Class nine
She kept her eyes firmly fixed on Jack as he spoke. She wasn't overly shy with him anymore. She was feeling something different now. It was more like she couldn't wait to talk to him or see him or think about him.
At break, he came over and sat next to her. "So, how was work today?"
"It was great. We audited a bank downtown."
He chuckled. She really did like spreadsheets. "Only you, Elizabeth."
"No, actually, my Dad likes spreadsheets too. Just as much."
"It's an inherited trait?"
"Apparently. Are your boys ready for school?"
"Yeah. Well, Isaac is for sure. He is the studious one. Jonah could take it or leave it."
"He's the older one, right? It's probably the age."
"Probably. I guess I remember being that way at his age."
"I bet you were cute." She bit her lip when she realized what she had said. Then of course, as was usual, her cheeks turned red.
"Not as cute as you," he told her, flashing his dimples. "This is going to be a long three and a half weeks," he told her as he headed up front when the students started walking back in.
"Indeed."
…..
That evening, she sat in bed and texted Jack back and forth even though 9:30 had come and gone.
"Duke chewed my slipper 2 shreds so now I need to replace it," he told her.
"Sounds like he's bored. Maybe he needs a chew toy of his own. We used to use rawhide bones or pig's ears for our dogs. Never had an issue."
"I will get him a trunk full if it means I won't lose anything else."
"LOL. How is his house training coming along?"
"Good. There is usually someone home with him most of the time but otherwise, he is in his cage."
"I'm looking forward 2 riding with u on Sunday."
"And lunch, right?" he asked.
"Sure. We can go 2 lunch b4 or maybe u can come 2 my apartment for lunch."
"That depends. Can u cook? Lol."
"I make awesome spaghetti and meatballs. (Patting myself on the back)," she typed.
"Lol. That sounds great. Haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time. At least 1 that wasn't in my freezer or came from a can."
"Oh dear. In a few weeks, I want to cook u and the boys dinner."
"Deal."
….
Sunday…
Jack arrived at Elizabeth's apartment only two minutes late. He had hit all three stop lights in town or he would have been on time.
He knocked on apartment 301, a bouquet of pink tulips in his hand.
She opened the door and smiled. "Are those friend flowers? Honestly they kind of look like girlfriend flowers."
"Nope, these are friend flowers."
She motioned for him to come in. "Welcome."
"Its nice."
"Thanks."
"I see you like your apartment to look like one of your spreadsheets."
"Shush, Professor."
He laughed and walked with her to the small kitchen to put the flowers in a vase.
"A dishwasher. Jonah will be so jealous."
"You don't have a dishwasher?"
"Yeah. Jonah." Elizabeth laughed.
"I don't even use mine. I don't even know if it works." She stirred the delicious smelling meat sauce.
"That smells great."
She held up the spoon. "Want a taste?"
He nodded and opened his mouth. Mistake! Now all she was doing was focusing on his mouth. Which meant that wanting to kiss him, something she had zero experience with, wasn't far behind.
"Very good," he told her, closing his eyes. "I have a question," he said.
"What's that?"
"Why did you take my class?"
"Rosie dared me. She said I need to get out more. I need to get out of my comfort zone and do something I would never do on my own."
"Did it work?"
"We are here, aren't we? Alone. Together."
"Yeah. We are."
"I would never in a hundred years have thought of dating a man like you before now."
"What does that mean? A man like me."
"Jack you are….I mean, I'm not…why would I think you would want to be with me?" She turned away, her cheeks on fire.
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her. "Why wouldn't I want to?"
"Look at me." She gestured to her glasses and her clothes.
"I'm looking and I don't understand. You are so adorable but also beautiful. You are sweet and funny…"
"And nerdy and I like schedules and spreadsheets and I go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. I eat the same things for breakfast and drive the same route to work."
"What is wrong with those things? There is nothing bad about structure. You're talking to someone who has been late everyday for something for the last twenty years. I need some of your structure."
"I haven't dated in eleven years, Jack."
"Me either."
"I've never been kissed."
He was so used to her blushing, he didn't even notice it this time. "We will need to remedy that at some point," he said gently.
"Promise?"
"Absolutely." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Let's eat. I'm starving."
"Yes. Let's do that."
…
"Where are the boys today?"
"My parents took them to their house after church. I'll pick them up around dinner time."
"That's nice that your parents are close by."
"Yeah, I couldn't do it without them." Jack took another bite. "What about you? You like living close to your parents?"
"Most of the time, yes. Sometimes it's hard. My mom means well but she worries about me. She's always telling me I work too much and if I don't get out there in the world I will regret it."
"Seems to be a theme between her and Rosie. What does your dad think?"
"I don't know. He says how much he loves us working together. I think he likes that he doesn't need to share me with anyone. He's said giving his daughters away is hard," Elizabeth laughed.
Jack loved her laugh. In the back of his mind, he thought about how maybe one day he'd be asking her father to give her away to him. He couldn't help it, this wasn't a woman he wanted to be just friends with. Only three weeks left and things could change for them.
After lunch, Jack offered to do the clean up while Elizabeth changed for riding. Jack had just finished with the dishes when Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom.
"Wow," he said. Elizabeth came out wearing very fitted riding pants and a loose tee. Her hair was pinned back and her face was without her dark rimmed glasses. "You don't need to see to ride?" he teased.
"Behold the magic of contacts. I only use them when riding."
"I see."
Suddenly feeling self conscious she asked, "Which way do you like better? Glasses or no glasses?"
Jack closed the distance between them. Standing right in front of her he smiled. "You are beautiful with them on or off. Personally though, I like you with them."
"Why's that?"
"I don't know," he grinned. "I just do."
Jack drove the two of the them to Pinewood Stables.
"You're gonna have to give me a bit of a refresher course here."
"I can do that. Hi, Maple!" she spoke sweetly. "How is my big boy?" The horse nudged Elizabeth with his nose, loving her attention.
"He is a handsome fella. Think he'll let me pet him?"
"I'm sure. Maple, this is Jack."
Maple seemed as if he was sizing up Jack. He must have liked what he saw because he shifted his stance to allow Jack to pet him.
"I think he likes you," Elizabeth smiled.
"Good. He had me nervous for a second there. I think he's protective of you."
"Possibly. Horses are very loyal creatures. Maple and I have been together a long time."
"How long?"
"His whole life actually. I got to help birth him."
"Really?"
"Yep. His mom was my old jumping horse. Her name was Belle."
"As in Princess Belle?"
"Yes," she giggled. "What can I say, I was in the princess phase when I got her. Anyway, I was so attached to Maple here that my father let me keep him too."
"That's great. I'm afraid to ask…"
"What happened to Belle?" Jack nodded. "She took a fall. She was old and her legs were brittle and she had to be put down. It was a really sad time. But," she smiled at Maple, "I still have this guy. So at least there's that."
"Think he'll handle it okay if one day there's another man in your life?"
It was then that Elizabeth noticed just how close Jack was standing near her. She felt her heart thundering in her chest.
"I think…he'll manage. As long as I don't forget about him."
"Of course. We wouldn't want that. Right, Maple?" Jack laughed as the horse nuzzled his nose into Jack's hand. "So, who do I get to ride?"
Elizabeth shook herself from her daze. Taking Jack's hand, she led him over to the next stall. Once there, she loosened her grip for Jack to let go. He didn't.
"This is Regal. He's one of Maple's buddies."
"Hey, Regal. Wanna go for a ride?" The horse neighed as if responding.
"I'm going to go let Jane know we're here and taking the horses out. You stay here and get acquainted with Regal. Just stay on this side of the stall until I get back."
"Of course. Safety first."
"You got it." She flashed a beautiful smile and jogged off.
Jack watched until she was out of sight then turned to the two horses. "Can you boys keep a secret?"
….
They tacked up the horses and walked them out to a big fenced in area.
"I figured we'd ride around in here until you felt comfortable. Then we can do some trail riding."
"Sounds good. What do I do first?"
"Hop on."
"Right. Easy enough." Jack scratched his head.
"Just put your left foot in the stirrup, then with your left hand on the saddle horn and your other hand on the back right there and lift yourself up."
"Okay." Jack put his hands in place, then his foot. Just as Jack lifted his foot off the ground Regal began to move, making Jack nervous. He quickly tried to toss his leg over the saddle but lost his grip and landed in the dirt on the other side.
"Jack!" Elizabeth walked over and moved Regal away while she assessed the situation. "Jack, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Embarrassed and dusty, but fine."
"I'm sorry. Regal is usually more stable than that."
"That's alright." Jack stood and dusted himself off. He walked over and took hold of Regal's reins. "Lets try that again. This time, no funny business. You hear me?"
Elizabeth giggled. Jack was completely adorable.
The next try went much better. Jack rode around the pen for a bit until both he and Elizabeth were comfortable with his ability and hit the trails.
The view as they went was better than Jack could have imagined. He could see why Elizabeth loved this so much. So far, the day had been great. He was so grateful she was willing to share a piece of her life with him.
They rode to a clearing that overlooked the winding river below. Elizabeth tied the horses to a nearby log. She walked back over to where Jack was standing, enjoying the view.
"This place is beautiful. I want to just sit and paint here."
"We could do that sometime. Ride out to a spot you like. I'll watch you paint."
"You could paint too."
"I think we both know my painting skills need work," she laughed. "You saw my fuzzy palm tree."
"Luckily for you I'm good teacher," he winked.
Again she blushed. "You know, this right here is my favorite spot. It's nice to share it with someone for a change."
Jack reached over and took her hand. "Thank you for sharing it with me."
"My pleasure."
