The chime of the bell above the door announced Jacob's arrival as he entered the store. He spotted her just up ahead, behind the counter, ringing up an order, the only order at the moment, seeing that there were no other customers in the store. Not wanting to be too obvious, he just walked among the shelves, pretending to look at the products, until she was finished with the customer and was once again alone. Once it was obvious that no one else was going to come in, he decided it was time to make his move. Taking a deep breath and making sure that all was in order, Jacob approached the counter.
"Hello Sarah," he smiled, trying to feel as confident and self assured as he normally was. He didn't know why he was so anxious. If he read her right, Sarah did like him. At least, he thought she did.
"Jacob. I thought that was you who came in. I didn't know if you'd be by today or not. I mean...surely you've heard..."
"About your engagement? Yeah, I heard," He shrugged with a wry smile. "Should I say congratulations?"
Sarah sighed and looked down at the counter, not knowing how to respond. When she was a little girl, there was nothing more that she wanted than to be engaged to who could be considered a prince, but now she was older and she couldn't feel happy about the engagement to who was considered the prince of Chippewa Falls and she was afraid to even consider the reason why. "I suppose."
"You don't sound like a happy bride to be."
"It's complicated."
"Ah, I see."
Sarah frowned, not appreciating Jacob's tone of voice, as if he knew what she meant by complicated!
"What do you see? What can you possibly know about the situation?"
Jacob held up his hands defensively, as if to fend off her anger. He hadn't meant to offend her, he just wanted to talk and perhaps share how he felt. "I don't know anything. It just sounds like you don't want to marry the man."
"How would you know about me not wanting to get married just by my tone?"
"Well, to be honest, a girl would sound excited about getting married. You sound down right gloomy. Don't you love him?"
"You are being very rude right now," Sarah frowned, feeling taken aback. No one had ever asked her about how she felt about Thomas. It was always assumed that he was the only one for her. That they would end up married. This was the first time anyone had asked what she actually felt. "What a rude question."
Jacob just laughed and gave a shrug. "It's just a question. Do you love the guy or not?"
She opened her mouth to answer and then closed it again, deciding that the question didn't deserve an answer and what business was it of his anyway? "I am not going to dignify that an answer! In fact, this conversation is over. If you are not going to buy anything, then please leave!"
"Hey, wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just...look. I think that you're an amazing girl. You're pretty, nice, and you're smart! You run this store effortlessly...or at least it seems that way. I just thought that a girl like you would want more out of life than to marry a man that obviously treats you like property."
"For one, running this store is far from effortless. In fact, it's hard work, but I love it. All of it, from taking inventory, doing the books, waiting on customers...all of it. It's like I was born to do this. Like it should be me who gets the family business, not my brother, who has no interest in the store."
"Let me guess. He's the one to inherit."
Sarah nodded, not able to help feeling bitter. After all, she was the one who showed real interest in running the store. She was the one interested in making it even more of a success. Her brother has shown no such ambition so far. But instead of her inheriting the family business, it was to be him, while she was to marry into a well off family and have babies. It wasn't fair!
"He gets the business without having to work for it, while I'm expected to just marry, look pretty, and have babies."
"That is unfair."
"As you well know, my brother is the firstborn and he's a man."
"You talk as if I should know this for a fact."
"Shouldn't you? You are the firstborn."
"I am my mother's firstborn. I don't get anything of the Hockley fortune...that is if there was any fortune left to have. The crash pretty much wiped us out."
Sarah frowned. "I don't understand."
"Let's just say that your mother was right about Jack Dawson having a broken heart. It's a long story, but all in all, he is my biological father."
"What? How? I mean...you don't have to tell me how. It's really none of my business."
"Oh I'd love to tell you, all about it, but like I said it's a long story. Maybe I can tell you tomorrow...over a picnic on the lake…?"
Sarah laughed, in awe of the audacity of this guy. "You do remember that I am engaged, right?"
"What does that have to do with two friends enjoying time together. Good food, good story...what does that have to do with you being engaged?"
"You are so annoying!"
Jacob laughed, remembering his mother telling him of the conversation on the deck of Titanic. She had called Jack annoying then as well. "It must be in the genes. According to my mom, Jack was annoying too. Say yes to the picnic and find out how."
She should say no. Common sense told her to refuse his offer and tell him to leave and not come back unless he was a paying customer. But something wouldn't let her. She didn't know what it was. Her attraction to him. Curiosity of his story and why Jack Dawson seemed to be untouchable when it came to the single women of Chippewa Falls, or some sense of rebellion against what was to be her fate, but she couldn't refuse his offer.
"Alright. Fine. I'll meet you at Lake Wissota at noon and I want to know how Jack Dawson is your father and why he's...not so socialable when it comes to the ladies. You can say that we all want to know."
"Okay. It's a deal," Jacob happily grinned. "You won't regret it."
"I had better not and this story of yours better be good."
...
Jacob returned home whistling a happy tune. Jack was sitting in the living room sketching and Rose was reading a magazine when he returned.
"Hey how did it go?" Jack asked, curious.
Jacob's answer was a wide grin. "I talked her into a picnic on lake wissota, where I will regale her with the tale of how my parents met...that is if you don't mind of course."
Jack grinned in reply. "Hey, if it helps!"
"She called me annoying," Jacob happily laughed.
"Definitely a good sign!" Jack joined in, sensing a connection that he had just made with his newly found son. He felt a warmth fill him as he realized that they were bonding in a way that they probably wouldn't have if things had been different.
"You two are impossible," Rose rolled her eyes, with a smile of her own as she saw the bond between father and so strengthen. It did her heart good to see it and just how alike they were.
"Well, I'm going up to find something to wear for tomorrow."
"Wear that blue shirt of yours, darling. It brings out your eyes," Rose suggested as Jacob disappeared up to the second floor. She turned to Jack with a coy smile. "That proves it. Jacob has indeed inherited your charm."
"I almost feel sorry for that Thomas fella. He doesn't stand a chance," Jack winked, feeling rather flirty at that moment.
"You sound rather sure of yourself there, Jack," Rose stared at him, again struck by how handsome he still was after all these years.
"It got me you, didn't it?"
"It wouldn't have if Cal hadn't been a jerk back then."
"Trust me. This Thomas isn't far off from pre-Jacob Hockley. Our son should have no trouble wooing the girl away from him."
"I hope you are right. I don't want our son to have a broken heart."
"I don't want that for him either. Trust me. There's nothing harder to get over than a broken heart. Sometimes, one never recovers."
Rose frowned, remembering that Jack knew all about not recovering from a broken heart. "I wish that you never had to know that Jack. You wouldn't have if I had known..."
"But you didn't and that's okay. Everything happened the way it did for a reason. Now we"re together again, because it's time."
Looking into his eyes, Rose couldn't help but to agree.