Page 52 of A Thistle Beyond Time
“Hmmm… I think I’ll get some of these,” Cormac announced. He started filling the rest of the basket with handfuls of the peach gummies.
Jenna laughed. “I certainly hope you like them.”
“They’re not for me, love.”
“Oh…” Jenna wasn’t sure who they might be for, but she was a little jealous that whoever it was obviously held a special place in Cormac’s heart. She hoped it wasn’t another woman. There was nothing she could do about it though. She wouldn’t go – and he wouldn’t stay. They were at an impasse and it didn’t seem either one of them would change their minds.
At the cash register, Jenna paid for the candy and asked them to put it into two bags, because Cormac requested the peach gummies be separated from the rest. Again, she had the odd feeling that Cormac had gotten the peach candy for someone special. The curiosity overcame her and she had to ask. “Cormac, who are you getting the gummies for?”
“For me brother Cailin’s wife.”
Jenna was a little taken aback by his response. “I see,” she said, but she didn’t really.
They walked out of the store and down the street in the direction of the car. Jenna was deep in thought. She didn’t like the way she was feeling. Hadn’t she promised herself not to get involved with anyone? And hadn’t she already broken that promise? She was at her wits end. She tried not to sound too possessive or clingy when she asked, “Cormac, what are your plans for the future?”
Cormac, who had been munching on a piece of candy, stopped and gazed directly into her eyes. “For me, the future is back home. I ken that it willnae be with ye, even though I had hoped that it would be different. I wish to get married and have a family and to spend the rest of me days with them. Now, I’m not sure.” He seemed very contemplative. “What of ye, Jenna? What do you plan for the future?”
Jenna shrugged. “I don’t know. I have my charity work and the foundation, I guess. I once thought I had my life all mapped out, but I have absolutely no plans now. Sad, huh? I can’t blame Jonathan completely for what happened. I wasn’t blind, but I didn’t want to see. I wanted to be married so badly and consequently I made a terrible choice. I wouldn’t listen to anyone when they told me I was making a mistake. I purposely didn’t see or hear what was obviously happening right in front of my face. I’m as much to blame as Jonathan is.”
Cormac pulled her in close and wrapped her in a hug filled with warmth and caring. She melted into it, but in true Jenna fashion she pulled away and started walking again, with Cormac hurrying to catch up with her. She couldn’t let him know how much she wanted him. He had turned down her offer to stay and she had to think about getting on with her own life. They reached the car and she quickly opened her own door and got in, closing the door before Cormac could reach it. Distance was what she needed. She had let herself get too close and now she was deeply regretting it.
Cormac opened the passenger door and got in. She could tell he was confused by her abruptness, but she wasn’t in any mood to explain. She started the car and sped off towards the freeway. She just wanted to get home and put some space between herself and the man she so desperately wanted to be with.
* * *
Surrounded by nothing but the hum of the car, the silence emanating from Jenna was a reminder that he hadn’t been able to win her over. That his trip to San Francisco had been a failure. Cormac couldn’t think of what to do or say to lift Jenna’s spirits. She had been acting oddly for the past few hours. He had one more day in San Francisco and he wanted to spend it with her. Despite her prickly side, he found Jenna to be fascinating. She was smart and beautiful. She made him laugh and her warmth and caring were apparent, even though she tried her best to hide it.
“Jenna, what is wrong, lass?” he asked, knowing his concern was written all over his face. Not that Jenna would have noticed, she didn’t take her eyes from the road in front of her.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she replied.
Cormac wasn’t convinced. “Are ye sure? Ye’ve not said a word in quite a long time.”
“I’m fine… really. Just concentrating on driving.”
“Aye. I can see that.” He waited a beat and when she didn’t respond, he hopefully asked, “What will we do tomorrow, Jenna, love?”
“Well, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I have things I have to catch up on. I’ve taken enough time off to spend with you, and now I need to get back to my own life.”
“I see. It’s my last day here tomorrow. I hoped you could spend it with me. We dinnae need to do anything special. I just want to be with you.” He hoped he wasn’t sounding as desperate as he felt. Why was she pushing him away? This had been the most wonderful week of his life and he thought she was enjoying it too. Perhaps not. He tried another tactic. “Jenna, I will go with ye, to help with whatever it is ye need to do.”
Jenna kept her gaze focused on the windshield, much to Cormac’s frustration. “No, that wouldn’t work. I just need to be by myself.”
“Is that what ye really want, Jenna?”
“Yes. Yes it is.”
Silence again. He wouldn’t fight her on this, she had obviously made up her mind. He would just see how the day went. He’d wait for her to come to him. He felt certain she would, eventually.
Jenna pulled into the garage and they both got out of the car. Jenna locked up and they headed upstairs to the kitchen entrance. Dylan was sitting at the counter and he glanced up when they entered.
“Hey, there you are! I was wondering what happened to you two. Thought you might have run off and eloped!” He laughed at his own joke.
Jenna scowled at him and headed off towards her room.
“Jenna,” Cormac called after her.
“I can’t do this right now, Cormac. Good night,” she said and he heard the slam of her bedroom door.
