Chapter 06.03

The next day, the family arrived early—and to my surprise, Jenny rang the doorbell too. Dad answered, so we didn’t speak.

“Good morning,” she greeted, then quietly settled into a calm corner, just like she always did.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, curious.

“Amber asked me to come,” she replied. “She said it was important.”

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Kevin said, joining us.

“Neither did I—until this morning,” Jenny smiled.

“The old man doesn’t mind you spending Saturday at your ex’s house?” Kevin asked rudely.

Luckily, Dad was within earshot. My jaw dropped.

“Excuse me?” Jenny asked, confused. Dad quickly stepped in and invited her to try some cake. He gave me a meaningful look—this was still a mess I hadn’t cleaned up.

“Kevin,” I said, walking over to my cousin, “there is no ‘old, rich guy.’ That was just me jumping to conclusions.”

I quickly filled him in on the essentials. By the end, he was laughing.

“You really stirred up a mess for yourself,” he said. “Guess I’d better find a way to fix this.”

Kevin walked over to Jenny, who was browsing the bookshelf in the living room. I followed, just in case he said something else stupid.

“Jane,” Kevin said, “sorry if that came off rude. I thought you had to be at your old professor’s practice today.”

“Oh, I see,” Jenny smiled. “Not many people call him ‘old,’ but during the summer, my weekends are always free. He doesn’t really care what I do,” she said. “Not having a great day?”

“Seeing you smile just made it better,” Kevin laughed. Jenny smiled and walked away.

“Nice save,” I said. “But maybe stop trying to charm my girlfriend.”

“She’s not like Eve,” Kevin said. “And she’s not your girlfriend anymore.”

“She isn’t, indeed, for the first part—and you never know about the second,” I said with a smile, leaving him behind.

I didn’t seek out Jenny’s company, and she made sure to stay in a different room from me. Thankfully, my family was polite enough not to put her in an awkward position. They chatted with her kindly, nothing more.

Just before lunch, Amber and Brad arrived, and everyone gathered around the garden table. Jenny sat at the far end, across from me, next to Grandma, who was clearly talking to her about cooking. When Brad stood up during lunch, Jenny glanced at me and smiled. I didn’t even try to look away anymore.

“Dear family,” Brad said, raising his glass, “we’d love for all of you to join us next year for our wedding. I can’t give you the details just yet, but we’ll keep you posted.”

Amber pulled the ring from her pocket and slipped it on. Sarah squealed, Mom was visibly moved, and Jenny smiled.

After lunch, the women gathered around Amber, admiring the ring. Jenny stepped over to me.

“See, pretty boy? You’ve got to know how to lose gracefully,” she said with a smile.

Amber pushed me aside a little, but I didn’t move from there.

“Well? What do you think?” she asked, showing off the white gold ring with a diamond.

“It’s a beautiful ring,” my girlfriend said with a smile. “Congratulations.”

“But…” Amber laughed. “I can see it on your face—there’s a ‘but.’ You don’t like it, do you?”

“That’s not what matters,” Jenny deflected, but I was starting to catch on to what Amber was doing.

“You’re more of a yellow gold person, right?” Amber asked. She knew exactly which questions wouldn’t raise Jenny’s suspicions—but would still get her talking. I stayed quiet and just listened.

“You know me well,” Jenny smiled. “But really, I didn’t get the ring. You know it’s the gesture that counts. Few men actually get it right when it comes to what their girlfriend wants.” She laughed, and I quietly stepped back.

The afternoon passed quickly, but Jenny didn’t stay long. She said quiet goodbyes to Amber and my parents before slipping her shoes back on.

“Can I walk you home?” I asked as she quietly reached for her coat.

“If it makes you feel better,” she said.

I quickly grabbed my sweater and closed the door behind us.

“When are you heading back?” she asked.

“In a few days,” I replied.

I hesitated, then asked, “And you? When do you leave?”—just to fill the silence.

“The day after tomorrow,” she said. “I want to focus on the shop.”

“Will I see you before then?” I asked as we reached Uncle Steve’s house.

“We should talk tomorrow at Tony’s,” she said seriously. “If—if you’re free, of course.”

“I’ll be there at the usual time,” I smiled.

“Thank you,” she said, and went inside.

By the time I got home, the rest of the family had left. My parents had already cleaned everything up, and only Amber and Brad stayed for dinner.

“So, what’s the news with school?” Amber asked over dinner.

“I got the letter today,” I said, grinning. “I got in—and I don’t have to repeat the year. I didn’t lose anything. I’m only going to gain.”

“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” Mom said, clearly emotional.

“You finally climbed out of that hole, little brother,” Amber laughed.

“Now I just need to win Jenny back,” I added.

“You’ll probably have a few more rounds to go,” Dad said.

“I know,” I sighed. “What do you know about the French guy?” I asked Amber.

“Not much. The negotiations are still ongoing. Jane’s still coming home on weekdays, even in early fall. Why?”

“She looked really happy dancing with him at the wedding,” said, with a hint of jealousy in my voice.

“Of course she was,” Amber laughed. “No surprise there. He talked about himself, Jane listened—and you weren’t the one dancing with her. He was one of the best partners she had that day.”

“I just hope she’s not still chatting with him.”

“Hey,” Amber said, switching topics, “Jane and I had some promo gifts made for the shop. Want to take a few with you to the dorm? Could be good advertising before the opening—just hand them out to the students.”

“Sure,” I said. “Just toss them in my bag.”