A/N: Kind of a little bit of everyone here, but I tried to prominently feature St. Berry. Hope you all enjoy and please review :) As always, translations will be at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of the songs used in this chapter.
"Is that coffee working yet?" Rachel teased her cousin as she took a seat next to her in the auditorium.
"No," Holly replied. "I didn't get much sleep last night."
"Everything okay?"
Holly shrugged. "Do your feelings for Jesse ever freak you out?"
"I don't know if 'freak out' is the right phrase, but sometimes I wonder why I'm feeling the things I am at fifteen."
"What answer have you come up with?"
"Jesse is my soul mate. There's no doubt in my mind about that. He's made it his mission to understand every part of me. He's everything I could ever want and so much more. I figure it's only natural that I have strong feelings for him. Why do you ask?"
"The way I feel about Dominic…I've never felt that for any other boy. He seems to get a kick out of the fact that I'm dramatic and that I have a tendency to speak two languages at once without really thinking about it. I love him. So much. I just feel like…maybe he's not in this as deep as I am…and it scares me."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"How would I even bring it up? I don't want to offend him."
"That's up to you to figure out."
"You're a lot of help."
Rachel giggled. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. He loves you. Jesse said Dominic's never said that to anyone but his family before."
"Speaking of family, what's the deal with your Mom and Jack? One minute they're acting all couple-like and the next they're arguing about something."
"I'm beginning to think that's just how they are. He's just as stubborn as my Mom is, and he's not afraid to push her buttons. She's not used to having someone like that in her life anymore."
"Well, I vote for them to get together. Or back together, rather."
"Me, too," Rachel agreed.
"Is this seriously everything you have?" Genevieve asked, surveying what she considered to be the small number of boxes scattered across Jack's new apartment.
Jack chuckled. "Yes. I sold a lot of my stuff before I moved. Kept the necessities."
"What about furniture?"
"Should be here shortly. Speaking of furniture, Joel told me what you did with your parents' stuff when you moved in."
Genevieve smiled. "They're the ones who didn't bother to remove it before selling me the house."
Jack laughed. "Did you seriously put it all in a storage unit, billed to your parents?"
"I did. My parents weren't thrilled, but whatever. Not my problem."
"So mature."
Genevieve laughed. "That's basically been their attitude about Jesse and me since shortly after we were born. About time they got a taste of their own medicine."
"I can't argue with that logic."
"You and Holly seemed deep in conversation this morning," Jesse observed as he and Rachel walked to his Range Rover.
Rachel nodded. "She's scared Dominic doesn't feel as deeply for her as she does for him. She asked me if my feelings for you ever freak me out."
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her that they don't necessarily freak me out, I just sometimes wonder why I'm feeling the way I do at fifteen."
"Because we're soul mates."
Rachel smiled and nodded. "That's what I said. I know that you're my soul mate. I wasn't sure you actually existed until I met you."
"You saw pictures, didn't you?"
"I don't mean you as a person necessarily. I mean my soul mate. Until we met, I always kind of figured I'd be alone throughout high school. I thought I'd meet my soul mate in New York, if he existed at all."
"Well, we're both headed there," Jesse pointed out.
Rachel giggled. "That's true."
"I think you were confused. It wasn't that you'd meet your soul mate in New York, but that your soul mate would belong there as much as you do."
"That makes a lot of sense."
"Of course it does. I'm always right."
Rachel laughed. "I think that theory needs to be tested again," she said once she and Jesse were both seated inside of his Rover.
"Why is that?" Jesse asked, leaning closer to her.
"Well, we haven't tested it in a while. What if it's no longer true?"
"It's still true."
Before Rachel could protest, Jesse closed the gap between them and captured her lips with his.
Alone in her room, Shelby took a box out of her closet and placed it on her bed. She hadn't opened it in years, but she still knew everything it contained.
"Are you trying to open the box with your mind?" asked a voice from the doorway.
"How did you get in?" Shelby questioned as she turned to face the owner of the voice.
"Rachel let me in. She and Jesse, along with Hiram and Leroy, are going to this place called Cravings, I think."
"Their favorite restaurant. It's vegan and non-vegan-friendly."
"What's in the box?"
"Stuff," Shelby replied, moving to take off of her bed and put it back in the closet. She was stopped by Jack putting his hands on top of hers.
"What kind of stuff?"
"Private stuff. Let go, Jack."
"Why won't you share anything with me? You're so damn guarded all the time."
"It happens when your heart shatters," Shelby retorted.
"I'm the one who shattered it, doesn't make it sense that I'm the one who could heal it?" Jack countered.
Shelby closed her eyes. "I told you to stop saying things like that to me."
"I'm not just saying meaningless words. I mean what I'm telling you."
"Just go back to New York already, we both know that's where you'd rather be," Shelby snapped, wrenching the box from Jack's grip.
"It is not where I'd rather be. I couldn't care less where I live, so long as I have you."
Shelby set the box down on the seat of her vanity and held her hands up in the air. "Stop."
"You're the one who needs to stop. Stop pushing me away."
"I can't. If I let you in, I'm just setting myself up for heartbreak all over again."
Jack took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her.
"You signed a lease, good for you," Shelby said, shoving the paper back towards him.
"Look at the address, Shelby."
"I did."
"What more can I do to prove to you that I'm not going to leave again? If taking a job at Carmel and getting an apartment here aren't enough, you need to tell me what is."
"I just don't understand why you would come all the way back to Akron for me."
"I told you-I still love you and I want a second chance with you."
"Why? You never told me why."
"Why…what?" Jack asked, exasperated.
"Why do you still love me and want a second chance with me? What's so great about me that you were never able to forget me? That you decided to give up your life in New York to come back to Ohio to get me back?"
"You're my soul mate. I know we were only together for a short time in high school, but that was the happiest I've ever been. I couldn't care less where I live, as long as I have you."
Shelby fought back tears at Jack's words. With a sigh, she walked over to the box and lifted the lid.
Peering into the box, Jack was surprised at how much stuff Shelby had kept. Taking out a familiar-looking picture frame, he was presented with a picture of the younger versions of himself and Shelby smiling for the camera. He had gone with Shelby to one of Sara's dance competitions, and Sara had insisted that they looked so cute together that she needed to take a picture. When she had gotten the picture developed, she had given them each framed copies.
"Why did you keep all of this stuff?" Jack wondered as he continued to look through the box.
"I couldn't bring myself to throw any of it out, so I put it in a box and put it in the back of my closet. I guess I had hoped I would forget about it, or be able to eventually get rid of it. That never happened," Shelby answered.
"Shouldn't that be a clue?"
Shelby shrugged. "Probably. I just didn't see the point in dwelling when nothing would ever come of it. You weren't going to come back."
"And now that I did?"
"I don't know quite what to do about it yet. I didn't expect you to just magically fit in with the life I made for myself. Now that you have, it's kind of unnerving."
"Why?"
"I told you-I didn't expect it. In hindsight, I probably should have, but I didn't. First you and Rachel hit it off immediately, then you and Hiram, and you and Leroy, act like old friends within just one night."
"I would think that's a good thing."
"What? That it unnerves me?"
Jack shook his head. "No. That I get along with your family."
"Sing with me."
"When? Now?" Jack asked, confused by the sudden subject change.
Shelby nodded. "I can't be with someone whose voice is incompatible with mine," she told him before walking out of the room.
As he suspected, Shelby had made her way into the music room and was currently sitting at the piano. Taking a seat next to her, he glanced at the music currently in front of him.
"Moulin Rouge?" he asked.
"Rachel and Jesse most likely," Shelby answered with a shrug.
"Is this their song?"
Shelby shook her head. "No. They have one, but it's not this one."
"Good to know," Jack said before placing his hands on the piano keys.
As Jack began to sing, Shelby listened with a small smile on her face.
Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Everyday I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sings
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time
Come what may, come what may
I will love you until my dying day
Taking her cue, Shelby sang her solo part before joining her voice with Jack's.
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And there's no mountain too high no river too wide
Sing out this song and I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather and stars may collide
But I love you until the end of time…
When the song ended, Jack turned to Shelby and said, "I missed singing with you."
Shelby nodded in agreement. "Me, too," she whispered.
"Let me back in, Shelby."
When Shelby didn't respond, Jack shook his head and made a move to stand up, only stopping when he felt Shelby's hand grab his. Turning to look at her, he saw that she now had tears running down her face. Gripping Shelby's hand tighter, he motioned for her to follow him, and as he stepped away from the piano, he pulled her into his arms. She hugged him tentatively at first, only tightening her arms when he wrapped his own tightly around her. After a few moments of silence, he pulled back so he could look at her.
"Shelby, talk to me," he said.
Shelby wiped at her eyes. "You win," she said quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"If you leave me again, I'll never forgive you. I won't let you shatter my heart a third time."
"You're giving me another chance?"
"Is that not why you came back? Or did you change your mind already?" Shelby retorted.
"Yes, that's why I came back, and no, I didn't change my mind," Jack answered. "I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page."
"Haven't we always been? Even the first day we met, when we both vehemently protested Mr. Williams' song choice, we were on the same page. Then I heard you sing, and I knew I needed to get to know you better."
Jack chuckled as he remembered that day. Their music teacher, Mr. Williams, had been trying to give a difficult Broadway song to a couple of students with rather inept voices. They would have butchered the song. He and Shelby had immediately, and loudly, protested. Others eventually joined them, but they had been the first two, speaking simultaneously from opposite sides of the room. "I still remember the look on his face when we both shouted 'no' as loudly as we could," he said with a laugh.
Shelby smiled. "He didn't have a very good show face."
"Was he the one you replaced?" Jack wondered.
Shelby shook her head. "He retired a couple of years before they offered me the job. They had tried to find a replacement, but neither of the two before me were what they were looking for. Piper likes to say she hired me because she liked my grand ideas."
"You obviously whipped Vocal Adrenaline back into shape."
Shelby smiled. "I did. It took a couple of years to get everything back on track, but I like to think I've done a good job."
"I'd say you've done a great job. You don't need my help."
"Maybe not, but I'd like it. It's been nice to have that extra time to spend on the holiday concert."
"What about when it's over? Are you going to go back to teaching all of your classes?"
"I was actually thinking that it would be kind of nice to have that time to work with members of my team who want some individualized help. Sort of like private lessons, I guess."
"I could see Piper agreeing to that, I think. It would benefit the team as a whole-the stronger the individual members are, the stronger the team as a whole is."
Shelby smiled. "Yes. Exactly."
Jack leaned down to brush his lips with Shelby's. "Come on, I think Hiram said something about leftovers in the fridge. I'd love to continue talking with you, but I'm hungry."
Shelby laughed. "That hasn't changed either. I remember my mom wondering how you could eat so much and still manage to stay in shape."
Jack grinned at her as he took her hand, lacing their fingers together. "She liked me immediately, too."
"I remember that, too. She and your mom used to talk for hours. I could never figure out why."
"I'm pretty sure they were conspiring," Jack answered as he and Shelby walked into the kitchen.
"Probably," Shelby agreed.
Walking into Cravings with Rachel and her dads, Jesse was surprised to see another group of people waiting for them.
"Surprise," Genevieve said with a smile as she hugged her brother.
"I kept hearing so many good things about this place, I decided I needed to try it for myself," Jacqueline said as Jesse moved to hug her.
"You'll love it," Rachel assured her as she too received a hug from Jacqueline.
"This is where I took Rachel on our first day," Jesse revealed as they group took their seats at a nearby table.
"Isn't this place kind of casual for a first date?" Genevieve wondered.
Rachel shook her head. "It was perfect. I had told Jesse that I was a vegan, and like everything else I tell him, he filed the information away and kept it in mind when he chose a restaurant."
"What do you mean 'filed the information away'?" Jacqueline wondered.
"He remembers everything about her," Leroy explained. "I haven't figured out how yet, but he does."
"I would guess it has something to do with the fact that they're so much alike," Genevieve decided.
"I think that has something to do with it, but that's not all of it," Hiram told her.
"Can we please not talk about Jesse and me as if we aren't here?" Rachel queried.
"Sorry, sweetie."
"So, how is Jack doing at Carmel?" Joel asked.
"Everyone seems to like him. Except Fiona, but she doesn't generally like many people," Rachel answered.
"Is that the same girl who was upset because you are Shelby's daughter?" Leroy wondered.
Rachel nodded. "Yes. I 'm surprised she and Sasha aren't related."
"Who's Sasha?" Jacqueline asked.
"The girl that got kicked out of Vocal Adrenaline," Jesse told her. "Rachel kicked her out of rehearsal, and then she transferred to McKinley. A few days later, she transferred back and begged to be let back onto the team. Rachel and I consented to a probationary period."
"Santana found out she only transferred back to be a spy for the show choir team from McKinley. My Mom went to the principal with the information Santana had given her. Mrs. Hawthorne contacted Sasha's parents. She was sent back to her grandparents, who live in McKinley's school district," Rachel finished.
"Is your entire team this dramatic?" Genevieve wanted to know.
"Generally not. Sasha was just angry because she assumed Shelby was going to make her female lead. Once Rachel joined and was the one given that position, she was furious. Having Santana and Holly join only fueled her rage. She saw it as Shelby playing favorites," Jesse revealed.
"Shelby doesn't strike me as the type to do something like that."
"She's not."
"It sounds like the team is better off without her anyway," Jacqueline surmised.
Rachel and Jesse both nodded in agreement.
"We have Melina now, plus Holly's friend Tasha and her younger brother, Dmitry, joined," Rachel added.
"How are you feeling about going up against the team from your old school?" Genevieve asked.
Rachel gave a small shrug. "I was never a part of that particular team, so it's not like it's going to be awkward. I don't think they'll be much of a competition. They argue more than they rehearse. At least that's the impression I got."
"They aren't very good performers either," Jesse added.
"Well, we'll all be in the audience rooting for you," Genevieve told him.
"You're all planning on being there?"
Jacqueline nodded. "Why wouldn't we be?" she asked her grandson.
Jesse shrugged. "The Invitational this year was the first time I had any family besides Aunt Janelle and Uncle Kevin in the audience. I'm still getting used to it."
Sensing that her brother didn't want to linger on the current subject anymore, Genevieve turned to Hiram. "I tried that vegan lasagna recipe the other night."
"How did it turn out?" Hiram wondered.
"It was delicious," Joel answered, earning laughter from the rest of the group.
"I didn't have any leftovers. Between Jack, Joel, and Jason, I probably could have made another pan of it and they would have eaten it," Genevieve added.
"My mom hardly ever cooks and she asked Genevieve for the recipe," Joel revealed.
"I'm going to try your blueberry muffin recipe tonight."
As Hiram and Genevieve discussed recipes, Rachel leaned her head on Jesse's shoulder.
"Are you tired?" he asked softly.
"No, I'm just happy our families get along so well."
Jesse smiled as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Me, too."
"This isn't the way to the movie theater," Holly said as she watched Dominic steer the car in the opposite direction she thought they should be going.
"Something has been bothering you all day. I want to know what it is," he answered simply.
"How do you know that?"
"Because I know you. You've hardly had any snarky comments all day, you're only speaking English, and your hands are cold."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to my house. My family is gone for the day; we have the place to ourselves. I want you to tell me what's going on."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why do you want me to tell you what's going on?"
"Because I love you and I care about you. Obviously something is bothering you. You've always told me what's been bothering you in the past. I don't see how this is any different."
Holly was silent as she looked out the window of Dominic's car. She was grateful when he didn't press her to say anything else.
"All right, drama queen, spill," Dominic said once he and Holly had settled on his bed.
"It's stupid."
"I don't care. It's bothering you; I want to know what it is. I can't make things better if I don't know what's wrong."
"Why do you want to make things better?"
"Like I told you in the car-I love you, and I care about you. Does this have something to do with the conversation you and Rachel had this morning?"
Holly nodded, but didn't say anything else.
"Talk to me, Holly. Don't push me away."
"What's going to happen when you go off to college next year? Are you just going to dump me for some girl in New York, or wherever you end up?"
"I'm not going to break up with you to date some college girl. As for what's going to happen next year, I don't know. We'll figure out a way to make the long-distance thing work, for however long we need to. I'll visit when I can, and hopefully you can find time to visit me as well. If Jesse and I both end up in New York, maybe you and Rachel could drive together or something."
"Maybe."
"Where's this insecurity coming from, Holl? This isn't like you."
Holly gripped Dominic's hand tightly. "Because…I love you so much…and I'm scared that you're going to wake up one day and decide that I'm too dramatic, too snarky, too…whatever…and break up with me."
"Never," Dominic promised. "Your dramatics and snarky comments are part of what makes me love you. I told you when we first got together that I liked the fact that you aren't afraid to make your opinion known. It's still one of the things I love most about you."
Holly relaxed a little at her boyfriend's words, but remained silent.
"Why are you afraid I'm going to break up with you?" Dominic queried.
Holly made an attempt at a shrug before she spoke. "I don't know how to explain it…I just have a feeling. Like I'm not good enough, I guess."
Dominic brushed his lips with Holly's. "You are good enough. You're the one I want, Holly. I want you exactly how you are."
"I could never get over you."
"Is someone telling you that you have to?"
Holly shook her head. "No. It's just…I got to thinking last night after we'd hung up…I couldn't sleep, so I got up and sat by my window for a while to think. I started thinking about the future, about where I wanted to be in a few years, what I wanted to accomplish. It's been years since I've done that. Since before I started high school."
"What's so scary about that? Thinking about the future is a good thing, isn't it?"
"I started thinking more about the comment I made to my Mom before we got together-about marrying you someday. I realized that I didn't know how you felt about that, and I started freaking out because I thought maybe you didn't love me like that. I knew if you didn't, I'd have to break up with you…because the longer I'm with you, the more attached I get."
"You're not the only one in this relationship who gets more attached every day. I've never met anyone like you, Holl. You're the only one for me. I'd heard Jesse talk about how he never believed in soul mates until he met Rachel, but I didn't think anything of it until I met you."
"Why?"
"You intrigued me from the start, and the more I got to know you, the harder I fell. You're my soul mate, Holly. I love you."
Holly blinked back tears. "I love you, too," she whispered before pressing her lips to Dominic's, smiling when he tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer before deepening the kiss.
After a few more kisses, Holly dropped her head onto Dominic's shoulder. "I knew I should have worn the waterproof mascara," she said, making her boyfriend chuckle.
"Je pense que tu es superbe," Dominic whispered close to her ear.
"I do not look beautiful right now. I don't need a mirror to know that," Holly retorted.
Dominic laughed, opting not to argue with her on the subject. "I guess I still owe you a movie, huh."
Holly nodded. "I suppose I could forgive you for making me miss it since you'll be taking me to a lot more in the future."
"How kind of you."
Holly giggled as she laid rested her head on Dominic's shoulder again. "I vote for a faire la sieste."
"Since we're lying on top of the covers, I'm afraid we'd have to move if you want to lie under them," Dominic told her.
"You have to turn the light off anyway."
Dominic chuckled and shook his head as he stood to turn off the light. Holly had already settled beneath the covers and looked to be about half-asleep by the time he got back to the bed. Once he had rejoined her, she curled into his embrace once more.
"Things appear to be better between Holly and Dominic," Jesse observed as the couple in question walked into rehearsal the next day.
From her spot on his lap, Rachel nodded. "They look happier than ever. It's so cute."
"Cuter than us?"
Rachel giggled. "Never," she responded before leaning down to give him a quick kiss.
"I guess they'll have to settle for second place, then."
"I guess so. Can we go to the mall after rehearsal? I want to see if the music store got anything good in this week."
Jesse chuckled. "They didn't last week?"
"No. It was all horrible. They didn't get any Sondheim in…and the clerk didn't even know who he was!"
Jesse's lips twitched as he fought back his laughter. "How shameful," he said.
Rachel crossed her arms over her chest as she leveled her boyfriend with a look that told him she knew he was making fun of her.
"I'm sorry, Rach. I love you. You know I share your love of Sondheim."
"If you loved me, you wouldn't make fun of me."
"But you're just so adorable when you get all riled up about something."
"I was going to agree to one of your impromptu concerts, too. Now I'm not so sure I should."
Jesse adopted his best wounded expression. "That hurts, Rach."
Rachel laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess you need a kiss to feel better then, huh?"
"It would definitely help."
Rachel leaned down to brush her lips with Jesse's. "Better?" she asked.
"Mm. I think I need more. If I'm going to be in top form for our duet that your Mom wants to work on today, I need to be fully healed."
Rachel giggled as she slid one of her hands into Jesse's curls before pressing her lips to his again.
"Have you decided what we're singing today?" Jesse asked as he and Rachel walked into the music store.
Rachel nodded. "I need to find it first."
"You aren't going to tell me what we're singing?"
"I might be persuaded to."
"What kind of persuasion are we talking about?"
"You haven't kissed me since earlier this afternoon. I'm feeling neglected."
"We can't have that", Jesse responded with a laugh as he pulled Rachel into his arms and then bent his head to kiss her.
Rachel was about to reveal the song she'd chosen when she realized where she and Jesse had stopped.
"Sondheim. How fitting," Jesse said as he too noticed where they were standing.
Rachel nodded in agreement as she reached up to grab the book she wanted.
"Hey!" she exclaimed when Jesse grabbed the book from her, just like the first time they had sung a duet here.
Jesse laughed as he flipped through the book. Once he found the song he was looking for, he turned the book to face his now frowning girlfriend. Her frown turned to a smile when she realized what song he'd chosen.
"How did you know that was the song I was thinking of?" she wanted to know.
"Because I know you," Jesse answered, grabbing her hand and leading her over to the piano.
Following her boyfriend, Rachel couldn't help but continue to smile. Jesse had told her he wanted to know everything about her and he did little things every day to prove he meant what he said. He was, without a doubt, her perfect match in every way.
"Rach?" Jesse asked as he was about to begin the song.
Rachel shook her head and took a seat next to him on the piano bench. "Sorry, just thinking," she said.
"Good thoughts I hope."
Rachel smiled and nodded. "Always."
Jesse returned her smile and then pressed a kiss to her cheek before he began to play the song. He and Rachel sang their solo parts before singing the chorus together.
There's a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere
There's a time for us
Some day a time for us
Time together
With time to spare
Time to learn
Time to care
Someday
Somewhere
We'll find a new way of living
We'll find a way of forgiving
Somewhere
There's a place for us
A time and place for us
Hold my hand
And we're halfway there
Hold my hand
And I'll take you there
Somehow
Someday
Somewhere…
A few days later, as she was getting ready to meet the woman Jack almost married, Shelby found she was unsure how she was feeling. On the one hand, she was interested to see what it was about this woman that had caused Jack to think he could fall in love with her, but on the other hand, she wasn't sure she even wanted to meet this woman anymore. The fact that she had said yes to Jack's proposal and they had begun planning their wedding, even though she was still in love with her then-ex, somewhat troubled her. She was grateful that the woman had been a good friend to Jack, but she was still wondering why she had blurted out that she wanted to meet her. Before she could think about it any longer, she heard the knock on the door that indicated the woman and her husband had arrived at Jack's apartment. As Jack went to answer the door, Shelby remained in her spot on the living room couch, only making a move to stand when she saw the other woman walk into the room.
"You must be Shelby," she said with a smile. "I'm Charlotte. It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you, too," Shelby returned politely as she studied the woman in front of her.
"I'm glad you and Jack were able to work things out."
"Me, too. He didn't give me much of an option, though."
Charlotte laughed. "I assume he's always been that way. When he wants something, he'll stop at nothing to get it."
"I missed him…more than I realized," Shelby confessed.
Charlotte smiled at her. "I understand, trust me. I'm going to guess Jack told you everything already?"
Shelby nodded. "He said you were with each other to try and forget other people."
"That's the truth. I love Jack, but not the way you do. Not the way I love my husband. Jack and I were there for each other at a time when we both just needed someone to understand."
"Why did you say yes to his proposal?"
"I had given up hope on Robert coming back to me. I almost lost him for good when that engagement announcement showed up."
"Jack said neither of you had any idea it was going to be in the paper."
Charlotte nodded. "We didn't. Our parents were able to see right through our phony relationship, and the announcement was just an overly drastic way of saying that. Jack and I were both furious with all of them, but it did its job. It made us realize we were only kidding ourselves, and we had a long talk. We both confessed to not being in the relationship for the right reasons. I'm not sorry I met Jack, he's one of my best friends, but I am sorry the announcement led to you abandoning your plans to find him."
"Thank you for being honest with me."
"I have to admit I was surprised when Jack called and said you wanted to meet me."
Shelby smiled a little. "It was kind of an impulsive request. I didn't think he'd actually agree to it."
"If he thought agreeing to let you meet me would help him get you back, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. He always talked about you, you know."
Shelby failed to hide her surprise at Charlotte's statement. "He did?"
Charlotte nodded. "Constantly. Anything we did, there was always a story about you. I was the same way with stories about Robert, so it didn't really bother me like it probably should have."
Shelby glanced over to where the two men in question stood talking and laughing together before turning back to the chestnut-haired woman beside her. "They seem to be good friends."
"They are," Charlotte agreed. "Robert was just as interested in meeting Jack as you were in meeting me. They became fast friends and have remained so ever since."
"Piper wants to see you," Shelby said when she saw Jack walk into her office the next morning.
"About what?"
"Your position here."
"You're deliberately being vague, aren't you?"
"She wouldn't tell me what she wanted exactly, just that it was regarding your position here."
"Do you think it's good or bad?"
"Considering I talked to her about our idea for making more time for me to spend with individual members of the team, I'm hoping it's good."
Jack leaned down and brushed his lips with Shelby's before he spoke again. "Me, too. Even it's bad, I'm still not going anywhere."
Shelby smiled a little as she nodded. "I know."
"Shelby said you wanted to see me," Jack said as Piper led him into her office.
Piper nodded. "She told me about how she would like to be more available to members of her team who want her help, and you agreed to take over the advanced music class permanently, plus a couple of others if needed. She also said she wanted you to fill the vacant position of Vocal Adrenaline's assistant coach."
"I'm willing to help Shelby however I can."
Piper smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. I haven't told Shelby yet; I thought you might want to tell her the good news."
"The good news?" Jack asked, wanting to make sure he heard her correctly.
"You are Vocal Adrenaline's new assistant coach and will continue teaching the classes of Shelby's that you've taken over, effective immediately. I'll leave it up to you and Shelby to decide how you two want to split the classes next semester, but I'd like an answer sooner rather than later."
Jack nodded. "I'll talk to her about it. Thank you."
"Hi, Aunt Shelby," Liam greeted as he walked into his aunt's office.
"Hi, Liam," Shelby returned. "How can I help you?"
"I was hoping you could help me pick out a birthday present for my Mom. This is the only place where I know she won't be eavesdropping trying to find out what we got her."
"Don't you and Holly usually get her something together?"
Liam nodded. "We do, but I wanted to do something different this year. I wanted to get her something myself, but I don't know what."
"I can go with you after rehearsal today. Hiram and Leroy will be home today, so you could tell your Mom you're coming over for dinner, and then we can go shopping after dinner. I'll drop you off at home afterwards and keep her present at my house so she won't find it."
Liam grinned at his aunt. "You're the best, Aunt Shelby. If I call her now, I'll be late to class though."
"I'll call her. You go to class."
Liam nodded. "Thanks again," he said before quickly walking to his next class.
With a small laugh and a shake of her head, Shelby picked up her phone to call her sister.
Just as she was about to walk into the auditorium, Shelby heard her phone ring. Turning to Jack, she was about to ask him to get things started when she felt him press a kiss to her cheek.
"Take the call. I'll get things started," he told her.
With a nod, Shelby did as Jack suggested. She was pretty sure she'd get used to Jack still knowing her so well after so many years eventually.
Translations:
Je pense que tu es superbe = I think you look beautiful
faire la sieste = nap/snooze