Chapter 42

It was soon time to check in to their hotel room. They got their keys and went up to their room. Their stuff was still with the tour bus at the arena, but they could have Angela bring it all over. They had a late lunch/early dinner at the grill attached to the hotel. Jenn had never been there, despite walking by it whenever she was downtown. 

“What’s the nightlife like?” he asked. 

“There’s some clubs a few blocks down, most are like Top 40 dance music. There’s a dive bar down that way, a comedy club a few blocks northeast of here. You go out in jeans and a hoodie and most people won’t even know it’s you,” Jenn replied. 

They got the car from the hotel and headed back to the church. She took him to a larger parking lot leading to the front of the church.

Jenn and Justin walked back over near the office. Choir had just started as they were doing warmups. Jenn started joining in as they walked down the hall to the choir room. They opened the door, Jenn grabbed music for Justin, and they joined the choir around the piano to finish warmups. Larry sat Justin with the tenors, and Jenn with the sopranos. Larry welcomed Jenn, and the choir welcomed Justin with a singular but loud applaud. “Now you’re in for life, Justin. You’re welcome any time.”

 Justin noticed she didn’t have any music for herself. Each piece they practiced, she knew by heart and sang from memory. She watched Justin listening to the recording Larry would play before the pianist would play it live. 

“Jenn, you had the solo on this last time, would you like to sing it again for tonight?” Larry asked. Jenn nodded and stood next to Larry. He signaled her cue and she sang. Justin had forgotten just how good she was. Karaoke was so different from what he was listening to. Her control, range, expression and tone, so pure and conveying the emotion of the song. He was so proud of her. 

Just as Justin would get the hang of each song, they would move on to the next. She loved picking out his voice when Larry would run sectionals on the songs, helping the tenors learn their notes. He watched her in amazement as she remembered songs after over two years of being away. 

The night ended in prayer. Jenn asked for safe travels for her and Justin and the crew as they toured. She hugged people goodbye before taking Justin back to the hotel. 

“I forgot how good of a singer you are, Jenn,” Justin gushed. “You surprised the hell out of me by singing all that without music, knowing the words and notes after not singing them for a couple years. Like you had sung them every day. Then your solo, oh my gosh. I’m so proud of you, babe.”

Jenn kissed Justin goodbye as they got to the hotel, and she walked the couple blocks to the girls’ apartment. When she walked in, the place was packed with people to see her, there was music, finger foods and a table of alcohol. Jenn poured herself a drink and grabbed some food. She talked with the girls a bit before moving around the room to other friends. She stopped when she saw one familiar face. 

“Hi, Wes,” she said awkwardly. 

She did her best to move on to talk to other friends, but Wes seemed to follow her from group to group, conversation to conversation. She grabbed another drink, then another. She finally gave in and talked with Wes, if nothing more than to get him to leave her alone.

“How are you Jenn?” he asked. 

“I’m great. Glad to be home, it’s been too long.”

“Yeah. I’ve missed seeing you around,” he sighed. 

“How are you? Work going well?”

“Yeah, I made junior partner at the firm.”

“Congrats. Seeing anyone?” she asked, trying to keep up the conversation. 

“Yeah. Nothing serious, but you know,” he shrugged. 

“Well, it was good talking to you,” she said, walking away towards the drink table. 

She met up with the girls getting drinks. She pounded one drink, then another, then another. She hadn’t drank like this since college. She knew she was drinking more than usual, to try and ignore Wes. 

“You HAD to invite him?” Jenn asked. 

“We didn’t invite him. I guess someone here did though. We didn’t tell them NOT to invite him, but figured it was implied,” said Leah. 

“Must have been one of the guys, oblivious to that kinda thing,” Michelle added. 

“Well, I’m gonna drink til he goes away,” Jenn sloshed. She poured herself another drink. 

“I think you’ve had enough,” Kelly said. 

The party died down as people needed to go home to sleep, being a weeknight. The girls were cleaning up when Jenn decided to go to the hotel. 

She walked out of the apartment building, and felt someone grab her hand. “Hey,” she said as she spun around. “Hi Wes,” she slurred. 

“Jenn, I think I need to walk you back. Where are you staying?”

“Fair… the Fair… Fairmont. That’s it, the Fairmont.”

He held her hand as he led her toward the hotel. “It was good seeing you tonight,” he admitted. He got her to the edge of the hotel entrance. “I lied earlier. I’m not seeing anyone. Haven’t, not really, since we broke up. Not gonna lie, it hurt seeing you off with Justin, but maybe tonight was a sign that you should be back in my life.”

“YOU followed ME around the party, not like I was seeking you out,” Jenn said. 

“Jenn, I’ve missed you. I forgot how beautiful you are. Can I do one thing before you go up to your room?”

“What?”

Before she knew it, he kissed her. He grabbed her waist and pulled her into a deep kiss.