Page 30 of All You Need Is Love

Gabrielle never spoke ill of Jenna, but she had confided in Shannon a year ago about her sister’s struggles with mental health. Since then, Jenna had blossomed before the town’s eyes, becoming healthier, stronger, and more outwardly joyful, but who knew what demons she still fought on the inside.

Shannon reached out to squeeze Jenna’s arm. “You are an amazing mom because you love your son and would do anything for him.”

Something flashed in Jenna’s eyes, but it was gone quickly, replaced with a softening. “Anyone who has seen you with Noah knows he holds a special place in your heart. Now, give me this idiot social worker’s number and I’ll pound him into dust for you.”

That made Shannon laugh—the idea of wispy Jenna Wakefield beating anyone up. “Thanks, but I’m afraid only divine intervention will work at this point. I failed really badly, Jenna.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think.” Jenna chewed her thumbnail as she studied Shannon. “And I don’t want to discourage you by any means, but … just make sure being a mom is what you really want. It’s hard to be single, to be raising Liam alone, and for years I had the blessing of Gabrielle living with us and doing more for me than any sister should have to do. Now that I’m finally standing on my own two feet—barely, it feels like sometimes—it’s really difficult. And while motherhood is the biggest blessing of my life, I don’t know that I would have chosen to do it alone.”

“Thank you for telling me that.” It probably hadn’t been easy to admit. “But nothing is more important to me than Noah finding a happy home.”

Oh man, guess she did have some tears left. One trickled down her cheek and she swiped at it. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to dump all of that on you. I came to see Cam.”

At the mention of her boss, who was also a friend, Jenna’s eyes betrayed something else altogether—maybe a spark of interest, one Shannon had suspected for some time.

“He’s in back. Let me get him for you.” With quick steps, Jenna headed through the wide door behind the desk. A minute later, she came back, her manager in tow.

Cam’s face lit up with an easy smile. “If you’re here to check on tomorrow night, I’ve got it all handled, little cuz.”

Shannon grinned at the moniker, though she supposed he did have nearly a decade on her. “I tried texting you, but didn’t hear back, so just wanted to be sure you didn’t need my help with any of it.” A month ago, Cam had volunteered to organize the beach games part of the event, while Mom had gladly offered to head up the chili-salsa competition.

Jenna snickered. “We all know how good Cam is about returning texts or phone calls.”

Cameron whistled a line of “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.” “I just live life, man. Don’t want to be weighed down by technology.”

“If only we all could have such luxuries,” Jenna teased.

“You could join me.” He poked her in the side.

Her eyes lit up as she struggled to hold back a smile. “Someone has to be responsible around here.”

Shannon followed their volley of teasing, wondering if they’d notice if she slipped out. There was definitely something between them, even if Cameron seemed oblivious to the way Jenna looked at him.

Her cousin laughed at Jenna’s reply and turned to Shannon. “Oh hey, your performance with Marshall last night … wow, cuz, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Wonderful. Did her entire family think her a boyfriend stealer? “Um …”

Jenna’s eyebrows shot up. “Performance?”

“Yeah, Shannon was amazing. She and Quinn’s latest boy toy from New York sang this duet, and man. I didn’t know you had pipes on you like that.”

The tightening in her chest lessened. “It was nothing. Just a bit of fun.”

Keep telling yourself that.

Cameron checked his watch. “Oh, I’ve gotta go prep for our afternoon surf lesson. I’ll see you tonight, Shan. And don’t worry about tomorrow. I’ve got it handled.” After giving her a quick hug in his big arms, he left.

“I’ll see you later, Jenna.” Shannon tucked her hands into the back pockets of her jean shorts. “Thanks for earlier.”

“Wait just a minute. This performance with Marshall—what’s that all about?”

The woman was way too perceptive. Shannon fiddled with a jar of paperclips on the desktop. “He just asked me to sing with him and I couldn’t …”

“Say no?”

Shannon’s gaze collided with Jenna’s face, which wore a knowing expression. “It’s not like that. He’s just …”

“A friend?”

---