Can't Stop the Feeling (Whispering Bay Romance 6)

“I promise. You’ll be the first. But don’t hold your breath.”

“Ha! I’d be in my grave if I did that.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you too, honey,” her mother said good-naturedly.

Marsha Pantini’s meddling could be a bit intrusive sometimes, but up till now, Jenna hadn’t really minded. Her mother had grown up in an age when being thirty-something and single was akin to being a leper. Jenna knew her mom was proud of her professional accomplishments (she’d heard her bragging to her friends about her smart, accomplished daughter often enough) but ever since Jenna had moved here to Whispering Bay, her mom had upped the pressure on her to find a man.

She turned the corner to go down the street where she’d circle around to start the run back home, when she spotted…

No.

Had she turned down the wrong street?

Damn it. She had. Tortoise Way was two blocks farther than her normal route. She must have gotten distracted by Mom’s phone call. Saint Mother of Horrible Coincidences.

Her best friend Kate’s voice popped into her head. There are no such things as coincidences!

Ben waved to her from the front lawn of the house he was renting. What was he doing? Just standing there in the grass? It was like he’d been waiting there all this time, ready to ambush her whenever she came by.

Pretend you don’t see him!

But it was too late. They’d already made eye contact, so no, she couldn’t do that. At the very least, she needed to acknowledge him, so she waved and kept on running.

“Jenna!” Ben called out loud enough to hear over the music pumping through her smartphone.

There was no choice. She had to stop now.

Plucking out her earbuds, she tried to catch her breath as she waited for him to walk down to the end of the lawn.

He’d changed out of his suit and into shorts and a T-shirt that emphasized his muscular arms and flat stomach. The past thirteen years had been kind to Ben Harrison. He had to be, what? Thirty-six? Other than a few threads of silver along his temple, he still looked like the same hottie from their college days.

“Did you come by to check out where I was staying?”

She snorted. “Of course not. It just so happens that I jog this way every day.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

He grinned. “Lucky me.”

Was he flirting with her? She’d pretend she hadn’t heard that and go with something safe. And bland. “So how do you like the house?”

“It’s got a great view of the gulf. Want to take a look inside?”

“No thanks.” Although if the truth be told, yes, she’d very much like to see the inside of that house. Strictly from curiosity. It was a multi-million-dollar house on a cul-de-sac surrounded by other multi-million-dollar houses, most of which were rented out on a regular basis. It would be fun to see how the rich and famous lived. Speaking of which, she wondered if Tiffany was here with him.

He shoved his hands inside his shorts pockets. “Small world, huh? Running into each other like this.”

“Yep.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to get that drink?”

“That depends. Will your girlfriend be joining us?” Rats. That sounded like she was jealous.

“What makes you think I have a girlfriend?” he asked, sounding amused.

“Don’t you? Not that it matters to me. Nope. Not in the least.”

“No girlfriend. No wife. And no reason we shouldn’t have that drink. What do you say?”