Elizabeth spent most of Saturday spending time with Jack. The morning was spent at the gym for Zumba and some weight training followed by grocery shopping. After lunch, Jack fell asleep pretty quickly for his nap. Elizabeth used the time to shower and write in her journal. She hadn't had a lot of time to process this week's events so journaling allowed her to do that. She made herself a cup of green tea and headed outside to the patio with her journal and the baby monitor.
I finally started teaching again this week and what a wonderful experience that was. I feel like a part of me that had been missing for the past couple of years has finally been found. I had no idea how much I missed the classroom until I walked back into the room. I'll be starting out slowly with History of Broadway for the college freshmen and my community theater class for the Continuing Ed kids but, I definitely plan to add back a few more classes in January. I also met someone interesting this past week.
His name is Nathan Grant and he is the uncle/guardian of one of my community theater students. I've actually seen him several times this week and I can't really explain it but something about him has me very intrigued. And I'd like to learn more about this man. We are coming up on the 2 year anniversary of Jack's death so perhaps this is the universe's way of telling me that it's time for a new chapter in my life. However, I also wonder if 2 years is a proper mourning period for a spouse. I haven't mentioned this to Rosie yet but, I haven't felt this way about a man since I first met Jack. And I'm scared of what this could mean. At the same time, I was scared to step back into the classroom on Tuesday and it was just like riding a bike. I loved it. So maybe I need to face my fears when it comes to meeting someone new as well.
"Mama! Mama!" squealed Little Jack through the baby monitor.
Smiling, Elizabeth picked up her items and headed back inside to get him. They spent a couple hours playing together and then it was time to get ready for the Coulter barbeque. Elizabeth didn't put much thought into her attire since it was just her closest friends. She knew they would all do the same. So she settled on a pair of dark jean cuffed shorts, a purple v-neck and tan leather flip flops. She put some concealer under her eyes and added a neutral lip gloss. Since it was so humid, she twisted her hair into a very loose bun. Jack looked adorable in dark denim shortalls with a light blue shirt underneath. Mom and son coordinated well.
Elizabeth had picked up a fruit tray at the supermarket so she grabbed that along with a tray of brownies she had baked the night before and she and Jack walked over to the Coulter backyard. When she got there, Elizabeth realized this was no casual barbeque among friends. Carson and Faith were there with Maggie and Joe. They were playing with Abby in a corner of the yard. Another girl had her back to Elizabeth. As she got closer, she realized it was Allie Grant. Elizabeth walked Jack over to the kids and Faith knowingly nodded to her when she saw the trays in her hand.
Elizabeth then walked over to the patio table to put her items in the right places for serving. A red headed woman walked over to her. She had a little boy that seemed to be Jack's age on one hip and a cookie platter in her other hand. The little boy had his head on the woman's shoulder but he was staring at Elizabeth.
"Here, let me help you with that!" said Elizabeth as she took the cookie platter from the woman.
"Thank you so much! I wasn't sure where to put it."
"No worries at all. I live next door but I'm over here so often I know exactly where everything goes."
Elizabeth took the cookie tray along with her brownie platter and placed them on the side table that had already been set up for dessert. She then walked back to the main food table and held her hand out.
"My name is Elizabeth Thornton. I'm Rosemary's best friend."
"I'm Lillian Kinslow and this is my son Spencer. He is 2 years old."
"Hi Spencer! I have a little boy just about your age. His name is Jack and he's over there playing with Abby and the other children. Would you like to meet him?"
"Spencer is being a bit shy today but I think it would be great to meet Jack. We already know Abby and Allie of course and we met the other kids earlier."
As Elizabeth and Lillian walked over to the kids, Elizabeth asked "So how do you know Lee and Rosie?"
"Hi Elizabeth!"
Before Lillian could reply, Elizabeth turned around to find Lee headed towards her. Right next to him were Nathan and Gabriel. Lee walked right up to Elizabeth and gave her a big hug even though he had just seen her 2 days ago. While Lee and Elizabeth were hugging, Gabriel walked over to Lillian and put his arm around her. Nathan smiled and mouthed "Hello" to Elizabeth as she looked at him over Lee's shoulder. Lee and Elizabeth pulled apart and she caught her breath.
"Hello again Nathan. Detective Kinslow."
"Please call me Gabe. I see you've met my beautiful wife and our son already."
"Mama!" screamed Little Jack as he ran over to Elizabeth. She quickly picked him up.
"Hello my precious boy! Are you having fun with Abby and the others?"
Jack smiled and nodded. Elizabeth turned slightly so that Spencer was in Jack's sightline.
"Jack, you have a new friend to play with. This is Spencer and his mommy and daddy."
The 2 toddlers stared at one another for a couple minutes. Finally, Gabe took Spencer from Lillian and then walked over to Elizabeth and Jack.
"Hey Jack, would you like to come play ball with Spencer and Abby?" asked Gabe.
"Yeah come on Jack!" chimed in Lee.
Jack looked at Elizabeth for approval and she nodded. He then looked back at a now smiling Spencer and Gabe. Lee finally held his arms out and Jack easily went to him.
"Elizabeth, go relax and have a drink. We will take care of Jack."
She stood there for a few more minutes and watched as Gabe, Lee, Abby, Jack, and Spencer kicked a large plastic ball around. Nathan and Allie had walked away and Lillian had walked over to Carson and Faith and was chatting with them. So Elizabeth walked towards the house to see if Rosemary needed any help. As she approached the patio, she noticed Nathan and Allie over by the beverage table. She started to walk over to them when Rosemary opened the sliding patio door.
"Rosie! There you are! I was just coming to check on you. What can I do?"
"You can grab a drink and relax a bit. Faith came by a little early and helped me set up. So we just need Lee to fire up the barbeque and start grilling the food."
"And I can help Lee with that," said Nathan as he walked over to join them. Allie had gone back to the other kids.
"Nathan, that's perfect. I'm sure Lee would love your help. Now I just came out to check on the appetizers and everything looks good. So I'm going to finish getting the salads ready. Elizabeth, seriously enjoy yourself. Jack is having fun over there so you should too."
And with that Rosemary went inside with a big smile on her face. Elizabeth smiled at Nathan.
"Well, I guess I'm being forced to have a drink and relax." She noticed that Nathan had a glass of seltzer with a lime on top. It looked appealing to Elizabeth so she went over to the drinks table and poured her own glass of seltzer and then added a lime.
Nathan stayed in the same spot while she got her drink so she walked back over to him and they smiled shyly at one another.
"Would you like to sit down for a few minutes?" he asked.
"Sure"
Nathan led her to a couple of patio chairs that were facing the section of the yard where the children were playing. Elizabeth was grateful she could easily see her son.
"So how do you know Lee and Rosemary?" Nathan asked.
"Rosie and I met at NYU. We were in the Tisch School of the Arts together and we just clicked right away. We've been best friends ever since. You probably know this but Lee and Rosie met freshman year and have been together since then."
"I did know they were college sweethearts. So how did you get from NYU to Hope Valley? That's a big difference."
They both laughed.
"Like Rosie, I was an actress for a while after college. I did regional theater for about a year and then was fortunate to be cast in a national tour for a couple years. Then another one and that 2nd one finally invited me to join the Broadway company so that's how I made my Broadway debut. I performed in that show for a couple years and while dating my late husband Jack. I started to realize that as much as I loved the theater, I didn't want to perform forever. I had always wanted to teach and I thought teaching theater would be a great way to stay connected to the community. Lee and Rosie had already moved out here for his job so when he told me there was a Lecturer opening, I applied and got it. My role has since evolved quite a bit.
Jack was a detective in the NYPD Narcotics division so his job had long hours and was very stressful. By the time he proposed, we both knew that we wanted to live outside the city and we were already familiar with this area from visiting Lee and Rosie. So by luck, the house next door to them became available and we both happened to love it. And so here we are years later living next door to one another."
"I'll bet that's been a wonderful blessing for you given everything you've been through."
She gave him a weak smile.
"Yes, it's been a blessing living next door. I never expected to be doing any of this alone but Rosie and Lee often remind me that I'm not alone. As do Carson and Faith. But enough about me. I didn't realize that both you and Gabe knew Lee."
"Well, Lee met Gabe through me. Gabe and I have been partners for years and I had invited Gabe to one of our guy nights back when Rosemary was in her last show. He and Lee hit it off and we've been including Gabe ever since. Abby and Spencer have been friendly as well. I think Lillian may have been over here for a playdate or 2."
"And how did you end up in Hope Valley, Detective?"
"Lee and I went to middle school together so I also grew up in Queens. I actually went to Hope Valley University as they have a really good criminal justice program so that's how I ended up becoming a detective. I originally wanted to be a lawyer but, I like to be where the action is so law enforcement seemed the better fit. I never really wanted to work in NYC though so I applied for a few departments here on the Island and amazingly ended up working for the Hope Valley PD. I love it here. When my sister died, I already had my house so there was ample room for Allie."
"Nathan, I'm so sorry about your sister. May I ask what happened?" He nodded sadly.
"Colleen was killed in a car accident 6 years ago. Another driver was speeding and skidded on black ice crashing into her and killing them both instantly. She was my best friend and I miss her every single day. My parents are a bit older and have had some health issues so I was really the only one who could take her. Allie's dad left when she was a year old so we haven't seen him since."
"Nathan, I'm so sorry."
"It's funny I never expected to be raising a child alone either or to be raising my niece. So it seems we have a few things in common."
Neither one had realized it but they were gently touching hands during this exchange. Both also were fighting back tears.
"It's not supposed to be easy," Nathan added. "Thank you again for sharing that with me and I know I've said this before but I am very sorry for your loss."
"And again I'm sorry about Colleen." Elizabeth finally realized that her hand was on top of Nathan's so she gave it a light squeeze of support. He quickly flipped his hand so that they were actually holding hands now and then squeezed back. At the same time, they were getting lost in one another's eyes.
"Mama!"
They finally looked away from one another to see Allie walking over hand in hand with Jack. He ran over to Elizabeth and climbed into her lap. Allie stood behind Nathan with her hands on his shoulders.
"Jack, can you say hi to Nathan?"
"Nat'an! Nat'an A'wee"
"We are still working on certain letters," said Elizabeth with a slight laugh.
"Hi there Jack. Good job buddy!" said Nathan as he reached out and shook Jack's little hand.
Jack rewarded Nathan with a big smile.
"You know I'm Spencer's godfather so I'm used to little guys like this. I've also been around this one since she was born." Nathan said as he reached up to grab Allie's arms.
Rosemary stood just outside the patio door with Abby now in her arms. She silently watched her best friend light up around the handsome detective and the feeling seemed to be mutual. For once, Lee was right about a match and holding this barbeque had been a great way to get Elizabeth and Nathan together. Fortunately, they didn't seem to need much help. It had been a long time since Rosemary had seen Elizabeth so at ease around a man. She watched as Elizabeth and Nathan were laughing at something Allie said, oblivious to everyone else around them. Little Jack was sitting on Elizabeth's lap and reached his arms out to Nathan. Rosemary watched as Nathan looked at Elizabeth silently asking permission and she nodded and allowed her son to move over to Nathan's lap. He immediately started entertaining the toddler with funny faces. With tears in her eyes, she then caught Lee's eye over at the grill and winked at him.
"Dinner is served! Help yourselves everyone!" shouted Lee.
Elizabeth took Jack back from Nathan and held his hand as they walked over to the food table. Nathan and Allie followed close behind.
"Ok Jack stay close to Mama please," Elizabeth said as she grabbed a large and a child size plate and balanced both on one arm. She started to serve both plates and then Jack giggled and turned around and started to run away.
"Jack! Come back here!"
Elizabeth couldn't find a spot to put down both plates since the table was full of serving dishes. Fortunately, Nathan was right behind Elizabeth on the food line. He quickly handed his plate to Allie and in 2 quick strides, he managed to scoop up Jack in his arms.
"Hey Cowboy, Mama's over here!" Nathan said as he walked back to Elizabeth.
"Jack! Please do not run away from Mama!"
"Here, why don't I hold him for you while you finish serving. I can come back for my food."
With that, Nathan took his plate from Allie and held it in his other hand. Elizabeth gave him a grateful smile and finished serving herself and Jack. Allie did the same with her own plate and the 4 of them walked over to the same set of lounge chairs they had just vacated. Allie pulled over a reclining lounge chair so Elizabeth had room to sit with Jack. Allie and Nathan then sat in the regular chairs. Elizabeth pulled over one of the smaller tables so they'd have someplace to set down the food and drinks. Nathan quickly went back to the food table and finished serving himself. He then came back and asked about drinks and went back to get them for everyone.
Once the 4 of them were situated, Gabe, Lillian, and Spencer also had pulled over chairs and joined them. Elizabeth enjoyed getting to know Nathan and Allie better as well as the Kinslows. Lillian was a kindergarten teacher so she liked that they had something in common. Rosemary and Lee would occasionally join the group but they spent most of the meal chatting nearby with the Shepherds. By the end of the meal, Jack and Spencer were already well on their way to being good friends. The 2 boys were sitting on the patio ground playing with a toddler sized Lego set that Lillian had brought over for Abby. Soon Abby and Joe joined them and that allowed the adults to enjoy their desert together. Allie and Maggie sat with the adults.
"I am so glad you were all able to make it here tonight. This was such a fun and relaxing way to end my time off before rehearsals start up on Monday." Rosemary addressed the group.
"I concur. Thank you all for coming tonight. It's nice to see old and new faces mingling together. Sweetheart, this new role was practically written for you and I know you're going to be the breakout star of the show. I cannot wait to celebrate your opening night. Break a leg!" added Lee as he put his arm around Rosemary and gave her a gentle kiss.
The group all toasted Rosemary and continued to chat. After a while, the younger kids started yawning.
"That's my cue to head home," said Elizabeth.
"May I walk you?" asked Nathan.
"Oh it's just right next door."
"I'm headed that way anyhow. My car is out there." smiled Nathan.
Elizabeth nodded and after the group said their goodbyes, Elizabeth, Jack, Nathan, and Allie walked towards the front yard to get to Elizabeth's house and Nathan's car. They quickly reached Elizabeth's front door. Jack was already half asleep with his head on Elizabeth's shoulder.
"Thank you for walking us home. I think this little guy is ready for his crib."
"It looks like it. Well, it was really nice spending time with you and Jack tonight. I guess we will see you in class Tuesday afternoon."
"I'll be there! It was nice spending time with you and Allie as well, Nathan."
Elizabeth wanted to say more but stopped herself. It was progress enough that she had gone out of her way to enter the house via the front door just so she could spend a few extra minutes with Nathan. She watched as he and Allie headed to their car and then opened the door to her house and made sure to catch her breath before taking Jack upstairs to his crib.