When You Were Mine Read online

  An older woman in a Hawaiian shirt and bright green shorts is pursing her lips at Sydney, who smiles broadly at her.

  "Lunch break, Mrs. Simons. Are you ready for summer or what?"

  Mrs. Simons snorts and shakes her head.

  "It will come eventually. Ohio weather has its own rules. We just never know what they are."

  She's right about that, so I take her money and bill, dispense with the change, and thank her for stopping in.

  "It's nice to see you here so much, Jenny. A lot of us missed you while you were at college, not just Michael."

  Her smile is tight and knowing, but she walks away before I can answer.

  "No way she got an apartment. Emily is here to take care of her grandparents, remember? Why would she move out of their house if she wasn't leaving town?"

  Or if she and Michael are moving in together. Would he do that, so quickly, and without a wedding date?

  Maybe that's what they were doing today. Choosing a date, making plans . . .

  "Hey, Jenny, this is good news. She's leaving, right? What else could that mean but they broke up?"

  Breaking up is never good news. Whatever is going on between Michael and Emily, if this is it, he isn't going to be happy. It just doesn't work like that.

  "Sydney, I doubt you're right about what's going on, but it's not cool to think a breakup is good."

  She sighs dramatically and shrugs as I cut a piece of pie and slide it into a to-go box for her.

  "I guess you're right. I don't want to sound mean, but it would be good for you, right?"

  I shake my head and hold out the box.

  "Do you need a fork?"

  Instead of answering, she steps behind the glass case and reaches into the box of plasticware nestled in the corner by the coffee maker, so I keep talking.

  "If it upsets Michael, it's not good for me. If he's happier with Emily, then I hope they stay together."

  She stabs at the air between us with the fork she pulls from the box, and walks away, only to be blocked at the door by Emily.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  "Sorry," I hear Sydney call out as she slides past Emily, who looks a little unsure of how to respond.

  When she turns to face me, I see that her usually perfect skin is a little blotchy, her eyes red as if she's been crying. I hope nothing has happened to Cathy since I saw Mark earlier, but since I don't keep my phone with me at the counter, I wouldn't see any text Michael might have sent.

  My stomach growls just as Emily steps up to the glass case and starts to look at the pies and muffins inside.

  "I heard about your lasagna. I think between the two of us, we could keep the Lindsay men fed and happy until Cathy is back up to the task."

  Her smile is small but genuine, and I'm relieved. I don't want to hurt her, and I don't want to think of her as a rival for Michael's affections.

  She's a real person, just like me, and has managed to win Michael's heart so quickly that I imagine there must be so much more to her than any of us here in Valley Vale can see.

  Except for Michael, of course.

  "They both can eat, that's for sure. Michael, not so much right now, but I think Mark's appetite is impossible to restrain. He's like my dad. They've never met a carb they didn't like."

  A long-fingered hand shoves a bill in my face, along with a twenty, and I shift backwards in order to avoid getting smacked in the face.

  "If you girls would stop talking and pay attention, I'd like to pay for my meal."

  I force a smile for Mr. Bettes, the town's tyrannical piano teacher, who once scared Michael so badly that he wet his pants back in second grade.

  He snatches his change from my hand and stomps away in a huff.

  "Did Michael ever tell you that he took piano lessons? I only mention it because that man just now is the piano teacher. I don't know how many kids here in Valley Vale have flashbacks whenever they hear classical music in an elevator. Adults, too. I think Mr. Betts is about a hundred and twenty years old by now."

  Emily shakes her head, her gaze shifting from the old man back to me.

  "No, he's never told me that. I think there's a lot about Michael that I don't know."

  When she turns to face me again, her pretty face is twisted into a frown, her eyes full of tears.

  "My cousin just graduated from college, and he wants to take the summer to send out applications, think about what he wants to do in the future."

  "Hey," I reach out to take her hand, and to my surprise, she doesn't move away, but grips it tightly in her perfectly manicured fingers.

  "I'm going back to stay with my parents for a few months, but I should be back in the fall. Tyler, my cousin, will stay here with my grandparents for the next few months. It's good timing, I'd say."

  I have no idea what she's talking about. Maybe she wants to plan her wedding with her mother's advice.

  The door opens and a tall figure fills out.

  The timing is horrible, and I realize that I haven't given this man a second thought for months, although I dragged him into the drama between Michael and me with a kiss last summer.

  And haven't said a word to him since.

  "I'll seat myself since you seem to be busy."

  Jonah grabs a menu, snatching it from the metal frame pocket attached to the side of the glass case, and stalks away, sliding into an empty booth with a thunk.

  I first heard that he left town for college, then more recently that he left in the early fall for some sort of volunteer program in the South, Kentucky or Tennessee, but I can't remember the details. Whatever it was, it sounded more commendable than my choice to hide in a crowd two hours away, spending exactly zero hours volunteering to help anyone with anything.

  "What's his problem?"

  Emily's voice is soft and quiet, but carries an edge I haven't heard from her before.

  I shake my head dismissively.

  "My fault. I need to apologize to him for something, and clearly, he knows it."

  She drops my hand, and I hold it open in the space between us.

  "But why are you leaving? I think Michael could really use your support right now, with Cathy's medical problems. I mean, I don't want to tell you what to do or anything, but . . ."

  I leave that big but hanging, and the diner seems to fill with silence. Even Jonah, his rough manners and physical presence unmistakable, fades into the distance.

  "You're all he needs, Jenny. I always felt like there was a distance between us, but I've never had a serious relationship before, so I thought maybe my expectations were too high. That he'd open up to me more once we were married."

  I'm glad I'm not holding a coffee pot because it would have fallen to the floor by now. Her words don't seem real, and I wonder if I'm imagining them, and she's really telling me something else.

  Something I can't respond to because I am focusing entirely on what I'm actually hearing.

  "I'd like to order sometime today, please!"

  Jonah's voice belies his use of the word please, and I glance around, finding neither waitress present.

  "I'm keeping you from doing your job. Sorry about that."

  I open my mouth but she shakes her head.

  "I'll be back. I love Valley Vale, and my grandparents need someone looking out for them. This is a good opportunity to figure my own life out, now that it doesn't involve Michael. I hope it won't be awkward between the three of us when I come back, because I'd like to be friends."

  My mouth is still open, but I can't find any words. Emily smiles, sadly, and her shoulders fall a little.

  "He would have married me, you know. Just because he promised. That's the kind of man he is."

  When she turns away, I look over at Jonah, who isn't glaring at me as I expect, but watching her, his frown more concerned than angry.

  Before I can find a way to respond to Emily, though, she's gone, the glass door closing easily behind her and sealing with a click.

  "Sorry, Jonah. "


  I wipe my palms over my apron, which is a little worse for wear, and present myself at his side. When he starts tapping on the laminated menu, I impulsively rest my hand on his shoulder and his movement stills.

  "I'm sorry, Jonah. Not just for making you wait right now."

  He stares at the menu, his body tensing under my touch. If I don't tell him now, it will only draw things out, and he deserves an explanation as well as an apology.

  "I kissed you at that party to make Michael jealous, and it was wrong. I never meant to hurt you, or use you like that. And I should have apologized a long time ago."

  I take a deep breath and take my hand from his shoulder.

  He nods sharply.

  "Yeah, okay. Can I order now?"

  I can't help the smile that comes easily to my face.

  "Sure. What can I get for you?"

  He points to a few items, and I recommend the chocolate pie to end what will be a very filling meal. But Jonah is a big guy, even bigger than I remember him, and he should be able to put it away.

  "Did you make it? Maybe I need to think on it, then."

  When he shakes his head, I know he's teasing, although it feels a little forced.

  "Oh, do you know if Levi is hiring? Or looking for an apprentice?"

  I couldn't say, and that's what I tell him, but he nods his thanks although I haven't been helpful on that front.

  He wants to work in the machine shop? Clearly he's home for good, too, then.

  The door opens, and I turn away from Jonah to find Michael standing just inside, watching us.

  The timing is impossible.

  I take the menu from Jonah, keeping my gaze on Michael, who looks shocked, and not in a good way.

  "I'm as surprised as you are. I didn't know he was back in town."

  Trying to make light of the situation, I smile at Michael as I shove the menu back in the holder, but it misses in my hurry and falls to the floor.

  When I bend down to pick it up, I watch his feet shift as he steps towards the door.

  Didn't I tell him that I kissed Jonah to get his attention, to get him back for kissing Annabelle? He couldn't possibly think that I'm interested in Jonah now, could he?

  "Michael, wait!"

  I call out, but he is already in-between the double doors, pushing on the second one and heading out into the parking lot.

  Without bothering with the menu or Jonah's order, I follow him quickly, not about to let him go.

  Not again.

  He's not hurrying, so it only takes a few moments for me to catch up to him. When I grab his arm, he stops, but doesn't turn around.

  "I wanted to talk to you, and I guess it was just a shock, to see you with him."

  I wasn't with Jonah, but I know what Michael means, so I don't argue. Should I tell him that Emily was just here, and what she said?

  "Emily's leaving town for a few months. We had a long talk, which should have happened before now, and decided to end our engagement."

  I hadn't really had time to process Emily's words and her expressions before Jonah barged in, but now that Michael says it, it all fits.

  She did say that her future didn't involve Michael, and I ended up dealing with Jonah's grouchiness rather than that revelation.

  A breeze blows a strand of my sweaty hair across my face, and I reach up to push it away, but Michael beats me to it. His hand rests on my cheek, and I'm too stunned to do anything but stare into his eyes.

  "I'd like us to try again. We have so much between us, and we've lost this time we've been apart."

  This is my fault, but he doesn't let me say a word, shaking his head to silence me.

  "What's done is done, and I don't want to revisit it, or let it keep us from moving forward, wherever that leads us."

  I hope I'm not imagining this, because it's the last thing I expected. Hope was one thing, but this is real. This is Michael, forgiving and forgetting, but there's something missing.

  "I love you, Jenny. I never stopped loving you, I just tried to turn my feelings off."

  With those three words, he closes that gap, and there's nothing lost between us now.

  I grab his wrinkled shirt, one I now notice that I gave him for his birthday several years ago. It's too short, and there isn't much for me to hold onto as it fits closer to his body than it did when it was new.

  But it's enough for me to pull him close so I can press my lips to his, and in an instant, the world makes sense again.

  Epilogue

  "Jenny, did you see the sticky note on the bulletin board from Mary? We need five more pairs of those gloves, and . . ."

  Mark continues as I hold the order form against a clipboard, checking off items as he speaks. It's nearly the end of summer, and as my mother's pregnancy has become obvious, I've put in for some vacation time from the diner around her due date so I can be home to help when we bring the baby home.

  "I can't imagine what it will be like to have three people helping me with the baby instead of one. The way he's kicking me all the time, keeping me up all night and sleeping all day, I think he'll be a match for us."

  My mom talks about my little brother all the time now, and she eats everything I bring home from the diner, so my dad has to hurry if he's going to snatch the smallest crumb. Long gone are the days when she couldn't sleep, and we find her down for the count in the recliner, on the sofa, even at the kitchen table some afternoons. When Penny came to visit in July, the two of them spent hours watching daytime soap operas together, and when it was time for my old roommate to leave, she was reluctant to part from her new best friend.

  Cathy comes in to inspect the diner every day, but Mark and Michael won't let her do anything physical. At least this way, she still has a hand in the business, and she has no trouble pointing out what any of us could do better. Her medical problems are complicated, and I don't ask too much, figuring that she'll tell me what I need to know and when.

  The business aspects of the diner are what I've been focusing on now, learning from all three of the Lindsays, as well as Mary and Ellie. Steve has even explained the issues he has from a maintenance standpoint, and I can honestly say I didn't realize how complicated plumbing could be. I've come to appreciate how well everyone works together, and how much the continued success of the diner depends on the mutual respect and work ethic that has lasted for so many years.

  Every day, I find myself happier to be a part of it.

  When Sydney asked if I minded Parker taking her to Fallingwater instead of me, I clearly couldn't say yes. He's headed back to Kent State in a few weeks, and I have a feeling she'll be right behind him in a year. She's promised not to twirl in the house once our little brother arrives, but if she's not careful, it won't be long before he'll be banging at us with one of her batons.

  And where will I be in a year? All I know is that I'm where I belong now, not only helping with the diner but discovering more about Cathy's dream of opening a full-service bakery, complete with the wedding cakes she loves to make as gifts. As we work on the details, planning and dreaming of the possibilities, Michael and I share each day, both of us invested in the diner as well as our own future.

  Together.

  THE END

  Did you love Jenny and Michael's second chance love story? We'd love to know what you think of it! Please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads and help this story reach new readers.

  You can preorder Emily and Jonah's story, Until There Was You, coming next Valentine's Day to Kindle Unlimited, now!

  Opposites definitely attract.

  Only a few months ago, Emily was engaged to a sweet, handsome man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. When his ex-girlfriend returned from college and the misunderstandings that led to their breakup came to light, Emily soon found herself single again.

  On her own in the small town in which she spent several happy childhood years, she knows that she's the subject of gossip and pity, whether she wants to be or not. Settling down into a life wi
th her grandparents, for whom she is a caretaker, she doesn't expect to find a man who makes her heart race as it never has before.

  Jonah has never had a serious girlfriend and doesn't want one. No woman is worth that kind of trouble, he rationalizes, but when he returns home from a year volunteering in the rural South, he stumbles into Emily, and the sparks begin to fly.

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  About The Author

  Alessa Martel

  Alessa Martel is the pen name of a writing team consisting of a high school sophomore and her mother, a bestselling, award-winning author of young adult and historical romance fiction. They live in Northeast Ohio, where homework and a full-time job keep them busy, so they share story ideas late at night and weekends, usually while eating too many potato chips and catering to their cats.

  Books By This Author

  American Gypsy Romance: Short Story Collection

  "You won't want to put it down."

  "So sweet, heart warming, full of love, life, laughter and so much more."

  "A good relaxing read and highly recommended."

  First love, best friends to lovers, pretend romance, fated love, love at first sight . . . and more! These nine short stories will remind you how sweet true love can be. A collection of all nine American Gypsy Romance short stories, previously released individually in Kindle Unlimited.

  Until There Was You

  Opposites definitely attract.

  Only a few months ago, Emily was engaged to a sweet, handsome man she planned to spend the rest of her life with. When his ex-girlfriend returned from college and the misunderstandings that led to their breakup came to light, Emily soon found herself single again.

  On her own in the small town in which she spent several happy childhood years, she knows that she’s the subject of gossip and pity, whether she wants to be or not. Settling down into a life with her grandparents, for whom she is a caretaker, she doesn’t expect to find a man who makes her heart race as it never has before.