Chapter 27
Kelly
For a long moment, neither me nor Jenny say anything. Intrusive thoughts hit one after the other—how she and Jake had been drawn to one another while we’d been on a break, how that brief relationship that supposedly meant nothing sent my life on a completely different trajectory.
How Jake broke my heart, shattering everything we had because of her pregnancy. And now, here she is—happy, remarried, her sons laughing in the yard, as though none of it ever happened.
I take a slow breath, but no matter what I do, the memories pull me back to a time when everything was so intense, so all-consuming, it was like no one else existed but me and Jake, and our off-again, on-again relationship.
It was our last summer before senior year, and Harbor’s Edge was practically humming with the hot, sticky energy of August. Jake and I had been together for more than a year, always running hot and cold, and that afternoon, after what should have been a regular beach day, it all fell apart.
And all because of some stupid comment I can’t even remember now, something I said about how he always “had to be the hero.”
“God, Kelly, that’s just not fair.” His voice had been a blend of anger and hurt, his arms crossed as we stood on the boardwalk.
I folded my arms to mirror him, already defensive. “Maybe it’s true, though. You think everything has to be done your way. And you have to protect everyone all the time. Fix everything.”
“Oh, come on,” he snapped. “And I suppose you don’t? You want things your way just as much as I do.”
“Fine!” I blurted, that all-too-familiar knot of frustration twisting in my chest. “Maybe we’re both too stubborn to make this work.” The words were out before I’d really thought them through, but once they were, I wasn’t about to take them back.
A muscle ticked in Jake’s jaw, and he took a step away from me, just enough that I felt the coolness of his retreat. “Maybe you’re right,” he said, his voice low. “Maybe we’re just fooling ourselves. You need someone different. Someone better.”
That hit harder than I’d expected, and for a moment, I was frozen, unsure whether to fight harder or let go. “Fine,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. “Maybe we should just take a break.”
He looked at me, and in his eyes, I saw the same confusion, the same hurt. “Yeah. Maybe we should.”
I turned away, my sandals slapping against the boardwalk as I headed away from him. I didn’t look back, not once, even though every nerve in my body screamed at me to turn around. It was just another one of our stupid fights, one of the fights that always burned out within a week or two, leaving only the unshakable feeling that we’d somehow work it out. We always did.
Only, this time, it didn’t work out like I thought it would.
A couple of weeks later, I saw him with Jenny—laughing with her in the very same spot where we’d fought. Jake Tanner, the guy I’d planned my whole summer around, was holding her hand, walking with her .
I remember storming down to the lighthouse that night, the wind whipping my hair and the salt from the ocean stinging my cheeks. I sat on the rocks until the waves numbed the hollowness in my chest. It was supposed to be Jake and me against the world, not Jake and... her.
One fight, one break, and everything changed.
Before I can untangle the mess in my head, Jake touches my arm gently.
“Come on, I’ll re-introduce you guys,” he says. “It’s been a long time.”
Nora gives me a look, and I brace myself as Jake leads me toward Jenny. Every step closer is a test of my resolve, and I think about all the ways this could go horribly wrong.
Jenny stands as we approach, smoothing her hands down her jeans, a smile already in place. Her two sons dart past, laughing and chasing each other, and for a moment, the noise fills the space between us.
“Hey, Jen,” Jake says, his voice easy, casual, as though this isn’t completely surreal. He gestures toward me. “You remember Kelly.”
I half-expect her to bristle, or maybe even pretend she doesn’t, but instead, Jenny holds out her hand, what can only be described as a welcoming expression on her face. “Of course I do. It’s nice to see you again, Kelly. I heard you were back in town.”
I blink, surprised by how nice she is, and hesitate for only a second before taking her hand, the tension in my shoulders loosening just a little. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
“It’s been a while,” Jenny says, tucking a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “Jake told me you were working on the Founder’s Day Festival this year with him? It’s a small world.”
“Yeah,” I glance at Jake, who’s watching us. “The mayor wants it to be bigger and better than ever before. I’m just trying to make sure everything stays on track with this awful weather that we’ve been having and the bad storms that have been predicted.”
Jenny laughs. “Well, if anyone can pull it off, it’s you. You’ve always been the hardest worker I’ve ever met. You used to get straight As in school, if I remember right.”
My guard lowers just a bit more. This isn’t the cold, awkward encounter I’d been expecting. She’s being… nice . I wasn’t prepared for that.
“Thanks,” I say. “Let’s just hope you’re right.”
There’s a brief lull, and I glance around, watching as Adele comes out onto the deck with her friends for food. Jake moves to join them, handing out drinks and plates, joking with the girls. Seeing him relaxed and completely at ease in his role as a father—it’s a side I haven’t seen before.
Part of me can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be part of this picture, to step fully into the life he’s built here. It’s strange and new, but almost as if… almost as if this is exactly where I’m meant to be.
Jenny catches me watching him. “He’s good with her and her friends, isn’t he? He’s a great dad.” There’s nothing in her voice except pride.
Hearing Jenny talk about him, about the man he’s become, softens something deep inside me. My eyes flick to Jake as he catches my gaze across the yard, a half-smile pulling at his lips. He’s not just Jake, my teenage love—Nora was right, he’s grown, changed in ways I haven’t fully appreciated yet. There’s a depth to him now, sides of him that I didn’t get to see when we were teenagers.
“He really is,” I admit, my throat a little dry.
“After our divorce, we worked hard to make sure Adele knows we’re both here for her, no matter what. It’s not always easy, especially lately. Parenting a teenager is no joke. But Jake’s been great.”
I swallow. “You’re both doing a good job. Adele is lucky to have you.”
I catch Jenny’s eye again, and she offers me a small, understanding look. “It’s good to see you again. Really.”
“Yeah,” I say. “You too.”
As I walk back to Nora, I watch Jake laugh with Adele, the moment settling around me, and I take a seat. Some of my resolve to take things slow emotionally, to guard my heart, seems to have melted a little.
“How was that?” Nora whispers.
“Weirdly fine,” I reply.
“You should listen to me more often. I’m rarely wrong.” She pokes her tongue out as Antonio passes us a couple of plates, and I elbow her, before loading up my plate with mostly salad, surprised how glad I am that we came.