Chapter Thirteen Jenna 15 miles to go
Chapter Thirteen
Jenna
Jenna!’
Kerry burst into Jenna’s office while she was on a video call with Carly DiLuca, who had been staying overnight at the same luxury spa hotel where Jenna and Nate were meant to be getting married. It was late afternoon and Carly was briefing Jenna on the final arrangements for Cam’s arrival.
‘Oh, God, sorry.’ Kerry waved at the screen. ‘Hello, Carly! I’m a huge fan.’
Carly smiled and waved. ‘Hi there.’
‘Erm. Can I do anything for you, Kerry?’ Jenna asked politely, but firmly.
‘No. But – you need to hear this. You both do. It’s – well, it’s Cam. His team just called. There’s been an accident. Cam’s been rushed to Penzance hospital.’
Jenna ran up the path and into her cottage. Her heart was pounding.
She’d left her handbag and phone at home that morning after a sleepless night worrying about Cam and Nathan.
She and Nate were hardly speaking and he’d accused her of ‘making a fool of herself” by being obsessed with Cam’s challenge.
He’d slept in his own flat for the past few nights, telling her she ‘should take a long hard look at herself’.
It had been horrible. Jenna was torn between guilt at upsetting Nate and anger at the way he was bullying her into making life-changing decisions she didn’t agree with, or want.
She felt like she was teetering on a precipice and whichever way she jumped, it would end in her crashing down to earth in the most painful way.
Jenna’s heart had almost stopped beating when Kerry delivered the news about Cam.
While Carly had gasped in shock, Jenna had had to clutch the arms of her chair for support.
Five minutes later, she’d been on her way back to the cottage, to then head straight to the hospital.
In the summer, with roads packed with tourists honking their horns behind farm vehicles, it was a half-hour drive at least.
Apparently, Cam had fallen off his bike and into a ditch, somewhere near the coastal village of Marazion, famous for the island castle of St Michael’s Mount.
Jenna grabbed her bag from the kitchen counter and came face to face with Nate. Her heart sank, and in that moment she knew that no woman should feel despair and disappointment when the man she was about to marry walked in the door.
‘Jenna.’
‘Nate.’
He frowned. ‘You’re home early – or were you just going out again?’
‘I was on my way out.’
‘Before you go, I’d like a word.’
Her pulse rate shot up. ‘Nate, I don’t have time for this.’
He blocked the doorway. ‘I can’t imagine you have somewhere better to be,’ he sneered. ‘We need to talk. What could be more important than trying to save our relationship?’
‘I – I – you’re right. Nothing should be more important and yet – and yet, Nate.
’ She spoke gently, even though she was screaming to be gone.
‘This isn’t fair to you, to either of us.
I’ve lain awake so many nights for weeks now, asking myself what’s gone wrong.
What we could do to save it, and I’m sorry – I’m so very sorry—’ She crushed down a sob, because even though she knew this was right, she had loved Nate.
Really loved him. She just couldn’t remember why anymore . . .
‘Sorry?’ He folded his arms. ‘If you were sorry, you’d stay here and give us the time we deserve. Everything’s in place now: the wedding. We can’t just walk away from it. I won’t let you.’
Jenna grew cold. ‘You won’t let me?’
‘I – I didn’t mean that to come out like it sounded,’ Nate said. ‘I can’t stop you from leaving but if you think you’d be happier with someone else, you’re wrong and I know you’ll regret it.’
Despite feeling shaky, Jenna stood firm. ‘I might be wrong about a lot of things, but I know this: you’d definitely be happier with someone else.’
Nathan’s jaw dropped.
Jenna hoisted her bag on to her shoulder. ‘We really tried, but it isn’t working.’
‘No, I tried!’ he exploded. ‘I did everything – for you, for your family. I tried to make a home and future for us. I did it for you. But nothing I do is good enough. You demand too much of me, Jenna.’
She fought back tears. ‘Nate. Nate – I never asked you for anything. Only—’ She was going to say ‘love’, but stopped. Nathan had loved her, he did, but he just couldn’t love her in the way that she needed to be loved.
‘Only I think . . .’ she murmured, clutching her car keys until her fingers hurt. ‘We’ve moved too far apart. Maybe we always were too far apart.’
‘What kind of bullshit is that? Got it off Saint Cam, did you? I just heard on the radio the idiot fell off his fecking bike. Typical. He’s a loser and if you’re rushing off to help him, it’s the end of the road for us. You choose.’