“Of course. Come on over. I’ll put some coffee on.”
“Thanks.”
She told her assistant manager she was leaving and he could close up tonight. He assured he could handle it with no problem, since he closed on the nights she had off. She left and headed to Tara and Mick’s house. They’d bought a new place in the country, so it took her about twenty minutes to get there. It was a gated community with huge houses on oversize lots.
Jenna pulled into the driveway and Tara was at the door, waiting for her. She’d thrown on yoga pants and a sweatshirt.
“Coffee’s ready,” she said, leading Jenna into the kitchen.
They took a seat at the table in the nook off the kitchen. Jenna stared into her coffee.
“What’s wrong?”
She told Tara what happened with Ty, what he said to her before he walked out on her.
Tara sipped her coffee and nodded. “I understand all about running away from love. No one knows that better than me. I did my best to try to run away from it with Mick, and I almost lost him.”
“It’s not the same thing. Ty and I just don’t see eye to eye. I think we just want different things.”
Tara laughed. “Honey, I love you like a sister, but that’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard.”
Jenna winced at Tara’s brutal honesty. But that’s what she’d come here for.
“I’ve never seen two people more in love with each other, or more stubborn. And I hate to see the two of you break up over fear.”
“You mean my fear.”
“Yes.”
Her shoulders slumped. “I’m the queen of fear. I’m afraid of loving someone, afraid of taking a step to change my life, afraid of failing.”
“Let me ask you a question.” Tara poured another cup of coffee from the carafe on the table, added some cream and a dollop of sugar. “Is Ty’s career as important a factor now as it was when you first started seeing him? If I recall, you were adamant about not getting involved with anyone in sports.”
“Oh, yeah. That. Not at all.”
Tara leaned back in her chair, cup in hand. “Why do you think that is?”
She thought about it for a few seconds before answering. “Likely because it was never a factor in the first place. It was a defense mechanism to keep men away, a good excuse. After all, what kind of men did I know other than men either involved with sports or who loved sports? If I made it a factor, I wouldn’t have to fall in love.”
“But Tyler took that factor out of the equation, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. It didn’t matter what he did for a living, because I saw beyond it.”
“And you love sports.”
Jenna laughed. “I do. You bitch, you knew that.”
Tara gave her a knowing smile. “Of course I knew that.”
“It’s part of who I am, who I’ve always been. Oh, sure, I took dance classes, but that was to appease Mom. I’ve always loved sports. I loved playing basketball with Dad and Mick and Gavin out in the backyard. I love watching football and baseball and hockey.”
“So what’s the real problem?”
“The real problem is and has always been being tied to the bar. That’s the hurdle I’ve been trying to overcome. And Tyler was the one who knew it, who spotted my frustration right off and has been trying to help me find a way to have it all. It was me who was too afraid to take a shot at having everything I ever wanted.”
Tara didn’t say anything.
She laid her head in her hands. “God, I’ve made such a huge mistake. I said such shitty things to him when all he did was try to help me. He offered me the moon and I threw it back in his face and told him to butt out of my life. What am I going to do?”
“Well,” Tara said. “I can speak from experience and tell you it’s never too late to get back what you love. But you’re going to have to be willing to take some risks, Jenna, put yourself out there and be willing to fail.”
She tried to take a sip of coffee, but her hands were shaking so she set the cup on the table.
“I love him. And you’re right. It’s time to stop hiding behind the safety of the familiar. It’s time to stop being afraid.”
She stood and pulled Tara into a hug. “Thank you for being here for me, for being my friend and my sister. I couldn’t do this without you.”
Tara drew away. “Yes, you could. That’s what you need to realize. You can do this yourself. All you have to do is go for it and be willing to fail.”
She left Tara’s house, armed with the knowledge that everything she knew about her life was about to change.
TWENTY-SIX
THE FIRST STEP ON JENNA’S ROAD TO CHANGE WAS TO face her parents. She asked Gavin and Mick over, too, along with Tara and Liz for support.
“You’re not going to tell us you’re pregnant, are you? Gavin asked. “Because I really like Ty and I don’t want to have to kick his ass over this.”
Jenna laughed. “I’m not pregnant. And I kicked Tyler’s ass enough. I don’t think he needs any other family members doing it.”