Page 24 of The Comeback
Which would be totally fine, I have to remind myself.
So far everyone passes my vetting. I’ll call in some favors later for the more prominent guests—political friends Gabriella’s parents know, the bridesmaids and groomsmen, the officiant, any famous friends of Colby’s. I’ll want more than what their Instagram accounts can tell me. While my mind is on the subject, I open the spreadsheet my assistant is keeping up-to-date with RSVPs. When I checked it a couple of days ago, some early ones had already rolled in, thanks to us installing a button on the wedding website that makes it easy for the guests to do it in one click and a few things to fill in.
My eyes find Jett’s name without me really thinking about it, smiling that he’s on top of it. I blink when I notice that he’s filled in the spot for a plus-one. Hayden Reid. Her name pops out immediately. Commenters on the post yesterday said Jett and Hayden were dating and that he was cheating on her with me. I tap over to her account before I can stop myself. I need to see what she said about the whole fiasco.
She hasn’t mentioned anything. There is a picture of her and Jett sitting in camp chairs on the field at the Pumas stadium. Got to meet Houston’s favorite QB today! But they are kind of leaning together like it’s more. Is there more?
That’s not the point. I shake my head, scrolling through a few more pictures to get an idea of their relationship, which is stupid. She’s his plus-one. There’s something going on. I just don’t like it. The only other thing that maybe connects them is a selfie of her with the caption, Texting my new favorite and a heart-eyes emoji. I note that she has over two million fans, which almost justifies me looking into her. That’s some heavy hitting.
I shouldn’t, but I google her. She played basketball at University of Houston, and I wonder if her height—almost six feet—is something Jett is attracted to. I’m no shorty—I’m five-eight—but picturing her next to Jett is an attractive image. Attractive only in the fact that they’re both insanely beautiful, and in some good heels she’d probably stand nearly at his height. Talk about intimidating.
I close my laptop, even though a voice says I should probably keep looking into her. Two million followers is nothing to blink at. Despite Gabriella being Miss Texas and coming from a family with a lot of influence in Texas, she didn’t go over a million followers until after she started dating Colby. Hayden’s large presence on social media also means she likely knows how to handle herself too. I ignore the wiggling jealousy in my stomach and move to get up. Time to enjoy the beach right outside my door and go for a walk to clear my head.
CHAPTER 15
JETT
On Thursday afternoon, Jenna and Devin bring the kids over to play at the beach at my house. Even though they live just up the street, they don’t have beach access—maybe one of the reasons Jenna insisted that I buy a house with it. She texted earlier this morning asking if it would be okay for them to come, so when I get home, I pull out the beach chairs and the toys I keep at my house before they arrive. It’s hard to believe it’s been only two weeks since I ran into Ava at the GetAwayHome. It feels like so much has happened since then.
Once Jenna has her youngest, one-year-old Ruby, settled in the sand to play in front of her, she plops into the beach chair between me and Devin, looking exhausted.
“Long week?” I ask. Jenna’s always on the go.
“Getting G’s stuff all settled has taken more time than I thought.” G is what Jenna and her siblings call Miss Maggie, their grandma. It sounds like a rapper name, but maybe that makes it all the more fitting for the close, friend-like relationship Jenna has with her grandma.
“She’s impatient to get started on finding another house to add to her GetAwayHome collection.” Devin reaches across the arm of his chair to squeeze Jenna’s hand. It’s like he was born to be her silent support. The first time he brought her home, I saw it. Where Devin is a closet introvert—holding his own with the rowdy football crowd he hung around with in high school—Jenna’s outgoing, go-getter attitude complements him in ways I dream about in my future partner. When she puts her mind to something, he quietly helps behinds the scenes to make her dreams come true. They’re perfect for each other.
Jenna laughs. “There’s one on the market that I want so badly. I just don’t know if we can—” She cuts herself off and I raise my eyebrows.
She waves her hand, sharing a quick look with Devin before turning back to me. “It’s bigger than the beach house, but it might be worth it. I need to take a look.”
“I could?—”
“No, Jett,” Jenna says. “You’re not buying us another house. This is my business.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. It was just a thought.” The truth is, I have a lot of money and no one to spend it on. “Did you know the Winstons are selling their house?” I nod to the house on one side of mine. “You should buy that one and turn yours into a GetAwayHome.” Jenna looks over at the house I gestured toward, her face thoughtful enough that I go on. “It’s got four bedrooms and a mother-in-law suite, so you could use both houses on your property as GetAways.”
She chews on her lip. “It’s almost a million dollars,” she says, and I grin, knowing that she’s already looked it up. “Out of our price range.”
“Hmm,” is all I say. It’s not out of mine. “Just thought it would be fun to be neighbors, but I guess you don’t like me enough for that.”
Devin laughs. “It does have beach access. At least we wouldn’t have to mooch off him for that.”
Jenna rolls her eyes. “Yeah, just the $6,000 mortgage payment.” She scowls at me, but her gaze strays to the house next door, her expression contemplative.
“Oh, we’d just buy it outright.” I wave at her in dismissal. When will she understand that my contract is more than enough to buy them another house? Just call me the completely silent partner in her GetAwayHome business. “I wouldn’t charge you interest, if it makes you feel better.”
Devin’s laughing harder, and Jenna shakes her head at both of us. “What are you up to tonight?” she asks, changing the subject. Devin pops up to grab Ruby before she makes it to the edge of the water, where her older brothers, Hudson and Ian, are playing. “You said we could stay as long as we wanted but you have to leave at six?”
“I have a date.” I grin, trying to feel more excitement than I do. I remember Colby’s words about Gabriella when he first met her about not judging her for her social media presence and remind myself I’m not going to decide what dating Hayden is like before we even go out for the first time. Enough people have done that to me that I should know better. There has to be a way for me to balance a more public persona while still keeping my private life private.
“With Ava?” Jenna’s expression lights up. “I knew after what happened at Colby’s house Sunday night, how worried you were about her, that it would spark something. Gabriella said the way?—”
“Not with Ava,” I say. I don’t need Jenna to finish that sentence. I could take my pick of options of what Gabriella reported about the way I looked at, treated, held Ava. The whole world got a glimpse of me wearing my heart on my sleeve. Is it that, in that moment, when I watched Ava struggling to breathe, I let everything else fall away? I might still have feelings for her, but it’s dangerous, and I don’t want to give them too much weight. “It wasn’t like that,” I tell Jenna. “Of course I was worried about her—it was scary—but just as her friend.”
Jenna nods quickly. “Oh, of course. Anyone would be worried.” She shrugs like she didn’t just get all excited about the idea of me and Ava again.
I look over at Devin, who’s sitting in the sand with Ruby, entertaining her so Jenna can just relax and not worry. I hope I’m half the dad and husband someday that Devin is. He’s great with Hudson and Ian, everything I expect him to be. He wrestles and rolls around on the floor with them and works to be as involved as Jenna in everything they do. But he came into his own when Ruby was born. He’s protective at the same time as he is supportive of her baby adventures—same as he is with Jenna. He follows Ruby to the edge of the water, where she reaches down and splashes her hand in the waves. He’s crouched down close, but not pulling her back from any possible danger. Just ready to leap into action if the need arises.