Page 20 of Second Time Around
“I’ve always been jealous of Jenna, but even more when she started dating you.”
He tried to remove her hands, but she slumped forward, and he moved his hands to her waist to keep her upright. The hallway was dimly lit, and even though he’d left his suit jacket in the ballroom, he felt overheated. If anyone came upon them, it would look bad, and he wanted out of this situation as quickly as possible.
“You don’t know what you’re saying right now. What did you take?”
She giggled. “Silly boy. I know exactly what I’m saying. Dance with me.”
He shook his head. “I’m sitting you down and going to get Cody.”
Suddenly she stepped back, but her heel caught on her long dress, and her arms flailed as she tried to right herself. He caught her around the waist, and she clung to him, snaking her arms around his neck and pressing her body tightly to his. He backed up to the wall, thinking he would slide down it until she was safely on the ground, but he didn’t get that far. The next thing he knew, her lips were on his, and then all hell broke loose.
He heard the clip-clop of high heels, and then Jenna was there. He’d never forget her look of horror when she came around the corner and saw them seemingly locked in a passionate embrace. She didn’t speak. She just stared at him like he was a stranger as the blood drained out of her face. Then she turned and sprinted back down the hall, like she was wearing sneakers instead of high heels. By the time he’d peeled Kat off him, sat her down, and returned to the ballroom, Jenna was gone.
He’d been devastated and frantic, asking everyone where she’d went, but nobody had seemed to know. Initially he’d expected that once she heard his explanation, all would be forgiven. But it hadn’t worked that way. He’d known she could be stubborn, but he hadn’t known how stubborn until after that night. She’d refused to see or talk to him, effectively erasing him from her life like he’d never existed.
Tonight, when his family had suggested he ask her out again and assumed that she’d forgiven him by now, he’d known they were mistaken. If he still remembered that night so vividly, he could only imagine what her memories were like. She hadn’t been joking about not wanting to rehash the past.
His only hope was to get her to see the man he was today—a man who worked hard, loved his family, and always tried to do the right thing. Maybe, if she came to see him as an honorable man and not the teenaged boy who’d hurt her, she’d come to like him again.
It was a long shot, but if it meant having her in his life again, it was worth a try. Armed with a steely new determination, he closed his eyes and envisioned Jenna in her prom dress. This time, though, he imagined the night ending the way it should have—with her in his arms.
