Seaside Sunsets Page 13
“Sounds good.” Jessica waved to Vera. “We’ll miss you tonight.”
“Thank you, dear. Have a nice time.”
She watched Jamie escort Vera out of the pool gates and sighed, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. She got out of the pool to lie in the sun, and her phone rang with an unfamiliar number.
“Hello?”
“Hi. Is this Jessica Ayers?”
“Yes.” She watched the girls fight over the raft she’d used.
“This is Steve Lacasse. You left me a message the other day.” His voice was energetic and friendly.
“Oh! Steve, yes, thank you for calling back. You had a baseball for sale, the one with Mickey Mantle’s signature all colored in with red ink.”
“Yes, but that’s been sold. Shipped it off the other day.”
“Yes. I know it was sold. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that was my father’s ball from when he was a child, and I’d like to contact the new owner to see if I can buy it from him. I was wondering if you could share his contact information with me.” Please, please, please.
“I’m sorry, Jessica, but I can’t give out any personal information. You can probably track him down on eBay.”
“Yes, I’ve tried that. Could you please pass along my information to him?”
“I suppose I could do that. What’s your email address?”
“It’s Jessica at BSO dot com, but could you please give him my phone number instead?”
“Darlin’, I’m not sure that’s a wise thing to do. Email is much safer.”
She smiled at his concern for her, but she hardly ever used email, and the less she had to rely on the computer, the better. “Thank you, yes, I understand that, but if you wouldn’t mind?”
He agreed, and Jessica hung up the phone feeling hopeful about finding her father’s baseball.
She lay down on the towel as Amy dried off a few feet away.
“Do you think I’m crazy to go out with someone a few years younger than me?” Amy laid her towel on her chair and tucked her wet hair behind her ears.
“I’m not the best person to give dating advice, but I’m younger than Jamie. I think you should follow your heart.”
Amy sighed. “I tried that.” She glared at Tony, who was nose deep in a novel. “I want to run down to the crazy store. Want to come with me?”
“What’s the crazy store?”
“Oh, right. Sorry. You know the two souvenir shops that are across the street from each other in South Wellfleet? Right on Route 6?”
Jessica shook her head.
“The ones with all the inner tubes and blow up stuff all over?”
“Oh, those. Yes.”
“We had a renter here once whose little girl called them the crazy stores, and it kind of stuck. Anyway, they have tie-dyed dresses, and I want to see if I can pick one up for tonight.”
An hour later Jessica, Amy, Bella, and Jenna came out of the crazy store with bags in hand. Jessica had a fun new dress to wear, which went perfectly with her new life. She’d bought Jamie a mood ring, and she’d picked up a cute beach bag for Vera.
When they got back to Seaside, Jessica heard Vera playing her violin. She walked around to the back deck of Jamie and Vera’s cottage to listen and found Jamie sitting with his back to Jessica, working on his laptop. Vera was playing “Czárdás” by Vittorio Monti, a piece that Jessica had always loved. She closed her eyes for a minute and let the music wash over her. Her fingers moved out of habit. She ached to play again. She opened her eyes as Jamie looked up from where he was working on his laptop and smiled.
“Hey, Jess.”
“Hi. I got Vera a little something. I’ve always loved that piece she’s playing.”
“It’s one of my favorites, too.” He reached for her hand as she stepped onto the deck and kissed her cheek.
“I saw this bag at the crazy store and thought Vera might like it for the pool.”
“The crazy store. You must have gone with the girls.” He held up the bag and showed it to Vera. “Look what Jess brought you.”
Vera stopped playing and joined them at the table. “That was very sweet of you. Thank you. This is lovely.”
“I’m glad you like it. I love listening to you play.” Jessica decided to wait and give Jamie his gift when they were alone. A mood ring wasn’t just silly. It implied intimacy, and she was still a little shy after what Amy had said.
“Thank you. Until my fingers won’t allow it, I’m going to play to my heart’s content.”
Jessica knew that feeling. She’d been working hard at ignoring the urge to pick up her cello. She focused on her father’s baseball to stifle the urge to join Vera. “Jamie, I heard back from Steve, and he’s going to give the buyer my number.”
“That’s awesome.” Jamie folded her into his arms and hugged her tight. “You might get that baseball after all.”
“I hope so. I’m going to run this stuff home. I want to call my father and catch up on a few things.”
“I still haven’t given you a lesson on eBay or the computer. I’m sorry that fell through the cracks. Want to do that now?”
She couldn’t tell if the desire in his eyes was her imagination or if he was making up an excuse so they could be alone and intimate again. She already missed the feel of him, and ever since he made the innuendo in the pool about being aroused, she’d been fighting memories of lying in his arms and being spoiled by his hands, his mouth, his body. Oh Lord. She had to go home before Vera saw right through her.
“That’s okay. You’re working and spending time with Vera. Hopefully, the buyer will call me, so there’s no rush.”
“Jessica, why don’t you bring your cello down and accompany me in a piece? I would love to hear you play.” Vera patted Jamie on the shoulder. “Go on, Jamie. Help her bring her cello down.”
“I don’t want to interfere.” Jessica couldn’t ignore the goose bumps racing up her arms at the idea of playing with Vera. Playing for Jamie was one thing, but Vera was an accomplished musician. She’d appreciate the musicality of Jessica’s style, which would be thrilling, but she would also notice her weaknesses.
“What do you say, Jess?” Jamie rose to his feet.
How could she say no to Vera? “Okay. Sure. Thank you, Vera.” They walked across the quad toward her apartment.
“Where are y’all going?” Bella hollered from her deck, where she was grilling. The smell of seasoned steaks rose around her cottage.
“Jess is going to play with Vera,” Jamie answered. “Come on over.” He turned to Jessica and lowered his voice. “You don’t mind, do you?”
“No, it’s fine.” She wasn’t sure if she was so nervous about playing in front of everyone, or because once she did, she might not be able to keep herself from playing again and again.
“I’ll bring steaks.” Bella hung over the edge of her deck and hollered, “Jenna! Pete! Jessica’s playing with Vera. Grab some salad!”
Jenna ran outside in her new tie-dyed sundress with Joey on her heels. “Really? Oh, yay! I’ll get Ames. Can you tell Kurt and Leanna? Oh, and Tony?”
“Amy left to meet Jake.” Bella stepped off her deck.
“And Tony’s right here.” Tony waved from his side yard. “I’ll be over in a few minutes.”
“Go get ready!” Bella shooed Jamie and Jessica away.
Jessica looked nervously at Jamie, who was smiling with pride in his eyes, while her stomach twisted and turned.
“See? Everyone wants to hear you play.” He draped an arm over her shoulder as they headed up the stairs to her apartment.
Jessica realized the real cause of her stress. She’d played in front of thousands of people, the media, even the president, and she wasn’t as nervous as she was to play in front of her new friends. She wanted to be plain old Jessica Ayers to them, and she knew the minute Vera heard her play, she’d know how accomplished she really was, and even though the others may not realize the level of expertise she possessed, surely they’d re
cognize that her cello playing was above average. She hoped Jamie was right and that she was misjudging how she could fit her cello into the real world, and more specifically, into their relationship.
In her apartment, she fisted her hands in Jamie’s shirt and kissed him. She needed to get her mind off her nerves and she’d been thinking about his lips all day.
“I’ve waited all day for that.” He sealed his mouth over hers again, and within seconds her legs turned to jelly and her nerves eased.
She was blissfully under his spell. When he pulled back, she was breathless.
“Are you nervous?”
“You can tell?”
He covered her hand with his on his chest. “You’ve got a handful of chest hair in there. Some skin, too.”
She opened her fists. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you nervous? Didn’t you say that you play in an orchestra?” He drew those sexy brows together.
“Yes.” She went to get her cello before either of them could make another move and they ended up between the sheets instead of down on his deck where everyone would be waiting to watch her play.
Oh God.
Chapter Ten
JESSICA’S EYES WERE closed as her fingers danced along the fingerboard of the cello against the backdrop of the setting sun. The bow moved gracefully, then forcefully, then full of grace once again, across the strings. In the few days Jamie had known her, he’d never seen such a peaceful expression on her beautiful face. It was as if the music had seeped into her body and filled it with serenity. Surrounded by the people he loved most, she opened her eyes for a split second and immediately sought his, and in that second, she leveled him flat.
Her lips curved up and her dimples appeared, making his entire world spin on its axis. In the next moment her eyes closed, and the combination of the music and Jessica made his chest feel full.
“Dude, she’s amazing,” Tony whispered.
“Yeah,” was all he could manage. Jamie had listened to his grandmother play in enough orchestras to know expert cello playing when he heard it.
After they played, Vera lowered her violin and gazed at Jessica. Jamie had never seen his grandmother in awe of anyone. There was no mistaking the look in her eyes as she watched Jessica humbly look down at her cello with something akin to love in her eyes. Jamie looked over the others, as they clapped and smiled and told both Vera and Jessica how marvelously they’d played, and on their faces he saw the same admiration for the duo that swelled inside him. Jessica’s eyes found Vera’s and held. Jamie couldn’t read the silent message that passed between them, but he felt the power of a secret world, a secret love. A kinship. If there was one thing he understood, it was that his grandmother had recognized something in Jessica that none of them could see, and he wanted to be in the know.
While the others gathered around the table filling their plates with the potluck dinner everyone had pitched in to make and Jessica settled her cello in the case, Jamie went to Vera’s side.
“That was beautiful, Gram.”
“Yes. Magnificent,” she said as she tucked her violin into its case. Vera pulled her thick sweater around her shoulders and crossed her frail arms over her chest with a slow exhalation. “Magnificent,” she whispered, as she shifted her eyes to Jessica again. “Be a dear, would you, please? I’d love a plate of food. I’m famished.”
Jamie knew when he was being dismissed. He could see that she wanted to speak with Jessica alone, and again he wished he could swim in Vera’s brain long enough to understand what she’d seen.
He grabbed a plate and filled it with salad, steak, and a slice of Leanna’s homemade bread and layered it with her delicious Strawberry Spice jam.
“Didn’t Jessica say she played a little the other night?” Bella asked.
“Yeah, she sure did.” Jamie respected his grandmother’s privacy and purposely didn’t try to eavesdrop on her conversation with Jessica, but he couldn’t help glancing at the woman who continually proved to be so much more than he ever expected. In every way, from her kindness and generosity, to her sweet demeanor and sensual instincts. She was standing with her hands laced together, swaying just the slightest bit, like a blade of grass in the breeze. Her lips were pressed together in that I’m-embarrassed-but-happy way that he’d fallen head over heels for, but her beautiful blue eyes were serious as she spoke to Vera. She nodded, said something that caused Vera’s mouth to open wide and then ease into her own pleasant smile.
“Well, I think she more than plays a little.” Bella handed a plate to Caden, then turned to ask Evan if he wanted her to fill one for him.
“Damn, Jamie. Gorgeous and talented.” Tony had a plate loaded with steak, potatoes, salad, and bread. “Lucky dude.”
Vera reached out and embraced Jessica, and they both headed his way.
“That I am. What’s up with you and Amy? Did you blow it altogether?” Jamie asked.
Tony clenched his jaw. “Nothing to blow.”
“Really? Could have fooled me, but what do I know?” Jamie patted him on the back. “You going to the beach party tonight?”
“Of course.” Tony tossed his chin to the side and his hair fell over his brows as he draped an arm around Jamie’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “Surfing only satisfies one type of desire in this hard bod.”
The ache of jealousy in his friend’s voice wasn’t lost on Jamie, and as Tony joined Kurt, Caden, and the others and Jessica came to his side, he couldn’t help but feel empathy for him. He knew that hookups would only lessen a fleeting desire. And now that he’d experienced what being with someone he cared about felt like, he knew that making love could be a deeper, more fulfilling experience, and he hoped his friend would find that one day, too.
“Thank you, dear.” Vera took the plate from Jamie, pulling his attention back to the group.
“Sure.” He turned his attention to Jessica and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You didn’t tell me that you played even better than Jacqueline du Pré.” He kissed her softly and noticed her eyes flash to Vera, who was settling in at the table.
“Please. I’m not that good, but thank you.” She dropped her eyes.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked quietly. “You should be beaming with pride, and you look a little worried.”
“I need to tell you something, and I’ve kind of been holding it back because I didn’t want it to make things weird between us, but I’ve told Vera, and now I feel bad for not telling you first.” She hooked her finger in the waist of his jeans. “Jamie, I’m on hiatus from the Boston Symphony Orchestra.”
The Boston Symphony Orchestra was one of the country’s five major symphony orchestras, and it was more than a big deal. It was a major deal, and taking a hiatus from such a prominent orchestra was not something the orchestra or, he imagined, Jessica would take lightly.
“That’s amazing, to play with such a prominent orchestra. Why would you keep that from anyone, especially me?”
She shrugged. “I just wanted to try to live a normal life and see what I was missing. People get weird when they hear you play for one of the Big Five, not to mention that I’m being considered for a seat with the Chamber Players, which is just another thing that would set me apart from other people my age.” The Big Five orchestras were designated based on musical excellence and caliber of musicianship, as well as a few other determining factors. In addition to the BSO, the Big Five included the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra.
“The Chamber Players? That’s huge, isn’t it? Very prestigious.” Jamie knew how prestigious it was, and he wondered how Jessica wasn’t jumping with joy to tell everyone she knew.
“Yes, it is.” She sighed, and when she shifted her eyes away, he sensed her discomfort with the discussion.
Jamie had seen firsthand how people reacted differently to Vera once they knew of her pre-Jamie career, and he knew all about people acting differently when they learned he held a c
oveted status, which was why he chose to live a low-key lifestyle rather than that of the rich and famous. But he wasn’t sure their friends at Seaside would be clued in to the symphony industry, or that they’d care, given that they’d always treated him like he wasn’t a billionaire. He wished she’d give them the chance to show her how they would react, but he was beginning to realize just how central the orchestra had been to Jessica’s life, and how she really must have lived a life very far removed from anything outside of the orchestra and the music world. It was all beginning to make sense—her inexperience with men, her fear that she might not fit in. She was so beautiful that if she were out in bars at night, she’d have been swooped into the arms of any number of men quicker than she could have said the word cello.
He wondered if there was more to her hiatus than just wanting to live a normal life, especially knowing that, as Vera had mentioned, taking a break from one of the biggest symphonies around was frowned upon. Whatever the reason, he didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was.
He kissed her and whispered, “Your secret is safe with me.”
Chapter Eleven
MARCONI BEACH WAS just a few minutes south of Seaside. Known for being a family-friendly beach during the day, with ample restroom facilities and lifeguards, Marconi Beach transformed at night into an oceanfront dance club. Colorful spotlights illuminated a makeshift stage that was brought in for the band and disassembled and removed before the next morning. Tonight there were crowds of people milling about the wide beach at the bottom of the high dunes. Some people danced barefoot in the sand, while others gathered in groups, talking and laughing. Beach chairs were set up in circles around bonfires and down by the shore. Jessica had never been to an event like this, and although she felt dressed for the occasion in her new tie-dye dress with a hoodie hanging open over it and flip-flops that she left dune side, her heart was racing.
Tony opened the cooler and handed them each a beer. “Party on, my friends.”
“Thanks, Tony.” Jamie opened one bottle and handed it to Jessica, then opened his own.