giveaway, and a light paid ad spend targeted at your audience. I can also help streamline your Instagram grid so the aesthetic matches the new in-store experience.
My rate for a campaign of that size and scope is $850. Let me know if you’d like to hop on a call!
Best,
Jess
An hour later, she received the reply.
Hey Jess,
Wow, love what you suggested. But to be honest, $850 is just way out of range for us right now. We’re still recovering from renovations. If you’re ever running any kind of discount or lower-cost service, let me know.
Appreciate your time!
Jess sat back in her chair. It was always this way with small businesses on the island—so many of them struggling to stay afloat with the rhythm of the seasons. She understood. She did. But still, that tightness in her chest formed every time the answer was no.
She replied:
Totally understand, Lila. If anything changes down the road, I’d be happy to help. Best of luck with the reopening!
She hit send, then let her head fall back onto the chair behind her. For every enthusiastic message, there seemed to be three rejections. Sometimes polite, sometimes blunt. The no’s were stacking up.
She could drop her prices.
The thought lingered in the air like fog. She knew what that road looked like. She’d been down it when she was just getting started with her tech company. She’d do anything, even offering free consulting for huge businesses, just to get her foot in the door. And it had worked, sort of.
However, she also knew that certain people would expect $1000 of work for $200 and also want to micromanage every detail.
It left her drained and questioning her own ability, wondering if this thing she was trying to build had any real future. She couldn’t discount her prices like that again.
She chided herself for the thought, especially since she was back in the Vineyard, living with her parents, sleeping in her childhood bedroom like a teenager again.
Every cent she earned went toward Maisie and saving for their own place.
It would’ve been so easy to just say yes, to take whatever people were offering.
But Jess had made a decision when she left Clark, when she started over, that she wasn’t going to undervalue herself anymore.
Her phone started buzzing, and she looked down to see the devil himself smiling back at her.
The timing was impeccable. She stared at the screen, her jaw tightening, then answered with a clipped “Hello?”
“Jess,” Clark said, his voice softened. “How are you?”
“I’m good. Busy.”
He hesitated. “I’ve been thinking. About you. About us. I know things ended a little… fast. But I forgive you for that. I really think we could try again.”
Jess blinked. Surely she hadn’t heard this man right. He was forgiving her, after he’d ruined her business and credibility? She’d lost their home, her business, everything she’d worked so hard for because of his fraud and embezzlement. Was he drunk?
“You forgive me?”
“For ending it, quitting on us. Walking away,” he said, like it was a gracious offer. “I just think, for Maisie’s sake, it’s worth another shot.”
She sat up straighter, her spine stiff. “Clark, I ended things because of your lying, your stealing, and the way you disrespected our marriage. Forgiveness isn’t what we’re lacking here, it’s accountability.”
There was a beat of silence.
He cleared his throat. “I just thought maybe you missed having us all together.”
She felt a small pang in her chest, not because she missed him, but because there had been so many nights when she did miss the idea of them—of family dinners, of not doing it all alone. And in the past, she had said yes. She had wavered. For Maisie.
But not anymore. She learned her lesson after the tenth time.
“No,” Jess said calmly. “I don’t miss pretending everything was okay. I don’t miss apologizing for your behavior. And I don’t miss being the only adult in the relationship.”
Another pause. She didn’t wait for a reply.
“I wish you the best, Clark. But I’m not interested in going backward.” She hung up.
For a moment, she stared at the phone in her hand. Then, slowly, a smile crept across her face. It wasn’t easy, but she felt strong, stronger than she had in a long time. It wasn’t just about Clark. It was about her business, her future, her sense of self.
She got up and stretched, letting the weight of the morning roll off her shoulders.
Back at the table, she opened her Google Drive and pulled up the business file she had been updating, an ever-growing document filled with her service descriptions, pricing tiers, templates for proposals, branding guides, and case studies from successful campaigns.
She made a small adjustment to the FAQ section, adding a new bullet:
Q: Your rates are high—why?
A: I price according to the time, strategy, and expertise required. I don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions. I build campaigns based on your unique needs and goals. It’s an investment in visibility, brand awareness, and community connection.
She stared at it for a minute, then nodded and saved.
Jess knew she couldn’t afford to take every job that came her way, but she also knew that what she had to offer was good.
Better than good. She had helped fill a harbor with people for the solstice.
She had turned tradition into buzz, a local party into a destination-worthy event.
And eventually, people would see that what she brought to the table was worth it.
Even if it took time and meant she stayed in her old twin bed for a while longer. She was working to build a legacy, again for her and Maisie. She wouldn’t make the same mistakes she’d made with her first business.
Clark hadn’t even asked about Maisie. He hadn’t asked to speak to her or even how she was.
The thought hit Jess quickly, and she shook her head. Just another reason as to why she was right in telling him no and standing up to him. The divorce had been finalized for months, and he hadn’t followed through with any of his visitation or even talked to her on the phone since then.
She closed her laptop and headed inside the house, where Maisie was already dancing around with Claudia in the kitchen, telling her how many likes their “lantern behind-the-scenes” reel had gotten on Jess’s page.
“Your mother is going to be famous by the end of summer,” Claudia said with a grin.
Jess ruffled her daughter’s curls, kissed her forehead, and smiled, knowing that even if everything wasn’t perfect, she was finally on the right path.
And she wasn’t going to lower her worth to be more palatable.
Not anymore.