Page 33 of Snowflakes Over Starr's Fall
“What about you, then?” Laurie asked with a small smile as she discreetly dabbed at her eyes. “I know you and your parents don’t get on all that well. Maybe you should reach out.”
Well, that was unexpected. Jenna hadn’t thought they were talking abouther, or her parents. “I’m fine with the way things are,” she stated, even though she knew she wasn’t, not entirely. Zach had reached out to their parents recently, and now they had regular video calls. He’d encouraged Jenna to join in, but so far she hadn’t. She hadn’t even been tempted, not really, and now she wondered why not. Was it just about protecting herself—or was she angry at them for the indifference they’d shown her when she’d been growing up, simply because they’d been so wrapped up in each other? It was both, she supposed, although she was cordial when she spoke to them. But sometimes it was better not to mess with the status quo.
“Let me know how it goes,” she told Laurie, who smiled wryly in understanding, thankfully getting the memo; they were not talking about Jenna’s mom, just Laurie’s.
“I will.”
They didn’t have a chance to say anything more, because someone was coming up the stairs, and moments later Joshua came in, waving cheerily at Jenna before greeting Laurie with a kiss. Laurie smiled up at him, slipping her arm around his waist, and they looked so blissed-out with each other that Jenna felt an uncomfortable pang of envy. She longed for that with someone, even if she’d long ago given up hope, or at least told herself she had. Spending time with Jack had shifted something inside her, chipped away at her hardened cynicism and made her remember how exciting it was to like someone. To feel that flutter, to have someone give you that sparkle in your eye and spring in your step… and more than that, to reallygetsomeone, and have them get you. But none of that mattered, because for the last three weeks Jack really hadn’t seemed interested. At least, he’d seemed far more interested in the store than in her, which was just as well, because like she’d told Laurie, she was fine as she was. Really.
Zach and Maggie came in then, looking as loved up as Joshua and Laurie did, and Jenna had to keep telling herself she didn’t mind all the laughing looks, the casual arms slung over the shoulders, the way Maggie leaned into Zach, or Joshua dropped an unthinking kiss on Laurie’s forehead. She kind of wished Laurie had invited someone else to this dinner, so she didn’t feel like such a fifth wheel, but that could have been awkward too, if it had turned into some sort of semi-date situation. She was good on her own. She really, really was.
“I thought maybe you would have invited Jack tonight,” Zach remarked when they were all seated for dinner and Laurie was dishing out the chicken casserole. Jenna couldn’t tell if he was addressing her or Laurie, and so she stayed silent.
“I thought about it,” Laurie replied easily, “but I thought maybe he and Jenna needed a little break from each other.” She gave Jenna a teasing look. “Considering they’re spending twenty-four-seven together as it is.”
Twenty-four-seven?Where wasthatcoming from? “We are not,” Jenna said in as dignified a tone as she could muster, “spending that much time together.” In fact, Jack hadn’t been to the store in several days; he’d said he had some other stuff to catch up on, and in any case, Jenna knew she was perfectly capable of managing the work on her own. It had just been nice to have someone to do it with.
“No?” Zach raised his eyebrows. “I see Jack’s Porsche parked outside the store most days.”
Which meant, Jenna knew, that most other people did too. Well, she’d already known that everyone in Starr’s Fall was talking about her and Jack. It didn’t mean anything was actually happening… or even that she wanted it to. There was a big difference between enjoying a little light flirting and wanting a relationship.
“Because he’s helping me in the store,” she told him. “And he hasn’t been theremostdays,” she added.Somewas more like it. Maybequite a few, but notmost.
Zach gave Maggie a laughing look before he nodded slowly at Jenna. “Whatever you say, sis,” he told her. “Whatever you say.”
Jenna decided silence might be the best policy, and she focused on cutting a piece of chicken, giving it far more focus than she would normally. She wasn’t going to convince her brother or anyone else that there was nothing going on between her and Jack, so she might as well not try. It was just particularly aggravating that everyone seemed to think she was the one who was in denial when they so clearly were.
For whatever reason, Jack Wexler had decided he was not interested in her, no matter what sparks she’d felt between them during their one and only sort-of date. And that was fine, because she wasn’t interested in him.
Really. End of.
Jenna looked up to see four people all giving her knowing smirks, as if they’d all been party to her entire thought process—and didn’t believe it.
And then Jenna wondered if maybe she just didn’t believe herself.
14
“Meeting come to order!” Lizzy called out cheerfully, banging the gavel a few times for good measure. Jenna sat down at the end of the table, dropping her bag down next to her. She’d come late to the meeting, so she only had time to shoot everyone there a quick welcoming smile before Lizzy started talking. She let her gaze skate over Jack, who was sitting at the front near Lizzy, telling herself not to mind when he didn’t even seem to meet her eye. He was completely focused on Lizzy and what she was saying.
Jenna suppressed a sigh. It had now been a month since she and Jack had started refurbishing Miller’s Mercantile—in addition to the lovely new wooden shelves and varnished floorboards, there was space for a self-serve coffee station and a salad bar that was being installed next week, sourced mainly from local farmers. Jenna had enjoyed getting to know more local suppliers, and was working on some new agreements for local honey, maple syrup, and jam, in addition to the fresh produce.
A new, hand-painted sign would be delivered tomorrow, and new stock was arriving daily. The store was starting to look pretty good, and Jenna was very grateful for it. Once she’d stopped trying to keep it exactly the same, she’d found the process of change liberating, and she’d seen even more areas than Jack had mentioned that could use a pick-me-up.
Dried flowers in a vase on the windowsill, an armchair from the barn that looked antique rather than dilapidated and provided a welcome place for people to sit down for a moment… a chalkboard above the cash register suggesting favorite items, a bulletin board by the door advertising local services and organizations… All these touches added something special to the store that she knew had been missing.
So yes, she was grateful to Jack for getting the process started, but she just wished she hadn’t more or less ceased to exist in his eyes, because that was what it had started to feel like.
He had been so focused on making her store a success, throwing himself into every project, that he sometimes seemed to forget she was even part of it. And then, in the last week, he’d only stopped by the store once, just for a few minutes, seeming distracted when he did, almost impatient, jangling his keys the way he’d once used to. Jenna had tried not to take it personally, but he’d barely met her eye, and she’d started to wonder if he was annoyed or maybe just bored with her and her poky little store.
He’d told her herself, back when they had dinner, that he still wanted some purpose in his life. Why should her little store be enough for him? In any case, he certainly hadn’t wanted to stay, and for the first time he hadn’t promised to stop by again soon; he’d just walked out without a backward glance.
Which wasfine, she’d told herself, because the consulting part of the project was pretty much done, and it wasn’t like she needed him to hold her hand forever or anything. And while they’d certainly gotten along, they weren’t really friends… except Jenna had sort of thought they had been. At least, she’d become used to him being around, which was dangerous, so really it was good he wasn’t coming by anymore because she needed to get back to the status quo.
Yet no matter how many times Jenna told herself it was all better this way… it didn’t feel like it.
“So, first item on the agenda, the Winter Wonderland Weekend!” Lizzy announced. “It’s only three weeks away, and Christmas really is around the corner. We need to start decorating! Planning! And so I’d like to nominate Jack Wexler and Jenna Miller to chair the weekend’s organization.”
Say what?Jenna jerked her gaze back to Lizzy, who was giving her an innocent, beatific smile. “I thoughtyouwere organizing the weekend,” she said blankly. “I mean, I thought you’d already organized it.” Since it was now mid-November, Jenna had assumed most of the work was already done. Although, to be fair, any planning in Starr’s Fall tended to be on the haphazard side. But Jenna had already started making her Winter Wonderland Weekend plans for the mercantile, which were coming along nicely.
