Thursday was a busy day at the orchard. Jack spent most of his time out in the orchard fields. It wasn't until well after noon that he made it back into the office for lunch. When he did, Tom was sitting at his desk going over spreadsheets on his laptop.
"Hey, brother. I have a meeting this afternoon with a new distributor," Tom said, barely looking up from the screen."I have a good feeling about this one."
"Great. We could use it. Production is way up right now. I think we will be able to pipe out more cider than usual this fall."
"Great! Glad to hear it!" Tom looked down at his desk. "Oh, I almost forgot. You got a call while you were out."
"Oh, yeah? Who?" For a brief moment, he hoped it was Elizabeth.
"Someone named Faith Shepard."
"Faith…" A look of panic came across Jack's face. "What'd she want? Is she okay?"
"Yeah, no worries, bro. I guess she's in town for something and wanted you to call her back about getting together or something. That's all."
"Okay, thanks." Jack took the piece of paper from Tom and headed back outside to make the call. "Hey Faith, it's me. Yeah,I've missed you too."
….
After work, Jack walked into a little cafe on the edge of the city. It was busy, but not so much that there wasn't a table.
"Hey!" a cheery voice called out over the crowd. Jack turned and saw a thin, curly haired blonde woman with a wide smile running toward him. "Oh my gosh, Jack! So good to see you!"
"Hey," Jack hugged her. "How's it going?"
"Good, Jack. Really good. Come on, I snagged us a table by the window."
"Works for me."
Faith ordered tea and a sweet treat and Jack ordered a coffee and a muffin.
"You look great, Faith."
"So do you. Manual labor suits you," she winked.
"You know me, I like to keep moving. So tell me, how are things with Carson? He treating you well?"
"He's doing great, yeah. We're really happy together, I promise."
"Good. I'm really glad."
Faith pulled up a picture on her phone. "Want to see Elle?"
"Yeah, definitely!" Jack took the photo and looked down at a picture of a beautiful little girl just a little younger than Ryan. "Oh wow, she's beautiful, Faith. Looks just like you."
"Mostly," she laughed. "But those eyes, they're all Adam, don't you think?"
"Yeah. Those are Greer's eyes for sure." Jack seemed to lose himself in though as he stared at the picture before him. Adam Greer, Faith's late husband served with Jack for a number of years. During the last mission before Jack returned home, Greer was fatally wounded, leaving Faith and their unborn child.
"You okay, Jack?" Faith asked softly, placing her hand on his arm.
"Yeah. I miss him."
"Me too. I love Carson, but with first love, there's no replacement. Carson gets it."
"That's right. He lost a wife, right?"
"Yes. Another tragic situation. At least we have each other now."
"That's good. It's not good to be alone."
"No it's not," she shot him a knowing look. "You know, you made me a promise last time we saw each other. Remember what that was?"
"Maybe." He smirked.
"Did you talk to them? Or anyone for that matter?"
"Faith…"
"Jack, I know you. I've known you for a very long time."
"That's true. I'm sorry, Faith, but I didn't do it. I didn't keep my promise."
"Why, Jack?" She sighed. "Why haven't you told them what happened?"
"You know how it was. I came back early for Tom. It needed to be all about him and Ryan."
"But that was years ago." She took his hand. "I can see it in your eyes. You still blame yourself, don't you?" He nodded. "Jack, the only one who blames you for what happened that night, is you. Trust me."
"I was in charge, Faith. They were my responsibility."
"It was war, Jack. Adam knew the risks. So did I."
"I still think about it all the time. Even have nightmares occasionally." He broke eye contact and just stared out the window. "I just can't get past that we didn't all come home. That this little angel never got to meet her daddy." He pointed to the picture of Elle on the phone.
"I'm not gonna lie, I hated it, still do. But I'm okay. Elle is okay. And my husband, her father, died fighting for what was good. That's something we can be proud of. I want you to be proud of your service too."
"I'll try." Jack gave her hand a squeeze then let go to sip his coffee. "So tell me, how's life married to a fancy doctor?"
"Different than being married to a military man! Except all the hours he works at all times of day," she laughed. "Oh, and we're expecting."
"No way!" She nodded. "That's.. Wow!"
"Yup! Elle is going to have a baby brother or sister!"
"I'm happy for you Faith. Congrats."
Walking along the sidewalk near the cafe, Elizabeth had her hand on Levi's back, helping him to balance on his crutches. He was getting the hang of them quickly, which was good for an active little guy like him. They were heading to the bookstore. Levi was in need of some new books and she was never one to turn down new books herself.
As they passed the cafe, Levi tugged on her arm.
"No treats yet, son," she signed.
"Look!" Levi pointed to the window. "Jack!"
"You're right, that is Jack." Elizabeth tried to discreetly watch as Jack sat at a table for two, holding hands with a beautiful blonde woman. Her heart hurt watching them smiling back and forth. "I guess he really isn't interested."
"What?" Levi asked. Elizabeth hadn't signed her last sentence and sputtered it out so fast he wasn't able to read her lips.
"Nothing, love. Come on, let's get some books."
…
Later that evening, Levi sat curled up on the couch next to Elizabeth reading his new graphic novel book and icing his knee. Elizabeth loved these moments being snuggled up with her son. Every time he read something that tickled him he'd laugh aloud. Elizabeth would smile down at him and kiss his curls.
Levi was finishing up a chapter when his stomach growled. He jumped in shock.
"Mom, my belly is shaking!"
"It is!" she laughed. "Are you still hungry? You ate three helpings of spaghetti tonight!"
"Maybe I'm growing?"
"I guess so! Want some dessert?"
"Ice cream!"
"Yes, ice cream." She kissed his head and rose from the couch.
The lights flickered when the doorbell rang a moment later as she was scooping the ice cream. The lights were a non-sound alert element of the doorbell for Levi. Using his voice he said, "Ma, door!"
"I've got it," she signed and headed to the door. "Tom, Ryan. Hi!"
"Hey, how are you doing? Hope you don't mind, we came to check on the wounded, tough guy."
"Come see," she smiled then signed, "Ice cream, Ryan?"
"Yes please!"
Ryan ran over to the couch where Levi was. The two immediately started talking about the bike accident and the new books Levi had gotten that day.
"Glad you came by. Levi's been a little down since he hurt his knee. Ryan seems to perk him up."
"Glad to help," Tom grinned. He looked over and saw the boys wrapped up in their own world. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"I was thinking maybe we should go out sometime, just me and you."
"Oh… yeah?"
"Yeah, I mean, we have a lot in common. Might be fun to just get out of parenting mode and relax."
If Tom had asked her last night, she would have said no. After spending the evening with Jack in the ER she let herself think that maybe there could be something there. Not now. Not after seeing him with the beautiful blonde. She couldn't be angry at Jack. He'd been up front about his intentions to have her and Tom test the waters.
"Lizzie? What do you think?"
"Okay. Sure." She gave him a smile.
"Cool. What about tomorrow night? You're coming over for dinner, right? And the boys are gonna be at the house for a sleepover. Mom will watch them while we go grab dessert or coffee."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Great. It's a date."
While the boys ate their ice cream, Tom and Elizabeth talked about the new school Levi would be attending soon, business at the orchard and other things. When it was almost bedtime, Tom and Ryan said goodbye and headed back out to the truck.
From the window, Elizabeth watched as they pulled out of the neighborhood. When Tom's truck was out of sight, she grabbed her phone from her back pocket and immediately made a call.
"Hey, Rosie, are you free tonight? Great. Come over after I get Levi down. Bring a big bottle of wine. We're going to need it."
….
The next morning, Tom sat at his desk, spinning back and forth in his chair, waiting for Jack to arrive.
Like clockwork, Jack arrived right at 8AM, his travel mug in one hand and his phone in the other, already busy looking at harvesting schedules.
The only thing not typical that morning was that Charlotte had come in too. She usually arrived later in the morning. No matter, she would find out Tom's plan eventually.
"Morning, Tom."
"Top of the morning to you, Jack."
Jack looked at his brother with a strange grin. "What's up with you?"
"Nothing."
Charlotte shot her youngest son the same questioning look. "I don't know why, but I don't buy that."
"Jack, I took your advice."
"My advice? So you're finally getting rid of that rust bucket you call a truck?"
"Nope, never."
"Alright. What is it then?"
"I asked Elizabeth out."
Charlotte choked, then spit her coffee all over her desk. "You what?"
"Jack's been telling me to give it a shot, so I drove over there last night after work and talked to her. We're going out Friday evening. Oh and, Mom, I kind of told her you'd watched the kids for us. Hope that's okay."
"Of course, son. But..."
"Great!"
Jack sat, leaned back at his desk, his hand covering his mouth.
"You alright, son?" Charlotte asked, placing a gentle hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Yeah. I'm great." Abruptly he stood and grabbed a radio from the charging dock. "Congrats Tom. Elizabeth is great."
Once Jack was out the door and down the stairs, Charlotte took the pencil out from behind her ear and threw it at Tom.
"Hey now!" he yelled, ducking behind his monitor. "What was that for?"
"Did we, or did we not just talk about how Elizabeth is perfect for Jack? Not you! JACK!"
"We did, yes."
"So why on God's green earth did you ask her out?"
Charlotte's face was turning a variety of shades of red and her fists were clenched at her sides. Tom just threw his head back and laughed.
"Relax, Mom. I've got a plan."
"Sorry, sweetheart, but you having a plan does nothing to relax me. In fact, it worries me even more. What are you going to do? Try and make your brother so jealous that he realizes he's falling in love with Elizabeth?"
"Something like that, yeah."
"Yup, relaxing is the last thing I'll be doing." She sighed. "Did I drop you on your head as a baby? I must have."
"Have a little faith, Mom."
"And what if Elizabeth ends up liking you?"
"She won't. I have a plan. I only need one of them to admit their feelings and then..."
"No, you don't, Thomas Maxwell Thornton! If you even think of being anything other than a gentleman to that sweet young woman!"
"Mom!" Tom raised his voice. "Elizabeth is my friend. Jack is my brother. I want what's best for both of them."
"Just be careful, Tom. You're playing a game you can't control."
"Oh ye of little faith."
"No, son. It's called reality and doubt. And I have a lot of it right now!" She laughed. "Just remember that I warned you, you know, in case Jack slugs you for this at some point."
"I shall consider myself warned." Tom leaned back in his chair. Despite his mother's concern, he felt pretty confident in his shenanigans.
…..
A monsterous amount of butterflies had decided to duke it out in Elizabeth's stomach as she pulled into the Thornton's driveway Friday evening. These weren't the typical butterflies she'd become accustomed to when Jack was around. This was pure anxiety. She wanted to give this a shot, but something just didn't seem right.
Levi was out of the car, hobbling quickly up to the front door with his backpack and sleeping bag as soon as she put the car in park. Tom was at the door and greeted him with a smile and a hug.
It warmed her heart to see Tom loving on her son like that. He was a good man. She could do much worse than a man like Tom Thornton.
"Hey, Lizzie," Tom stepped off the porch towards her with a smile, kissing her cheek.
Nope. No sparks. Not even a flicker of anything resembling one. She smiled back and followed him inside.
Once the boys were settled, she went to help Tom set the table.
"Hey, Mom, is Jack joining us tonight?"
"No. He's out with Faith."
"Oh, cool."
Faith, so that was her name. Elizabeth felt the tiny hairs on her neck stand on end at the sound of her name. Then she pushed it aside. Tom deserved a chance, one without her thinking or comparing him to his brother.
…..
On a cute suburban cul de sac home, Jack sat at Faith's in-laws kitchen table coloring with the prettiest little angel he'd ever seen, Elle. Faith and her husband Carson were nearby in the kitchen making grilled chicken and asparagus with red potatoes. Jack felt a little bit of peace rush over him as he watched the couple working together. Greer would have liked Carson, Jack was sure of it.
"Uncle Jack?" Elle said with a smile. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, sweetie."
"I think Uncle Jack should visit us more," Faith smirked. "It's been what? Two years now?"
"Yeah. Too long. I'll be better, Elle, I promise."
"Good!" She laughed as Jack tickled her belly.
"Dinner is served!" Carson and Faith walked over and placed the dishes on the table. Like a good little girl, Elle cleared all the drawing stuff off the table.
"Are you going to say grace, Daddy?" Elle asked.
"You bet." They all took hands. "Heavenly Father, thank you for this day and this food. Thank you for old friends and this wonderful chance we have to catch up. Amen."
"Amen," they all said.
"So, Jack, how's life at the orchard?" Carson asked while dishing up food for Elle.
"It's going well. Really well, actually. We've expanded the amount of apple trees and even started a maple sugaring business with all the sugar maple trees we have. It gives us something else to do in the winter."
"That's great!"
"Yeah, Jack gave us a half gallon of syrup to take home with us!" Faith said excitedly. "And the cider we're drinking is from him too."
"It's very yummy!" Elle exclaimed.
"I'm glad to see you guys. Life seems to be going very well."
"It is," Carson smiled. "Work is going well for both of us and now with the new baby coming."
"I'm going to be a big sister!" Elle cheered.
"That's really exciting!" Jack smiled.
"Anyone special in your life, Jack?"
Faith covered her mouth with her hand to cover her smile at her husband's question.
"Not at the moment. I keep busy though."
"Are you happy?"
"Not unhappy," he smiled.
"You should get married, Uncle Jack. You're a good one, right Mommy?"
"You're right, pumpkin. Uncle Jack is a good one. Anyone would be lucky to have him."
"Let's just eat before this lovely dinner gets cold, alright?" Jack deflected.
Carson and Faith gave each other knowing looks before Carson said, "Trust me man, nothing beats this."
Jack nodded. He didn't doubt it, and if tonight went well, maybe Tom would be getting that back. The thought was both comforting, and agonizing. Taking one more look around the table at the loving family, Jack couldn't help but feel that he'd made a big mistake.
…
The boys were curled up in front of the TV watching How to Train Your Dragon when Tom and Elizabeth slipped out. They drove into town to a cute little coffee shop called the Java Palace.
Tom was a complete gentleman. He opened doors for her, smiled, complimented her and yet still, nothing more than a friend vibe.
The coffee shop was tiny but cute. It had a wall of shelves with different kinds of potted plants next to the seating area. The tables were made of weathered wood and there were various pendant lights over the table. It seemed homey and comfortable. Less stressful than a romantic restaurant would have been.
A waitress came to their table to take their orders. "Hi there. What can I get you?"
Tom gestured for Elizabeth to go first. "I'll take a half-caf caramel latte with non-fat milk," she told her.
"And for you, sir?"
"Black coffee, please."
"Anything to nibble on?"
Elizabeth looked over the menu. "I'll have the double chocolate cheesecake brownie please."
"Good choice! It's amazing. What about you?"
Tom thought for a moment. "You know, I'll go for the same."
"Very good." The waitress walked away to place their order.
"Not a health nut like your brother?" Elizabeth teased.
"No one's a health nut like Jack. It's ridiculous. It made sense in the Army, he had to be in perfect shape, but now… live a little, man!"
"I agree. What good is life if you can't eat the yummy stuff?"
"Wise words, Lizzie," he laughed and then turned his head to the side, watching her. "You okay?"
"Sure. Why do you ask?"
"You've seemed sad today. Not like yourself."
"I'm fine, but thank you."
Halfway through the coffee and treats Tom leaned towards her. "Lizzie, I've got to be completely honest with you."
"Alright. I'm all ears."
"You're wonderful and I really care about you, as a friend."
"Really?" she let out a sigh of relief. "I feel the same way about you."
"I figured," he laughed.
"So wait, what was this all about then?" She gestured to the two of them. "You did ask me out, didn't you? Please tell me I didn't make this up."
"Yeah, I did."
"Okay, so why?"
Tom cleared his throat "You and Jack." Elizabeth looked at Tom intently. "I think you should date Jack."
"Your brother?" Tom nodded. "But he doesn't like me!"
"Trust me, he does."
"Then why, oh wise one, is he pushing us together?"
"Because he's a self-sacrificing dumdum." Tom laughed. "He sees me alone, trying to raise Ryan and then there's you doing the same for Levi. He's been trying to take care of me and others our whole lives. He doesn't know how to put himself first. I tried. I told him I was going to ask you out to get him to make a move, but it didn't work."
"What about Faith?"
"Faith? What about her?"
"I saw him with Faith the other day, they looked really chummy."
"Oh, no no, she's just a friend." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I mean it. She's his married friend."
"Married?"
"Yeah. They've known each other for years. Her first husband was in Jack's unit when he was in the Army. They were friends and when he died, Jack took it pretty hard. I don't know all the details. He won't talk about it."
"Oh wow…"
"Yeah. Faith remarried a couple years ago and is up this way with her husband. She wanted Jack to meet him and see her little girl."
"So Jack's not dating anyone?"
"Heck no!" Tom laughed. "Lizzie, you have to know he's crazy about you, and I know you're crazy for him."
"I barely know him."
"So? I knew right away Meg was the woman for me. Everyone said I was too young to know, but I did."
"That was you, not me."
"Fair enough. So tell me, what is your heart telling you?"
With a sigh, she shook her head. "That I have feelings for him." Elizabeth stared down at her coffee. Looking at Tom she said, "You're either really smart or real dumb for this trick you know that?"
"Oh, I do!" He laughed. "And it's probably a bit of both. So, do you forgive me for this charade?"
"Of course, Tom, but what should I do now?"
"Well if you want my advice," Tom smirked. "I say you gotta give him an offer he can't refuse."
"Excuse me?" she laughed.
"I have an idea," he began. "For now, let's finish our dessert. Maybe even split another. It's on me. I do owe you."
"Oh, yes you do!" she smiled.
It was almost 9:30 when Tom pulled back into his driveway. They'd enjoyed the rest of their evening, laughing and talking about life. Elizabeth hopped out of the truck and followed Tom in the house to check on the boys.
"Evening you two," Charlotte said with a smile. "You have fun?"
"We did." Tom shot Elizabeth a wink. "How were the boys?"
"Perfect angels. Lizzie, you're raising a wonderful little boy."
"I think so too," she giggled. "But it's nice to hear that others think the same."
Tom showed Elizabeth upstairs to Ryan's room where the boys were sleeping. Both curled up in their sleeping bags on the floor with two green glowing turtles between them that cast constellations on the ceiling. Levi couldn't sleep without his. Ryan appeared to have the same one.
"So precious," she whispered.
"Yeah." Tom carefully closed the door. "We're pretty lucky."
Elizabeth said goodnight to Charlotte and walked back out to her car with Tom. As she opened her car door, she stared down the dark path into the woods. It was the one she knew led to the orchard and Jack's home.
"I bet you anything he's up right now."
"Who?" she asked, playing dumb.
"You know who. Why don't you go talk to him?"
While she stood there debating with herself, Tom stepped back into the house and came out with a lantern and handed it to her.
"You need directions?"
"No, I remember."
…..
After a very enjoyable dinner with his friends, Jack returned home and went straight to his firepit. Reclining back in an old wooden adirondack chair, he watched the sparks fly up in the air then disappear.
It was clear to him now, he'd screwed up. Big time. His mind spun thinking about all the possibilities that could have been ahead of him if he'd given the sparks between him and Elizabeth a chance to ignite. Would they have truly hit it off? Would it have been love? He'd never know now. That feeling felt like a hot knife in his gut.
"Jack?"
Elizabeth's sweet gentle voice caused him to jump out of his seat. For a moment he thought he must have fallen asleep and was now dreaming, but as she came closer, it was clear. She was real and now she was standing right in front of him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"That's alright. I was just… thinking."
"What about?"
"Choices."
"I see." She placed the lantern down on the ground, with her hands moved to her inside jacket pockets as she took another step. They were now mere inches apart.
"How was your night?" He couldn't even look at her while he asked. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to hear her answer.
"It was nice, but it's not going to work out between Tom and I."
"Oh?" He met her gaze with a snap of his head. Her crystal blue eyes shone in the dark night. "Why's that?"
"It's a bit complicated. See, I'm kind of interested in someone else right now."
"Really? Then… why'd you say yes to Tom?"
"Because I thought this other man was already with someone. Levi and I were walking past a coffee shop and we saw… this someone with a very pretty blonde with curls and a nice smile. They were holding hands. I don't know, they looked pretty happy to me."
Jack felt his heart nearly stop in his chest. She was talking about Faith. That meant she was talking about him.
"She's not, I mean, I'm not…"
"Tom explained everything. Apparently this whole date thing he and I did was just a rouse to try and move two potentially stubborn people together."
"That man." Jack let out a laughing huff. "Does that mean he's okay with something happening? Between you and… this person."
"Oh, I think he's counting on it." They laughed nervously together.
Reaching out, Jack took her hands in his. They were soft and smooth. A drastic contrast to his well worn calloused hands.
"Want to hear something interesting?" Elizabeth nodded. "I was just sitting here thinking about how I was such an idiot. Pushing you towards Tom when I… I wanted to be the one spending time with you tonight and getting to know you more."
"Wow, you are an idiot," she giggled.
"Gee, thanks for that." Jack smirked.
"I'd like that, Jack. For what it's worth."
"You should know though, I'm not a perfect man. I have some pretty heavy baggage. The Army… let's just say it left its mark."
"I don't scare off easily, Jack. I can take it."
"What about Levi?"
"You'd never hurt him anymore than you would Ryan. I trust you. Besides, you're one of his favorite people right now. I don't think we'd see any complaints from him."
"Alright then," he smiled. So much so that his dimples were clear to see even in the night light.
"I guess there's only one thing left to do then."
"What's that?"
Jack stood tall. "Elizabeth Thatcher, would you go out to dinner with me tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" she laughed.
"Why not?"
"Well, I'd love to but I didn't get tonight with Levi. I don't want to be away too much."
"Good point." Jack thought for a moment. "Here's a thought, what if the three of us do something together?"
"Yeah?"
"Yes. What do you say?"
"I say… yes."
"Okay."
"Alright."
They both spoke at the same time.
"We'll, I should go."
"Okay. Pick you guys up tomorrow at 5?"
"Alright." Leaning forward, she gently pressed her lips to his cheek. "Goodnight, Jack."
"Sweet dreams."
She smirked. "After tonight, that's a given, Thornton. I assure you."
Watching her walk away, Jack felt his heart beating like a thousand drums. Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.
