Jesse's and Clara's wedding was approaching fast and that also meant that the projected opening for the B and B of August 13th was too.
Jack was now working on turning a closet and part of a large bedroom into a full bathroom while Elizabeth continued to research and hammer out details.
She still hadn't told him that she had changed her mind about them dating. After taking him dinner a few weeks back, they had continued their friendship the same as it had been, even though her feelings grew stronger each day.
This morning as he was demolishing a wall upstairs, she was making a breakfast casserole and it smelled amazing. He was more than happy to taste test any ideas she had and was honest if something was needed or it was delicious. Then she added the recipes to her journal and that would help her come up with a menu for each week for when she opened.
She pulled the perfectly browned casserole out and cut two pieces, placing them on a plate and grabbing two forks.
When she walked into the room where he was working she had to force herself to not stare. He was scraping wallpaper off the wall which in itself didn't warrant staring. It was the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt and she could see every muscle working in his back and arms.
"Um, I have breakfast," she told him.
He turned and smiled. "Thanks." He took the plate and a fork. "You know this is one of my favorite parts of the day."
"Yeah? Why's that?"
"Sharing breakfast with a beautiful woman and eating wonderful, delicious food. What's not to like?"
She blushed at his compliments. "I have a confession to make."
"What's that, Beth?"
"The night I brought you dinner a few weeks back?"
His eyes lost their sparkle for a moment. She could see it was still bothering him. "Yeah."
"I was coming over to tell you that I didn't want to wait to date you."
She shoved a bite into her mouth and waited for his reaction.
"I figured."
"You did?"
"You were all dressed up. Not your normal jeans and t-shirt. You even had mascara and lip gloss on. You also had straightened your hair."
"You noticed that, huh?"
"I'm a cop, Beth. I get paid to notice things."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
He shrugged and ate another bite. "I figured you would bring it up eventually."
"Well, I'm bringing it up now."
"Okay." He stayed silent and just watched her.
"That's all I get? Okay?"
"You didn't really ask me anything. You just said you were bringing it up."
She smacked his arm. His muscular, bare arm. "You are such a pain."
"Ah, an insult. The way to a man's heart."
"Actually the way to a man's heart is his stomach."
"That so?" He finished the casserole. "It might be working."
"I'll just go now." She took his fork and plate and started to leave.
"You already have my heart, Beth. You don't need to try."
She turned around and looked at him again, a smile on both their faces. "Yeah?"
"Don't you know that?" he asked gently. "I'm ready whenever you are."
"Tonight?"
"A date?" he clarified.
"Yeah. A date."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll find out when we get there."
As she left the room he yelled, "The casserole was delicious. Definitely a contender for the menu."
"Thanks!"
…..
She called Bree after he left that afternoon. "What do I wear on a picnic, Bree?"
"You did it! You asked him out!"
"Yep. Well kinda."
"Kinda?"
"Well, I walked in to take him breakfast and he's scraping wallpaper shirtless."
"Whoa."
"Yeah. And so we started eating and I told him I had a confession. When I told him what it was, he already knew."
"Well, he is a cop. They notice things."
"But he never said anything."
"Well, he is a man. They don't always verbalize. Where are you taking him?"
"To the park on a picnic. So what do I wear?"
"Something comfortable but cute."
"So like this?" She took a picture in the mirror and sent it to her.
"Yes, perfect." She had chosen a tan and white halter maxi dress with spaghetti straps. She strapped her sandals on and said goodbye to her friend.
Then she headed downstairs, let Ginger outside and back in and then got in her car to go pick up Jack.
She pulled up to his apartment building and he was standing against a tree, looking handsome as usual. He had on khaki shorts and a red polo along with sandals. His hair looked good, just the right kind of messy. His sunglasses gave him a cool, sexy quality.
"Hey," he said, getting in her car.
"Hey. You look good."
"Thanks. So do you. I wasn't sure where you were taking me so I took a shot and thought it might be outside."
"It is, yes. I thought we would go to Mill's Riverside Park for a picnic."
He looked in the back seat and smiled. There was a blanket and a picnic basket that he was positive was filled with delicious food.
"What's in the basket?"
"Oh let's see. Pulled pork sandwiches on brioche buns, cold potato salad with bacon, and lemonade."
"No dessert?" he teased.
"Chocolate chip cookies."
"Sounds perfect."
She rested her hand on the console, hoping he might take the hint. He did. He gently took her fingers in his and smiled at her. "I'm glad we are doing this," she told him.
"Me too. I was thinking that when the fair comes to town we should go."
"Sure. That sounds fun."
"I usually go see the demolition derby."
"What is the draw of cars smashing into each other?" she wondered.
"I don't know. I used to compete in the derby. It was really fun."
"I guess I had forgotten that."
"Anyway, I think it will be great having you with me. Eating elephant ears and corn dogs and deep fried snickers bars."
"It sounds good to me too," she told him, moving her fingers so they were between his.
As they arrived at the park, he got out and opened her door and then took the basket out of the back seat. Her hand found his again as they walked to a spot by the water.
"It's a really nice day for early June," he mentioned.
"It's perfect."
As they ate and enjoyed themselves he asked her about Atlanta. "It was a city. It was chaotic and loud but I got used to it and it became a second home. But Maple Hills will always be home to me."
"Did you have a boyfriend there?" he asked quietly.
"I think it was the second year I was there, I dated a guy named Joe but only for about a month. He ended up moving away. There wasn't any spark anyway."
"Did you ever feel spark with anyone?"
"One person."
"What was his name?"
"Jack."
"Oh," he said with a laugh.
"It's hard to explain but it's like…"
"Static?"
"Yeah, exactly. A connection that happens when you least expect it."
He reached over and touched her arm, sliding his fingers to her wrist. "I feel it too."
"You do?"
"Mmhm." Their eyes held for a moment and then she switched to asking about him.
"Did you have a girlfriend over the years, Jack?"
"No one I would call a girlfriend. I dated a few girls but just a couple times each. No one special. Until you, Beth."
After they ate, they took their basket and blanket back to the car and then decided to take a walk. So he took her hand and they walked down the path under the shade trees by the water. Just being together was nice, spending time not inside the B and B.
"Jesse keeps asking me if there's something between us."
"I know. Clara brought it up awhile back when we went to the spa. I'm sorry, Jack. He thinks it's his job to protect me. He forgets that I'm a grown woman."
"I think it's in a man's nature to want to protect the women he cares about. If I had a sister, I would be the same way."
She believed that for sure. "I lived alone in Atlanta and he coped. I'm not sure why it's different now."
"I'm thinking that this is new for him. Seeing you with someone, or at least having knowledge of it just makes him feel out of control."
"Jack, he isn't my dad and my dad is going to be thrilled that we are together."
"I'll talk to him, Beth."
"No, please don't. I will talk with him." She stopped walking and turned toward him. "I don't want to talk about my brother anymore. Let's talk about us." She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Deal?"
"Deal."
"Now, I seem to remember that you used to play the guitar. Do you still?"
"It's been a long time. Especially now. I have zero time to play."
"You could play for me," she told him, doing her best to flirt, she was just not very good at it. "Maybe after dinner one night?"
"Yeah, I guess that might be fun. If you sing."
"Oh, come on."
"I'm serious. I remember your voice. You were good, Beth."
"No I wasn't."
He grabbed her hands and stepped closer, pressing his lips to her forehead. "You were. I'll play if you sing."
"We can sing together."
They wandered around awhile more and then headed back to her car. "This has been nice," Jack told her. "Thanks for asking me out."
"I'm just glad you said yes."
"Beth, of course I did."
"Did you mean it when you said that I already have your heart?"
He touched her cheek and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Yes. Every word. I've just been waiting for you to be ready."
"You could have been waiting a while."
He gently pressed his lips to her temple. "I would wait forever for you."
Her heart melted when he said that. She looked up at him and smiled. "You are quite the guy, Jack Thornton." She didn't know what else to say, so she just wrapped her arms around his waist and put her head against his shoulder. The feeling of his fingertips rubbing her back, his lips ever so softly touching her hair, overwhelmed her.
Jack gently touched her chin and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. It felt like heaven to both of them. It had been thirteen years in the making for her and it was better than she had imagined. His lips danced with hers, warm, loving and soft, not demanding. He had her heart too.
With that kiss, Jack was fully convinced he loved her but he was pretty sure it was too soon to tell her.
"I love you, Jack."
Or, maybe not. "I love you too, Beth."
"Bree is going to gloat about this one," she told him with a laugh.
"About what?"
"She told me not to wait, to just tell you that I had lost my mind when I told you I couldn't date you and that I should just go for it."
"Wise lady."
She smiled and gave him another kiss. "I'm glad I listened to her."
"Me too."
……
When she got home, she called Bree. "Hey, how did it go?"
"So good. We went to the park, had a picnic, took a walk, he kissed me and then we said I love you."
"Holy smokes! Beth, that is crazy!"
"I know and to top it all off, it felt right, Bree. It felt so right to tell him that and he said it back. I can't believe that this is finally happening."
"I'm so happy for you."
"Thanks. I'm happy for me too. How's work going?"
"Not so good. My manager just got fired and now they are saying we need to work extra hours but I have no babysitter for the extra hours. I'm not sure what they are going to do if I refuse to work them."
"Hopefully they will understand. How can they force you to work overtime?"
"I don't know but it feels like I might be looking for a new job soon."
"Well, I will be praying for you."