He cocked his head, and a tiny smile emerged. But all he said was, “Don’t give me too much credit, Jenny. You’re not as unique as you might imagine.
Everyone gets uptight when changes hit them.”
“And then?”
He nodded at the couple approaching the mic. Matt and Liz. “And then, I guess, you sing.”
She’d been singing all her life, all types of music. But it hadn’t made her a braver person. In fact, it provided cover, keeping her too busy to think.
The opening notes started, familiar and perfect, from the Beatles—and perfect for the couple facing a new adventure—who sang about getting by with a little help from their friends.
Jen took it all in while swirling in a whirlpool of emotion—sadness, joy, regret, anger, disappointment. Her friends had found what she had lost.
Not lost, she corrected herself. What she had rejected.
She studied the man who’d been the boy she’d loved. The man who still set her heart racing, the man who seemed to have the patience of Job, at least with her.
But he was also a man determined to fulfill his goals and ambitions. A man who wasn’t afraid of anything, not even of taking another chance on her.
She closed her eyes, wishing she felt stronger, wishing she could talk to her mom. Lucky Liz.
“If my mom were still here, we wouldn’t be in this situation. If my folks were still around…”
“We might not have met,” interrupted Doug. “Stop torturing yourself and move on.”
She stared at him, wide-eyed. “That sounded fierce.”
“It’s time, Jen. It’s time.”
If he only knew how much she agreed, how much she wanted to put the past high on that shelf he’d once mentioned. If he only knew how many doubts she had about herself.
But maybe he did. His warm smile reappeared and reassured. “It’ll be all right, Jenny.” He turned toward the stage. “Hey, listen up, Here Comes the Sun!
Perfect.”
Chapter 9
The next morning, Jen hummed the Beatles’ tunes from the party, then changed to Take Me Out to the Ballgame as she flew through her usual weekend chores.
No stranger to household tasks, she was finished by noon and looking forward to enjoying her night out with Doug.
Baseball parks were happy places. So were football stadiums. As soon as someone entered a sports arena, all real-life problems were left outside the gate and forgotten for a while. Tonight would be a delightful interlude where she and Doug could just have fun with the rest of the crowd.
She brought her manicure supplies to the kitchen table just as the phone rang.
Without checking the readout, she answered, “Doug?”
“Sorry.”
“Lisa! Hello, hello. I’m amazed you found five minutes to call. Has Brianna finally stopped the crying jags and is she letting you get some sleep?”
Silence. “I-I’m afraid not. The pediatrician said she’s colicky. She just cries and cries and never sleeps. I massage her, rub her tummy, walk her, hold her and…
and I’m so tired, I could cry myself.”
“Oh, Lis. I knew you had your hands full, but I didn’t know the baby was such a challenge. What does the doctor suggest?”
“Not much. She’ll outgrow it by four months.”
“Oh.” Three months more of non-stop crying. She could think of nothing to counter with. “Where’s Mike?”
“He took Bobby outside to play. We wanted to go to the Cape for a couple of weeks before the season starts, but I don’t have the desire or the energy.”
To her dismay, Jen heard her sister start to cry. Mostly about how tired she was and that she needed to get some sleep.
“I have an idea, Lis, and don’t react immediately. How about calling in a baby nurse for a few weeks, just so you can get back to yourself?”
“Now you sound like Mike! But Brianna’s my baby! I don’t want some stranger taking care of her. Mom never had a nurse for you or any of us, not even the twins.”
Jen stopped breathing for a moment. Her big, strong sister wasn’t immune to allowing the past ruin the present either. It felt too familiar. “Now you listen to me, Lisa Delaney-Brennan. Mom didn’t need help. None of us were colicky! We would have heard stories about it if we were. You are a wonderful mother, and you have to do what’s right for you and your precious family. And our mother would be the first to tell you the same thing. If it means getting a baby nurse for a couple of weeks or months, then do it! Mike loves you to pieces. He wants you healthy. Heck, we all want you healthy and happy.”
She ran out of steam but wanted to cry. Lisa had been the strong one, taking on responsibility no young woman should have had to face. Four younger siblings to raise—with Mike—but those days were tough.
“Jen?” Her sister’s voice sounded stronger now.
“Yeah?” Jen replied with caution. Was Lisa going to argue?
“Was this what you meant about the Delaney-Brennan clan supporting each other?” Somehow, laughter filled Lisa’s voice now. Jen didn’t want to question it.
