Page 37 of Not Just Gal Pals

“Jenny?” a voice, low but distinctly feminine, asked.

The pit of my stomach jolted.

Blake.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

BLAKE

“Oh, hi. Sorry. I was just heading out.” The side of Jenny’s face closest to Novel Gossip glowed with light, but it was difficult to make out her expression.

“Oh.” I paused, pulling off my mask. “Can I...can I walk with you?” I’d been heading back to find Jenny. As difficult as I found it to talk about my feelings, I had to stop running outside each time something awkward happened between us and have an adult conversation with her instead. The only problem was, I still wasn’t sure what to say. I’d been hoping inspiration would hit when I saw her.

It had not.

“Yes, of course.”

We started walking down Main Street in silence. I kept my hands firmly in the pockets of the black wool coat I was wearing over my robe. I did not trust myself around Jenny.

“Well, George knows how to throw a great party,” Jenny said.

I exhaled, relieved Jenny’s small talk would buy me time to work out what to say. “She sure does. I know some folks like to complain about out-of-towners moving here, but Novel Gossip has become an indispensable part of the community. I don’t know what I’d do without her coffee—or her company, for that matter. She’s been a good friend to me since I moved back.”

“That’s great. It must have been so strange moving back to Sapphire Springs after living in New York for so long. At least it’s improved a lot since we were teenagers.”

“Would you ever consider moving back?” I tried keeping my voice nonchalant. Jenny living in Sapphire Springs permanently would make my life a lot more complicated, but my heart beat faster as I waited for her response.

Jenny shook her head. “Nope, there’s no work for me here. My agent was hoping I might attract some different sponsors by posting more rural content, but no one has shown any interest so far. And none of the local stores would have the budget to pay an influencer. But it’s nice to be back for a couple of months. Spending more time with Mom and Dad, seeing Amanda and Maya, and enjoying the new-and-improved Sapphire Springs 2.0.”

A ripple of disappointment washed over me, but I knew it was for the best. When Jenny left, I’d hopefully no longer be tormented by my attraction to her.

“This wig is making my head really itchy,” Jenny said as she pulled it off her head, stuffing it in her bag and shaking out her hair, transforming herself from Wednesday Addams into a very pale but still beautiful Jenny.

A gust of warm air and rowdy laughter escaped Builders Arms as a patron exited the pub, and I suddenly realized where we were.

“Shit, we’ve passed the turn to your parents’ house. Should we head back?”

Jenny shrugged. “Since we’re nearly there, do you want to walk down to the water?”

“Sure,” I said, relieved Jenny didn’t want to rush off before I’d gathered my thoughts. Not that walking with Jenny was helping that process. It was difficult to focus on what to do about the woman I found incredibly attractive and kept accidentally kissing when she was only a foot away from me.

A block away from the water, Jenny inhaled a sharp breath. My eyes darted to her face with concern, which quickly vanished. In the faint light of the cast-iron lamps that lined Main Street, I could see she was smiling.

“Look!” Jenny pointed. “They’ve already decorated the bandstand for the holidays!”

The bandstand, a hexagonal pavilion next to the river, was glowing from the strings of fairy lights adorning it.

“Good lord, it’s not even November yet!”

“Well, I’m not complaining. It looks gorgeous. In fact, they should leave them up all year round. Why limit fairy lights to the holiday season?”

“Energy conservation?” I replied, a teasing tone to my voice.

Jenny frowned, but I was almost certain her lips were twitching. “I’m sure they could purchase some energy-efficient lights, or even install solar panels on top of the bandstand to power them.”

“I’m not sure they’ll put solar panels on a historic 1920’s bandstand, but feel free to raise the issue at the next town hall meeting.”

“Maybe I will.” Jenny grinned, and my heart leaped.