Jenna followed the line of Taylor's finger and found Brooke. She waved, then pointed to the back table, where Aly had already put out a variety of appetizers.
"Any news?" Jenna asked.
"We're on!" Brooke beamed. "The papers with the network are all signed, and Spencer's on board. And all I had to do was sell my soul."
"What?"
Brooke waved the words away. "Ignore me. I was just trying to be funny."
Jenna had the feeling that wasn't exactly accurate, but she didn't press. "At any rate, congratulations. This is a big deal for you, right?"
"It is," Brooke admitted. "And congrats to you, too. We're going to make this place look amazing."
"Win-win," Jenna said, then stood. "I know I promised you lunch, but let's go find Tyree and tell him."
"Sounds good. And I can't stay for lunch anyway. I've got a million details to work on before we get started. But I'll be here tonight for the contest. I can't wait."
They found Tyree in his office, looking as harried as Jenna felt. Her phone rang right after the introduction, and when she saw that it was her mom, she signaled to Tyree, who assured her that he'd answer any of Brooke's questions, then see her out.
"Mom? Everything okay?"
"Of course. I just wanted to call and wish you luck on your big day."
"Thanks." She tried to sound enthusiastic, but it came out a little strangled. It was a big day. It just seemed a lot smaller without Reece beside her.
"All right," her mom said. "Tell me."
Jenna opened her mouth to tell her mother that everything was fine. But instead, she heard herself asking, "If Doug had wanted to just live with you, would you have done it?"
"Oh, I think so. We're a good match, and it's not like we're going to be starting a family."
"So if you'd met him when he was younger before either of you had kids, you would have insisted on getting married? What if he didn't want to?"
"Jenna, sweetheart. What's going on?"
They were the magic words that opened the floodgate, and she started to tell her mom everything, beginning with the fact that she and Reece were in love.
"But sweetheart, that's wonderful. You know I adore Reece. I always thought you two would make a great couple."
"He doesn't want to get married."
"With his father as a role-model, I'm not sure I blame him."
"But I--" She cut herself off before mentioning the baby. That deserved a longer, more intimate call. Possibly even a weekend trip to Florida for an in-person announcement and celebration. "But it's important to me. And he just completely discounts that."
"Sounds like you're discounting his perspective, too."
"I know, but--"
"Look, baby. I know it's hard. It's especially hard to wrap your mind around the fact that just because you found somebody who's perfect doesn't mean that everything about what they think and feel and do will be perfect. Relationships are about compromise. I think you should sit down and decide which is more important to you. Sticking to your guns or having Reece beside you."
"In other words, you're saying he wins."
Her mom laughed. "Since when did you revert to an eight-year-old? No, I'm not. I'm saying that you're the only one who can say. And maybe you've already made that decision. But the fact that we're having this conversation makes me think you're on the fence. So have a nice sit-down with yourself, and figure out which side of the fence you're going to climb down on."
"I love you, Mom," she said, because as painful as it might be to hear, everything her mom said was true. Especially when she considered that Reece was waiting for her on one side of the fence, his arms spread wide to hold her and keep her safe.
As soon as the call with her mom ended, Jenna dialed Reece, but he didn't answer. Jenna told herself that wasn't a bad omen, but when she tried three more times throughout the day and still got nothing, a sick feeling started to grow in her stomach. Had she waited too long? Had she screwed around and lost the best thing that ever happened to her?