"You'll be great.” Jenna spoke up from the shadows. “Glen’s a pro, and he’ll?—”
“A pro. I like that.”
Jenna’s head whipped to the side to find Glen Kessler waltzing into the studio like he was the star of his own Broadway show.
He stopped next to her, his hair perfectly slicked. “I didn’t know you held me in such high esteem.”
“I only brag when you’re not there to hear it.” Jenna flashed a quick smile. Well, wasn’t she just making everyone’s day with unexpected compliments. “What are you doing here?”
"Decided this was more important than my alternate plans. I’m a team player.” Glen didn’t drop his gaze, daring her to argue with him.
“And the tickets?” Oh, Country had definitely gotten under his skin. Jenna vacillated between wanting to douse the fire or fuel it.
Glen’s smile was smug. “Gave them to Mary. It’s almost her birthday.”
Jenna’s eyes widened. John’s assistant must have been thrilled, though an image of her sitting in a polyester pantsuit cracking up to stand up wasn’t easy to conjure. Jenna stepped back so Glen could pass through to mount his throne.
“Let's run through a segment," Glen puffed out his chest and motioned for Country to take a seat.
Country nodded and adjusted his tie as he sat. The gesture was so far outside Jenna’s experience with him, she almost laughed. What had she expected, him to show up and sit in front of the camera with sweats and a T-shirt on next to Glen in a three-piece suit?
Still. It was like seeing your childhood dog suddenly stand up and juggle. She wanted to tease him. To ease the tightness in her ribs that stretched until she was sure they would snap. But that twitch of his lips earlier and the earnest set of his jaw kept her mouth sealed shut.
"And remember," Tasha was saying, "the camera is your friend—look into it like you're sharing a secret with an old friend."
“Or lover.” Glen waggled an eyebrow, and Country’s eyes lifted, his gaze heavy as it landed right where she’d been standing moments before.
Oh, this . . . this was not good. Every second Jenna spent with Country seemed to crack open that treasure trove of memories she’d buried deep. She didn’t want to remember the Jenna that existed before. The hopes, the dreams. Revisiting everything she’d buried her head in the sand to forget sounded like a special version of hell.
Despite her stiff-arming the memories trying to drag her back to life in Windsor, she tumbled down the mental rabbit hole.
“Jenna? I think you should get tested.”
She pressed the phone to her cheek. “Mom, this is ridiculous. I don’t want to talk about me right now.”
“I know, but there’s nothing you can do for me right now. I’ve got the best care, and we’re just going to have to see how I respond to treatment.”
“Your surgery is scheduled for Thursday?”
“Mmhmm. I’ll call you before I go in.”
“Should I come out? I could book a?—”
“No, your father’s here, and Travis is here helping out with the basement.”
Jenna paced in front of the bay window of her rental house. “I just think I should be there.”
“Let’s wait and see how it goes. Then we can make more decisions, okay? And in the meantime, what you can do for me is go get tested.”
“Mom, can they actually predict breast cancer through a blood test?”
Jenna’s mother sighed. “They can test for markers. There are mutations in the BRCA genes and some other indicators they look for. I already looked up a genetic counsellor there in Windsor, and I think if you get a full panel, they’ll be able to tell you whether you’ve got a higher risk.”
“And if I do?”
“Then you can take precautions now.”
Jenna dropped onto the couch. “Like what? Remove my breasts?”
