A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

Had last night been a one-time thing, an impulsive trip to the past, a way for Jenny to get him out of her system for good before moving on? Before making what Gavin was certain would be the biggest mistake of her life?

Surely she would break it off with Thad now. She couldn’t marry some other guy after what she’d shared with him last night, could she? No one else could possibly make her feel what he did, just as the reverse was true for him. She couldn’t even considering marrying someone else when all it took was a touch, a kiss, to ignite a blazing fire between them. Could she?

“Hey, Gav, break’s almost over.” Holding a basketball and wearing shorts and a tee, Avery approached. “You are still playing, right?”

Gavin stashed the phone in his gym bag again. He, Avery and J.T. had been playing Rob and a couple other medics in three-on-three basketball. The score was tied at two wins, and they’d agreed to play a twenty-one-point tiebreaker. “I’m coming.”

“You weren’t thinking of calling her, were you?” Avery asked suspiciously. He didn’t bother to clarify who he’d referred to, as there was no need. Gavin hadn’t told his friend about last night, but somehow Avery knew something was up.

“Let it go, Avery. Let’s play basketball.”

“Damn it, Gav, why are you letting her do this to you again?”

“Just give me the ball. The way you’re playing this afternoon, the medics are going to kick our butts this time.”

“I’m not the one who got distracted and let the ball hit me in the jaw,” Avery reminded him irritably. “One guess who you were thinking about.”

Gavin scowled and rubbed his chin.

“Hey, guys, come on. Let’s get this massacre over with,” one of Rob’s friends called out. “I’ve got to be home in time for dinner.”

“Drop it,” Gavin said when Avery started to speak again. “Just play ball.”

With a gusty exhale, Avery spun on one athletic shoe and stalked toward the court with Gavin following. Gavin didn’t really blame his buddy for being so pushy. Avery had been there to see what the last breakup with Jenny had done to him. Just as Gavin had been there during Avery’s painful divorce from his first marriage a few years ago. He would give anything to make sure his friend wasn’t hurt like that again. Avery certainly felt the same about him.

His friends wanted the best for him, he thought with a sigh. Maybe he should listen to them.

Maybe he’d call Jenny after this game.

Or maybe he’d wait and let her call him.

Damn it, Avery was right. He really was letting her mess with his head—and his heart—again. If he had a lick of sense, he’d forget he ever ran into her again. But when it came to Jenny, he’d never had a great deal of sense.

* * *

“So I told Margaret this morning after Sunday school that I don’t care what her grandson’s excuses are, there’s no way I’d spend any more hard-earned money to bail out his sorry butt if I were her,” Gran proclaimed over dinner, completing a story that had droned on endlessly through salad and now to the ham and potatoes course. “They’ve spoiled that boy something terrible and now the whole family’s paying the price for it, especially Margaret, since she’s the only one of the bunch who had enough sense to put away a little money for her latter years.”

Jenny’s mother shook her head in disapproval. “I feel sorry for Angie and Don. They don’t deserve to be punished this way. But Angie still makes excuses for him, blaming all his problems on everyone but him. She can’t accept that he’s a grown man in his twenties now, and that he has to take responsibility for his own failings.”

As uncomfortable as she

was by the gossip, Jenny was relieved that at least they were focused on someone other than her for now.

Maybe the thought had crossed her mind too soon. Her grandmother turned to smile smugly in her direction. “I told Margaret that I hated to brag, but I was glad I haven’t had to deal with that sort of disappointment from my grandchild. I said that Jenny hasn’t given us a day’s trouble since her little college rebellion, and even that was fairly mild and short-lived. Only natural, I suppose, for a teenager to test her wings when she’s away from home, but we’d given her enough solid raising that she straightened up with only a little guidance from us.”

Wincing at the indirect reference to Gavin, Jenny said peevishly, “I’m right here, Gran. Must you talk about me as if I weren’t?”

“Just telling you what I said to Margaret.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have. She’s upset about her grandson, and it seems unkind to boast about me to her. Besides, I’m hardly perfect.” Nor was she a possession to be pulled out and shown off, she added silently. It wasn’t the first time she’d felt that her grandmother saw her that way.

For years, she’d tried to please her exacting grandmother, who had dealt out gestures of affection like earned rewards.

Jenny’s mom had been more generous with her affection, but as a hospital nurse, her hours had been very long, leaving Jenny more often in her grandmother’s care. Her mom was also quieter, often overshadowed by her forceful parent, so it had been Gran who had most inspired trepidation in Jenny. Funny how those deeply ingrained patterns could carry over into adulthood, she mused as she played with the food she didn’t want but was afraid to push away for fear of rousing her grandmother’s suspicions.

“Margaret understands that I was only expressing my gratitude that I’ve been blessed with a more successful grandchild,” her grandmother shot back, oblivious to the offensiveness of her comment. “At least I know I won’t have to worry about my bank account being drained by irresponsible family members. Both you girls have worked hard for your livings, and once you marry Thad, I’m sure you’ll make sure your mother and grandmother have what we need, won’t you, sweetheart?”

It was another not-so-subtle reminder of how selfish Jenny would be if she didn’t take advantage of an opportunity her grandmother had prepared her for all her life.