Hi #Hearties, sorry for the delay. I know many have been waiting for this chapter. I have been really busy with work. Not much time or energy to do much of anything in between. Shoutout to heartie91 who sent me an occasional P.M. to make sure I was alright. Thank you for the encouragement. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy chapter three of ... My Love My Valentine
When the alarm buzzed the next morning, Elizabeth sat up in her bed. She couldn't, for the life of her, remember how she had gotten there, but she did feel much better. She headed to the bathroom for a quick shower and to brush her teeth. After her shower, she returned to her bedroom and headed to her closet to choose her outfit for the day. She decided on a knee length black dress with white floral print and a denim jacket. She put on a pair of black knee high boots. After she was dressed she headed to the kitchen for a quick breakfast.
Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen and observed the pile of math tests on the table. She then recalled that she that she was grading math tests the night before after Jack had left but she couldn't remember anything else. "Why don't I remember going to bed?" Elizabeth asked herself. She closed her eyes tightly trying to recall.
"Because, you were sound asleep at the table." Rosie responded as she walked in the room. "I'm the one who put you to bed when Lee brought me home."
Elizabeth screamed and jumped, clearly startled by Rosie's entrance.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you." Rosie apologized.
"It's alright." Elizabeth replied. "My mind was somewhere else."
"On that handsome detective, perhaps?" Rosie offered.
"Of course, not." Elizabeth stated, though the color that rushed to her cheeks said otherwise.
"What's going on between you too?" Rosie asked.
"Nothing!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "We're just friends."
"Sure, you are," Rosie stated, clearly not buying a word Elizabeth was saying.
"I promise we're just friends," Elizabeth specified.
"But you like him." Rosie nudged Elizabeth with her elbow. "Come on, you can tell me."
"Nothing is going on, Rosie." Elizabeth advised. "Please can we just drop it?" She started gathering up the papers on the table.
"If nothing is going on, then why did you call me Jack last night?" Rosie inquired.
Elizabeth stopped midstream and lifted her head to glance at Rosie. "I did not!" She denied.
"You most certainly did, when I put you to bed." Rosie confirmed. "I woke you up and you were talking but I don't think you were fully awake. I said goodnight to you and you said goodnight and called me Jack."
"Why don't I remember?" Elizabeth grumbled, clearly embarrassed.
"You were pretty out of it." Rosie explained. "I concluded given the ordeal with Charles you probably didn't get much sleep and were so tired. I knew you would be worse this morning if you slept crouched over the table all night. Just looking out for you."
"Thanks Rosie." Elizabeth replied, "But I'm so embarrassed I can't believe I called you Jack."
"Water under the bridge." Rosie wrapped her friend in a hug. "Now get of here, or you'll be late for school."
"See you this afternoon." Elizabeth called as she headed out the door.
"Have a good day." Rosie shouted after her.
Elizabeth rode the elevator to the ground floor. She rushed to the parking lot, climbed into her Kia Soul, and drove the seven miles to Hope Valley Elementary.
"Good morning Ms. Thatcher." Principal Hudgins called, when Elizabeth walked into office of the school. "Hope you're feeling better."
"Much better," Elizabeth replied. "Thank you, Principal Hudgins."
"Ms. Ferguson was your substitute." Principal Hudgins advised. "She mentioned your students missed you and were wondering where you were."
"I missed them too." Elizabeth cried. "Well I best get to my classroom. School is about to begin." Elizabeth walked down the long hallway to her second-grade classroom.
"Good morning, Ms. Henrich." Elizabeth announced to her teaching assistant upon entering the room.
"Good morning, Ms. Thatcher." Ms. Henrich replied. "I heard what happened to you. What an awful thing to have happen. Are you okay?"
"I was a little shaken up," Elizabeth replied, "but I'm much better now. Jack took good care of me."
"Who is Jack?" Ms. Henrich asked. "I've never heard you talk about him."
"My knight in shining armor." Elizabeth answered. "He was the officer who was at the right place at the right time. He saved me and had Charles arrested then took me to the hospital and out for a late dinner afterward."
"Is Jack a friend of yours or something?" Ms. Henrich asked.
"He is now," Elizabeth admitted, "we didn't meet until that night."
"So, he did all that for a woman he just met?" Ms. Henrich asked.
"I know. It's still hard for me to believe." Elizabeth proclaimed. "Yesterday, he even came by to check on me and took me to lunch. We spent most of the afternoon together, actually."
"What is he your bodyguard now?" Ms. Henrich asked jokingly.
"No," Elizabeth chuckled.
"He must be quite the guy." Ms. Henrich replied.
"He was very nice," Elizabeth remarked, "he had a flat and didn't have a spare. He waited in my apartment for the auto club."
"Do you like him?" Ms. Henrich questioned.
"We're just friends." Elizabeth countered. "I'm grateful he was there."
"That's not what I asked." Ms. Henrich stated. "Do you like him?"
"We just met." Elizabeth opposed. She leaned across Ms. Henrich's desk and whispered. "The children don't know what happened do they?" She was hoping to change the subject. This was not the place or time to talk about her love life or the lack thereof with Jack Thornton.
"We just told them you were out sick." Ms. Henrich assured.
"Good." Elizabeth said, with relief in her voice. "I wouldn't want to scare them."
"Don't worry." Ms. Henrich replied. "Do you really think we would tell a classroom full of seven-year old's that you were attacked?"
"No, of course not." Elizabeth stated, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. "I'm still a little on edge that's all."
"That's understandable." Ms. Henrich placed her hand on a stack of folded construction paper of assorted colors. "When I told the children, you were sick, they wanted to make get well cards for you."
"They did?" Elizabeth felt her heart swell and tears fill her eyes.
"They did." Ms. Henrich confirmed. "You've have an entire classroom full of students who love their teacher very much." She offered the cards.
"I love them too." Elizabeth accepted the cards with one hand wiped her eyes with the tears that threatened to fall with the other. "I can't wait to read these."
The morning school bell rang, and the combined sound of undistinguishable chatter and footsteps filled the previously silent halls. "Sounds like you're going to have to wait to read those cards." Ms. Henrich acknowledged.
Moments later, children began to file into the room. "Good morning, children." Elizabeth called.
"Good morning, Ms. Thatcher." The children said in unison.
"Are you feeling better Ms. Thatcher?" Opal asked as she approached her teacher and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Elizabeth patted Opal on the back. "Yes, much better," She confirmed. "Thank you, Opal."
"I'm glad!" Opal exclaimed. "It makes me sad when you're sick." She skipped off to take her assigned seat.
"Alright children settle down and please take your seats." Elizabeth announced to her students we have a lot to get done today."
She couldn't help smiling as she watched the children quickly scramble to their seats.
"First," Elizabeth picked up the handmade cards from her desk. "I want to thank you for these lovely cards you made for me. I can't wait to go home this afternoon so I can read them.
"I'm glad you're feeling better, Ms. Thatcher." Timmy said.
The children nodded in agreement.
"I am feeling much better." Elizabeth smiled at her students. "I also want to thank you for being good for Ms. Henrich and Ms. Ferguson yesterday."
"You're welcome." The children said in unison.
Elizabeth smiled. She headed to the window and picked up the mason jar that sat in the windowsill. "That means you get a marble for behavior." She reached in the plastic bin that also rested in the windowsill, pulled out a marble and dropped it in the jar." She then dumped the marbles in her hand and tossed them back in the jar one by one. "That was our tenth marble, so we get to vote on the next class fun activity."
"Yay!" The children shouted.
"So, after recess," Elizabeth continued. "We'll come up with ideas and take a vote."
Jack whistled as he walked into the station, with a bounce in his step. "Good morning." He called to his colleagues.
"What are you so chipper about this morning, Thornton?" Sergeant Peterson asked.
"I'm no more chipper than usual." Jack denied.
"Really?" Sergeant Peterson countered. "You don't usually walk in here whistling." He nudged Jack in the ribs. "Come on what's her name?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Randy." Jack objected.
"You sure about that?" Randy asked. "Lawson and Stafford told us about that damsel in distress you rescued the other evening. They mentioned she was quite a catch."
"She needed help." Jack stated. "Either one of you would have done the same." Jack didn't like talking about his personal life on the job. He was just hoping to change the subject, even though he couldn't deny it to himself that thoughts of Elizabeth Thatcher had occupied his mind, since the moment he'd met her.
"What are we talking about?" Jack's partner Detective Pimental walked into the precinct.
"Thornton's girlfriend," Sergeant Peterson teased.
"When'd you get a girlfriend, Thornton?" Detective Pimental asked, joining on the fun at Jack's expense.
"The boys are just giving me a hard time." Jack explained. "I saved a woman's life."
"I saw her when Thornton called us for backup." Lawson recalled.
"She was a looker." Stafford chimed in.
"And Thornton showed up to work a little happier than usual." Peterson added. He, Lawson and Stafford started making kissy noises towards Jack.
Detective Pimental observed the color increasing in Jack's cheeks, "Come on leave him alone." Being a woman and a minority in the precinct, she was often the brunt of teasing from the colleagues. She gave as good as she got but also knew when enough is enough. "Have some compassion, will you?"
The boys immediately stopped their teasing and laughing. "I'm sorry, Thornton." Peterson slapped Jack on the back. "We shouldn't be giving you such a hard time for having a crush on a pretty girl."
"We're all guilty of that." Lawson agreed. "I had huge crush," he gestured with his hands, "on Samantha before we got together, and now we're married with a baby on the way."
"What?" Jack exclaimed with a wide-eyed stare. "When were you gonna tell us?"
"We just found out yesterday." Lawson explained, but we're pretty excited.
Everyone offered Lawson their congratulations with pats on the back. Jack breathed a sigh of relief that the attention had been diverted off him, if only temporarily.
The door of the chief's office abruptly swung open, startling everyone. "Thornton, in my office, now!" Chief Snyder called.
"Yes sir." Jack headed to Snyder's office.
"What's this about?" Jack inquired as he sat down.
"The man you had arrested two days ago," Snyder answered.
"Charles Kensington," Jack confirmed, "what about him?"
"D.A. Samuels said they have to release him." Chief Snyder answered.
"How is that possible?" Jack asked.
"Without a statement from the victim we have no case." Snyder explained.
"But, I saw him. He had Eliz- uh- Ms. Thatcher pinned to the car. I heard her scream for help!" Jack exclaimed. "I'll be glad to testify. I witnessed the whole thing." Jack knew it would be better to keep Charles behind bars if Elizabeth would give a statement herself, but he didn't want to see her relive that night again. He'd seen firsthand what Charles' assault had done to her. I didn't want to see her upset.
"Thornton, you know, it would be your word against his." Snyder countered. "We'd have to let him go. We need a statement from the victim."
"I know." Jack responded. "Can I talk to her? I know it will be hard for to relive that night."
"Do what you need to do Thornton." Snyder commanded. "She works at Hope Valley Elementary. Take Pimental with you."
Jack left Snyder's office. He walked up to Detective Pimental's desk. "You ready to go?" He asked. "We have a job to do."
"Where are we going?" Pimental stood from her seat and followed Jack out the door of the precinct to their police cruiser.
"Hope Valley Elementary," Jack advised. The two of them headed for the door.
Before pulling out of the parking a lot, Jack pulled out his cell and sent a text to Elizabeth. Elizabeth need a testimony from you. Just giving you a heads up that my partner and I are on our way to Hope Valley Elementary. He pressed the send button, then pulled the cruiser into traffic. He listened for a response for Elizabeth, but one never came during the fifteen-minute drive to the school. He pulled into the parking lot and He and Pimental headed for the front office.
Elizabeth was reading "Junie B. Jones" to her students when Principal Hudgins' voice came of the intercom. "Ms. Thatcher."
"Yes," Elizabeth called.
"You have a couple of visitors." Principal Hudgins responded. "They say it's urgent."
"I'll be right there." Elizabeth responded, she handed the book to Ms. Henrich so she could continue reading. "I guess I'll be right back." She started down the hall toward the office wondering who could have possibly be visiting her at school. Her brain was running a million miles a minute with the possibilities.
Elizabeth, opened the door to the office. She almost stumbled when she realized her visitor was Jack. She couldn't take her eyes off him. She hadn't seen him in his police uniform yet. So, handsome, she thought to herself.
"Hello, Elizabeth." Jack smiled his million-dollar smile.
Her breath caught in her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but her mouth went dry. She couldn't get a sound to escape her lips.
"This is my partner, Detective Pimental." Jack continued.
Elizabeth smiled, secretly embarrassed that it was the first time she'd noticed the woman wearing a police uniform, by Jack's side. "Nice to meet you." She replied, finally finding her voice. She turned to face Jack. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine." Jack offered, "well it will be. I take you didn't get my text."
"I usually turn my phone off when I get to school." Elizabeth explained.
"I didn't even think of that," Jack admitted, "sorry."
"No, it's alright." Elizabeth gave Jack a smile. "What's going on?"
"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" Jack whispered.
"There's usually no one in the teacher's lounge this time of day." Elizabeth suggested. She led Jack and Detective Pimental down the long hall to the teacher's lounge. "Sorry it isn't more fashionable." Elizabeth waved her arm over the yellow sofa and matching arm chair which were fading in color. "The school budget isn't what it used to be."
"This will work fine." Jack and Pimental sat on the sofa.
"What's this about?" Elizabeth asked as she sat in the arm chair across from them. "Am I in trouble with the law?"
Jack chuckled, "No, nothing like that." He took a deep breath. "It's Charles."
Hearing Charles' name made Elizabeth's skin crawl. "What… about… Charles?" She asked slowly, afraid of what Jack's response was going to be.
"The D.A. needs a statement from you or he's going to be released." Jack answered quickly. He glanced at Elizabeth, worried she might burst into tears at any moment. "I know this will be hard for you to have to relive that night, but…"
"No, I understand." Elizabeth interjected. "What do you need me to do?"
"Can you come to the station to give a statement to Chief Snyder?" Jack asked.
"Will you go with me?" Elizabeth asked nervously.
Jack reached across and grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Of course, I will." He smiled. "When will be a good time?"
"After school?" She suggested. "Let's get this over with."
The three of them stood up. "That creep will never hurt you or anyone else ever again." Jack assured. He wrapped her in a hug. "The whiff of her perfume cause an unfamiliar stir in him, he pulled away from the embrace more abruptly than he wanted to and cleared his throat. No one seemed to notice.
"Hey, do you have to be back at the station now?" Elizabeth asked.
"Not until after lunch," Jack informed.
"How would you like to meet my students?" Elizabeth inquired. "I know they'd love to meet a couple of real live detectives."
"Would it be okay?" Jack asked Pimental, "or are you in a big hurry to get back to paperwork at the station?"
"I guess crossing my 'T's and dotting my 'I's will have to wait a few minutes, Pimental replied with mock annoyance. "Let's go meet some kiddos."
Elizabeth led the way to her classroom. Ms. Henrich had finished the story and the children were quietly doing an art project at their seats, when she walked in. "Sorry about that." She told Ms. Henrich.
"It's alright," Ms. Henrich replied. "We had fun, didn't we boys and girls?"
"Yes," The children shouted.
"Children, I have someone I'd like you to meet." Elizabeth gestured toward the door. Their eyes were glued to the two police officers that had just walked into their classroom. "This is my friend Detective Thornton and his partner, Detective Pimental." She announced.
"Hey, kids." Jack smiled and waved.
"Hello, children," Pimental called.
"Hi," the youngsters bellowed in unison.
"This is my assistant, Ms. Henrich." Elizabeth introduced.
"Nice to meet you, Detective Jack Thornton." Jack offered his hand.
"Nice to meet you, detective." Ms. Henrich responded. "Jack huh?" She faced Elizabeth and raised her eyebrows.
The children were so excited to see someone new in the classroom they couldn't stay in their seats.
"Do you mind staying a few minutes?" Elizabeth asked, "maybe answer a few questions. I know they'll have some."
Jack and Pimental nodded.
"Children, if you'll settle down and be seated, "Ja… ahem… Detectives Thornton and Pimental have agreed to answer a few questions."
Everyone started chattering at once.
Elizabeth rushed to her desk and grabbed the whistle she uses at recess. She blew it loudly. The entire classroom went silent. "Now who can tell me the rule," she asked when she got their attention, "when we have visitors?"
Several hands shot up.
"Philip," She called.
"To raise your hand and wait to be called on." Philip responded with a smile.
"Very good Philip." Elizabeth returned the whistle to its resting place and leaned against her desk.
"Okay, who has a question?" Jack asked.
Robert was the first to raise his hand. "Have you ever had to arrest anybody?"
Jack faced Elizabeth, she shook her head slightly, sending a silent message to Jack that the children did not know what happened and that she wanted to keep it that way for the time being. Jack understood her silent plea. "Yes, it's part of the job." Jack answered confidently. "It's not always the easiest part but if people break the law, they have to face the consequences." He looked around the room and noticed the list of rules hanging by the white board. "Like that list of rules," He acknowledged. "Ms. Thatcher expects you follow those rules… and if you don't…"
"We'll get arrested?" Robert asked, with a shaky voice.
"Not quite," Jack chuckled, "but those rules have consequences, just like our laws do and everyone has to follow them."
"Do you carry a gun?" Harper asked.
"Yes," He gently removed the gun from its holster."
"Wow," the class chanted.
"Now you have to be really careful when handling a gun. Jack continued. "I had to practice a very long time before I felt safe carrying a gun. I have to make sure the safety is on when it's in my holster because it would be very bad if it went off accidentally." He showed the children were the safety latch was and how to make sure it was on. He then returned it to his holster.
"I didn't know ladies could be cops." Emily acknowledged Detective Pimental.
"Oh yes, sweetheart." Pimental replied. "Girls can be anything they want to be, just like boys can."
"Do you like being a cop?" Emily asked.
"It's fun most days." Pimental remarked.
Jack turned to Elizabeth. "I think we have time for one more question. We better get going."
"Alright children this is the last question."
"Noooo." The pupils moaned.
"What if we asked them to come back sometime?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Yay!" They cried.
"Who wants to ask the last question?" Elizabeth asked
Maggie raised her hand.
"Yes Maggie."
Maggie stood from her seat and walked up to Jack. "What is that?" She pointed to his handcuffs?
Jack removed the shackles from his belt. "These are handcuffs." He answered.
Maggie nodded shyly and returned to her seat.
"What are they used for?" Anna asked.
Jack walked toward the class and whispered loudly "Would you like me to demonstrate on your teacher?"
The kids nodded excitedly.
Jack walked toward Elizabeth and opened the handcuffs. "Ms. Thatcher, your hand please."
"Jack," Elizabeth asked, forgetting the formality, "what are you doing?"
"Showing your students how to use my handcuffs," Jack couldn't wipe the grin forming on his lips, "your hand please."
"Fine," Elizabeth scoffed, rolling her eyes. She lifted her arm and allowing Jack to put the handcuff on her.
He playfully put the other cuff on his own wrist. "Now she couldn't get away from me even if she tried." He started walking indicating, that if he moved Elizabeth would move too. "She's mine forever. Ha-ha" He wrapped his arm around her and winked at her.
The children giggled, hysterically.
Elizabeth's face turned a deep crimson.
"Actually," Jack explained, as he grabbed the key and removed the cuffs from their wrists. "They go like this." He put the cuffs on Pimental's wrists and placed her hands behind her back, "so the bad guys don't try anything while we're hauling them off to jail." He removed the cuffs and returned them to his belt.
"Well that's all the time we have." Jack said, as he and Pimental headed toward the door.
"What do you say to Detective Thornton and Detective Pimental for coming?" Elizabeth addressed her students.
"Thank you." They cried.
"You're welcome." Pimental said.
"Bye." Jack waved.
Elizabeth followed them to the door. "Thank you. They really enjoyed that."
"And how about you, Ms. Thatcher?" Jack teased. "Did you enjoy it?"
He gently caressed her arm.
"Thank you for coming." She said again, ignoring his question.
She walked back in the classroom and closed the door.
"Ms. Thatcher." Ava raised her hand.
"Yes, Ava?" Elizabeth responded.
"Is Detective Thornton your boyfriend?" Ava asked.
"Oooh," the class called. "Ms. Thatcher and Detective Thornton sitting in a tree…"
"Alright children settle down." Elizabeth called. "Detective Thornton is a friend. That's all you need to know and it's not an appropriate thing to be talking about at school. It's time for lunch; would you line up please?"
"So that's Jack." Ms. Henrich said when they sat down to lunch. "He's cute. And I think he likes you."
"He does not." Elizabeth protested. "We're just friends."
"He was flirting quite a bit to be just friends," Ms. Henrich acknowledged. She made air quotes with her hands, "with the handcuffs and the arm caress we weren't supposed to see."
Elizabeth felt her cheeks burning.
"He's cute." Ms. Henrich said again. "I think you should go for it."
"I need to go to the police station, afterschool," Elizabeth said, hoping to change the subject, "they need a statement from me or Charles is going to be released."
"Oh no." Ms. Henrich replied. "We can't let that happen. Will your new boyfriend be there?"
I told you we're just friends." Elizabeth protested. "But yes, he'll be there. It's where he works."
"If you say so." Ms. Henrich giggled.
Elizabeth stared down at her lunch tray.
"I'm sorry," Ms. Henrich apologized. "I just want to see you happy. You deserve that."
"It's okay." Elizabeth assured. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever be happy with someone. I thought Charles was a good man and I was most definitely wrong about that. It'll be awhile before I can trust my heart again."
The ladies finished their lunch in silence and then took the children to recess.
As promised, after recess Elizabeth allowed the children to vote on their fun activity for good behavior. They voted on a movie and pizza party. "I want to invite, Detective Thornton and Detective Pimental to come have pizza with us." Andrew said.
"I'll ask them when if they want to come when I see them," Elizabeth offered, "but I can't promise."
The rest of the school day went by in a blur, and before she knew it, Elizabeth was in her car heading toward the police station. She was determined to not let herself or anyone else fall victim to Charles Kensington ever again. She was nervous about having to relive that evening by giving her statement but she knew it needed to be done. "Well at least Jack will be there." She said aloud. The closer she got to the station the less she thought about Charles and the more she thought about Jack and how much she couldn't wait to see him, even though she'd just seen him a few hours before.
to be continued...
Thanks for reading... Hope you like it.