Page 104 of How Jenna Became My Dilemma

I haven’t.

Because she doesn’t respond.

Crap. Convincing her I’m the one for her is going to be harder than I thought.

CHAPTER THIRTY

CODY

My Jeep is suspiciously parked around the corner from Jenna’s house. But that’s how it has to be for the element of surprise. Showing up at her house unannounced is my love gesture. Every good romance movie has one. Heck, The Promised Prince has two.

So this is what I’m doing.

I’m going to sit on her front porch until she gets home.

The only problem is, I can’t get over the walls around her property to get to her front porch. I walk back and forth, assessing each bush, looking for a point of access where I can enter. There’s nothing. I guess that’s a good thing. I’d rather Jenna be safe than have an easy place for some creep to get over her walls.

Some creep like me.

I think if I just climb up the gate where cars enter, I can swing my legs over the top and hop to the other side. It’s a really tall gate—like, twelve feet tall. So I get a running start and scale it until my hands reach the top.

If I’m being honest, it took me three tries. But just for my ego, let’s say I got ahold of the top of the gate the first time. My body dangles, hanging with arms extended, until I use my upper-body strength to pull myself up so I’m straddling the gate with a leg on either side. Sweat gathers at the base of my hairline. Not ideal timing. No man wants to confess his love to a woman when he’s a sweaty mess. I wipe what I can with my sleeve, hoping by the time Jenna gets here, I’ll be a little more poised.

The gate unlocks. There’s a sudden humming sound and a jerk of movement. My butt travels backward. I glance behind me in full-on panic mode, watching the gate disappear inside the looming wall. Headlights turn into the drive, stopping in front of the moving rail, but I don’t have any time to think about how stupid it is that Jenna arrived home in the middle of my property break-in. I just need to get off this gate before there isn’t any gate left.

I swing my leg around and leap off. I could’ve planned my fall better, especially since I end up landing on top of Jenna’s car. My body hits the hood with a thud.

“That’s going to leave a dent,” I groan.

“Cody?” Jenna is out of the car, standing next to me. “What are you doing?”

“Climbing your gate so I could meet you on your front porch.” I slide off the car, trying not to wince or hold any of the dinged-up places on my body. I still have an image to uphold—I haven’t won the girl yet.

“Are you okay?” She grabs my arm, and it’s so nice to see her, to feel her touch. I study her face instead of answering. “Cody? Are you hurt?” Her words are slow, as if she thinks I have a concussion.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I hold my side against my better judgment. “You? How are you?”

She squints, shaking her head at me, and suddenly, nothing about this plan feels like a good idea, even apart from riding her moving gate.

“Miss Lewis, is everything okay?” The driver looks back and forth between us.

“Yes, Michael. Thank you.” She turns to him. “You can just take my luggage up to the door and then head home.”

He nods and climbs back in the driver’s seat. We step to the side as the car rolls past us into Jenna’s driveway and flips around.

“So what are you doing here?”

We begin a slow walk up her drive.

“We said we’d talk when you got home.”

“Not right when I got home. I said I’d text you.”

“It couldn’t wait.”

She slows to a stop. “If this about the amicable breakup. It’s too late. Tawny already sent the information out.”

“What?” I throw my hands up. “I told Dallas to tell her not to do that.”

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