Just The Way You Are(67)

"I've learned not to trust my eyes to see what's really there."

"Well, maybe if I had a camera, I could do the same thing."

"Or maybe you could just concentrate a little more."

For a few minutes they sat in silence, staring into the orange-red flames of the fire. It was the first time Tessa could remember Jimmy being so quiet. Maybe it was this place, this small town that brought out the quiet side in men. Where she traveled, the circles she lived in, you had to speak loudly and often in order to be heard, to be seen. Even then it was doubtful anyone was really listening.

Jimmy picked up her hand and played with her fingers, twisting a tiny silver ring on her baby finger. "Why do you always wear this?" he asked.#p#分页标题#e#

"My mother gave it to me when I was ten. She wore it when she was a child. It's one of the few things I have of hers."

"Was she like you or more like Alli?"

"Me. At least physically. Although, come to think of it, we shared similar interests. She's the one who got me started in modeling. She tried with Alli, but Alli never could figure out how to say the right thing at the right time."

"Whereas you nailed it on the first try."

"Pretty much. I felt their expectations grow larger with every contest. Funny…"

"What is?"

"My parents have been gone for so long, but I can still hear my mother's voice in my head: 'Straighten up, Tessa. Hold your stomach in, chin up, think of your posture, be proud, there's a good girl.' Silly, huh?"

"No. I can still hear my father's voice in my head: 'When are you going to get a real job? When are you going to put some money in a savings account, grow up, be responsible? You can't live on a plane forever, you know.'"

She smiled at his mimicking tone. "You've never talked about your parents before."

"There's not much to say."

"Is your father dead?"

"Oh, Lord, no."

"So he said those things to you just yesterday?"

"Exactly. No wonder they're so fresh in my mind."

She punched him lightly in the shoulder. "You are such a tease. Is your mother alive, too?"

"Yes, and my brother, the senator, is still kicking as well."

"You're not close with your brother?"

"I'm the black sheep, babe. Nobody gets close to the black sheep."

"You're a lamb in wolf's clothing," she corrected.

"Hey, don't ruin my rep."

"You're not as bad as you make yourself out to be. In fact, you're a pretty good guy, you know that?"

"But not quite good enough?"

She turned sideways so she could look into his eyes. "What does that mean? Suffering from a lack of self-confidence? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, you did ditch me for Sam today."

She sighed and looked toward the fire. "Sam and I have some things to resolve. You know that."

"How was the sailing trip anyway? You haven't said much about it."

Because she didn't know what to say. She hadn't really enjoyed it that much. Being on the ocean had made her uneasy. Being with Sam had felt awkward. They'd almost kissed. They'd almost connected, but not quite. It was so frustrating she could scream. Even now, her insides were in turmoil.

"Yoo, hoo, Tessa," Jimmy said, snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"It was fine. I'm not much of a sailor."

"You must have done some sailing growing up here."

"Not as much as you would think. I was busy with school and friends and did a lot of beachcombing, but I never really liked messing around with the boats. And Sam wasn't all that interested then." She hesitated, thinking back, wondering if she'd somehow missed the fact that Sam liked to sail. "No, I don't remember him that way. Sam hated working for his dad on Saturdays. He was always trying to get out of it so he could play with me."

"Yet he ends up running a charter boat service. Odd how life turns out sometimes."

"I don't think it's what he wanted to do, more like what he had to do after Alli got pregnant. His dad always wanted him to come into the business, and I suppose not finishing college, it was all he could do to support Alli and Megan." She looked back at him. "Sam told me that the business has grown so successful a group of investors wants to buy him out. He could either stay running it or just sell out and move on."#p#分页标题#e#

Jimmy's eyes narrowed. "Move on with you?"

"I didn't ask him that."

"Why not? I thought you two could talk about anything."

"We used to be able to. It doesn't seem as easy now," she admitted, reaching for her martini glass. It was almost empty. Oh, well, might as well go for broke, she thought.