Page 20 of Savannah Heat
He sat at a small table with his feet propped on the balcony rail.
“Sorry to leave you for so long, Brock, but I kept getting stopped by old friends, and the line in the ladies’ room was a mile long.” She sat down at the table with him, but he barely registered her presence.
“Not a problem,” he finally said, looking her way. “I’m taking it easy out here away from the crowd and resting up for another round of golf tomorrow. The senator asked me to join his group. Well, the senator’s friend did. But the senator agreed with the plan. A good sign, don’t you think?”
Jenna was determined to be kind to Brock, but all she wanted was for him to leave her alone. “Wow, that’s an honor, for sure. I hear he is picky about his golf buddies.”
Brock smiled and nodded. “Connections. It’s all about connections, like I told you. It turns out he went to Emory for his undergrad work the same as I did, so we ended up talking for a good while. I like him.”
“Sounds like you were in good company and not too bored. I saw that Dan’s friend, Harper, found you, too.”
Brock shook his head and frowned. “That’s an interesting woman. She’s smart in her own way, but more street smart than book smart; yet she has these little pockets of expertise. Kind of unusual. I can’t figure her out.”
Jenna looked at Brock to make sure he wasn’t kidding. She was slightly surprised at the depth of Brock’s comment. “Oh yeah, like what kind of expertise?”
“She can speak four languages, and yet she seems to be clueless about literature, politics, and anything having to do with world affairs. I found it fascinating.”
“Oh, she is fascinating now, and it has nothing to do with her looks, I suppose,” Jenna teased.
Brock looked at her and grinned. “No, I said it was fascinating, her odd knowledge base, but not her. A big difference. And she spent a lot of time talking about Dan and all his risky adventures. Then she started asking me about you.”
Jenna frowned and tried not to sound too interested. “Oh yeah, what about me?”
“Things like how long you dated Dan, where you met, why you are not still together, and then, all these questions about your family. Imagine my embarrassment since I didn’t know about Dan or that much about your family.”
Jenna, all her red flags up now, tried to be calm. “Brock, I’ve told you about my mother and father. My mother is long gone, and Dad died of heart failure after…well, after his business failed. And Dan, I guess there’s nothing much to tell. It’s history, as I keep telling you. I don’t expect you to tell me details about every woman you dated.”
Brock moved his legs off the banister and sat straight in the chair. “Fair enough. Let’s stop talking about other people and get back to us.”
“What about us?” Jenna’s stomach clenched. She was not ready to have this talk with Brock, but she should have seen it coming. There were obvious hints about how nice it would be if they lived together several weeks before.
Brock put his ever-present cell phone in his pocket and looked at her. “This trip has made me realize our relationship has been skating somewhere on the surface and has not gone very deep, and I would like that to change. But I sense that maybe you don’t. Am I right?”
Shocked by his sudden perception, Jenna couldn’t speak for a few seconds. Her mind was busy re-evaluating everything she thought she knew about Brock. This was not like him, at all. Or worse, maybe it was, and she didn’t know him as well as she thought. She took a deep breath and looked at him. “Brock, you know how much I like you, and we have a lot of fun together. It’s just that I am not ready for more right now. I need more time.”
“How much more time, Jenna?”
“Listen and really hear me, Brock. I don’t want to hurt you or hurt your feelings, but I can only be honest. I hate game playing in relationships. I try to be as open as I can be about what I want. Life is too short, and it’s cruel to string anyone along by not being honest.”
Brock slid to the edge of his chair and leaned toward her. “So, you are telling me I’m fun to be with, we get along great, but that’s not enough. And there is something more that you want, but maybe not with me? Do I have that about right?”
“It’s not that, Brock. It’s that I don’t want to live with you, not right now, anyway. I like my independence. I’m not ready for marriage and kids. You know yourself your parents would not like it if we lived together without marriage.”
“Jenna, I’m a grown man, and my parents don’t rule my world anymore. They haven’t for twenty years or more.”
“But I know you still want to please them.”
“You are making excuses, Jenna. We’ve traveled together, my family loves you, and you tell me you want to marry and have kids one day…so, I must assume you don’t want those things with me. Or you aren’t telling me the truth. Your biological clock must be ticking pretty hard right now. Now that makes me think you don’t truly want marriage or kids—maybe with anyone. Whatever it is, I need to know.”
Jenna could feel the heat on her face. “Wow, that’s a lot of assuming. Not a conversation for a party, but I’m saying I don’t want those things now.”
“I don’t think that is what you are saying. That was my point.”
Jenna sat back with a sigh. “Oh, we’re going around and around in circles, and this is hardly the time and place for this kind of conversation, Brock. Can we postpone this until later?”
Brock stood and looked out toward the coastline. “Maybe you’re right. Why don’t you stay and enjoy yourself here? I’m going back to the hotel and work for a while. I need to rest up for the game with the senator tomorrow. Too much alcohol and not enough sleep will do me no favors. I’ll need to be there on time and ready to make a decent showing, if I’m ever to be invited to play again.”
“You don’t have to go, Brock, but I understand. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but we can talk later.”