Chapter 72
"Hello Grace. It's nice to hear from you." Answered Jack.
"Oh…good morning Jack. I'm sorry, I thought I called Elizabeth's phone."
"You did. She handed the phone to me."
"So, she's hiding from her mother." Laughed Grace.
"It seems that way." Smirked Jack.
Elizabeth glared at his words. Under her breath, "How in the world could she hear about this? We just got off the phone with mom."
"Grace. Yes, Grace. We found out a few days ago. We were just trying to get used to the news ourselves. We didn't try to hide it from everyone. We just wanted to live with the news for ourselves for a couple of days. I promise we were going to tell everyone soon." Jack was answering the questions as quickly as Grace was asking them.
Jack looked at his wife and mouthed, "You owe me!"
Elizbeth chuckled and nodded her head. She was grateful Jack was talking to her mother. She wasn't ready for all the questions her mother would ask.
"One moment, Grace." When Elizabeth wasn't paying attention, he placed her phone in her hand. "It's your turn now."
"Jack Thorton!" She exclaimed under her breath. Jack just laughed at her expression and moved to pick up his phone.
Elizabeth spent the next few minutes defending their decision to not tell anyone for a few days. Finally, her mother was grasping their reasoning for not telling people.
"I understand Elizabeth, but I wished you would have told us instead of the lady at the grocery store."
"The lady at the grocery store? How in the world would she know?"
"Her younger sister's best friend has a sister who lives in Hope Valley."
"Mother, that doesn't make any sense to me." Elizabeth shook her head in amazement at how fast the news traveled. "Yes, mother. We are having twins. The doctor said that everything is going well. No restrictions and I am doing fine."
"How is your morning sickness, dear?"
"That has been a struggle for now. I'm sick in the mornings and then again in the afternoons. Jack told the babies this morning to take it easy on me and not to make me sick today." She laughed at her husband's antics this morning.
Grace laughed. "Maybe they will listen to him. With my pregnancies, ginger tea and saltines worked wonders for me. Sometimes dry toast as long as it wasn't too burned worked too."
"The same for me. Ginger tea isn't my favorite, but it works the best."
Elizabeth sat in Jack's office for the next twenty minutes talking with her mother about pregnancy issues. Grace shared with her middle daughter about issues she will deal with in the future. Elizabeth was grateful for the advice. Jack excused himself a couple of times to deal with issues that popped up.
One of those issues was Lawrence Jones. He came on Jack's radar a few weeks ago, but hasn't really done anything since. Jack was wondering if Lawrence was buying his time or if he moved on. His hopes of Lawrence moving on was thrown out the window when he received a report with Lawrence's name on it.
The report dealt with a moving car violation that resulted in the arrest of the driver. The driver, who was hoping for an easy jail sentence from the drugs that was in the car, told the young officer about Lawrence. Lawrence was in charge of the drug shipments now and was looking to grow his small business.
Along with that, Jack had scheduled two interviews today with potential replacements for the detective position. He was wanting to fill that position quickly. Now with the Lawrence problem popping up, he wanted to even quicker than before.
Jack walked into his office when Elizabeth ended the call with her mother. She had a large smile on her face but was also wiping a tear from her cheek.
"Hermosa, are you ok? What's wrong?"
"Nothing Jack. Everything is fine."
"Eliz-a-beth…" He began.
"Jack, be careful saying my name that way." She smirked at him with seductive eyes.
"I know something in wrong sweetheart. I know you. Did your mother say something that upset you?"
Elizabeth continued to wipe the tears away, but the smile grew even more. "We talked about the pregnancy. She was sharing some insights about what will be coming my way soon."
Jack smiled. Her emotions were running all over the spectrum and he knew her talk with her mother touched her heart. He gave her a dimpled grin and walked toward her. He stood in front of her with the smile and his arms wide open. She wiped the last tear and stood in his embrace. Jack wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the top of her head when she placed it on his chest.
"I love you." He stated.
"I love you."
"I'm grateful you have such a great support system. Your mother and ma will be so willing to help."
"Yes. I am grateful. Hey, do we have any plans this evening?"
"No. I have some things here at work but nothing this evening."
"Well, don't make any. Be home by six." She stated. She leaned back in his embrace and batted her eyes at her husband. With that, she kissed him and then left the office.
Jack stood by his desk wondering what in the world just happened. Just two seconds ago, he was holding his wife and now he was standing by himself in the middle of his office. She didn't even say goodbye after the kiss.
…
His phone rang bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Hello, Detective Thorton."
"Jack, it's Emma. I have emailed you the two resumes with cover letters for your two interviews today. The first one will be in at eleven and the second one will be in at one. Each interview should last forty five minutes. Take ten minutes after the interview to write down your initial thoughts. If you are not interested in any of the two, we will get the next round of interviews scheduled."
"Emma, what are you doing? You haven't even started yet. You're still in Oklahoma City."
"I know, but I am excited, and I couldn't wait. The Chief's assistant emailed me some things I needed to know, and she passed along this information. I thought I would get a jump on things. Now, your schedule is also in the email's attachment list. You have five attachments. Make sure you read the resumes and cover letters before you meet with them. That will help the interview go better and faster."
"Emma, there are a few things I have done correctly in my life, hiring you as my assist is one of them. Thank you for your help."
"Jack, you are more than welcome. Now, let's talk about a few things you would like for me to do."
"Well, I guess there are two things I would like for you to do at all costs."
"Ok, go ahead."
"First, your job is to keep me out of trouble. Make sure I have the things I need to have and make sure I'm up on stuff that I need to know."
"So, basically, I need to have your back."
"Absolutely."
"No problem."
"Secondly, Elizabeth always has full access. If possible, she does not wait on the phone or in the office. I understand there will be times when emergencies pop up, but her waiting should be rare."
"I understand."
"I hope you two will become close."
"We have already talked a few times."
"You have?" Asked a confused Jack.
"Yes, she is your wife and I wanted her to be comfortable with me working with you."
"Thank you, Emma. That was very kind of you."
"Also, if you don't mind, please make sure I am not neglecting her because of my job."
"I don't think you will have that problem."
They talked on the phone for a few more minutes discussing the job and Emma and her husband's move. Emma was excited about the move and the new job. She and Jack always got along fine together.
Jack now understood what Bill meant when he said his assistant would be his best hire. Emma was already on top of everything, and she hasn't even started yet.
…
Vi and James were sitting at lunch after signing his loan papers.
"Thank you for approving the loan."
"James, it was a no brainer. It's the easiest loan I will ever do."
"That's kind of you so say."
"James, your business is going very well and expanding. You are doing well for yourself."
"Thank you."
"I will have to pass it along to someone else though."
James looked at her confused. He didn't understand why she would do that. She saw the confused and hurt expression on his face.
"Well, I can't manage a loan of someone I am dating."
"We're dating?" He asked in a hopeful tone.
Vi saw the excitement in his eyes and that made her excited too. "Well, I would say so, and I was hoping you would ask me out on a real date."
"Viloa, would you please do me the honor of spending time with me this evening?"
"I would love that."
"Great. Two dates in one day…this has turned into a special day for me."
…
Elizabeth was at the grocery store when she realized that she actually didn't tell Jack goodbye. She sent him their text, 831. She rounded the corner of the aisle and ran into John Henry.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Henry. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing."
"You must have been texting Jack."
"Well, yes. How did you know that?"
"Your eyes shine with excitement when you are concentrating on him."
Elizabeth blushed.
"Don't be embarrassed, Mrs. Thorton. Being in love with your soulmate is a special thing and should be evident for all to see."
She nodded her head.
"I am looking forward to working with Detective Thorton in the next few weeks. I have a meeting with him later this week."
"He is looking forward to working with you as well."
"He has great plans for the children at school. I'm excited about the programs he wants to start for the kids."
"Me too."
They spent a good ten minutes standing in aisle nine of the grocery store just talking and catching up on each other's lives. Elizabeth was surprised that John knew about the twins. They were always friendly to each other, but now they were becoming friends. His work and future work with Jack, along with his help with Darren, had brought them together as friends.
"Mr. Henry, I hate to cut this short, but I need to get going. I have a few more errands to run after this and I need to have them accomplished."
"Mrs. Thorton, I hope you have a great day."
…
Elizabeth noticed the time. She was a little shocked to realize it was lunch time. Then she noticed, she wasn't sick. How is that possible? She thought. Today was the first day she wasn't sick at lunch time in a few days. She took advantage of it and text Charlette to see if she would like to meet for lunch.
Charlette walked into the café thirty minutes later and noticed Elizabeth sitting at the counter. After a hug, Charlette sat down with Elizabeth.
"Hello my dear. How are you feeling?"
"I feel pretty good. Today is the first day I've not been sick at lunch for a while and thought we could take advantage of it."
"Thank you for calling me. I'm excited to spend some time with you today. How is today any different. What did you do? Maybe you should remember it that way you can do it again."
"I've eaten the same things. I haven't done anything…" She trailed off thinking what Jack did this morning.
Charlette looked at her daughter wondering what was going on.
"It couldn't be?" Elizabeth stated slowly and under a whisper.
"Couldn't be what dear?"
"If this is true, Jack is going to be hard to live with." She laughed.
Elizabeth shared with Charlette what Jack did this morning in telling the babies to take it easy on her and not make her sick.
"Oh, Elizabeth, I don't think that is even possible…is it?" Wondered Charlette.
Both ladies sat silently for a moment. They were actually wondering if this could even be a possibility.
"Well dear, if I were you, I wouldn't tell him this. He would never let you live it down."
"Oh, I know. He is already going to have too much fun in aggravating me about telling the secret about the twins after I gave him so much grief about telling everyone about the pregnancy."
Charlette laughed. "Tell me the truth, did he really tell that woman at the gas station?"
"Oh, mom. He most certainly did. She knocked on my window and told me congratulations. He also told the manager at the grocery store."
"The new one?"
"Yes, and the old one." They both laughed.
"He is so excited about the pregnancy he just couldn't help himself."
"I'm grateful he is so excited about becoming a father."
"Me too."
Elizabeth noticed a sad look on her mom's face. After a couple of seconds of silence, Elizabeth asked what was wrong.
"I was just thinking about Tom. He would have been a great grandpa. He would have absolutely spoiled his grandchildren." Charlette stated with a sadness in her voice.
"Yes, he would have spoiled them very much." Elizabeth matched her sadness.
"I'm sorry, dear. This is supposed to be a great time in your life and here I am making you sad."
"Mom, you are not making me sad. The truth that Officer T won't be around is making me sad. I remember how he was around me. I do think you are right. He would have loved his grandchildren with every ounce of who he is."
Charlette reached over and took Elizabeth's hand.
"Mom, how are things with Adam?"
…
Jack just stepped out of the conference room along with Joseph. The interview was ok, but not great. Joseph had a few good points, but it wasn't the feeling of cooperation he was hoping for. His cell phone rung and he noticed Emma's face on the screen.
"Hello."
"Hey, Chief."
"It's not Chief yet, and please don't call me that."
"Ok, Chief. How was the interview?"
"You know, Bill was right."
"About what?"
"That hiring an assistant would be the most important hire I will ever do at this job."
"Well, I hope you are happy with your hire?"
"I already am. What's up?"
"I wanted your thoughts on the interview."
"Really?"
"Yes, did you make the notes I asked?"
"No, but I just finished the interview."
"Would you have taken the time to make the notes I asked?"
"Emma…"
"Don't Emma me, Jack. You need to keep notes so you can handle all the information you will be facing. It's just too much for one person to retain by themselves. I knew you wasn't going to make the notes, so that's why I am calling."
Jack laughed at his friend. She was a great hire. She was right. He wouldn't have taken notes on this. He was used to focusing on one case at a time. Now, he will be handling many things at once. He sighed knowing Emma was right. He needed to step up his game on note taking. He was grateful Emma was his assistant.
"You're right."
"Jack, always remember that and things will be better. Now, what are your thoughts?"
Jack shared with her about his feelings and thoughts on Joseph. He was impressive, but didn't feel that he would be a good fit. He had his opinion and didn't really care for Jack's thoughts. "My first impression is no, but let's not take him completely off the list."
"Will do Jack. Hey, do you have a moment?"
"What's up, Emma."
"Jack, I'm doing what I think you need. If for any reason you don't think I'm doing it right or would like for me to do it differently, please don't hesitate to tell me. My role as you assistant is to assist you."
"Emma, we have always worked well together when I was in town. I think you are doing a good job so far. Now, you know me, if I need corrected, please correct me. I want to do the best for the town of Hope Valley that I can."
"Jack, I think we will have a good working relationship. Now, what can I do to help with Elizabeth."
"Nothing. Elizabeth is all my responsibility. You will never run out to purchase a gift for her from me and you are not responsible to remind me of my anniversary. You are my assistant at work, not at my house. Plus, I don't want a servant. You are not to fetch me a cup of coffee. If you are getting yourself one, then maybe you can get me one. My job is for me to do the best for Hope Valley I can and your job is to help me do my job. We are a team in this."
Emma smiled as he laid out his desires for her job duties. She was grateful for Jack and what he wanted from her as his assistant. All of those things sounded perfect to her.
"Remember, Chief, your next interview will be right after lunch. I will talk to you after the interview. Make sure you read the packet on him. He sounds promising."
"It's not Chief!" He stated as the phone line went dead. He sat down at his desk and started reading the interview with the driver that was arrest who spoke of Lawrence.
…
"Things with Adam are great."
Elizabet stared at her mom for a moment. "Ok…out with it!"
Charlette huffed. "You know, it's infuriating when Jack does that!"
"I know. It really is isn't it?" Elizabeth laughed.
"It's also infuriating when you do it." Charlette smirked.
Elizabeth leaned closer to her mom and kissed her on the cheek. "What's going on?"
"Well, you have to keep this confidence between us."
"Deal."
"We are engaged to be married."
"Really? That's great mom."
"Thank you."
"Why are you keeping it a secret?"
"Well, we aren't really. We were doing to say something the other day…" She trailed off.
"But?"
"When we had the family dinner, we were going to tell but you and Jack gave us the best news possible."
"Oh, mom. I'm sorry to steal your moment."
"Are you kidding me? You gave me the best news possible. I was so excited to hear about your news that I forgot about our news."
Elizabeth smiled knowing Charlette was as excited as she was about the pregnancy. "You need to tell Jack and Tom about the wedding."
"We plan to tomorrow.
"When are you getting married?"
"Soon, but we haven't set a date yet."
…
Tom walked into another store to meet with his staff. He just ended the call with Julie. When he was traveling and if she wasn't at work, they would talk on the phone. They were missing each other and talking on the phone was all they had. He was meet at the front of the store by the store manager. Their sales were up, and the employees were happy as a result, everyone was happy. This was becoming a normal meeting for Tom.
"Good morning, Sandra. I hope all is well with you?"
"Everything is going well. You?"
"Doing great. Ready to go back home though." He gave the middle aged woman a smile.
"How many more days do you have on the road?"
"Three, then I go home to Julie."
Sandra smiled. She knew Tom just married and this was his first trip since their wedding. "I bet you are. It will get easier but never easy. At least you will only be gone a week or less each time."
"Yeah…that does help."
"Well, everything here is going well. Sales are up and people are happy. This should go quickly. Let's get this done and you can maybe get back a little earlier." She gave him a knowing smile.
…
Julie walked into the café and noticed her sister and mother-in-law sitting in the corner booth. Juile wasn't her usual happy self. She was missing her husband. Elizabeth looked up and smiled at her younger sister. She waved for his sister to sit with them. Julie gave a small, forced smile as she began to walk over to the table.
As Julie walked to the table, she gave Elizabeth and Charlette a soft kiss on the cheek and a hug.
"What's wrong Julie?"
"I'm just missing Tom."
Elizabeth and Charlette gave knowing smiles. "I understand." They stated together.
"Who would ever imagine you would pine over a boy?" Giggled Elizabeth.
"I know, but it's horrible. How is it possible to miss someone so much?"
"It's called true love dear." Charlette patted Julie on the leg.
"Yeah."
"At least he will be home in a couple of days. It's also good he will only have to travel once a month."
"True, but that is not helping today." Wined Julie.
"Mary." Called out Elizabeth to get the waitress attention. "Death by Chocolate and three spoons please."
…
Jack sat down at his desk to look over the arrest report of the person interested in turning on Lawrence. After reading that report, his next mission was to be prepared for his next interview after lunch. Jack was hoping this process would end quickly.
The background information for the next person to interview was interesting and detailed. He had all the qualifications and was always in the top percentage of his class. His record as a police officer was outstanding. He easily passed his detective test and requirements. However, there was something off about it. He couldn't put his finger on it. Jack read his personal information and noticed that he was married but didn't have any children.
When Jack brought his hand to scratch his nose, he smelled something. What is that? Wait, is that…perfume? His thoughts were interrupted by his desk phone. When Jack picked it up, Bill's assistant informed him that the gentleman who was for the interview was here.
Jack walked up to the front and noticed a man about his age sitting in the chair by the window. The man was middle sized with black hair.
"Good afternoon, Detective Leland Coulter. I'm Jack. It's great to have you here today."
The gentleman reached for Jack's hand and gave him a firm handshake. "Good afternoon, Chief. It's great to be here. Please, call me Lee."
Jack smiled at this man. He decided to like him immediately. "It's not Chief, just Jack."
"Yes sir." Lee followed Jack through the pull pin and into his small office. The interview lasted thirty five minutes and Jack was thoroughly impressed with this man. He was intelligent and fast thinking. His thought process aligned well with Jack's. Jack thought Lee was a down to earth man who knew his job well and thought things out without getting too emotional in the process.
When the formal interview was over, Jack asked him a couple of general questions about him and his family. Lee and his wife, Rosemary, wanted a change from the big city. Well, he wanted the change from the big city. Rosemary was a city girl and knew they needed to change cities but wasn't too happy with it. Jack laughed at Lee's description of his wife.
"She takes some getting used too. She is eccentric and from a well off family, but she is kind once you break through the surface. She's a little loud. She likes to be the center of attention at a party. Once she decides to like you, you really don't have a choice in the matter. With all of that said, she really has a heart of gold."
Jack smiled at his new friend. "May I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"Is that a perfume smell on your resume?"
Lee laughed and shook his head. "I told her not to do it, but she did it without me knowing about it. It was her good luck charm." Both men laughed at her.
Lee looked at Jack and asked if he could ask a question. Jack nodded his head for Lee to continue.
"When you become chief, what's your plans for Hope Valley?"
Jack was impressed with the thoughtful question. Jack went into the programs he was beginning to install in the department and the focus he was seeking within the community and school system. It didn't take long for Lee to understand that everyone was correct. Jack was a special police officer who was great at his work. Lee knew Jack was a unique person who could have picked any profession and been the leader of it.
"Jack, I think those ideas are great and will help the community. It will take some time for them to have their full effects, but it will be life changing for many of your citizens."
"I agree it will take some time for the programs to have its full effect, but I also think it will begin to change some lives immediately. Not drastically but a change nonetheless."
"I agree, Jack." Lee thought for a few moments remembering what his boss told him that he would be lucky if he had the opportunity to work under Jack. "Jack, I know you have other interviews for this position, but I wanted to let you know that I am interested in taking this position if available." Lee stood up to shake his hand.
Jack stood to accept Lee's hand. He took a moment to look Lee in the eyes. He immediately saw what he was looking for. "Lee, you're hired. When can we expect you here?"
Lee was shocked. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. There will be a woman named Emma Walkins, she is my assistant, calling you to arrange your start date and get you all the paperwork you will need to fill out for us. Are you sure you're ok with the salary package?"
"Absolutely. It's a little more than what I am making now."
"Great. Knowing Emma, she will have some housing options for you too."
"I haven't met Emma yet."
"Well, she hasn't started yet. She is still in Oklahoma City finishing out her job there. Her and her husband are moving at the end of this week."
"She hasn't started yet and already working?"
Jack laughed. "She has been calling me all morning arranging things. She is the best." As he spoke, his phone buzzed. "That's her now."
"Hey Emma."
"Hello Chief. How did the interview go?"
"It's not Chief." Jack proclaimed again. "It went well. I hired him."
"Great. I will get all the necessary paperwork to him today by email and I will have housing options for him by tomorrow."
Jack just shook his head. She was going to be a great assistant. "Make sure you are doing your job there too."
"Don't worry about me. Now, I've sent you an attachment with information on the mentor program you want to start in the school system. Don't forget, you have an appointment with SRO John Henry and I will have some information for you then too. Have a great day, Chief. I'll call later."
"Emma, it's Jack not…" He stopped talking when he noticed she hung up the phone.
Lee laughed. "You know, she is great, and you are not going to win that argument."
"I'm starting to realize that."
…
Lunch was great with Charlette and Julie. Julie did feel better but was still missing her husband. Elizabeth excused herself. She had one more stop to make for tonight's date with Jack. She wanted it to be memorable.
Elizabeth walked into the dress shop and fingered her way through two racks of dresses and skirts. At the third rack, the second hanger she touched held a gorgeous blue dress. She pulled the hanger off the rack and placed it against her to take a quick look.
"That dress may have been made for you." Said the smiling sales clerk as she walked toward Elziabeth.
"I don't know. I do love the color."
"You have to try it on."
Elizabeth smiled at the clerk. She placed her hand on her tummy. She could tell she was getting a little bit of a tummy due to the twins. This excited her, but it also made her nervous about clothes not fitting her well. She looked at the dress again and hoped that it would fit her and would look good.
She stepped in the dressing room and tried on the dress. When she turned around and looked at herself in the mirror, her breath caught in her chest. Elizabeth always wanted to look nice, but she rarely dressed up. She had to admit that the dress fit her perfectly. Even the little baby bump fit perfect in the dress. When she turned around and noticed the back, she knew Jack would love it. The blue of the dress matched her eyes perfectly. Jack loved her eyes.
She stepped out of the dressing room with a huge smile. The sales clerk knew she had made a sale by her smile.
"I'll hold the dress for you at the counter if you want to shop a little more."
"Thank you."
She strolled around the shop looking at odds and ends when she noticed some lingerie. She was never one who would shop for lingerie. She did receive a couple of pieces from her friends at her shower that she liked. She knew Jack has enjoyed them. She hasn't tried the one from her younger sister. That was too far out of her comfort zone. She noticed a very beautiful blue set that matched her dress perfectly. She picked up the piece to examine it and realized the absolute beauty of it. The piece was exquisite. While the piece was lingerie, it was more on the modest side.
She smiled at the thought of Jack's expression when he would see it on her. She hated to spend the money on a new dress and new lingerie, but she couldn't help it. It was just a perfect combination. She was hoping that tonight was going to be perfect. She had dinner planned and everything was at their apartment. She had music downloaded on her iPad. Now, she has the perfect outfit to entice her husband for a night she was hoping both would remember.