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Authors: Hazel Kelly

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Chapter 51: Jenny

Three months later…

Ethan had pulled his jeep into the alley behind the studio and
was stacking the unsold prints in the back.

"I'd say that was a massive success," I said, cocking
a hip. "Wouldn't you?"

"I had my doubts going in," he said, closing the
trunk.

“Oh?”

"I didn't expect people to come knowing it would only be my
stuff."

I raised my eyebrows. "Well come they did. They ran out of
canapes and everything!"

He smiled and walked around to the passenger side to open my
door. "I suspect that’s because you spent more time circling the canapes
than you did selling my work."

I stopped beside the open door. "First of all, your prints
sell themselves. Second of all, you should be grateful anyone noticed anything
with those bacon wrapped whatsits in the room."

He rolled his eyes. "Get in, will ya?"

I climbed in and moved my legs so he could close the door. I
couldn't believe he was still doing things like holding doors open for me, but
I wasn't complaining.

Besides, it's not like I asked him to make such a fuss. He just
did it. Like it wasn't even a chore, though I almost wished he'd just get in
the car at the exact same time that I did so I wouldn't have to miss a moment
talking to him.

"I can't believe that daisies print sold for six hundred
bucks!" I said when he slid in the driver’s seat.

"You and me both." He turned the key in the ignition
and checked his mirrors. "It's like I have some sort of lucky charm."
He smiled and looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you think Ben meant what he said about hanging some of
the skyline prints at the club?"

"I do," he said, rolling down the alley towards the
main street. "And I think if Carrie okays the idea, he'll follow through
with it."

"I'm sure she will," I said. "In fact, I bet if I
gave Nora one for Carrie's office, she'd be putting them in her client’s homes
in no time."

"That's a great idea."

"Right?!"

"I was thinking," he said, waiting for a gap in
traffic to open up. "That following the success of my recent shows, it’s
probably about time we celebrated my listening to you in the first place."

"What do you mean?" I asked, turning towards him.

"I mean none of this would've happened if you hadn't forced
me at gunpoint to let other people see my stuff."

I rolled my eyes.

"And you put in a lot of work to get me those first few opportunities."

"Mostly the first one, but-"

"Still," he said. "All your encouragement has
gone to my head."

"Good. It's about damn time."

He pulled up at the light and rubbed his fingers along the blue
paint spot on his steering wheel. "In fact, I felt so good going into
tonight that I bought you a little something yesterday."

I raised my eyebrows. "Can I eat it?"

"No."

"Can I wear it?"

"No."

I furrowed my brow. "Are you sure it's for me?"

"Technically it's for us both."

"What is it?"

He leaned his head back. "Check the pocket behind my
seat."

I reached behind him and slipped my hand in the tight leather
pocket.

"Got it yet?" he asked.

"It better not be a dirty tissue that I left in here or
something because I already apologized for forgetting the fast food trash
last-"

He laughed. "It's not a dirty tissue, Jenny. Christ. But if
that's where you've set your expectations, I feel confident that you're going
to be pleased."

I stretched my fingers and squeezed my eyes shut. "Oh wait-
I feel something." I slid the thick paper until I could get a grip on it
and pulled it into the front seat.

He glanced at me.

"What is it?" I asked, staring at the pamphlet.

The picture on the front was of two people drinking cocktails on
a beach surrounded by nothing but pristine blue water and swaying palm trees.

Well, they weren't really swaying, but it seemed like they would've
been based on how the woman's dress was blowing in the breeze. Then again, I'd
never seen a real palm tree in my life. Maybe they were too heavy to sway.

"Open it."

I flipped the pamphlet open and let my eyes travel along the
tropical font. "The Abbott Hotel Bermuda."

"Looks nice, right?"

"Yeaaah."

"Glad you think so."

I turned an ear towards him. "Are we going there?"

"We are, actually."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wait seriously? To this place? In
Bermuda?!"

"It's going to get cold soon, and I'm dreading the thought
of you wearing more clothes."

I smiled. "So you're taking me to Bermuda?!"

“That’s right. For two weeks at the beginning of next month. I
already got you a window seat."

"You what?!"

He cocked his head. "Don't tell me you prefer the
aisle?"

"What? No! I don't know! I can’t even remember the last
time I was on a plane."

He pulled along the curb behind a taxi. "But you'll go with
me, right? Cause two for one drinks only make sense when you're with-"

I scrunched my face.

"What?"

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I got a job."

He craned his neck forward. "What?"

"You know that audition I went to for the Lion King two
weeks ago?"

"Yeah."

"They're going to let me be a hyena."

His hands went to his head. "Oh my god, Jenny, that's
fantastic! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I only found out this morning, and I thought it would make
more sense to tell you after your show so-"

He lunged across the center console and threw his arms around
me. "Congratulations. I’m so proud of you. Oh my god.” He leaned back in
his seat. “I can't believe you're going to be a hyena. I can't wait to tell
everyone!"

"Hyena number 2 to be exact."

He was smiling so hard I thought his face might tear in half.
"Holy Shit. That's the best hyena!"

I rolled my eyes.

"It's about damn time your talent got recognized. Are you
so pumped or what? "

I shrugged. "I don't think it's quite sunk in yet."

"You're going to be great."

"I figure worst case scenario, I mess up my lines and just
laugh really hard and no one will know-"

"You're a genius!"

"And you are ridiculously supportive."

"I knew you were a fucking star." He shook his head
out the windshield. "Hyena number 2. I'll be damned."

"Anyway, the rehearsals start in two weeks so I can't go to
Bermuda."

"Don’t worry about it. We'll go another time."

I raised my eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Of course. We can't fuck off in the middle of your big
break. Besides, the oceans aren't rising that fast. Bermuda will still be there
after the final curtain."

"Cause it's not that I don't want to go."

He put a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to explain,
Jenny. Or would you rather I start calling you Hyena #2 to help you get in
character?"

"Shut up."

"We have to celebrate."

"Agreed, but nothing seems exciting after your Bermuda
surprise."

He pursed his lips and turned the flashing blinkers on to buy us
more curb time. "We could always go for drinks?"

"And not stop until we're so drunk we feel like we're on an
island in the Caribbean?"

"It's an idea," he said.

"I was craving bottomless margaritas earlier this
week."

"I can do one better."

I raised my eyebrows. "I’m listening."

"How about we go back to the apartment and drink margaritas
bottomless," he said. "That's all I wanted to do in Bermuda
anyway."

I smiled. "I love that idea."

"I was hoping you might."

"And I love you, too."

He smiled. "Admitting it is the first step to
recovery."

I shook my head. "I don't want to recover. I've never felt
better."

He flashed his eyebrows and pulled back into traffic. "Just
wait till we get home."

"I can't wait," I said. "I'm too excited."

"I know the feeling," he said, keeping his eyes on the
road.

And as I stared at the man behind the wheel, I was overwhelmed
with an optimism that filled me so full of happiness there was no room for
anything else.

Because of him.

Because being his girl was my role of a lifetime.

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