Chapter 5

"Soooo, I heard that Mr. Gav—, I mean Mat is gonna ask you out to the festival tonight!" Chloe said excitedly as Elizabeth and her left the restaurant.

"Really? Then maybe you also heard that I will be saying no… again."

"What? He's a wonderful man Izzy! He's sooo dreamy! And sweet, and adorable, and—"

"If you like him so much then why don't you ask him?" Elizabeth asked sarcastically.

"That's absur—, actually that isn't a half bad idea!"

"Chloe!"

"What?"

"Chloe he's scum! Sure he'll go with you one night, maybe two and then leave you for the next wench who catches his eye!"

"I—, that is not true! He is an honest man."

"He is not. Besides I'm already taken!" Elizabeth said happily pointing to her ring and skipping along.

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Oh right, hoooow could I forget? You're dear William, Captain at large. You haven't even told me what his ship is called! If he loves you sooo much then why is he not here? Why haven't I met him? Will I ever meet him?"

Elizabeth didn't know what to say, she couldn't tell Chloe about everything. She loved Chloe with all her heart but she couldn't trust her. Chloe was a bit of a loud mouth if you know what I mean.

"Next week!" Elizabeth said skipping off.

"What?" Chloe asked excitedly following her.

"He's coming home!"

"He?... You mean…. Get back here! I need details!" Chloe said running after her.

"Oh Chloe I can't wait to see him! To hold him in my arms! To feel the warmth of his wonderful body! And he'll finally get to meet is son!" Elizabeth said prancing around.

Chloe caught up to her and nudged her arm, "Ya need me to watch the little one for the night?" she said jokingly.

"Nooooo!" Elizabeth laughed as they reached Elizabeth's house and ran in.

"Uh-huh right. We shall see about that one!" Chloe laughed sitting down on the chair in the small living room, Elizabeth sat on he coach.

"Oh Chloe, you'll loovvveee him! He's gorgeous! He's perfect in every way inside and out and—"

"So what will Mat think of him?" Chloe joked, "Or even better, what will he think of Mat?"

"Weeellll, before or after I tell Will of all the antagonizing things Mat has put me through," Elizabeth laughed.

There was a knock on the door.

"Oh it's Will, don't say anything about… him, okay?" Elizabeth said waltzing over to the door. She opened it to find will but no Ms. Eperson.

"Will, where's Ms. Epers—, Joey! What are you doing here?" she said hugging Joey and then hugging Will.

"Well, Ms. Eperson got sick, so se wasn't able to pick Will here up today. She was in the shop and about to call your work but I told her that I would take care of it. I didn't want you to have to worry," he said sweetly as Will ran into the house leaving the two of them outside. Elizabeth closed the door so they could talk.

"You didn't have to do that," she said sweetly.

"Yes I did, I couldn't let something like that ruin your day at work, I know how much his safety means to you and didn't want you to ever even worry about it."

"Well, thank you. He loves going to the shop, he always comes home telling me how 'Uncle Joey let me do this and Uncle Joey let me do that' he adores you!"

"Ha-ha, I'm glad I can be a good influence on him, what will his father think of that?"

"He'll probably thank you for keeping him off the streets and out of trouble all these years," she laughed.

He laughed a little bit as he saw Will playing in the corner of his eye through the window, "Does he know?"

"About what?"

Joey looked at her seriously, she knew what he meant. "No, not yet. I was going to surprise him. I didn't want him to be let down if for some odd reason he didn't show up."

"He'll come, he loves you. I can only hope he knows how lucky he is to a girl like you as his wife… he'll be here. He knows about what you have gone through over the past few years since his father has been paying visits. If he doesn't show, then maybe he is truly heartless."

"Joey?"

"I'm sorry, I just meant that if someone could make someone go through what you and Will have gone through all to leave you hanging at the end, then they don't deserve you both."

There was silence between them.

"Joey I—"

"No, stop. I know how much you love him and for that I respect all three of you. If you ever need a friend, you know where to find me," Joey said smiling sweetly.

"But I—"

"Goodnight Elizabeth, I'll see you tomorrow mourning, I'll have the bread ready in case you're running late again," he smiled and began to go down from the porch and onto the street.

"Joey, I don't know anymore."

"You don't know what?"

"If I love him, it's been so long. I don't know if I can love him anymore. Its came to the point where I have started to move on while I wonder if he already has."

"You love him, I know you do. The way you say his name, the way you light up when you're speaking about him. In four short days you'll hold him again, and it will all rush back to you."

They stared at each other for a moment but then Joey walked down the hill and to the store.

Elizabeth stood there at the porch, thinking, her mid mind racing with thoughts of her husband wondering if he had stayed true to her.

Chloe came out of the door and onto the porch, "I'm gonna head on home, tell me if anything happens."

"Well Joey left for the night so he wont be back—"

"I meant with Mat!" she joked, "He's supposed to show up here tonight, remember? Geeze what did you think I was implying?"

"Sorry," Elizabeth laughed, "You'll be the first to know of my declination to him."

"But what was that? Where you thinking about him?" Chloe laughed.

"Who?" Elizabeth asked innocently.

"Joey? Noooo! He's one of my best friends!" Elizabeth said trying to laugh.

"Ohhhh, I see. A friend with benefits so to speak," Chloe joked.

Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears, "Chloe! I think someone slipped you a few drinks tonight, eh?"

"Uh-huh, I'll just be running along by me lonesome, with no Mat, or Will, or Joey to hold me tight and protect me," she teased as she left.

"Go ask him already! You know you want to!" Elizabeth teased as Chloe went out of sight down the street.

Elizabeth sneaked inside to find Will asleep on the couch clutching his toy boat in his arms. Elizabeth glided over to him and gave him a kiss on the check as she covered him with the blanket.