Disclaimer: I am not the owner of the characters in this story. All rights go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart." Any names or locations are simply for storyline purposes.
Chapter 11- The House of Cards
Jack's house…
Jack wandered around his huge house feeling quite lost. He understood Elizabeth's reasons for wanting them to take some time apart; not that he liked it or even agreed with it, but it was important to her to make certain that the revelations she'd spilled would have no impact on how he felt about her, or how she now felt around him. He wished she'd take him at his word, for he truly loved her more now than he ever had, and this time apart was eating away at him.
True it had only been one day; one…long…day, and he still needed to get through another before she wanted to hear from him. He walked into his den and fell out on the sofa, his cell phone in his hand as he punched out a message…
"I miss u, & nothing has changed 4 me. I don't need another day…"
Not wanting her to see him as pushy and unwilling to give her the time she'd requested he deleted the message.
Matt was staying in one of the guest rooms, and Jack assumed he was still asleep until he walked in the back door, taking Jack slightly by surprise.
"I thought you were still in bed," Jack stated.
"In bed? I've been up and working for hours. You haven't been out back this morning, have you?" Matt asked.
"No, why?" Jack replied as he stood up and walked to the back door. "Who's that?" he asked as he observed an armed guard positioned on his dock.
"I've hired four guards from Florida Security Services; they'll work shifts of two guards at a time," Matt advised. "As beautiful as this property is Jack, unfortunately it's not very secure. The canal is open and pictures taken from the water are legal, but the guards will keep them from tying up to your dock or venturing onto your property."
"I knew that I could count on you, Matt," Jack stated, still unaware of the threat that would soon envelope Elizabeth and Tristan.
Jack walked outside his front door, inhaling deeply and taking in the clean Florida air. He bent down in his driveway to retrieve his newspaper as Mr. Naismith called out, "Hey Jack."
"Hey Martin; I'm glad to see you. I wanted to let you know that I have a security team that will now be patrolling my property. They'll make certain that no one docks a boat and comes into my yard, but if you notice anything that alarms you, please let me know."
"I certainly will. I'm sorry that you have to go to such measures, but I guess safety first, right?"
"Absolutely…"
"Do you have to do any security for that lovely woman you're dating?" Martin asked.
"Excuse me?" Jack replied, clearly confused.
"May I?" Martin asked as he took Jack's paper from his hand.
He unrolled the paper to show Jack the front page of the Sun Sentinel, "Hometown Hero Returns…" story on Page 1 of the entertainment section.
That in and of itself would not be bad; however, several pictures that accompanied the story also showed Elizabeth and Tristan.
Jack's heart practically stopped as he could only imagine the concern Elizabeth would feel once she saw it. Since he hadn't heard from her, he could only assume that she was busy with school and hadn't yet read the paper.
"Oh WOW," Jack frustratingly sighed. "Well, have a good day, Martin. Please let me know if anything in the neighborhood concerns you."
"I will; take care of your lady friend and her precious little girl."
"I most certainly will."
Jack stepped inside his house, "Matt…"
"Is something wrong?"
"You tell me," Jack responded as he showed Matt the newspaper.
"WOW, I don't see a problem there; she's beautiful," Matt responded.
"That's not what I'm referring to; how are we going to protect them?"
"I'm sorry; I knew what you meant; I was just trying to calm you down a bit."
"Look Matt, we know what the paparazzi are like; she doesn't, and I don't want to scare her away. So do what you have to do to keep them safe," Jack stated. "It's going to be challenging, because I anticipate her ex-husband is going to blow a gasket when he sees this."
"Jack, I'm way ahead of you. I have some calls in and hopefully I'll have some answers soon."
"Answers…answers on what?" Jack inquired.
"I'm trying to get some information on her ex…" Matt could tell that Jack looked stressed, "Hey, I've got this, okay? Everything will be fine."
Jack walked over and stood at his back door. He was disappointed by the visual of armed guards on his premises, and he wondered if the success he acquired through the years was worth his loss of freedom now.
It had only been one day since he'd last seen her and she asked for some time for both of them to think. All he'd done since he left her was think about her, about them, and sadly, much of what was coming to mind had him worried.
He couldn't help but wonder now that the paparazzi knew her name and where she lived, that camping out where she worked could be the next step. Luckily, since she worked at a school and no one was allowed on the grounds without checking in at the office first, he felt that they should not be able to get close to her or Tristan.
"Hey, I'm going to run an errand," Jack called out an hour later as he walked from the back of his house to the front door.
"Where are you going?" Matt asked.
"Just to run an errand."
"Jack, you know how this goes…where are you heading?"Matt was adamant.
"I'm going to order some flowers for Elizabeth," he replied, thankful that Matt took his job so seriously, but frustrated that his life required the security measures.
"You know you can go online and order them," Matt advised.
"Yes, I could, but I like to pick out the flowers myself," Jack stated as he grabbed his keys from the table and headed out the front door.
Twenty minutes later he parked his SUV outside of Enchanted Flowers and stepped inside.
"May I help you?" the girl behind the counter called out as Jack perused the flower coolers.
"Yes ma'am; I'd like to order some flowers," he responded as she pulled out her book on arrangements.
Picking a "Rainbow of Blooms" vase of flowers, Jack picked out the yellow Gerber daisies, yellow roses, yellow Asiatic lilies, blue Bella Donna Delphinium, hot pink carnations, pink spray roses, and pink Alstroemeria.
"You seem to know a lot about flowers," she stated, as she marveled at how he seemed to know what flowers went together.
"No, not really; I just know what my girlfriend likes," he replied.
They walked back to the counter where the sales clerk gathered all of the flowers Jack wanted included in the arrangement. Jack provided the clerk with Elizabeth's address, and wrote out his own card. On the front it said, "Elizabeth, you will forever be my always," and as he opened the card, finding it blank, he wrote, "One of the most important lessons we can ever learn is that a healthy relationship does not hurt…it heals!" Love always, Jack
"May I ask you something?" the clerk asked.
"Sure…"
"Are you Jack Thornton?"
Jack smiled, "Yes, I am."
"Welcome home," she said. "I love your music."
"Thank you very much," he responded as he pulled his wallet out and paid for his order.
"Mr. Thornton, I'm sorry, but our delivery driver has already left for the day, but these will go out first thing in the morning. Is that okay?"
Jack was disappointed, but responded appreciatively, "Sure, but please make sure that whoever does the arrangement knows that they are for a very special woman. If I haven't picked out enough flowers," Jack wrote his number on the purchase order, "Here's my number and I'll pay for anything additional that's needed, okay?"
"I have it, and I'm fairly certain you have enough here. Thank you for your business and I'll see that it goes out in the morning."
As Jack turned to walk out of the flower shop, he observed several paparazzi standing on the sidewalk. "Do you have a back door?" he asked.
The clerk led him out the back door, and once the photographers stepped inside the shop, she kept them busy long enough for Jack to get to his SUV and drive away.
Pulling onto his street, he observed a large paparazzi presence congregating near his house. Assuming that with the multitude of camera toting gossipmongers all standing in the street in front of his house, he could only hope that at the present time they were staying away from Elizabeth.
Across town…
At the end of the school day, the PTA had planned a dinner for all of the teachers in advance of the Open House that was scheduled for that evening. Instead of staying at school, Elizabeth said 'thank you' to those in charge of the potluck meal, grabbed Tristan from her class and headed for the parking lot.
Realizing that she needed gas, Elizabeth pulled into the Exxon station that was approximately halfway between the school and her parent's house.
As Elizabeth stood at the pump, she was startled by a seemingly normal looking woman who suddenly began snapping pictures.
Shielding her face, she stopped the pump well before her car reached full. The tape dispenser at the pump was empty as the video screen advised her to step inside for her receipt. Refusing to remove Tristan from the vehicle, she quickly slipped back inside her Mustang and drove off without the verification of her purchase.
Elizabeth took several back roads, feeling comfortable that she'd lost the photographer before turning onto her parent's private gated driveway and approaching the house that Tristan always lovingly referred to as "The Castle."
"Let me get my hands on my little princess," Mr. Thatcher stated as Elizabeth and Tristan walked in the front door.
"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Thatcher asked Elizabeth as she stood staring out the front door onto the wide, expansive grounds.
"No…why?" Elizabeth replied.
"I don't know; it just looked like you were worried about something outside," her mother replied.
Elizabeth closed the door and casually locked it as everyone moved into the den, located in the back of the home.
They enjoyed an early dinner with Elizabeth stressing over the perfect time to admit to her parents that her trust fund was now in Tommy's hands; that was if he hadn't already spent it, and that Jack was back in her life. She knew that these were two important issues which needed to be addressed; however, she was fairly certain that the reaction, at least from her father, was not going to be a pleasant one, and putting off the inevitable, though not smart, seemed logical.
Elizabeth found herself practically choking on her food as Tristan innocently mentioned Jack's name.
*Cough, cough, cough…
"Honey, are you okay?" her father asked.
"I'm fine; my food just went down the wrong way," she replied, as she wondered how long it would be before the proverbial cat was out of the bag.
After dinner, Elizabeth pulled Tristan aside, "I have to go back to school for Open House, and you're going to stay here with Nana and Pop-Pop. I'll come back after I finish at school, okay?"
"You are coming back, right?" Tristan asked.
"Of course; I'll be back just as soon as I finish at school."
"Mommy, why can't I go with you? I can just sit in the classroom; I'll be good."
"I know you will be," Elizabeth responded as she seriously thought that at least with Tristan in her sight, no secrets would be expelled.
Realizing that she needed to drive back to her parent's house to pick Tristan up, she told her mom, "Thanks for dinner, I'm going to go ahead and take her with me so I don't have to come back; it may be late and she needs to get to bed."
"Honey, your dad will be glad to drive her back to school later. We'd just like to spend some time with her. We haven't really spent time with her in several weeks…"
"I know mom, but it may be late tonight. How about if she spends next weekend with you?"
"How about this weekend?" Grace countered, knowing that she would only have to wait a couple of days to see Tristan again as opposed to an entire week."
"Sorry, but this little Brownie is going on her first camping trip," Elizabeth was outwardly excited, but inwardly hesitant since she would be sending Tristan off without her. "It's a teacher work day tomorrow, well, it's only a half day, but the kids are also out of school on Friday, so the Brownies decided to leave at 6 on Thursday night," Elizabeth advised. "Camp Welaka isn't too far away so they can get the kids settled and have another full day to work on badges. Tristan has been looking forward to camping, right honey?"
Seeing the bright smile on Tristan's face, her Nana replied, "Well, would you like to spend next weekend with me and Pop-Pop?"
"Yes ma'am," Tristan squealed as she rushed up, wrapped her arms around her Nana and hugged her.
Elizabeth helped Tristan up into the booster seat in her Mustang, "Mommy…" Tristan called out.
"What is it honey?"
"Why can't you go camping with me?"
"I wish I could, but I have to work on Friday. You'll have so much fun that you won't even miss me," Elizabeth assured her.
"But you will come back for me, right?" Tristan asked as the smile disappeared from her face.
"Always…" Elizabeth stated as she secured Tristan in her seat before slipping in behind the steering wheel. She glanced down the private driveway and finding it clear, she proceeded back to school.
Back at school…
She pulled into the school parking lot, finding the spaces becoming few and far between. Happily, she observed families walking into the building, and was excited by the seemingly unusually large turnout.
For Open House, everyone was welcomed onto the property. Elizabeth was thankful that parents appeared interested in their children's education, unaware that some were wolves in sheep's clothing, roaming the halls with hidden cameras just waiting on the perfect time to snap away.
Elizabeth, being naïve with regard to the media fodder, she forgot about the paparazzi threat that she'd experienced only hours earlier. She took Tristan's hand and they walked inside the school where they were met by Mr. Carter, the PE teacher.
"Mrs. Parker…"
"Mr. Carter, that's Ms. Parker," Elizabeth felt the need to correct those who still tagged her as Tommy's wife.
"I know that; I'm sorry, Ms. Parker," he corrected himself. "If you'd like, the kids are meeting in the gym and we're going to play games. Tristan is welcome to join us."
"Would you like to go play games?" Elizabeth asked.
Tristan said nothing, but simply shook her head up and down. As Elizabeth walked with her to the gym, Tristan ran in to meet up with her friends, many of whom were in her class.
As Elizabeth turned to walk away, Tristan ran back out and grabbed her arm, "You promise to come back for me, right?"
Elizabeth squatted down in front of Tristan, "Is something wrong?"
"No…" Tristan replied.
"Mommy always comes back for you. Are you afraid about something?" Elizabeth asked.
"I just don't want you to leave me."
"I'm not leaving you; I'll be back as soon as the open house is over, okay?"
Tristan wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's neck, "I love you mommy."
"I love you too, Sweet Pea," Elizabeth replied as Tristan ran into the gym and the door closed behind her.
Walking back to her room, the halls seemed crowded; not that she knew all the parents, but there were also a few young students' faces that she'd never seen before, and she prided herself on knowing all of the students especially in the lower grade levels.
Maybe she was simply paranoid, but she certainly felt as though the eyes of everyone were upon her, but seeing no cameras, she assumed that she was making a lot out of nothing.
However, Elizabeth decided that she needed to call Jack and let him know about the photographer who had confronted her at the gas station. Having never had to deal with this type of attention, she wasn't sure how to handle the media, and she needed to make certain that Tristan was not frightened by them.
As she turned the corner to her room, she quickly realized that she'd have no time to make the call to Jack as her student's parents were lining up outside her door when she arrived.
Opening her classroom door she welcomed everyone, "Good evening." The families stepped inside and while most parents checked out the room, Elizabeth met individually with the mothers and fathers who attended...
Jack's house…
Jack stopped Matt as he was walking out the front door, "Where are you headed?"
Matt stopped and turned around, "I'm actually going to ride by your girl's house to see if everything in okay there."
"Okay good, let me get my keys and we can take my car," Jack responded as he smiled; the first one that had graced his face in the past 24 hours.
"Uh no; first of all we can't take your car because you will draw the cameras to you," Matt advised.
"That's why I have you to take care of stuff like that," Jack replied.
"Jack, I'm sorry, but you need to stay right here."
"Man, you know how to pop my balloon," Jack replied as he tossed his keys back onto the counter and took a seat on a nearby barstool.
Jack released a frustrated breath as his hand slammed down onto the table, "I hate this; if it's not Elizabeth asking me to give her time, it's the paparazzi making it too dangerous for me to see her. I can't go on like this."
"Jack, try to be patient with her and me."
Jack stood up, stretched out his arm and shook Matt's hand. "Matt, I'm trying to be patient and I appreciate you dropping everything and coming across country to take care of things for me, really I do; I've just been without her for years, and I'm afraid that if the paparazzi get involved, they'll scare her away."
"You promise to stay here?" Matt asked.
"I won't go anywhere; I'd never take a chance on making the situation worse for Elizabeth," Jack advised. "Will you do me a favor?"
"If I can…"
"Call me and let me know that everything is okay over there," Jack practically pleaded.
"Will do…" Matt stated as he walked outside and closed the door behind him.
Twenty minutes later, Matt turned onto her street and rode passed her house. He sat for a short while at the end of the court monitoring those who pulled into driveways, drove into garages, or simply passed by her residence. Matt took down the license plates of everyone who didn't appear to reside on the street. On his computer, the tags were run, with no one's information setting off an alarm.
Elizabeth's car was gone so he walked up the driveway and glanced around her property. He found no vehicles or signs of anyone at home, but casually searched for items already installed that he could use in his surveillance.
Seeing nothing out of the ordinary from what he'd expect in a neighborhood, Matt quickly installed a camera inside a birdhouse located by Elizabeth's front door, and a second camera in the light which was mounted at her garage door. Pulling up the app on his phone, he made the necessary adjustments before leaving her property, luckily unseen by her neighbors.
Being a bit concerned that it was evening and her car was not at home, Matt took a chance and rode by Elizabeth's elementary school. Finding her Mustang in the parking lot and running her tags to confirm her ownership, he took care to make certain that her vehicle's whereabouts would be known at all times.
While out on the road, Matt drove by Tommy's house, located approximately fifteen miles away from Elizabeth. There was a white Lexus in the driveway but no other vehicles, and the inside of the house was dark with the exception of one light on in the front room.
Matt sat in his rental car watching the house for approximately ten minutes when he observed Tommy stumble outside, yelling and cursing as if he was speaking to someone, but it was obvious that he was alone. Unable to understand his ramblings, Matt simply sat in his car, snapping pictures and observing.
Tommy threw a bag away in the rolling trashcan that he pushed to the curb before turning around and eventually making his way back inside the house.
Once Tommy was out of sight, Matt lifted the lid to the trashcan and opened the most recently tossed bag which contained three empty liquor bottles, one Scotch, one Bourbon, and one Vodka. He also found information that confused him, including paperwork for a now closed bank account, a torn up separation agreement, and several pictures of a couple that Matt assumed were Tommy and Belinda. The pictures, however, were torn in half with an "X" in marker over the face of the woman.
As he fumbled carefully through the paperwork, he found that the names of the involved parties on the closed bank account and separation agreement were blacked out with undecipherable notes written across the pages. Was this old paperwork that he was simply disposing of? Matt wasn't certain.
Matt gathered what he needed and headed back to the car. He pulled out his cell phone, "Hey Jack…"
"Is she okay?"
"Well, I went by but she wasn't home. Everything seemed fine though. I went by the school and there seems to be some function going on there. I did see her car and there didn't seem to be any problems there."
"Thanks…"
"Hey, I'm on my way home; do you need anything while I'm out?"
"Do you want to find Elizabeth and bring her and Tristan here?"
"I wish I could. You'll be together in due time, I'm sure."
A short while later he returned to Jack's house, and although there were several photographers standing in the street doing their best to obtain pictures, Matt had to wonder where the rest of them were.
Matt knew that pictures of Jack or Jack and Elizabeth together would be worth far more monetarily than pictures of Elizabeth alone. He pulled up the camera at Elizabeth's house, but saw nothing out of the ordinary, so he proceeded inside.
Back at school…
As the last set of parents walked out of her room, Elizabeth grabbed her bag and headed for the hallway. She shut out the light and closed the door behind her. Realizing that it was late and she needed to get Tristan into bed, she increased her pace as she headed for the gym.
Tristan was sitting near the door, and she ran into her mother's arms as she stepped into the gym. "You came back…" she cried out.
Taking Tristan's hand, they said their goodbyes and headed for the parking lot. "Honey, why are you so worried about me not coming back; don't I always come back?"
"I don't know mommy. I'm just afraid," Tristan's muffled sobs could be barely heard as Elizabeth stopped in the surprisingly empty hallway where they talked privately.
Elizabeth knew that she couldn't force Tristan to confide in her, but assuming that while she clutched the doll Jack had given her during her car ride back to school, maybe it had something to do with her and Jack taking a few days to think about their relationship. Possibly since Jack hadn't been around for a day, Tristan was worried that Elizabeth would disappear too. To a child, a day seemed much like an eternity.
Elizabeth asked, "What about your camping trip?"
"Can't you go with me?"
"I would if I could, but they already have enough chaperones. You'll be fine; you love Miss Betty and her and Miss Emily will take good care of you."
'Are you sure?"
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Tristan and pulled her in for a hug, "You are the most important person in my life, and I wouldn't let you go if I didn't think you'd be safe."
Tristan said nothing further as they opened the front door of the main school building and attempted to step outside. Standing in a huddle just outside the door was a large group of people who were chatting and in no rush to leave until the door opened and Elizabeth and Tristan stepped outside.
As Elizabeth and Tristan started down the steps, the group dispersed and cameras were pulled from backpacks, inside of jackets, and several fake diaper bags as the flashbulbs blinded them.
Elizabeth held Tristan's hand tightly as she pulled her toward the Mustang. Parents, and administrators did what they could, having security dispatched to the area quickly. Sadly it wasn't quickly enough.
Elizabeth's grip on Tristan's hand was broken; "Leave her alone," Elizabeth screamed as her small child disappeared into a mass of strangers.
Elizabeth was pushing through the crowd of people as their yelling and screaming for pictures seemed to drown out her pleas for her child. Several security guards arrived and began pulling the people away, with Tristan being found in a fetal position on the ground crying.
Pushing the crowd back, Elizabeth picked Tristan up and rushed for her car. Afraid to go home, Elizabeth drove to their favorite place, Pompano Beach, where she parked the car, rolled down the windows to listen to the waves rushing onto shore, climbed in the backseat and sat with Tristan's head in her lap. Elizabeth ran her hand soothingly across Tristan's back as her tears flowed nonstop down her cheeks and her baby slept.
"I can't do this Jack. It's not going 2 work…" she sent a text to Jack, knowing that she could never subject her child to such chaos and fear.
"What happened? Where r u…"
Before giving her time to respond, her phone rang. She answered it quickly to keep from disturbing Tristan.
"Hi Jack…"
"I guess you've seen the pictures," he quickly stated.
"Pictures, what pictures?"
"The pictures of us in the newspaper."
"No, I hadn't seen those, but I guess it stands to reason that this would be the next step…"
"What are you talking about; what happened?"
Elizabeth slipped out of the car and stood by the hood to talk, hoping not to disturb Tristan. "Jack, I came out of the Open House at school and the photographers surrounded us; the flashbulbs blinded us, we got separated, and by the time the security officers moved the crowd away, Tristan was in a ball on the ground and she was petrified. I don't know how you handle it, but I'm sorry, this isn't the kind of life I want for her."
"Where are you going?" Matt called out as Jack ran toward the front door with the phone still attached to his ear.
"I'm on my way; wait for me so we can talk…please!" Jack called into the phone. He stopped at the front door, and turned back to Matt, "I have to go see her. The photographers confronted them at school and she's scared."
"Here put this on and take my car," Matt stated as he handed Jack his hoodie and keys to his rental. Glancing at his phone he stated, "She's in the parking lot at Pompano Beach."
"She's at the beach; she's scared and… I'll tell you later, I've gotta go," Jack responded as he started to open the door. "Wait, how did you know where she was?"
"Jack you don't need to know what I do; as a matter of fact it's probably better if you don't," Matt advised.
"You put a tracker on her car, didn't you?"
Matt said nothing.
Jack stepped toward him, "Thank you." He then lowered his head, stepped outside and jogged out to Matt's rental car. With everyone assuming he was someone else, he left without being followed.
Jack pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and parked next to her vehicle. Unfamiliar with the vehicle he was driving, Elizabeth quickly opened her door to slip inside when he called out to her.
"Elizabeth, it's me…"
They walked around to the front of her car as Jack stopped on his way by and peeked in the window where he observed Tristan sleeping. "Is she okay?" he asked.
Elizabeth wasn't listening, her heart was hurting and her brain told her to be scared, "How do you live like this, Jack?"
"Is she okay?" he asked again.
"I think so; we were both just…"
He walked up and brushed her windblown tresses behind her ear; "I know you were scared; I'm so sorry, but Elizabeth, we knew it was going to happen," he whispered as he pulled her into his chest. "I've hired security, and I'll just put them at your house to protect you two."
She pushed away from him, "No, I don't want to raise Tristan in a fortress; that's no life for a child."
She seemed to crumble, emotionally ranting; her words barely understandable through her tears. She stepped over the railroad tie which separated the parking lot from the beach, "Jack, did you know that there are pictures of me on internet wearing nothing but your dress shirt and a pair of panties walking up your staircase?"
Seeing his look of surprise she continued, "Of course you didn't. Thankfully no one knows it's me because the picture is blurry, but it implies that I'm heading up to your bed, and if Tommy or my parents saw that and knew it was me…" she released a frustrated breath. "I feel like I'm in a house of cards, the wind is blowing and my world is crumbling around me."
He stepped closer again knowing that if he held her that she could take some strength from him, "I'm here; and you can push all you want, but I'm not leaving. Things will calm down, and until they do, I'll protect you."
"I'm just not used to this, Jack. I was filling my car with gas this afternoon and suddenly a woman from the next pump pulled out a camera and started taking pictures," Elizabeth's information sadly didn't surprise him. "I left and lost her on my way to my parent's house. That wasn't too bad, but then the masses converged at school."
She walked out onto the beach a few steps before turning back to face him, "How did they find out it was me?"
Jack was used to the attention; he didn't like it, but he was used to it and he knew how to handle it, but he also knew that she didn't. "They took pictures of me at your house yesterday morning."
"How do you know?" she asked.
"Because they showed up in the paper this morning…along with your information," he hesitantly advised.
Elizabeth walked away before turning back to face him; she threw her hands up in the air, "I give up Jack. Maybe we had our chance years ago; it's just not our time now." She started back to her car to leave.
Although Jack knew that the paparazzi could have an impact on his relationship with Elizabeth, he never truly anticipated that they would cause her to walk away.
He took hold of her hand and turned her back to face him, "You don't believe that."
"Jack, I don't know what I believe; I just feel like they ripped my child from my hand, and I probably don't have a job any longer," she replied.
"Why wouldn't you have a job; you've done nothing wrong?"
"Jack, I'm going to be a liability to the school. They don't have the budget to hire enough security to protect the entire school."
"I'll pay for it," he offered.
"Jack, that's sweet of you to offer, but the school board isn't going to want to deal with the media. If they get rid of me, they'll get rid of the problem," she responded as she turned back to face the water.
Jack walked around and stood in front of her, breaking the trance that the water seemed to have over her, "Does that mean if you get rid of me that you'll get rid of the problem?"
"Jack, that's not fair."
"No it's not fair, and unless you can tell me that you don't love me, I'm not letting you walk away."
"You know I can't tell you that Jack, but it's not just about us."
"And you think I'm not worried about her?" his voice was strong, and firm, yet emotional, "I couldn't love that little girl any more if she was my own flesh and blood, so please don't imply that I'm not worried about her."
"I'm sorry Jack; I know you love her; it's just that this is what I shied away from when you left before. What can we do?"
"You can trust me; I'll keep you both safe," although it was implied that he meant safe from the paparazzi, he also considered Tommy to be a threat from whom they needed protection. "Come on; you and Tristan can stay with me…"
"I can't do that, Jack…"
Hearing muffled cries coming from the car they both turned to look.
"Mr. Jack…" Tristan cried out from the back seat. She tried desperately to get out of the car, but from the back seat, she couldn't reach the handle.
Jack opened the door, flipped the driver's seat forward and Tristan leapt into his arms.
"I love you Mr. Jack."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
"Please don't leave us…"
"What are you talking about honey," he asked. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Mommy's just scared, but I like having my picture taken; I just didn't like them yelling and pulling me away," Tristan admitted. "You know Mr. Jack, you make mommy laugh and smile, and she used to not. I don't want her to be sad anymore, and if you go away, she will be sad; me too," tears streamed down her soft rosy cheeks.
Elizabeth stepped forward and wrapped her arms around both of them. "He's not going anywhere, right Jack?"
Jack leaned over and tenderly captured Elizabeth's lips, "I'm not going anywhere."
The three of them sat on the hood of her Mustang with Elizabeth sitting next to Jack, and Tristan in his lap. He wrapped his arm around Elizabeth as they remained quiet, listening to the waves that rushed onshore.
He held them tightly as both Elizabeth and Tristan fell asleep in his arms. An hour later, close to 10pm, Elizabeth woke. She sat up and looked into his eyes.
He could see the fear contained in them, fear not only for the experience they'd had that evening, but also fear of walking away from him, from the overpowering love she'd always felt for him. "You were being honest with her when you said I wasn't going anywhere, weren't you?"
"How can we keep her safe?" she asked.
"I can position some guards at your house."
Seeing her look of disapproval he continued, "What would you agree to?"
"Jack, I want a normal life; I want her to have friends come over to the house and play or allow her to go visit friends without having her shadowed by a security officer."
"I understand that, but I know the paparazzi can be a nuisance, but I'm actually more concerned about Tommy."
"He's moved on with Belinda, and really all he wanted from me was money, so I think he's a nuisance as well."
"Please be careful with him; actually, I'd rather you not have any contact with him at all, but if you do, make sure it's some place in the open; don't ever be alone with him."
"I won't Jack. So, how can we handle the paparazzi?" she asked.
"I believe that at some point we will no longer be an important topic, but right now, you and I being together is a big story. Maybe we could…" a smile on his face caused her to ask, "What are you thinking?"
"Let's give them the story; they can take pictures; it will be out in the open, and then no need to follow us around," he suggested.
"Will they leave us alone after that?" she asked.
"Well, the story will be out and nothing else for them to report on, so it should work," he theorized. "When can you do it and I'll set it up."
"This weekend would be perfect, because Tristan will be camping with the Brownies, so she'll be safely out of town. How about tomorrow night? I'll drive over to your place after I get her situated on her trip."
"I'll contact a few paparazzi that I trust," he laughed softly, "Somehow saying paparazzi and trust in the same sentence leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"Let me see if I can help you with that," she stated as she leaned into his body. Her mouth covered his; the kiss was soft, warm and tender as he could easily taste the salt that was carried in the air, having landed on her lips.
"I could stay here forever, just like this, but I know you need to get her home," he stated as he slowly and carefully slipped down from the hood of her Mustang. He carried Tristan to the passenger side of the car, only waking her when he struggled to place her limp, sleeping body in her booster seat.
"I don't want to go; I'm having fun…" Tristan groggily announced.
"Honey, we need to get home and get you to bed. You're going camping tomorrow."
Jack kissed Tristan's forehead before handing her the Butterfly Bear doll that he found in the seat beside her. She clutched the doll tightly as he closed the door.
"Everything is going to be okay, I promise," he whispered.
"Any thoughts on how we can take care of Tommy?" she asked. Seeing his eyes widen she quickly added, "I'm not talking about killing him, Jack. Things have been quiet with him, and I'm hoping they'll stay that way, but with the pictures of us together already on internet, it's just a matter of time before he knows that we're seeing each other again. When that happens, I don't know what he'll do."
Jack took her hand and they walked a short distance from the car. As the tide rolled in, and with the full moon shining down on the water, they stood in the wet sand with their arms around each other.
"I promise you, everything will be okay. I'll take care of the photographers, and we'll be able to live the life we both want," he stated as his lips gently pressed against her forehead. "Just please do as I ask and don't meet Tommy alone, okay?"
Her breath was shaky, "I won't; thank you."
"For what?" his voice was strong, making her feel as though everything would be okay.
"For being you; for making me feel special, wanted and loved; for assuring me that everything will be alright even when I'm scared; for not allowing me to shut down and most of all for loving my little girl more than her own father could ever dream to," she laid her head against his chest.
Leaning back slightly, Jack held Elizabeth's head in his hands before pulling her into his body as their lips tenderly touched. Her hands worked their way around his body, slipping underneath his hoodie and resting against his bare skin.
One of his hands slipped behind her head as the other rested along the small of her back. Their lips met; again and again first gently, soft and tender, but building in passion with each subsequent kiss.
Jack held her tight against his body "I love you so much," he whispered, realizing that their closeness stirred a desire in him that he'd only felt so profoundly when in her presence. He wanted her; he'd always wanted her, but he knew that he would somehow need to control those wants.
He held her hand as they walked back to the car, "Whose car is that?" she asked.
"Matt Springer; he owns Pacific Coast Security and he's staying with me working on keeping those I love safe."
She smiled, "I'm a lucky girl."
"You didn't seem that lucky when you first texted me."
"I was scared…"
"I know, but sometimes we tend to let our fears lead us and…"
Elizabeth interrupted, "Jack, I'm tired of people pushing me away from what I want; the paparazzi, Tommy, sometimes even my parents," she replied. "I'm lucky because you don't back down and you tell me like it is. I'd like to say that we've both learned from our mistakes, but I think fear still gets hold of me at times."
"I'm here, and I refuse to let what happened to us before happen again," he held her tight as they both watched the waves edge closer to them.
As her head rested on his shoulder and she could see Tristan watching them through the window of the car she said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow, and you can let me know what time to come by."
"Do you want me to follow you home?" he asked.
'You probably better not," she replied.
"Text me when you get home," he requested as she slipped in behind the wheel.
"I will."
As Elizabeth pulled into her driveway, three of her male neighbors were seated strategically on her property, as several photographers stood dejectedly in the street. As she pulled into her driveway and up to her garage door, her neighbors moved allowing her to get by.
Her garage door opened and Elizabeth pulled inside as the three gentlemen stood just outside the door.
"Are you okay?" Mr. Norman asked.
"What's going on? Oh, I'm okay…" she replied.
Mr. Scott pulled out the newspaper from under his arm, "Have you seen this?"
Elizabeth perused the article which included pictures of Jack, her and Tristan, "I hadn't seen it, but I heard it was out there."
Mr. Alderman stepped forward, "Our wives saw this and noticed the photographers so we just decided to camp out until you got home to make sure you were okay."
"You have no idea how appreciative I am to you and your wives. Thank you for looking out for Tristan and me," she stated as the men moved out of her garage.
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Mr. Norman asked.
"Yes sir; thank you very much."
"If you have any problems, you call us, okay?" Mr. Scott stated as the other two men agreed.
"I will," she promised as her garage door closed and her neighbors headed home.
"Come on inside, honey," Elizabeth stated as she helped Tristan out of the car and up the garage steps into the house. "Can you go change into your pajamas and brush your teeth please?"
Back at Jack's house…
Matt pulled up the cameras at Elizabeth's house one last time before catching a few hours of sleep. Uncertain who the men were in her driveway, he grabbed Jack's keys and ran out the door. Sitting in Jack's car, he pulled up the cameras again and observed Elizabeth smiling as the men walked away, apparently heading to their respective homes. He locked Jack's car and headed back inside, thankful that she apparently had neighbors watching out for her as well.
Back at Elizabeth's house…
As she stood in the laundry room and watched Tristan head down the hall, Elizabeth pulled out her phone and sent Jack a text. "I'm home. May not need u r security. My neighbors were n my yard keeping the paparazzi in the street when I got home."
"R u OK…"
"We're fine. I have more ppl to help than I thought. I'm blessed…"
"A lot of ppl love u, remember that…"
"I do. What x 2morrow…?
"What x do u drop Tristan off…?
"They r leaving from the school at 6…"
"Ok, just come straight here…"
"Okay; love u, Jack…"
"Love u 2…"
Elizabeth changed into her favorite pair of pajamas and curled up into bed. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and did her best to will herself to sleep. However, the events of only hours ago and the plans for the next evening had her mind spinning; her thoughts were jumbled and it seemed that having a coherent thought would likely escape her.
Elizabeth reached into her bedside table and pulled out her journal. She was disappointed that her writings were only intermittently shared on paper, requiring her to hold inside many of those feelings which she knew needed to be expressed.
She clicked her pen open, flipped to the next blank page and felt the tears coming as she purged her feelings onto the paper…
"We often become a hostage of our past, allowing what has disabled us to continue to contain us. We become a prisoner of what once was, refusing to accept it as simply a life lesson, and instead assuming it to be our life sentence.
Although the past is just that, the past, and nothing we do will ever change what has already occurred, unresolved issues never disappear until they are revisited and the pain of those decisions is fully realized.
Accept who you are, and the experiences that shaped you for each and every situation has sent you down a path with many different branches. Any deviation in a decision or plan has the potential to alter the life as you know it, changing what you now cherish into a nonexistent dream.
You must also realize that can't start a new chapter in your life if you consistently find yourself re-reading the last one. Learning from your mistakes is helpful, cathartic perhaps, but if you carry old bricks of your fears, concerns and insecurities from those irreparable relationships to your new one, you've done nothing but built a structure like the one that previously fell apart.
Put the past behind you, accept what happened and happily move on. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the process, you've truly won!"
Elizabeth closed her journal and placed it back in her bedside table. She lay in bed realizing that although she didn't want to talk to Tommy, she owed him the courtesy of telling him that she and Jack were seeing each other again. She also realized that she needed to come clean to her parents about her relationships with Tommy and Jack, the trust fund she no longer had, but hoped that they would realize that she did what she did out of love and concern for her daughter. She fell asleep praying that all of those concerned would understand.
Having taken a detour by Tommy's house on his way home and seeing nothing to alarm him, Jack finally turned onto his street and had to navigate around vehicles in order to pull into his driveway. He pulled the hood up on his sweatshirt and sprinted into his house, dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and found Matt sitting out by the pool working on his computer.
"How is she?" Matt asked.
"They scared her; initially she wanted to cut ties, but I think we've come up with an idea that may eventually keep the paparazzi away."
"What's that?"
"We're going to give them our story and pictures, and hope that once the information is out there they'll lose interest."
"Hmm, it could work, but I'll be here if it doesn't," Matt stated as he returned his attention to his computer.
"So, what are you looking at?" Jack asked.
"I put up two cameras at Elizabeth's, so I'm just monitoring things there."
"You did what?"
"Jack, you told me to keep her and her daughter safe; let me do my job the best way I know how. Besides, there were some men in her driveway a little while ago. I was on my way out to make sure she was okay…"
"They were her neighbors."
"I figured that out before I left here."
"I'm just worried that she'll be upset because she doesn't know…" Jack wasn't certain that installing the two cameras at Elizabeth's house was the best thing. It certainly wasn't because he had no concern for her safety, because he did, but more so because he knew that she'd be upset over the invasion of her privacy.
It was too late to call her and get into a discussion about the reasons, good and bad, for what was done, so he decided that he'd broach the subject tomorrow evening when he saw her. "I'm just concerned because it's an invasion of privacy and…"
"And nothing, Jack. You didn't have a problem when I put the tracker on her car. By the way, did you tell her?"
"No…"
"Jack, I'm not trying to catch her doing something; I want to do my best to keep anyone from doing something to her," he advised. "Speaking of which, I also went by Tommy's house."
"He didn't see you, did he?"
"Jack, you hired me because I'm good; please give me some credit…"
"I'm sorry; he just worries me…" Jack advised. "Did you put a camera out at his place too?"
"No, but I went through his trash. He sure drinks a lot, and I found papers for a closed bank account and a separation agreement that was torn up," Matt advised. "There were also pictures of him and I'd assume his current wife torn in half with a big "X" in marked across her face."
Jack's heart pounded, "What's going on with him?"
"I don't know; the account number was blacked out and so were the names and identifying information on the separation agreement. He could just be cleaning out old paperwork, but…"
"But what?" Jack asked.
"Throwing away the pictures is odd. Just to be safe, I have someone checking into some things on Tommy and hopefully I'll know what's going on with him by tomorrow."
"I've got some things on my mind; I'm gonna go…"
"Write some music, right?"
"You do know me," Jack responded.
"If I recall, some of your best music has come from your deep emotions. Go ahead; we'll keep things quiet here…"
Jack disappeared into his music room, emerging as the sun came up on Thursday morning with a new song, their song, titled "Love Someone" on the sheet music in his hand.
Matt was standing in the kitchen pouring his third cup of coffee for the day, "Want a cup?"
"Yeah, thanks…" Jack replied as he took a seat on the sofa.
Matt walked over with Jack's cup of coffee and his guitar, "Let me hear it. We don't want anything happening to this song…"
(This song is sung by Lukas Graham, but for purposes of this story, Jack wrote and sang it."
There are days
I wake up and I pinch myself
You're with me, not someone else
And I am scared, yeah, I'm still scared
That it's all a dream
'Cause you still look perfect as days go by
Even the worst ones, you make me smile
I'd stop the world if it gave us time
'Cause when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do
When you say
You love the way I make you feel
Everything becomes so real
Don't be scared, no, don't be scared
'Cause you're all I need
And you still look perfect as days go by
Even the worst ones, you make me smile
I'd stop the world if it gave us time
'Cause when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do
All my life
I thought it'd be hard to find
The one 'til I found you
And I find it bittersweet
'Cause you gave me something to lose
But when you love someone
You open up your heart
When you love someone
You make room
If you love someone
And you're not afraid to lose 'em
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do
You'll probably never love someone like I do
Jack rested his guitar against the sofa and turned away to casually wipe his eyes.
"Jack, that's better than the song you lost."
"Do you think so?"
"I know so, and from what you've told me about Elizabeth and the fact that you thought you lost her years ago, it fits perfectly," Matt admitted. "You need to record it."
Elizabeth's house…
Elizabeth packed a special snack for Tristan before grabbing a cup of coffee for herself and taking a seat at the kitchen table. She was afraid to open her front door, glance at her newspaper, peruse the internet or watch any portion of the local morning shows for fear that pictures of her and Tristan, or worst yet, lies about them would be in print or discussed on TV.
Knowing that her mother was always up early to have breakfast with her father before he left for the office, she pushed her mother's picture on her cell phone.
Across town the phone rang at the Thatcher's home. Mr. Thatcher picked up his wife's phone from the counter, "Good morning, Elizabeth. Is everything okay?"
Expecting her mother to answer, she was a bit startled by his strong, powerful voice. "Oh, good morning, Daddy. I'm fine. I just thought I'd come over and see you and mom tomorrow if you have some time."
"Honey, we always have time for you and Tristan. Just let us know when you're coming and I'll get away from the office early," he promised. "Are you sure that everything is okay?"
"It will be; I just wanted to talk to you about something," she nervously responded. "But it will just be me, because Tristan is going camping with the Brownies this weekend."
"Oh that's right; your mother told me that. Okay, we'll see you tomorrow; did you need to talk to your mother?"
"No sir; I'll see you tomorrow…"
Mr. Thatcher walked into the family room as his wife closed the entertainment section of the newspaper and tossed it in the trash.
"Elizabeth is coming over tomorrow to talk to us about something. Do you have any idea what it's about?" he asked.
She's dating Jack Thornton and I couldn't be happier was what she wanted to say. However, what she said was, "Hmm, I haven't the slightest idea."
Back at Elizabeth's house, Tristan walked down the hall wearing her full Brownie ensemble. She took a seat at the kitchen table and released a heavy sigh.
"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
"Why can't you and Mr. Jack go camping with me?"
Elizabeth laughed softly, "I don't think that the Girl Scout organization would approve of that."
"Why?"
"Honey, it's Girl Scouts, and as we've discussed before, Mr. Jack is a boy. I don't think that many of the people would like Jack there."
"Oh yes they would; they all love his music."
"Well, maybe Mr. Jack, you and I can go camping together sometime. Would you like that?"
Tristan said nothing, but smiled as she put the last piece of her peanut butter toast in her mouth and shook her head up and down.
"Okay, can you go back and change out of your uniform, please? You aren't going camping until later this afternoon."
Tristan got up and started down the hall.
"Hurry up honey, we need to leave soon," Elizabeth called out.
Tristan returned to the kitchen, "Where are we going?"
"I have a teacher work day," Elizabeth explained.
"But I don't have school, right?"
"Right, so I'm taking you to Children's Palace Day Care for half a day. I'll pick you up at noon."
Elizabeth had used this facility prior to Tristan starting school and was thankful that they also offered drop off services. When she had teacher work days, and Tristan was not with her grandparents, she felt comfortable leaving her in their care.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Elizabeth made a phone call that she dreaded, but knew that it needed to be done.
"Hello…"
"Hi Tommy; its Elizabeth…"
He folded his newspaper, balling up the entertainment section before striking a match along the counter; he set the ball of paper on fire and dropped it into the sink. "What do you want, Elizabeth."
"I wanted to see if we could meet tomorrow to talk…"
"Talk about what…?" he asked.
"It's just been a long time since we've spoken, and I had a few things I needed to discuss with you. Feel free to bring Belinda if you'd like."
"Why the Hell would I want to bring her?" sounding agitated, Elizabeth had the sense that he was already intoxicated.
"Are you okay Tommy?"
"Oh, so you're perfect…"
"Excuse me; uh, no of course I'm not. I was just asking; forget I said anything, it's none of my business," she stated thinking of a very public place they could meet where she'd feel safe.
"You women are all alike."
Elizabeth chose not to even acknowledge his latest comment, "Would you like to meet at Reynolds' on Haversham?" she chose this family restaurant because it was always crowded and happened to be located a block away from the second police precinct.
"That's fine; what time?"
"Well, I only work half a day tomorrow, so just let me know what your schedule is," she advised.
"Remember Beth, I'm an executive. I can leave when I want."
"Beth" was his pet name for her, using it most frequently when he felt amorous. Suddenly she felt nauseous, and her life from a few years ago flashed boldly before her eyes. "Okay, well just let me know," she stated feeling the need to end the call, and take a shower.
"Bring the kid; I want to see her," his voice was gruff, and didn't sound at all loving or nurturing.
"She's leaving for a Girl Scout camping trip this evening, so we'll have to make that visit another time."
"Keep her home so I can see her…"
His demand didn't surprise her; somehow he seemed to feel as though everyone was placed on this Earth to serve him. "No Tommy; I won't keep her home. She's been looking forward to this trip, so you'll just have to wait and see her, maybe next week," from past experience, she knew that he'd forget the suggestion by then.
As she ended the call she hated that he was still able to turn her insides into a knotted mess. It wasn't even 8am and he was already drunk and usually when speaking to her, on those few and far between occurrences, he always talked lovingly about Belinda; she assumed that he did so to make her feel jealous. Sadly for his ego; that train never even stopped at the station; she was never jealous, and was simply thankful beyond measure when they married.
Tristan loved Children's Palace, but day care was rarely needed for her so she hadn't been in quite some time. Hearing that she had the opportunity to spend at least part of the day there, she ran down the hall and returned quickly wearing her jean shortalls and a white t-shirt with red lobster print designs.
"Are you ready mommy? Mommy…"
"Oh, I'm sorry honey, let's go," Elizabeth replied as she grabbed Tristan's snack from the table and they headed for the door to the garage.
Situated in the car, Elizabeth held her breath as she hit the door opener. Finding the street clear, she took a cleansing breath, thankful that at least by first appearances, they were being left alone.
Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot at Children's Palace Day Care as she observed many mothers, those generally tasked with the transportation of the children, in a rush to drop off their sons and daughters.
Tristan held Elizabeth's hand, initially excited, but now somewhat hesitant to be left. "You will come back, right?"
Elizabeth pulled Tristan off to the side of the lobby. She squatted down so they were eye level, "What's wrong honey?"
"I don't know; I'm just scared you aren't coming back."
"I can leave school at noon, so I'll be here by about 12:15, okay?"
Tristan wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's neck, nearly knocking her to the ground. "I love you mommy."
"I love you too sweet pea…"
Back at school…
Elizabeth unintentionally held her breath as she turned down off of the main highway and into the school parking lot. Pleasantly surprised, she parked in her usual space, and walked inside the building.
While standing in the office to sign in, she felt the eyes of those she'd considered to be her friends upon her. No one said anything, but she felt very uncomfortable as she started for the door.
Before opening the door and stepping out into the hallway she turned around, "Why are you staring at me? Is it because I'm fortunate enough to be dating a wonderful man, or is it because I'm unfortunate enough to be dating a wonderful man who happens to be in the public eye?"
The women, teachers, secretaries and a vice principal stepped to the counter, "We're sorry," they all seemed to say in unison. As if they were now embarrassed at being called out by Elizabeth, they said nothing else, broke apart from the group and nonchalantly went about their business.
Little did Elizabeth know that their "We're sorry" had more than one meaning.
Elizabeth knew that the weirdness was coming; in fact it had already arrived. Jack was just a man, a wonderful man, but when she looked into his beautiful hazel eyes, she didn't see a musician who had women throwing their panties onstage. What she saw was a loving, compassionate man, whose love for her had lasted through the years.
Elizabeth sat at her desk, busy completing lesson plans, adding new books that had just arrived to her bookcase, cleaning out the supply box, adding new art pictures to the wall, and setting up a "Happy Birthday" section on the bulletin board for Catherine Foster, whose day to celebrate was coming up on Monday.
Hearing her door open she glanced up, "Oh hi, Mr. Arrington," she called out to the head of the school board as he walked into her room and closed the door.
Realizing that this was a private conversation, she felt certain that her statement to Jack about losing her job was about to come true.
"Hi Ms. Parker," he responded as they both walked to the front of her room.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked.
Although he smiled, he was more businesslike than pleasure, "Apparently we may have an issue to deal with here at school."
"Mr. Arrington…"
"Wait, Elizabeth…I have nothing to say about your personal life. Who you choose to spend your time with is your business, but I am concerned about our students and staff, and maybe it would be a good idea if you took a short leave of absence, paid of course…"
"Are you letting me go?" she asked.
"No, of course not. You are a valuable member of the staff here, but maybe a little time off will let things settle down a bit."
Knowing there was no use is arguing his decision she simply asked, "Would it be okay if I request Casey Howard for my substitute?"
"No problem at all. If she is available, I'm sure she would love to take over your class for…let's say a week and see how things are after that."
"Yes sir; may I finish out this morning so I can have everything set for the sub?"
"Certainly… enjoy this time off and please know that none of this is your fault. It's just necessary to keep everyone safe here."
"I understand." The truth was, she did understand, but it didn't help how she felt as she finished the morning and dejectedly walked out to the parking lot.
She could sense the eyes of the staff upon her, and she may not have done anything wrong, but it certainly didn't feel like it."
Elizabeth pulled into the parking lot at Children's Palace Day Care twenty minutes earlier than she'd anticipated. Tristan wasn't expecting her so early, but excitedly ran into her arms when she stepped into the room.
"Are you ready to go?" she asked.
"Let me go say goodbye," Tristan stated before running off and hugging the girls who were playing in the kitchen area with her.
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at home. Elizabeth pulled her car into the driveway and up to the garage door.
"We never pull in here, why now?" Tristan asked.
Knowing that it wasn't appropriate to fill her in on all of her adult problems, Elizabeth simply stated, "It keeps my car cleaner."
"What's that?" Tristan called out as the car disappeared into the garage.
"What's what?" Elizabeth asked.
"There's something at the front door," Tristan advised.
Elizabeth and Tristan walked out of the big garage door and started for the front porch. Seeing a beautiful arrangement sitting on her porch she smiled.
"Mr. Jack sent us flowers," Tristan stated as she ran up to them. Pulling the card from the flower pick she handed it to Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, you will forever be my always," and on the inside, "One of the most important lessons we can ever learn is that a healthy relationship does not hurt…it heals!" Love always, Jack
"Mommy, they're beautiful."
"They most certainly are…"
As Tristan reached for the door knob, Elizabeth stated, "Wait, the door is locked. Let me send Jack a message first." Typing out a text she pushed 'send' before putting the key in the door.
Elizabeth opened the front door and Tristan ran inside, excited to gather her things together for her camping trip. Elizabeth closed the door behind her and started toward the den.
Observing Tristan standing motionless in the middle of the den floor Elizabeth asked, "What's wrong?"
CRASH…the vase and flowers hit the floor!
To be continued…
Note: For those who follow the facebook fan fiction pages, there will be pictures posted there shortly.
