13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
The silence engulfed them.
Jenna really wanted to know more about Simon’s writing. It fascinated her that he wrote books. She planned to read it—even if it was the most boring book she’d ever read.
Before Simon answered, she rushed on to say, “I’ve never known an author before. This is so exciting.”
He didn’t immediately respond. She figured he was probably trying to figure out which book was the most popular. Maybe he didn’t sell that many, and so he didn’t keep track.
“Why don’t we skip that question?” he said.
And then she realized he was embarrassed to answer the question. She hated that she’d put him on the spot. “It’s okay. Just name one of your books. I’m anxious to look it up.”
“But you don’t read my genre.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt to try something new.”
“Is this really that important to you?”
If he was this embarrassed to tell her the title of his book, how was he ever going to sell them? Maybe he just needed someone to prop him up and cheer him on. She could do that. She could be his very own cheerleader.
She looked directly at him. “Yes, it’s important.”
He averted his gaze. “Time’s Ticking.”
She had to have misheard him. “Wait. What?”
“Time’s Ticking is my most popular book.”
“You named your book after the most popular movie series? Can you do that? I thought they trademarked those names.” She realized that she was rambling on. “I’m sorry. I’m just confused.”
He still wouldn’t look at her. “It’s okay. I probably should have told you this before now. It’s just that I keep that part of my life private.”
The more he talked, the more the puzzle pieces started to fall into place. And she gasped. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re Thomas Sinclair, the famous author?”
There was a slight hesitation before he nodded. “Yes.”
Her mouth gaped. “Really? You aren’t just making this up, are you?”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Wow.” And here she was thinking that he was embarrassed because he didn’t sell any books when in fact he’d probably sold more books that year than any other author. “Wait until my family hears this.”
“Could I ask you for a favor?”
“Um, sure. What?”
“Could you keep this information just between us?”
“But why? I thought you’d want to shout it from the rooftops. You’re famous.”
He shook his head. “I write under a pseudonym to keep my life private. At least I used to before my ex-girlfriend got mad when we broke up and she sold my identity to the tabloids. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was right when the final book in the series released—it’s the book where the hero is killed off. ”
“Hey!” She frowned at him. “You shouldn’t have told me that. Now I know how the series ends.”
His jaw went slack, as though he were trying to decide if she was being serious or not.
“It’s okay,” she said. “Keep going.”
“Anyway the readers were in an uproar about the hero being killed off so when they found out what my name was, it didn’t take them long to figure out where I lived.
I’ve had death threats. My house was vandalized a few times.
It was so bad that I had to move. They found out where I moved to.
So, I moved again, but by then I had writer’s block.
I honestly wasn’t sure that I could write another book.
Then my agent suggested I give Bluestar Island a try. ”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe people were that cruel to you. I’m so sorry.”
“Thanks. I was surprised myself, but I would have ended the series the same way, even if I had known their reaction. It made sense for the story arc.”
“This is why you wear the hat and sunglasses when we go anywhere.” Things were starting to make sense to her.
He nodded. “I like the island. I don’t want to have to move again.”
“Does this mean you’re considering extending your lease?”
A smile played at the corner of his lips. “I’ve been thinking about it.”
She smiled back at him. “I like the sound of it. Shall we play another hand?”
“Yes. I have to win. I have questions.”
She reached for the cards. “Thanks for trusting me with all of that. But you know that as soon as the power is restored, and I have internet access, that I’m going to download your books, even though I know how the series ends.”
“Trust me. There are a lot of twists and turns before you get to the end.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Even though it isn’t your type of book?”
She dealt out the cards. “Yep. I told you that I’ve never known an author before.”
The storm had quieted down outside. Gus took the opportunity to move to the rug on the floor. He yawned and then stretched out. Every now and then she could hear a soft snore.
When Simon won the next hand, she heard him cheer “yeah” under his breath. “Okay. It’s my turn to ask you a question.”
“Should I be worried?” she teased.
“Well, I told you about my past. Now I get to learn about yours.”
She fell back against the couch and waited for him to come up with his question.
She wouldn’t say it to him, but she loved this evening.
It was like question by question she was peeling back the layers of his life and getting to know the real man behind his charming smile.
And she was falling for him. Hard. And fast.
“Why did you and your last boyfriend break up?”
She sat up straight. Maybe she should have anticipated that question, but she hadn’t. She’d been too busy basking in the wonderfulness of this evening.
“Okay. Um...His name is Frank. I met him at the market. I was working one of the checkout lines when he was on his way out. When he first flirted with me, I didn’t think much about it. Not bragging but he wasn’t the first to do it.”
“I can definitely believe that.” When she sent him a puzzled look, he elaborated. “That he wasn’t the first man to flirt with you.”
Heat swirled in her chest and leached upward until it settled in her cheeks. The only man she wanted to flirt with her was sitting on the couch next to her. Simon was sweet and fun. He was famous. Wow! And yet he was down to earth. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man and more.
“Jenna? Jenna, is everything all right?”
“Uh yes.” What was she talking about before her mind took a total detour?
It took her a moment to remember that she was telling him about her ex.
“Anyway, that’s the way it started. But Frank was nothing but persistent.
He came back to the island the next weekend and talked me into having lunch with him.
It’s how it ended that is most memorable for me. ”
“Why is that?”
“It was a Friday evening, and we were supposed to meet to go to dinner in Boston. I arrived at his office a little early. He works on the mainland. And I found him with his co-worker in his arms.”
“What did he say?”
“He had the nerve to follow me to the elevators where he tried to explain that he did nothing wrong. That we weren’t exclusive, even though we’d been seeing each other for five months.
I’d even introduced him to all of my family and friends.
We were exclusive. Let me rephrase. I was faithful to him, but who knows how many other women he was seeing behind my back. ”
“I’m sorry he did that to you. He’s a fool. If I had a woman like you in my life, I would have no need for any other. You are the complete package.”
The heat in her cheeks returned with a vengeance, setting her whole face aflame. “Thank you.”
The thing that struck her when retelling the tale was that it no longer hurt to think back to the way Frank had humiliated her. She’d never really been in love with him—infatuated with him, yes—in love with him, no. It took her a while to sort through those distinctions.
But when she looked over at Simon in the candlelight, she had no doubt that she was falling for him. She knew it wasn’t ideal as he might not be on the island come next year, but her heart didn’t care about logic. It only cared about him.
And then she realized that Simon was suddenly a lot closer than when they’d started this conversation. The next thing she knew, the backs of his fingers were brushing along her cheek. It sent chills cascading over her skin.
He stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry he did that to you. The man truly was a fool not to see the amazing woman in front of him. I won’t make that mistake.”
And then before she knew what to think or say, he was leaning toward her. Her heart launched into the back of her throat, blocking the surprised gasp.
He was going to kiss her. This time she was certain of it. She felt as though she’d been waiting forever for this moment. Her eyes fluttered shut. Then his lips pressed to hers.
He was hesitant at first, as though unsure if she wanted his kiss.
And then she kissed him back. She wanted to turn and lean into him, but with them seated on the couch, it made maneuvering a challenge.
And so, she stayed in place as she leaned into his kiss.
Her heart pounded. No other kiss had ever felt so right.
This was definitely a storm that she was going to remember for the rest of her life. As though to drive home the thought, there was a loud clap of thunder. It appeared the storm wasn’t done with them yet.
Then next thing she knew, there was a large dog in their laps. And their kiss that had barely started was already over. To say she was disappointed would be a complete and utter understatement.
Simon got the tail end of Gus while she got the wet nose and panting side of things. She petted him and then wrapped her arms around him, feeling his slight tremble. It wasn’t as bad as earlier. She took that as a good sign. He felt safe with her and Simon.
“It’s okay, boy. The storm will be over soon,” she said.
“I thought it was over,” Simon said.
“I did too. I guess we were a bit premature.”
Simon moved slowly as he slid out from under the dog.
And then he got up and moved to the windows.
She wanted to follow him, but Gus wasn’t moving from her lap.
Instead, he settled with his front paws and head resting on her legs.
She kept running her hands over his soft fur as she softly told him that everything was going to be all right.
“What do you see?” she asked Simon.
“It’s hard to see much of anything. It’s so dark out. But it doesn’t look like anyone else on our street has power.”
“Hopefully, the power company will be able to fix it soon.”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath. I think one of the transformers went out. If so, it’ll take a bit for them to replace it.”
“Oh. I should report it.”
“Jenna, they aren’t going to come out in the middle of the storm.”
“But if we don’t get on the list now, we’ll be the last place they repair.”
Simon moved back to the couch. His voice lowered when he said, “And would that be such a bad thing?”
A smile played at the corners of her lips. He was turning into quite the flirt. “Not necessarily. But eventually we’re going to want power.” She leaned over Gus to try to reach the coffee table, but she couldn’t reach it. With regret, she slipped Gus off her lap. “Sorry, buddy.”
Then she reached out and grabbed her phone.
This wasn’t her first power outage, so she had the information to contact the power company already stored in her phone.
The only problem was that her phone was dead.
How could that be? And then she recalled forgetting to put it on the charger the night before.
“My phone is dead.” She put it down on the coffee table.
“No, problem.” Simon said. “You can use mine.”
There was an extended silence. When Simon didn’t hand her his phone, she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t have my phone. I must have put it down when I grabbed Gus’s leash. But it’s no big deal. I’ll just go grab it and be back.” He got up and headed for the door.
Gus got off the couch and followed him. She wasn’t sure Simon was even aware of the dog following him because the dog did have the capability of moving stealthily. And with the wind still blowing, there was enough noise to cover up the dog’s footsteps.
Simon opened the door and stepped outside.
Wanting to let him know the dog was following him, she called out, “Simon, the dog.”
Gus was on his heels. And then there was the brightest flash of lightning. It lit up everything around them like it was daylight out. Just as quickly they were plunged back into darkness.
And then there was a whine from Gus followed immediately by a house-shuddering crack of thunder. It reverberated through Jenna’s entire body. The thunder continued to roll out.
“Gus, no!” She heard Simon’s voice over the thunder. “Come back.”
Jenna was off the couch in a heartbeat. When she reached the door, both man and dog were gone. She stepped out onto the porch.
Simon raced down the stairs. “Gus, come back!” His outline got lost in the darkness, even though she could still hear his voice. “Gus! Here, boy!”
A few minutes later, Simon charged up the stairs. He was soaked. “I lost him.”
She walked over to him. She put her hand on his wet arm. “He’ll be back. He always is.”
Simon shook his head. “He’s scared to death of storms. I should have been more careful with the door. I should have made sure to have his leash on him. I didn’t know he was there. I didn’t know he’d followed me.”
She could hear the worry in his voice. “It’s okay. We’ll find him.” She formulated a plan. It wasn’t elaborate, but it was better than standing around worrying. “I have some flashlights. You go get your phone. And meet me back here in a minute.”
He didn’t say a word. He quietly moved toward his half of the duplex while she moved to hers.
Gus would be fine. They would find him. He would be wet but otherwise fine. She held those thoughts close to her as they prepared to go searching in the storm.