Chapter 60

Three weeks flew by quickly. Summer break was quickly approaching. Life was busy with everyone, but life was great.

Tom and Julie were married in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by family and close friends. Julie was so excited she couldn't stand it. There wasn't one thing she would have changed. They spent their one week honeymoon in a honeymoon suite at the Drury Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. For Tom and Julie, the week in San Antonio was perfect. The city was great and full of life, which suited the newlywed couple perfectly. The honeymoon flew by way too fast. Before they knew it, they were back home in Hope Valley.

Tom settled into his new job quickly. He was a perfect fit. Most of his job was working with the sales people he was in charge of and working with certain clients. His outgoing personality was a perfect fit. He got along very well and his positive impact on sales was almost immediate.

Julie finished all of her paperwork and transcripts for college and had them sent into the new school. She would be starting as a junior in the fall semester. Tom and she agreed to let her father pay for her school since that was the arrangement from the very beginning. The home they purchased was nice after all of the repairs and new paint. They still had a few things in boxes, but the home was quickly becoming their home. You could see Julie's fingerprints all over the home.

She began work with Steve at his new store, Draw-N-Things. It was a perfect fit for her, and she loved it. Steve was happy to have someone to help who had the passion for all things art related.

...

Charlette and Adam were also doing great. Their relationship was on solid ground with both of them going in the same direction. They spent all of their time together. She was either helping him with his repair projects or he was at her place just spending time with Charlette.

They spoke of marriage, but nothing serious as of yet. No one could understand why. Everyone could see the love between them, even their children. Tom and Jack would joke that they would show up one day and their mother would have a different last name.

Both Adam and Charlette were comfortable with their relationship. They remembered and still loved their previous spouses, but also knew they loved each other. All of their previous fears about forgetting their loved ones were unfounded. They were growing closer each day.

…

Violia moved to Hope Vally with the new job at the bank. In her two weeks at the new job, she was fitting in well. The job duties were well within her skill set. She found a lovely two bedroom apartment that was perfect for her. On very nice days, she would walk to work. She loved everything about Hope Valley and was excited about her new life. This was a new start and she wanted to make the most of it.

Since she was living in the same town with her sisters, she was determined to reconnect with them. She was shocked with Julie. She couldn't believe how much her little sister has matured. Other than her very fast relationship with Jack, Elizabeth was the same person.

Vi still hasn't opened up too much about her past with Lionel. She knew she needed to, but she felt like a failure since her husband cheated on her. She was still working through her nightmares.

…

Henry was thriving in the Hogan household. Now, officially, it was his household too. The adoption went well. The judge quickly granted the adoption with his father's sentence to jail for several years. Abagail and Frank were excited with the new addition to their family. Henry was also excited about the arrangement. The Hogan household were all smiles and full of joy.

Henry made the baseball team and practice was to begin in a week. He loved baseball almost as much as Frank did. This was a subject where they connected from the beginning. Abagail have caught them several times staying up past Henry's bed time watching a game. Abagail didn't understand baseball, but she loved her two boys very much. If it were good teams playing, she would let Henry stay up for a little longer to watch it. If not, she would get her nerf gun and ambush her two men. While that was fun, they also knew she meant it and Henry would always go to bed. Their love for each other were growing daily.

Elizabeth noticed a stark difference in Henry at school. He was doing so much better in every area. His grades were better, his relationships with his friends were also better, and his attitude was off the charts better. As his teacher, she was excited with the new path he was on.

…

Elizabeth was finishing up her school year on a strong note. As she looked back over the last two months, she couldn't believe how much things have changed in her life. A little over two months ago, she didn't even know Jack. Now, she is married and about to move into a new home. They bought the house from Beth and all of them were excited. Jack and Elizabeth had a feeling that Beth hasn't heard the word "no" very often. After their dinner in the café, both Jack and Elizabeth tried to negotiate the price of the house, but Beth was adamant that they had a deal. She would not entertain the thought of Jack and Elizabeth paying more for the house. Beth was more excited about the house than Jack and Elizabeth were.

School was wrapping up in a week and Elizabeth was excited about working on the house. They agreed the closing date would be after the end of the school year. That would give Elizabeth plenty of time to work on the house. There wasn't too much to change, but there were some things she wanted to add her flare too. She wanted new paint throughout the house. There were some upgrades in the master bathroom she wanted to have finished. The more she thought about it, the more excited she was. This was her first house she owned, and it was with Jack.

Elizabeth would go over to the house three or four times a week before Jack would get off work. Her and Beth would walk through the house room by room discussing her plans. Beth was excited with the changes. Elizabeth feed off of Beth's joy.

Ms. Blakely approached Elizabeth about getting on the path of administration. Ms. Blakely could see Elizabeth as a principle one day and wanted Elizabeth to get on that career track. Elizabeth was flattered but was noncommittal. She wanted to talk with Jack about it first. Her first instinct was to say no, but she didn't want to make that decision without thinking it through.

"Sweetheart, I think you would be great at it, but would you want to do it?"

Elizabeth thought about it for a moment, "No. I don't think I would. I enjoy teaching too much. I also enjoy the kids on a more personal level than if I was a principal. As a principal, you don't have the close interaction with the students like a teacher does."

"Are you sure?" Jack was questioning her so she would focus on the areas of things she thought was important. He wanted her to think it through.

She smiled knowing exactly what he was doing. "I am sure. I got into teaching to make a difference in the lives of my students. As a principal, I would be in meetings and so many other things that will take me away from the kids."

"As principal, you would touch many more lives."

"True, but not at the level I am now. I am involved with my twenty four students' lives on an intimate level. I see them every day and I am around them all day. I know their stories and they know mine. I have a strong connection with them. I would miss it too much."

Jack smiled. He knew she had her decision made. He didn't have to ask what it was. He knew his wife. He leaned and kissed tip of her nose. "I think you have your decision."

"Jack, are you ok with me remaining as a teacher?"

He gave her a smile and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned back enough to look into her eyes. "Nani, this is your job. I will support you in any decision you make. I just want you happy. Plus, you are the best teacher I know."

"Better than your mother?" She teased.

"Yes, and more beautiful."

She shared her decision with Ms. Blakely the following morning. She was a little disappointed but knew this was the best decision for Elizabeth.

…

Jack's job was going well. He was focusing most of his time working beside Bill. He was learning the job and Bill was happy with his progress. There were times where Jack would be impatient, but he was learning all the things he needed to know. Jack was a month into learning the chief's job, and Bill was thinking he could hand the job over to Jack in the following month.

Jack was working closely with SRO Henry at the school with the programs they discussed. After meeting a couple more times, Jack and John decided to concentrate on the Big Brother/Big Sister programs for the children. Along with that, they would start to implement drug awareness program. They wanted to concentrate with these two programs to begin with and then they would expand it in the next school year.

…

Elizabeth and Jack were still very much in the honeymoon stage of their marriage. Both would hurry home to be with the other. They didn't waste time at the end of the day. Whoever was home first, would start dinner knowing the other person would help when they were home. They would look out the living room window looking for the other's car to pull in. This was exactly what they wanted in their marriage.

Their evenings were spent together. There were times they went for walks in their park and end up at their bench in front of the fountain. They spent some time at Julie and Tom's house about once a week for dinner or Julie and Tom would come to their apartment. They still would end up at the café for dinner if they just didn't want to cook. They were even beginning to spend time with Vi. There were times they would just stay at home.

Elizabeth had finished the sketch for Jack's office but was keeping it at Draw-N-Things so Jack wouldn't see it. She had ideas for the sketch for their home but was still working on figuring it out. Each evening they would end up in each other's arms. Many of those evening would end up with them making love. On the nights they didn't, they would still consider those nights as intimate evenings together. They would hold each other and discuss whatever was going on in their lives. For both of them, this was perfect, and they wouldn't change a thing.

…

With one week left of school, Jack wanted to plan something special for Elziabeth. He knew how hard she worked, and how much of herself she put into her students each day. He wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her. She did so many things and she needed to be pampered.

After thinking about it for a few days, he had decided to send her away for a weekend with her friends. He would plan the where and make arrangements but would let the ladies decide on what they were going to do. He wanted it to be a surprise for Elizabeth. He found a beautiful little town about an hour and a half drive away with nice shopping, a museum, and hiking trails. The ladies would have plenty of activities to choose from.

He already made plans with Julie, Viola, Abagail, Charlette, Grace, Alice, and Beth to go with Elizabeth. Grace would fly into Hope Valley the day before they would leave but stay with Charlette so Elizabeth wouldn't know. Grace was grateful to be included. She cried as Jack described his plans.

The plans were simple. He rented a spacious log cabin just on the outside of town. The semi private, nine bedroom cabin sat on a body of water just a ten minute drive to Baxton. Baxton was a nice little tourist town with plenty of activities for the ladies. While the women knew the time they would leave, they did not know where they were going. Jack used his resources within the police department to have plenty of brochures delivered so they could choose things to do on the way to the cabin.

Jack felt a little dishonest making these arrangements without sharing it with Elizabeth. He thought she would love the lady's trip, but he didn't like keeping secrets from her. He promised himself to ask for forgiveness when he told her about it. He was going to wait to tell her the morning they were scheduled to leave. He wanted it to be a complete surprise. He was hoping she would like it.

…

"Alright Jack, what are we going to do?" Asked Frank with Tom's nodding his approval.

"We will have a weekend to ourselves too. Maybe we can get all the guys together and go to a baseball game. There is a triple A team about forty five minutes from here. They have a game next weekend. Henry could come with us."

"That sounds perfect." Frank said.

"Yes, we can leave early and eat out before the game." Tom added.

"See, it will be great."

The men laughed knowing they were going to have a good time.

…

On the morning of the last day of school, Jack leaned over and kissed Elizabeth on the lips gently to wake her. After the third kiss, she finally began to stir. As much as he tried, he could not make Elizabeth a morning person.

"Bella, it's time to wake up. It's your last day of school."

"Bumblebee, what are you doing?"

"Bumblebee…I thought you forgot about that nickname?"

"Never." She giggled. "I was just holding onto it." She stretched and finally opened her eyes. She was expecting another kiss, but Jack stood up.

Jack shook his head. He was hoping she would forget about it.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked before he took a step. "I was expecting a good morning kiss."

"I think you lost that right with that nickname." He sassed.

"Oh…really…" She loved it when they would play this little silly game. It kept them close and added a lot of laughter to their relationship.

"Yeah…Get dressed and we will go to Abagail's for breakfast. I will need you to deliver something for me."

"Jack! Jack!" She pleaded as he began to walk out of the room.

He wiped the smile from his face before turning around.

When he did, she knew she had him where she wanted him. She smiled at him and locked eyes. She fluttered her eyes and tilted her head a little before she spoke. "Jack, may I please have a good morning kiss?"

When he lowered his head, she smiled a victorious smile, but wiped it away before he looked up. In their brief time of being married, she knew she had him. He couldn't say no to her eyes and smile.

"Please…" She pouted.

"Good…grief…woman. How can you have so much power over me?" He let out a small laugh.

She smiled again and opened her arms for an embrace. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. He gave her a mischievous smile before giving her a kiss that would knock her socks off. He gently laid her back onto the bed and followed her. He never broke the kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her body closer. He placed his right hand on the back of her neck, driving the kiss deeper. She immediately opened her lips inviting him to deepen the kiss.

She was instantly lost in her husband. She realized a long time ago that Jack Thorton knew how to kiss her and kiss her well. She would never grow tired of his kisses. Elizabeth reached up with her right hand and took some hair on the back of Jack's head into her fingers. He secretly loved when she did that. He didn't know she knew that little fact. Before the kiss went too intimate. Jack broke free and moved to a couple of inched from her face.

"Bellissima, we need to get moving." With that, he gave her a kiss on the tip of her nose. He stood up, winked at her and offered her a smile. On his way out the door, she realized he was actually leaving her there.

"Thomas Jack Thorton!" She exclaimed in a scary teacher voice. "Where do you think you are going?"

Jack turned around with that look that she loved and hated at the same time. It was the face he gave her when he thought he won.

"Sweetheart, we don't have time. You will be late."

"Jack! You can't do that to me and then leave. That's not fair!" She pouted.

"Then you should have woken up earlier." With that statement, he winked at her again and offered her a dimpled smile. He turned to walk out of the bedroom.

She huffed and then she grabbed her pillow and threw it in Jack's direction. He chuckled when the pillow hit his back. "Let's go, Bella or we'll be late." He stated but never turned around.

She huffed as she took her first step. "He may be right…but he will pay for this later."

…

Elizabeth's day was good, after all, it was the last day of school. She gave the kids extra time outside to play and enjoy the sunshine. It was a perfect day. Many of the other teachers did the same thing knowing they would not get any work done. The kids enjoyed playing with other friends that were in other grades. The playground was fun and loud.

Elizabeth was talking with a friend who taught fourth grade, Mr. John Adams. John was an older gentleman who just enjoyed the life of a grandfather. He and Elizabeth were immediate friends when he moved to Hope Valley last year.

"How is married life for you, Elizabeth?"

"Oh, John. I wouldn't trade anything in this world for it. Jack is so wonderful."

"I haven't really met him yet. Just the one time in the hallway, but everyone who knows him thinks the world of him, except for Darren."

"Yeah. Darren was upset with me but took it out on Jack."

John laughed. "Was he mad that you wouldn't go out with him?"

"Yes he was."

"The way he tells it is that he broke it off with you."

"He said what?"

"Don't worry about it Elizabeth. Not one person here believes anything he says. We all know he is lying."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth spent the next ten minutes explaining everything that happened with Darren before her wedding.

"I knew there had to be something that happened. We all saw how he would follow you around like a lost puppy dog and then he stopped one day."

"Yeah, SRO Henry really stepped in and handled the situation very professionally."

They enjoyed the next thirty minutes just discussing life and laughing at the kids. Before both knew it, two other teachers joined them on the bench. She couldn't remember having so much fun with the other teachers. She didn't realize that Darren was standing behind them listening to their conversation.

"Elizabeth, how is married life treating you?" Asked a sixth grade teacher, Joann.

"It's absolutely great. I couldn't imagine life could be any better."

Darren let out a small huff. While he has kept his distance with Elizabeth since their discussion in her classroom, he hasn't given up hope with them getting together at some point.

"That sounds intriguing." Joann was fishing for more information.

"If I knew marriage could be this great, I would have married Jack years ago." She laughed.

Darren began to step forward to say something when he noticed SRO Henry standing about twenty feet way with an interested look. While Elizabeth was a little lenient in their last talk, SRO Henry was not so lenient when he spoke with Darren the next day in his office. SRO Henry all but threatened him with arrest and jail time at the first word spoken to Elizabeth that wasn't school related. Darren was warned with all the evidence against him.

Darren huffed a long sigh as he turned his attention to his students.

Ms. Florence walked outside with a large bouquet of daises. They were so large no one could see that it was Ms. Florence except when she would lean to the right of the flowers so she would not trip over anything.

"Mrs. Thorton, I have a delivery for you."

"I can see that." Elizabeth blushed. When she took the flowers, she had to sit them on the ground in front of her because they were too big to hold. Ms. Florence handed her the note that was delivered with the flowers.

She opened the envelope, Hermosa, I hope you have a great last day of school. Summer will be great this year together. There are cookies waiting for you and your class along with milk in your classroom.

She didn't notice that she read it out loud. All the ladies giggled at the gesture. "I can't believe he did that?" Mentioned one of the teachers standing close by.

"Oh, he does things like this constantly." Elizabeth blushed bright red thinking of all the things he did for her.

She gathered her students the last hour of the school day and took them inside to enjoy the cookies and milk from Jack. She became a little distracted and forgot to text Jack to thank him for everything.

…

Jack's day was good, but a little exhausting. He was taking off work a couple of hours early because he wanted to go by the clothing store to pick up something for Elizabeth to take on her trip with the ladies. Grace had texted Jack to let him know she arrived at the airport and Charlette was there to pick her up. They promised to stay at Charlette's house for the evening so Elizabeth wouldn't see her. Jack's plan was coming together nicely, and he was excited for Elizabeth to enjoy some time with the most important women in her life.

After picking up some nice hiking boots for his bride and a couple of outfits for hiking, he placed the bag in the back seat of his truck and felt his phone buzz. He was a little shocked to see that Ms. Florence texted him.

F – Jack, the wild flowers you had delivered to me was beyond gorgeous. Thank you for your generous gift. Elizabeth loved her flowers too.

J – You are welcome. Thank you for everything you have done for me

F – My pleasure

J – Have a great summer

He smiled at his friend's joy over her flowers but was a little surprised he didn't receive a text from Elizabeth.

…

In her joy for the end of the day, Elizabeth rushed to her classroom immediately following her last student getting on the school bus. She was looking forward to the day being over. With that thought, she rushed around her class room gathering everything she had to get together to leave. In her rush, she forgot the large bouquet of flowers sitting in the middle of her desk. On the way to her car, she felt like she was forgetting something, but quickly dismissed the thought.

She ran home and placed everything on the kitchen table. She was to meet Beth at her house for tea to celebrate the end of the school year. She texted Jack to let him know that she placed all of her stuff from school on the kitchen table and would deal with it all when she would be home later today.

Twenty minutes after Elizabeth left the apartment, Jack walked into the kitchen and noticed a huge pile of stuff on the table. He noticed quickly that the flowers were not in the pile of stuff. He began to wonder if she didn't like the flowers and was that why she left them at school.

J – Don't forget sweetheart, we are having dinner with Frank and Abagail tonight.

Jack waited for a few minutes but did not receive a text from Elizabeth. So, he walked into the bedroom and started to pack all the things he could for her long weekend. He packed everything except Elizabeth's bathroom things. He figured she would need them tonight and in the morning. That would be the thing she could pack for herself.

He packed the hiking boots along with three athletic outfits. Sleeping clothes and some casual outfits to walk around town and shop in. He also packed two lounge outfits to sit around the cabin in and some sleepwear. He decided to pack two nice outfits in case the ladies decided to go out to eat. He was hoping he covered all the bases. If I forgot something, they could pick it up while they are there. He thought to himself. He wasn't about to pack the bathroom things but did sit out a bag for her.

After finishing up everything, he looked at his phone. Still no text from Elizabeth and it was forty five minutes to meet with Frank and Abagail for dinner. Jack guessed his wife decided to meet them at the restaurant instead of riding together. He cleaned himself up and changed his clothes to head to the Italian restaurant.

…

Julie met Elizabeth at Beth's house to look over the living room and kitchen. She wanted Julie and Beth's opinion on what she wanted to do. She brought color cards to see what would look the best for each room. When she arrived at Beth's house, Julie and Beth were already sitting on the front porch enjoying tea and cookies.

"Hey sis, how was the last day of school?" Julie asked as Elizabeth walked onto the porch and took a seat.

"It was great." She said just before biting into a cookie.

"That's great to hear." Beth stated. "The last day was always fun."

"Yes. It was."

The ladies talked for thirty minutes while enjoying tea and Beth's famous chocolate chip cookies.

"Beth, you must teach me to make these. They are the best cookies I have ever eaten." Julie gushed as she took another bite.

"It's easy. Elizabeth got them perfect the first time she made them." Beth said proudly.

"Alright ladies. Let's look at the things I brought and make some decisions."

As they walked into the house, Elizabeth noticed a suitcase sitting by the bedroom door just off the kitchen. "Beth, are you leaving on a trip?"

Beth gasped as she looked at Julie. She had forgotten about the suitcase sitting there. She was always an early packer.

"No, dear. I was going through my closet preparing for the move and was gathering some things to take to a women's shelter." She hoped Elizabeth bought her story.

"Oh, that's a great thing to do."

The ladies spent the next two and a half hours walking through the kitchen and living room discussing ideas. Elizabeth taped color cards in each of the rooms to get a better idea of what colors would look nice. She also decided to add an island in the kitchen to give more prep room while making dinner. She didn't want to replace the hard wood floors in the living room or the tile floors in the kitchen. They were beautiful and she loved them. While discussing appliances, she heard her phone buzz but decided not to answer it.

…

"I'm not sure what is happening. She isn't answering any texts of phone calls." A dejected Jack stated.

Frank, Abagail, and him were getting a little anxious about Elizabeth's absence. She was already over forty five minutes late for their date without any notice. Jack became so worried he called Bill to see if there were any reports of an accident.

"Jack don't worry. Bill said there were no accidents. I bet she just forgot about the plans."

"I guess, but…"

"But what, Jack?" Frank asked.

"She seems different lately."

"How so?" Abagail asked.

"Well, when was the last time you have known Elizabeth to miss something like this without letting me or you know that something else came up?"

Abagail thought for a moment. Elizabeth has never done this before. This made her worry a little. "I haven't known her to do this."

"Right. I sent flowers to her today and she hasn't even mentioned it."

"She hasn't?" This shocked Abagail. Elizabeth always gushed over Jack's gifts, especially the flowers.

"She didn't even bring them home from school. I received a text from Ms. Florence thanking me for her flowers and she said that she delivered Elziabeth's flowers to her."

"What?! She didn't bring them home?"

"Yeah," a dejected Jack stated. "There is a huge pile of things from school she brought home and the flowers were not there. She won't be going back to school for a few weeks to get her classroom decorated for the next school year. Why would she leave them there?"

Abagail shot Frank a worried look. They both knew something was off. "Jack, I wouldn't worry too much about this." Frank offered.

Jack nodded his head.

"She loves you, Jack. You must know that."

"I do know that. I just thought we would live in the honeymoon phase of our marriage for a little longer than a couple of months." He offered a half smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I struggle to find ways to tell her I love her without using words…" He paused. "I don't think it means as much as it used too."

When they finished their meal, Abagail excused herself to the bathroom. After stepping through the door, she pulled out her phone and called Elizabeth. There was no answer. She sent a text and there was no response. Then, she called Julie.

Julie felt her phone buzz and looked at the screen and was a little surprised to see Abagail calling.

"Hey, what's up?" Julie answered.

"Julie, do you know where Elizabeth is?"

Julie couldn't hear Abagail very well because Beth and Elizabeth were laughing at a story Beth was sharing about her late husband.

After walking into the living room, Julie asked Abagail to repeat herself.

"Julie, do you know where Elizabeth is?"

"Sure, she is here with me and Beth. We are looking at some ideas of the living room and kitchen."

"Has she been there the whole evening?"

"Yes. I think she went to her apartment for a few minutes after school, but other than that, she has been here. We had snacks and have been discussing the house."

"Don't let her know this is me. I am on my way over. Whatever you do, do not let her leave."

"Ok…I don't think she is planning on leaving. We just ordered a pizza, and it should be here in about thirty minutes."

Abagail was fuming. She didn't even say goodbye to Julie. She just hung up the phone and stormed her way to the table where Jack and Frank were sitting.

"Excuse me gentleman. I need to head out. Jack, it has been great eating with you. Don't worry about Elizabeth. I'm sure everything is fine. Sweetheart, I will meet you at home."

Abagail's tone was different. It was determined with a little bit of frustration and anger.

Frank knew something was up. "Ok sweetheart. I will see you at home in a little while. Jack and I may go out for a little bit."

"Thanks Frank, but I think I just want to go home." Jack looked up and noticed that Frank wasn't giving him an option.

"Great." Abagail stated. She gave Frank a hug and a light kiss on his lips and gave Jack a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned and stormed out of the restaurant.

"I don't think I would want to be whomever she is looking for when she finds them." Laughed Jack.

"Jack, I always thought you were a smart man." Frank laughed and patted Jack on the shoulder. "Now, let's go play some darts."

…

Abagail stormed up the sidewalk to Beth's home. The walk did not help her calm down. Actually, the more she thought about the evening, the more frustrated she became. When she walked on the porch of Beth's house, she just reached for the door handle and opened the door without even knocking. All the ladies turned their heads toward the front door and saw Abagail standing there. She was looking over the house looking for her little sis.

"Elizabeth…Marie…Thorton…There you are!" She exclaimed. Looking directly at Elizabeth.

At that moment, Elizabeth gasped. It hit her that she missed the dinner plans. "Abagail…"

An angry Abagail shut her down before she was able to continue. "Be quiet, Elizabeth!"

Julie looked at Abagail then looked away. She softly said, "Her expression is worse than father's when he found out I wrecked the car when I didn't have permission to be driving it."

Abagail turned toward Beth. "Ms. Wilson, I am sorry I barged into you home. Please forgive me."

Beth nodded. She was a little intimated by Abagail's demeanor. Abagail turned toward Elizabeth. "Get your boney butt outside…now!" She stated with a loud and determined voice.

Elizabeth began to open her mouth but was again stopped with Abagail's command. "Outside!...Now!..."