It's a Saturday, and even before she opens her eyes, Rose is glad that she doesn't have to get up and rush around to get Josephine ready for the day. It had been another week, and while her daughter hadn't had any more incidents at school in that time, she still wasn't speaking to William, and had mostly kept to herself.
During the week, Jack had begun to get settled in to the household. He and Rose had spent every possible moment together, while taking the time when Rose would run errands or do chores to retreat up to his parents' old room to paint and do repairs. While he and Rose had slept together that evening the week before, they had been continuing to take things slow and ease into the relationship, having not yet made love again. Everything was still new, and they were still learning a lot about one another as people.
For instance, she had learned the morning after that Jack is indeed an extremely early riser. He had been up and had breakfast made by the time the sun had finished rising, and she had found him at the kitchen table that morning penning another letter— something he said was concerning a surprise that she would have to wait for.
This morning, she finds him again at the small table, drinking coffee and lost deep in thought. His hair is wet from washing and as she steps close the scent of his aftershave is still thick in the air. She takes the time before he notices her to admire him a bit. He really is the most handsome man she had ever met, and he truly had grown in to being a man over the past decade. He jumps a bit when she speaks, still unaware of her presence.
"Penny for your thoughts?" She asks, unable to resist running a hand through the damp hair at the back of his neck, smoothing it down. The gesture must have been soothing, as he closes his eyes and leans further into her touch.
"It's nothing. Just thinking about Ma and Pop and Julia. Being in this house, I keep finding things I had forgotten about."
Rose frowns, unsure of what to do to help. She hadn't really considered how painful being surrounded by his childhood might be for Jack, as it had always been a source of comfort for her.
"I'm sorry, Jack."
He shakes his head, grabbing her hand which is now on his shoulder and looking up at her. "I didn't say it was a bad thing; its just a lot to get used to." He clears his throat, and stands facing her, the subject dropped.
"I actually had a question for you," he says, now absent-mindedly rubbing his hands over her upper arms as if to warm her. She has found that to be another funny habit of his— always reaching out to touch her in some way when they're in close proximity. Its a habit that she doesn't mind one bit, and she's not even sure that Jack is aware she does it.
"Our charming daughter and I have been working on a surprise for you that is nearly ready. How would you feel about me borrowing the little lady today for a trip into Eau Claire?"
Rose smiles, glad that Josephine and Jack had begun to truly get to know one another. A real relationship with her father is all she had wanted for her daughter, and getting to watch that relationship bloom has been absolutely heart-warming.
"Of course, Jack. I'm not sure what mischief you two are up to, but that's fine. I'm sure she'll be thrilled. Although that's quite a journey. I think I've only ever taken her into the city a handful of times."
— — — —
Josephine, for her part, had been thrilled. They were going on a train, and it would be an adventure.
At the station, Jack buys two tickets, handing one to Josephine to keep track of on her own, a responsibility which she readily accepts, eyes gleaming and smile flashing bright.
"Have you ever been on the train?" he asks as they find their seats. Jo is looking around with interest, taking in all that she can of her surroundings on the small carriage, with her ticket still clutched firmly in her hand.
The little girl nods. "Once, with mother and Will and Mrs. Richardson, two summers ago. We went to a park and saw fireworks. I don't remember it too well."
Jack smiles, liking the idea of Rose and her little girl enjoying the excitement of fireworks on a hot summer evening. "Trains are great," says Jack. "I can't even tell you how many hours I have spent on trains. They'll take you anywhere you wanna go. When I was coming back here to Chippewa Falls I was on the train for four days, all the way from New York City," he tells her, and her eyes go wide.
"Four days?" She asks. "Didn't you get bored stuck in a little car?"
Jack shakes his head as the train starts moving. "Nah." He points out the window as they head into the countryside between the small town and the larger neighboring city. "You see, with the train always moving, there was never a boring view, so I had plenty of things to draw."
Jo considers this, finding the answer acceptable as she takes in the wintery views outside the window. There was indeed a lot that she could draw. "Have you been a lot of places, Jack?" She asks, inquisitively. "Momma says you have."
"I have," he says, settling back. "I'm sure I'll tell you all the stories eventually."
If Josephine had been wide-eyed at the train, that was nothing compared to seeing her take in the sights of a city. Eau Claire was nothing compared to New York, or Paris, or London, but Jack had to remind himself that his young daughter had probably never seen buildings taller than two or three stories, and definitely never so many cars in one place. As they made their way down the crowded weekend street from the train station, he found himself unconsciously reaching for her hand so they wouldn't be separated, and with her squeezing his own right back, it felt as natural as breathing. He wasn't used to having another human life to worry about, but he found that instinct made him instantly protective of the nine-year-old.
Once they reached the department store that had been Jack's intended destination after seeing catalogues in the town's general store, the pair of them set to work, finding everything they needed to pull Rose's new room together. Jack had finished painting it the day before. It was a pale blue that made the space feel bright and refreshed. Looking around, they settled on a white quilt and soft sheets with a brocade wildflower pattern that Jo said her mother would like. Jack also found sheer curtains, and shiny new hardware for the existing furniture. With their trip a success, Jack treats Jo to lunch and a soda in a small diner near the train station before they begin their trek back home. Before departing however, Jack tells Josephine that he has one more errand to run, and that she has to keep this one absolutely secret. By the time they catch their train, the young girl is nearly bursting with excitement.
While the pair is gone, Rose visits Miranda at the diner. She still has the coming week off of work, but hadn't known what else to do with her suddenly free day. She didn't want to be cooped up in the house on her own and she really had wanted to catch up with her friend.
Entering the diner, she find's Miranda in a jovial mood, but William seems completely dulcet.
"Is Jo with you?" the pre-teen asks, looking hopeful, but Rose shakes her head. "No. She has gone with her father to Eau Claire for the day. They're setting up some kind of surprise."
At this, William looks dejected, but Miranda perks up. "Don't worry, William," Rose says, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come around soon. She's being stubborn, but I know she misses you, too."
He goes upstairs, and Miranda takes a seat next to Rose at the bar top. It's after lunch time now, and the restaurant has cleared out, giving the two women time to catch up. "I'm starting to think that maybe my son has more feelings for your daughter than maybe we thought. He has been completely torn up with her not speaking to him."
Rose sighs, nodding. "I'll have another talk with her about it. I know William only meant well. She's just fiercely independent."
"Like mother, like daughter," the older woman jokes. "So Josephine and her father are getting along?"
"Like thieves," Rose says. "They started keeping little secrets from me almost immediately. They're plotting something today that has taken them to the city. Really though, I couldn't be more thrilled. Jo really needed a father-figure in her life, I think, and Jack already absolutely adores her. For a man who never thought he would be a father, he's a natural. If it weren't for him, I don't know how I would have ever calmed her down after that fight the kids got into."
"And how are you doing?" Miranda asks, eyebrow raised expectantly. "How is living together going?"
"I'm— I'm good. I'm really good, but it still somehow doesn't feel real. I don't think I'm quite over the shock that he's alive and here in the first place. I suppose there is still gossip all over town."
Miranda nods. "I think that is to be expected for a while, although more people are talking about your real story now than the vicious gossip it was. I've heard some even call it romantic. Something will happen eventually to get everyone's minds off of it, but right now its the most interesting piece of news this town has got."
Rose understands. "I just wish it wasn't causing so many problems for the kids. It's the whole reason that Jo was getting picked on at school and why William got into that fight."
"Honey, I told you not to worry about that. William is a young boy. He's bound to get in to fights. I'm just glad he was fighting for something he felt was a good reason, and he's got two weeks of dish washing duty to show for it, although I think Josephine not speaking with him is punishment enough if I'm honest. They're young. They'll both figure it out soon. Now, really, what about you? Are you and Jack an item again?" Her friend can't help the twinkle in her eye as she asks the question.
Rose raises an eyebrow at the expectant expression on her friend's face, stifling a laugh. "If you're asking me whether he's made any passes, I'm not one to kiss and tell," she states coyly, thinking on the night and subsequent days she had spent with the wonderful man who had re-entered her life. "We're still taking our time with everything. I will say though, he is a very gentle and attentive man." She frowns slightly in thinking of Jack now. "In most ways he is exactly the man that I have been missing all these years. In other ways he's more grounded now and definitely less care-free. I think maybe its the war that has done that. There have been times this week where I've caught him lost in thought, and looking almost melancholy."
"Have you asked him about it?" Miranda wonders.
Rose shakes her head. "No. Not yet anyway. It hasn't seemed right."
— — — —
Rose is by the fire that Sunday afternoon, listening to music on the radio and mending a tear in one of Josephine's dresses when her daughter comes downstairs with a sly look on her face
"Mama!" She calls, as she enters the room, making Rose look up from her work.
"You look like the cat that ate the canary," Rose comments, looking at her daughter expectantly.
"Come upstairs!We have a surprise for you!"
Rose sets the sewing aside and stands to follow the girl, her eyebrow raising questioningly but not surprised. Upon their return home the previous evening, Jack and Josephine had forbid Rose from coming upstairs. She had her suspicions that Jack was doing renovations to his parents old room, what with a week of occasional noise when she was doing her own chores, and the fact that he had emerged on occasion with paint somewhere on his clothes or his skin. Never-the-less, after their trip to Eau Claire the previous day, her curiosity was genuinely peaked.
Jack greets them at the top of the landing, taking her hand as she ascends the stairs, letting Josephine pass by the both of them. His eyes are bright, and he too has a smug smile to rival his daughter's.
"What are you two up to?" Rose asks, squeezing his hand back. Jack positions himself behind her, covering her eyes with both hands and walking her forward into the direction of the master bedroom.
"We've been working on your new bedroom," Jack says, stopping her in the doorway. She can feel him lean closer, whispering in her ear so Josephine can't hear. "I know you said you like your space downstairs, but I think its only right that you have a proper room." She shivers as his voice ghosts over her neck.
Jack uncovers her eyes, and Rose is stunned by the changes he has made to the space. The yellowing wallpaper is gone, and in its place a fresh coat of pale blue paint with bright white trim. He has put new shades on the windows, which are up and letting the bright late winter sun stream past new sheer curtains. The furniture, while still the same cherry wood set that she had learned was made by Jack's father, as much of the furniture in the house had been, has been shined up and given new brass hardware and there are soft looking new linens on the bed.
Rose is frozen, amazed at just how bright and cheery the room had become, as if new life has been breathed into it. Looking around further, her eyes settle on a small bouquet of white roses and a silver hand held mirror on what had been his mother's vanity, and on the far wall hangs a new drawing by Jack; one of his young daughter hard at work in front of an easel, and next to it, the new painting that Josephine had slaved over all week— a beautiful depiction of their home in summertime, the rendering even better than the ruined one.
Rose is overwhelmed, and tears spring to her eyes almost immediately. While not the height of luxury that she had grown up with, it's the most simplistically beautiful bedroom she had ever seen, and the whole thing had been put together just for her with intention by the two people she loved the most.
Josephine frowns upon seeing her mother's tears, and she catches the sudden look of worry on Jack's face as well.
"What's wrong, Mama?" the nine year old asks, coming in close to grab her mother's hands. "Don't you like it?"
Rose lets out a teary chuckle. "I love it, darling. Its beautiful."
"Then why are you crying?" asks the little girl, and Rose wraps her arms around her daughter, pulling her close, before reaching out to Jack as well, pulling him into her side.
"Because I love you both so much," she says truthfully. "I feel so lucky to have you."
This get's Josephine smiling again as she hugs her mother back, and Jack rubs Rose's back, pulling her closer to his side as well as he places his other hand on Josephine's shoulder.
"I think I'm the lucky one," he responds, looking a little misty-eyed himself.