The school cafeteria was loud as Dylan, Harper and Cody sat down at their usual table for lunch. Harper opened her lunch first and rolled her eyes. Holding up a turkey and cheese with mustard she said, "Anyone want to trade?"

Dylan opened his lunch next. "Tuna with cucumbers."

"Ham and Swiss," said Cody.

"I'll take the tuna," Harper said.

"It's yours." Dylan traded. "But I'm keeping the cookie."

"That's fine. Dad packed Sun Chips. Those I like."

"You don't like turkey sandwiches?" Cody asked, taking a big bite of his own lunch.

"It's not that. It's that it's the same thing over and over. My dad's a great cook, but he's been distracted lately. Maybe I can borrow your mom?" she teased Dylan.

"Careful what you ask for. You don't know how she woke me up this morning."

"How?" Cody and Harper asked together.

"Ice. Lots of ice."

Harper burst out laughing, while Cody looked horrified.

"I deserved it, I guess. I'm not always nice when I'm tired and mostly asleep."

"Maybe you should work on that if you don't want an ice bath in the mornings," Harper suggested and they all laughed.

….

Elizabeth hurried toward her office for her lunch break. Today had been anything but a normal day. Four teachers called in sick and the district was short on subs. When they couldn't find a fourth sub, Elizabeth stepped in to teach. In some ways it was nice. She missed being a classroom teacher. Lately her job consisted of meetings, meetings and more meetings. She enjoyed her job though. Advocating for the school and the students to give them the best opportunities made her feel like she was doing what she was created to do.

She walked into her office and grabbed her lunch from the closet.

"Hey." A male voice startled her from behind.

"Jack! What are you doing here? You scared me." He looked so handsome standing there in his uniform. It was enough to make her dizzy.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright. What's up? Harper okay?"

"Yeah, at least I imagine so. I came to talk to you."

"Jack, now's not a good time."

"Why? Elizabeth, what's going on?

"Nothing. It's just that today's not a normal day. I'm subbing today. We're short staffed so I'm teaching one of the seventh grade classes."

"Oh. Sorry. I just assumed you were avoiding me."

"The thought crossed my mind." She looked over at him. It broke her heart a little how sad he looked.

"Blue eyes," he said, stepping closer. "I don't like the look in your eyes. It's like you're hurting."

"I'm fine."

"Look about last night, you need to know…"

She cut him off. "Not now, Jack. Please?"

He sighed. "When?"

"I don't know." Though to herself she thought, never if you're about to break my heart again.

"What about tonight? We can meet at our old spot on the beach."

"Jack…"

"Elizabeth, I want to see you. Please." He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine." She accepted his hug and returned it with one of her own.

"Fine then. Do this for me?"

His green eyes sparkled in the light that flitted through the window. How could she say no to him, her best friend, more if she'd just admitted it? Then there was the fact that he was standing there looking every bit like the sizzling fireman he was.

"Okay. Tonight."

…..

Later that evening Jack stood in his kitchen making dinner. His parents were over as well.

"Something sure smells good in here," Tom complimented as he entered the kitchen. "What culinary masterpiece are you making tonight?"

"Chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice."

"Nice. By the way," he leaned in closer. "Thanks for saving me from another one of your mother's creations."

Jack grinned. "Any time, Dad."

His dad stayed in the kitchen helping out where needed for the next 20 minutes. Charlotte and Harper were in the other room talking about school and soccer.

Tom looked over at Jack who had just picked up his phone for at least the third time since he'd come in the room.

"What's got you checking your phone so much, son?"

Jack quickly dropped the phone. "Nothing."

"Nothing? I figured it was more like someone. Maybe with long brown hair and pretty blue eyes. Someone you've known forever."

Jack leaned back against the counter. "How'd you know?"

"I may be old but I pay attention to the details. I figured it was only a matter of time before you were tripping over yourself for that woman. You never did get over losing her before."

"No, I didn't. I didn't realize just how bad until recently." He sighed. "And I've screwed up."

"That was years ago, son. Elizabeth doesn't strike me as one to hold a grudge."

"I don't mean then. I mean now."

"Oh boy. What'd you do?"

Jack explained about Ashley's visit, her new relationship and how he neglected telling Elizabeth but she saw them anyway.

"Well, sounds to me like you've got some explaining to do. She needs to know without a shadow of doubt that she can trust you. That's the best gift you can give her after all she's gone through. Think about it, Jack, for all you know she thinks you're fixing to get back together with Ashley."

"I know! It's killing me. I've tried to talk to her about it but she's pushed it off. She agreed to meet me tonight. I'm just afraid she'll cancel."

"Let's hope not. I've always liked her. Your mom too."

"She's wonderful. One of a kind."

"Tell her that sometime."

"There's another thing, she told me she just wanted to be friends."

"Maybe that's changing. She was hurt bad. Whatever you do, don't push."

"I won't. Elizabeth… she means a lot. If there's anyway we can make something work here…"

"What about the kids?"

"Harper and Dylan? They're buds."

"How do you feel about her son?"

Jack smiled. "He's a great kid. I find myself caring more and more for him as we spend time together."

"Well then," Tom smiled. "Choose your words carefully tonight and one day, you may both have something really special."

Unfortunately, that talk would have to be postponed. During dinner, Jack received a call from the station that one of his men had been injured on a call. He would be fine, but they were now down a man for the shift.

He tried to call Elizabeth, but the call went to voicemail. He sent a quick text as he jumped in his truck to head to work.

At the cottage, Elizabeth was cleaning up from dinner while Dylan sat in the living room finishing his reading for school.

"Mom, your phone buzzed."

Drying her hands she walked into the living room to grab her phone.

"What's wrong?" Dylan noticed her facial expression drop as soon as she checked her messages.

"Nothing. Just a change in plans." She put the phone back down on the coffee table and returned to the kitchen.

Curious, Dylan picked up the phone to see who was at the root of this.

"What did Mr. Thornton want?" he whispered. He glanced at his mom again.

….

It was after 9 when Jack pulled back into the fire station after yet another call. He jumped out of the rig and hurried up the stairs, happy to see the next shift crew were all present and accounted for.

He jumped in the shower, trying to get the smell of smoke out of his hair and everywhere else. Normally he'd just wait till he got home. Not tonight. He needed to speak to Elizabeth before another day passed.

Now dressed in his dark jeans, grey tee and his favorite leather jacket, he jumped in his truck for the cottage.

Dylan was up in his room, dressed in his Red Sox PJ pants and hoodie reading from a new book. It wasn't unusual for him to fall asleep reading a book. Elizabeth would come in and gently pry the book from his hands and pull the covers over his shoulders. For years growing up, the world in his books were a nice alternative to his reality. Life was good now, but he still enjoyed a good book.

The doorbell rang, interrupting his journey through a wizarding world. He placed the book down on his bed and looked down out the window into the drive. Relieved that the vehicle in the drive belonged to Jack, and not his father, he hurried downstairs to open the door.

"Hey, Mr. Thornton."

"Hi, Dylan. Is your mom here?"

"She went for a walk on the beach. She wouldn't have gone too far though. You can go talk to her, but I warn you, she's been a little weird the last few days."

"Weird how?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "She seems sad or something."

"Oh." Jack scratched his head. "That might be my fault."

"Yeah, I kind of wondered." Dylan crossed his arms. "So if it's your fault, you can fix it then."

"I intend to, bud. Look, you and your mom mean a lot to me. I never want to hurt her."

"Good. She's back that way."

The moonlight cast a nice soft glow on the ground as Jack rounded the house towards the path at the back of the cottage.

"Jack?" Elizabeth soft voice asked. She was sitting in a well-worn Adirondack chair on the grass, facing the beach beyond behind her cottage. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk. I'm sorry about earlier."

She stood from her chair and wiped her eyes. She had been crying. "That's okay. Is your friend okay?"

"He'll be fine. Minor concussion for some fallen debris. Nothing a few days rest won't cure."

"Oh, good."

"So, Harper told me you and Dylan were at the diner the other night?" He just jumped right in. No time to waste.

"We were. I didn't feel like cooking so we went out."

"And you saw…"

"You and Ashley, yeah. She's very pretty."

"I should have told you she was coming. She called the other night while I was here and… I just got flustered."

"Jack, you don't owe me an explanation."

"I think I do."

"No, you don't. You guys seemed to be getting along nicely. I'm happy for you, Jack."

Jack tilted his head. "Elizabeth, she didn't come here for me. Nothing's changed between her and I. In fact, she's getting remarried."

"What?"

"Yeah. This summer. She's moving to Georgia as well. She came to tell me in person and talk about Harper."

"I see. How do you feel about that?"

He shrugged, "I hope it works out for her and she doesn't make the same mistake twice. Thing is," he took a few steps closer, now standing right in front of her. "It's been a few years. She's moving on, and so am I."

"Oh."

Gently with his thumb he wiped a couple loose tears from her cheek. In a soft voice he asked, "Did I cause these tears?"

"No. I did."

"How so?" He placed his hands on her hips. His touch gave her shivers. He was so close now. It was so invigorating and nerve racking.

"I don't want to lose you, Jack. I saw you there with Ashley and I thought, he's gone, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"I'm not gone, Blue Eyes," he whispered. "I'm right here."

She looked into his deep green eyes. Even with the minimal light from the cottage behind them, they were mesmerizing. She loved him. Possibly even more than when they were kids. Back then she loved the boy Jack, now she loved the man. The strong, handsome loving man that was now so kissably close.

His hand that rested on her hips moved around to the small of her back, gently pulling her against his strong body. Without a word, his lips touched her forehead, lingering there for a long moment.

"Jack…" she could barely get a sound out.

He moved his lips to her cheek. Giving her a soft kiss and whispered, "Do you have any idea how precious you are to me?"

Unable to wait another moment, he moved his lips over hers. Soft and sweet. As he pulled back just a bit, a gentle moan escaped her lips, sending him back to her for more. This time, the kiss was deep. They clung to each other with each slow, rhythmic touch of their lips.

When they finally separated, Elizabeth looked up to see Jack grinning madly at her. "I've been waiting to do that for over half my life."

"Worth the wait?" she asking biting her lip.

"Worth waiting for, and very much worth doing again and again." She laughed and it was an angelic sound. He kissed her nose. "What do you say, Blue Eyes? You and me?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Good. I just have to break one more promise to you then."

She leaned back, giving him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"When we found each other again you made me promise nothing but friendship." With a smile he added, "Sorry but there's no going back from a kiss like that."

Now she laughed. "I think I can live with that."

They leaned in again, thoroughly enjoying their new found closeness. What they didn't realize was they had an audience.

Dylan watched in shock as his mother and Jack kissed. He grabbed the house phone and ran up the stairs.

"Hello?"

"They're kissing!"

"Dylan?" Harper laughed. "Is your mom making you watch a chick flick again?"

"No! I'm living in one!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your dad and my mom… kissing!"

"You're messing with me."

"Oh I wish."

"Gah! Dylan! I have a very visual imagination! I didn't need that imagine in my head!"

"Like I needed it? It happened in my backyard! Might still be happening."

"This… this is… What are they thinking?"

Dylan heard footsteps down stairs. "Gotta go. Mom's inside the house now." He hung up the phone and stood there in the center of his room. Unsure what to do next. He heard Jack's truck start and pull out of the driveway.

For a moment Dylan debated pretending to be asleep and avoiding whatever it was that was now going on. Realizing he still had the house phone in his hand and that whatever just happened probably wasn't going away anytime soon, he decided to go downstairs.

He put the phone on the charger and peered into the kitchen. Elizabeth was standing by the stove making tea. There was a smile on her face. It was different. She looked relaxed.

"So are you with him or something?" he blurted out in perfect preteen tactfulness.

"Dylan!" She jumped. "You scared me."

"Sorry."

"Wait, what did you just ask me?"

"You and Harper's dad. I saw you. Are you together now or something?"

"Oh Dylan… I didn't mean for you to see that. Come sit with me." She grabbed her tea and they moved into the living room. "I'm sorry you saw that, but yes, Mr. Thornton and I… we want to see where this leads now. Together."

"I thought you guys were just friends?"

"We were. We have been for years. To be honest with you, before I met your father, I cared for Mr. Thornton a great deal."

"But you weren't together?"

"No. We were young and both too scared to take that next step. We went to separate schools and met other people."

"So this is like a second chance for you?"

"You could say that, yeah." Elizabeth reached over taking her son's hand. "I need you to know I was not keeping this from you. It literally just happened tonight."

"I know, Mom. I trust you."

"Thank you. Now, be honest with me Dylan, what do you think of Mr. Thornton?"

"I don't know. He's pretty cool, I guess. Always really nice. Kind of the opposite of Dad."

"Yes. He's a very good man."

The glow in her smile as she spoke was clear as day. This might be an adjustment, but Dylan didn't want to do anything to hurt his mom. She was happy. He wanted to keep her that way. Besides, wasn't he just telling her to tell the guy how she felt. Maybe he hadn't thought that advice through. Too late now.

"Alright Mom, you can see Mr. Thornton. But if he wants to marry you one day, he better ask me first."

Elizabeth bit her lip as she smiled. "Should it ever come to that, I'll make sure he knows."

"Okay." Dylan turned to head back up the stairs but turned around. "I want you happy, Mom. You deserve someone really good."

"Thanks, honey."

"I hope Mr. Thornton is as good as talking about this as you are. Harper was flipping out."

"Wait, you told Harper? Dylan Christopher, that wasn't your information to tell!"

Dylan laughed. "Let be real, Mom. In the big picture, what I did is nowhere near the bomb you two just dropped in my own backyard!"

Elizabeth covered her reddening face with one of the plush couch pillows.

"Night, Mom," Dylan said with a laugh.

"Night hon…"

…..

Jack pulled into the driveway of his home, still smiling from ear to ear. After sharing many memorable kisses, the two discussed how to proceed. They were together, finally, but they wanted to make this change as easy on both their kids as possible.

As he got out of the car he looked up. Harper's bedroom lights were off. That gave Jack hope that maybe he had some time to figure out what to say to her.

He climbed the steps to the front door, stopping in his tracks.

"Harper…"

There on the stoop stood his beautiful, long blond haired little girl, but right now, if looks could kill, Jack would have been a dead man.

"Seriously, Dad!"

"Harper, what's up?"

"My best friend's mom… my principal!"

"How do you…"

"Dylan called me. He saw you."

"Where's Nana and Pop?"

"Asleep on the couch. What were you thinking?"