CC Chapter 6

Denise was watching her back all evening. She kept on eye on Jacks every move and where he was at all times. Every time he caught her watching him, he would wink causing her to frown and look away.

"Worried?" He asked as he walked up behind her and draped a shawl around her shoulders, barely brushing his fingers against the skin on her arms.

"No, I'm not worried. I just don't trust you one bit." She replied with a smile.

"Oh really now. Interesting." He smiled and sat down on the top step of the porch, patting the space beside him.

"Are you set on terrorizing me?" She laughed as she finally gave in and joined him on the step.

"I am not terrorizing you. You would know it if I were." He leaned to the side and bumped shoulders with her. "Have you had time to think today?"

"Some." She answered as she watched the setting sun across the valley.

"I hear I'm a pretty good listener." He added.

"I don't know myself, how would I talk about it to you?" She asked.

"Talking helps. Just start somewhere and go from there." He pointed out the first lightning bug of the evening.

Denise wrapped the shawl tighter around her and sighed. She didn't know where to start, or even where to start talking about it. The beginning, the middle, the end? She stretched her legs out and looked up to the blinking first stars of the night.

"How long have you been married?" He asked quietly.

"Twenty years." She sighed.

"When did you start feeling lost in the world that didn't seem real anymore?" He glanced at her.

"That's where it gets tricky. I guess when my son left and my husband went back to war." She replied.

"And that guy from the bar started hitting on you." Jack leaned back and raised his eyes to the stars above.

"How…?" She started but stopped suddenly.

"You haven't felt that in a while and all of a sudden you have men falling for you and charming you and saying all the right things at the right times." Jack replied.

"And my husband listed my motorcycle for sale." She frowned.

"Well that wasn't nice to do. Pissed you off didn't it?" He laughed.

"It did piss me off. He had no right." She was getting steamed just thinking about that day.

"He didn't notice that his wife was changing." He said.

"I didn't realize I was changing." She answered. "I think it was then I realized I was going through something. I'm tired of being alone, tired of being the one to say okay dear whatever you want. I want control again."

"You got married young, left a fun adventurous life on your own, married the Army and became a wife and mother." He followed.

"I did, and when I started getting attention from Getty, I.. I don't know, it just didn't.. I didn't know what to do with how I was feeling. I never EVER had thoughts like that before ever in my marriage. Marriage is a commitment, that's how I was raised. Its like this light came on and all of a sudden I wasn't the only one in the room anymore. I was being flirted with, I WAS FLIRTING back, and I was enjoying everything. I just don't know what to do anymore." She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms and shawl around them.

"Denise, did you have an affair?" Jack sat up and looked at her.

"Mentally yes. Physically.. no." She answered.

"You paused on that physically part." He pointed out as she shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Is kissing an affair?" She asked.

"Well, the proper answer here would be do YOU feel it was an affair? But at this point, you are totally lost so I'm going to say no. As long as you are the one that stopped it. That is a hard question to answer because its different for every situation. You still love your husband. Its just you've grown apart. There's nothing bad about that. But you need to come to terms Denise. You are the one that needs to decide what to do and how to take that next leap. Make it happen, or go back to the way it always has been."

"You do this for a living don't you?" She laughed and bumped his shoulder with his, receiving a smile from him.

"No, but I've been through exactly this thing. Trust me; it'll be a load of bricks lifted off your shoulders when you decide what to do. But, then it gets slammed back on you when you have to tell your husband." He laughed again as she sighed once more.

"Why me?" She asked no one in particular.

"Because apparently God thought your life was boring and needed spiced up a bit." He snorted.

"He must have had some clouds in his view cause my life was anything but boring. Why drop Getty in the mix?" She asked.

"Could have been me. What would you of done if I was the one after you?" He winked at her.

"Are you saying you would make a move on me Jack?" She smiled and felt like she had known this man all her life.

"Any man would be an idiot not to try." He laughed. "But, I don't do that sort of thing anymore." He stretched and stood up, grabbing Denise's hand in the process. "Lets go for a moonlight row on the lake."

"No way, I am not going out on that lake at night with you." She pulled back and tried to get her hand back.

"Chicken." He didn't let her hand go, but instead pulled her along after him down the trail around the back of the house.

"Jack, I…"

"SHHHH, come on, I want to show you something." He pulled her up close to his side.

"I've heard that line before cowboy. It didn't end well." She grasped her shawl tighter.

"Well obviously it wasn't the right person saying it. Trust me." He laughed.

"And yet that makes me feel so much safer." She snorted then gasped as they walked onto the dock.

The lake was at a dead stand still and the full moon had a mirror effect on the water. It was beautiful. Denise stood there and closed her eyes, dreaming that this night could just last as long as she hoped. She felt a release of frustration and worry drift from her body and opened her eyes. She knew Jack had moved behind her and felt his presence.

"You felt it?" He asked as she smiled and turned to face him.

"If I knew you better I would kiss you." She smiled and held out her hand to him.

"Ya well that sort of thing got you here in the first place chick, lets not go down that route again." He grasped her hand and together they walked back to the house.

"Thank you Jack." She said quietly.

"Anytime. I know, how about skinny dipping?" He laughed as she swung at him.

"Typical man, Jeesh." She scooped up a pine cone and threw it at him, laughing as he ducked the air raid.

As Denise and Jack made their way into the back of the house, they heard Harriet talking from the parlor. Denise waived goodnight to her as she glided up the stairs. When she reached the top, she turned and met Jacks eyes from below. He winked at her, receiving a smile in return. She entered her room and shut the door, content and happy.

Fifteen minutes later as she sat Indian style in her bed, clad in a black tank top and blue knit shorts, the door burst open to reveal one gorgeous man toting a duffle bag.

"Hey roomie." Jack said as he dropped his bag by the door and kicked the door shut with his foot.

"Excuse me? Get out." She ordered and swished her hand around in the air.

"Sorry, I got bumped out of my room. Seems that my aunt likes paying customers more than her nephew. So, you win me." He smiled and headed toward her.

She flung the blanket back and jumped out of the bed. "Oh no you don't. Get out of my room. You are not staying in here." She yelled and pointed to the door.

"Remember that little swimming lesson I took this afternoon? Remember I said I would get even? This just seemed perfect. So, do I get the right side or left side?" He patted the bed to check the softness of the mattress, smiling the whole time.

"You are NOT staying in my room. Get out or …" She marched to the door and flung it open catching Harriet and Sam at the door in surprise.

"Okay, fine, have it your way Denise. Ill just go sleep out in the boat house, but first….I think ill take you for a swim." He marched over to her and bent down, grabbing her arm and flinging her over his shoulder.