Summer Serenade Read online

  Elle’s face flashed before his eyes. Was Zeb right? Had he been trying to sabotage things with Elle by putting obstacles in their path? His heart began to pound and his palms moistened. He didn’t want to lose Elle. He loved her.

  Whoa! Wait a minute. He loved her. He was in love with the most wonderful woman in the world. And he’d hurt her earlier. He’d been jealous and stupid and mistrustful. He needed to get out of here. Jonas needed to find Elle and beg her forgiveness.

  Maybe, just maybe, he could make things right and turn everything around.

  ***

  When the doorbell rang, Elle and her family were sitting in the living room watching the latest singing competition-talent show. Her father stood up to answer it, muttering loudly about people who came over without calling first.

  Elle could hear her father talking with the visitor. Suddenly, her father was standing in the entryway with Jonas by his side. She jumped to her feet. Jonas had been the last person she’d expected to see tonight.

  “Elle. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’d like to talk to you,” her father said, glowering at Jonas.

  Adrenaline raced through Elle’s veins. What was Jonas doing at her house?

  “Do you want him here, Elle? Or should I toss him out?” her father barked.

  “Dennis!” her mother cried out. “Don’t be rude!”

  “Elle, I just need a few minutes,” Jonas said. His eyes implored her to say yes.

  “Mom. Dad. Could you give us a few minutes?” Elle asked, nodding at her parents.

  “Of course,” Bunny said, looping her arm through her husband’s and practically dragging him from the room.

  Elle folded her arms across her chest. “What is it?”

  Jonas stepped toward her, closing the gap between them in a few easy strides.

  “I’ve been a fool,” he said, his voice laced with contrition.

  Elle let out the breath she’d been holding.

  “I was jealous earlier when your ex came to the diner.” He let out a harsh laugh. “I couldn’t even see straight I was so jealous. But I was also afraid.”

  “Afraid of what?” she asked. She didn’t have a clue what Jonas was talking about.

  “Of losing you. Of hoping for something that might evaporate right before my eyes. Of investing in something that might hurt me. These past weeks with you have been amazing. I’ve never felt like this, Elle. It’s all new to me. So I made a huge mess of everything earlier. Please forgive me.”

  Elle brushed away tears. Jonas was showing her a humility no man had ever displayed to her. He was admitting his faults and his fears. He was humbling himself before her. In this moment he was demonstrating that he was the man she’d believed him to be.

  “But I want you to know I value you. I know you lost a lot of the things you grew up dreaming about, but I want to help you work toward a new dream, Elle.”

  “That would be amazing.”

  “I mean it. I want you to be happy and fulfilled.”

  She grinned at Jonas. “I’ve been tossing some ideas around about my future. I could open my own place. A ballet studio. Not right away of course. Somewhere down the road. I could take out a few loans or explore some other avenues to make it happen. The studio would be for kids, starting with the really little ones. I started ballet and tap when I was four years old. I could do all the various age groups and even branch out to adults. And it wouldn’t just have to be ballet. I could hire other teachers and we could teach tap, jazz, hip-hop.” All of a sudden she felt sheepish. Perhaps this was the world’s worst idea. Self-doubt crept in. Jonas was gazing at her without saying a single word.

  “What do you think? Say something! I’m on pins and needles.”

  His grin was so large it almost spread across his entire face. “I think you’re wonderful, Elle Harrington. I think you could do anything. Be anything!”

  She grinned at him. “I think you’re a little biased, Jonas.”

  He leaned across and placed a tender kiss on her lips. “I believe in you. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “Thank you. That’s a huge gift. After what happened in New York it’s been difficult to believe in myself. It took some time, but coming back home gave me my bearings. And you’ve been a huge part of that. I wouldn’t be in this wonderful place without you.”

  He reached out and caressed her cheek with his hand. “It was easy. I love you, Elle. I’ve fallen madly in love with you.”

  “Jonas, I feel the same way. I love you too. These feelings have been growing with each and every day. And I know they’re just going to keep getting stronger and stronger.”

  “You’ve changed my life, Elle. I’m looking forward to growing with you and being better together than we could ever be apart.”

  “I want you to know that seeing my ballet friends today made me realize once and for all that I’ve moved past my former life. I don’t need to be a ballerina to feel whole. It will always be a part of me, but I’m not pining away for my old life.” She smirked at him. “And I’m definitely not interested in Sergei. He showed his true colors a long time ago.”

  “I was jealous, Elle. When I saw him mooning over you it made me think maybe you still loved him. It was killing me to imagine it, but I thought I was doing the right thing by removing myself from the equation.”

  “It’s okay. I know what it feels like to have moments of self-doubt. You’re human,” Elle said, running her fingers alongside his face.

  “Thank you for being so forgiving.”

  She grinned up at him. “We’re blessed. God uses us as His instruments all the time. For so long I thought my destiny was to be a principal dancer in the ballet. But what if that was never meant to be my path? What if I was always meant to come back here, to connect with you, to teach children how to dance? To show them how they can make beauty from using their bodies and their strength.”

  “That’s a wonderful dream, my love. One I just know you’re going to make come true. And I can’t help but think God put you right back here in Sugar Hollow so we could fall in love.”

  “He does work in mysterious ways,” Elle said in a light voice.

  Jonas tugged at her hand. “Let’s go outside.”

  “Why?” Elle asked. “Are you trying to get me outside so you can kiss me in the moonlight?”

  “Something like that,” Jonas said in a teasing voice as he led her outside. He pointed his finger up to the heavens and the twinkling stars set against a velvety summer sky. “Make a wish.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t need to. Mine already came true the minute you walked into the house.”

  Jonas leaned down and placed a celebratory kiss on her lips. Joy hung in the air. Their future stretched out before them, as unlimited as their dreams.

  EPILOGUE

  One year later

  It was official! Elle’s Dance Studio was enjoying its grand opening. She considered it to be somewhat of a miracle that everything had come together for the opening of her dance studio. She had scheduled it for the same day as the annual summer block party. Sugar Hollow was buzzing with excitement over all of the food and music and hoopla.

  She was happy that her studio was part of the festivities.

  Sometimes it took a village to make it all happen. Elle had taken out a business loan, and along with financial help from Jonas and her parents, everything had worked out. Both of them were partners in her business and she couldn’t be happier about it.

  Elle stood in her studio, patiently waiting for the first guests to arrive. What if nobody came? She felt nervous. Maybe this whole endeavor had been nothing more than a pipe dream.

  Be positive. A voice buzzed in her ear. Believe.

  At exactly eleven a.m., customers began to stream in to the store. For the next few hours Elle was busy talking to potential clients, handing out sign-up forms and giving people information about the class offerings.

  As the event came to a close, Elle let out a sigh of relief. She had been on
pins and needles wondering if anyone would show up. The response from the townsfolk had been overwhelming. She was on cloud nine. She looked over toward the front window. Jonas was standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hands. He was grinning at her. Without skipping a beat, Elle ran outside and threw herself into his arms.

  “Oh, Jonas, you should have seen all the people who showed up.”

  “I did see them. I peeked through the window a few times. You had them all wrapped around your pretty little finger.”

  “It’s happening! It’s really happening!” she cried out.

  “I’m not one bit surprised,” Jonas said, flashing her a wide grin. “Let’s go celebrate with some cotton candy.”

  “You’re on. Let me lock up the studio first and grab my purse.” Elle ran inside and grabbed her bag, then locked up the studio. She stood at the door for a moment staring at the sign. Elle’s Dance Studio. In one year’s time she had changed her life in so many ways.

  “That sign sure looks good,” Jonas said from over her shoulder.

  She turned toward him. “It really does.” She reached up and placed her arms around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes and placed a swift kiss on his lips. They stood there for a moment, sharing a wonderful kiss.

  As they pulled apart, Elle said, “Thank you, Jonas. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

  He pressed a kiss against her temple. “Thank you for loving me. And for coming back to Sugar Hollow and making all of my dreams come true.”

  THE END

  Letter from the Author

  Dear Reader:

  Thank you for joining me on this sweet romantic journey. Summertime is one of the most enjoyable times of the year, filled with picnics, barbecues, leisurely days at the beach, warm weather and celebration. My novella, Summer Serenade, features a heroine, Elle Harrington, who has lost everything and is forced to return to her hometown of Sugar Hollow, Virginia, in order to get back on her feet. She forges a romantic relationship with the very last person she ever imagined—Jonas Landry, her former classmate who is now a handsome business owner. As Elle struggles to forge a new life, she connects with Jonas, a man who lifts her up and makes her believe in herself.

  Believing in yourself doesn’t always happen spontaneously. Sometimes it can be a process. Elle’s journey of self-discovery is aided by the presence of God in her life. She knows the strength of His love.

  I hope you enjoy this summer novella. The theme is BELIEF. Don’t ever forget to believe in yourself and the power of your dreams.

  Blessings,

  Belle

  About Belle

  Belle Calhoune is a multi-published author of Inspirational romance. Growing up in Massachusetts across the street from a public library shaped her early life. She is a hybrid author, writing for a traditional publisher while also self-publishing. Belle writes for Harlequin Love Inspired and has published seven books with the line, with three more hitting the shelves in 2017 and 2018. She is the author of the best-selling series, Seven Brides, Seven Brothers and Secrets of Savannah Series. Belle is known for creating diverse characters. The winner of the Angeline Bishop award for multicultural debut for her Seven Brides series, Belle has hit the best-seller lists with many of her books. Belle lives in Connecticut and enjoys traveling and spending time with her family. Writing in her pajamas is a great perk of being an author.

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