Thanks to The Real TC for helping me!
/\\/\\/\\/\\
Lisa was late; very late, and being late while attempting to make her hair cover the scars on her neck was impossible. "Jack, are you ready?" she called out.
"I am waiting for you!" Jack answered as walked in to the room with his hat in his hand.
"I have to fix my hair. I couldn't even put my make-up on because my hands are numb," Lisa sighed.
Jack walked over to the closet, pulling out a cowboy hat and Lisa's leather jacket. "Wear that."
Lisa slid the jacket over her shirt. "Thanks," she said. "Did I get all the mascara off my face? I dropped the brush, and it spread all down my face when my hands went numb."
"Yeah," Jack replied absently, not really looking at her.
"'kay," Lisa said, and grabbed the keys off the hook, nearly running in to Julie as she walked out the door, "'morning," she blurted hurriedly.
"In a rush, Lisa?" Julie asked.
"Yes, I am so very late!"
"For?"
"I have a TV interview with the afternoon TV show, 'Real Life with Sharon Caddy'. They are staying at the Dude Ranch while they run a segment on my being the first woman to the Canadian Racing Hall of Fame."
"It's apparently a big deal," Jack muttered.
"Yes, it is, Jack," Lisa replied with mock seriousness.
Julie looked at the black streaks across Lisa's face. "You have mascara all over your face, Lisa."
Lisa made a face at Jack. "You said it was good!"
He could only give a sheepish shrug in reply.
/\\/\\/\\
Jack handed Lisa a card. "Happy very late birthday."
"Thanks," Lisa said, and kissed him on the cheek. "Can I open it?"
"Well, yes! I didn't get it for you to look at," Jack chuckled.
Lisa opened the envelope to find only a slip paper. She read it out loud, smiling as she did. "'I owe you a new car'." The smile on her face radiated excitement. "Really? A new car? Are you going to go car shopping with me? Without complaining?"
Jack smiled indulgently as Lisa wrapped her arms around him. "I can't guarantee that I am not complaining…"
"Yeah, yeah," she chided, knowing his dislike for any form of shopping all too well.
/\\/\\/\\
Julie pulled in to Heartland at 6 AM four days later, dripping wet. Her apartment had flooded, and she was drenched, and furious. She climbed out of the car and knocked on the door.
Amy opened it. "Julie! How are you?"
"I am wet," Julie replied sourly. "The pipes in my apartment burst and water went everywhere. My entire apartment has a foot of water in it. I was wondering if I could borrow a set of clothes - I have this meeting with all the parents of my gymnasts. All my clothes are wet and I can't go in a gym suit."
Amy smiled. "Lisa has already left, but I think I can help you out. And if you need a place to stay while your apartment is fixed, we have a guest room."
"I might just take you up on that," Julie said with a smile.
/\\/\\/\\/\\/\\
"How does one spend four hours looking for a car?" Jack teased, as they walked up the porch steps.
"I picked the second truck on the lot," Lisa said in her defense. "You were the one who negotiated the deal."
"It was not really a deal," Jack complained.
"Yes it was, Jack. It was a steal," Lisa said happily as she opened the door.
Jack and Lisa gasped at the same time. Smoke spewed out the open door and there was a raging fire on the stove. Lisa shrieked. Jack hurried to get a fire extinguisher. "AMY!" he yelled, knowing she was the one who had caused the havoc.
Lisa raced to open the windows, and then she turned the knob on the oven to shut it off. The heat burned her hands. "Ow!" she yelped in pain.
When the flames had been extinguished and ceased smoldering, Jack and Lisa sat down. Jack sighed. "Well…"
Lisa smiled ruefully. "We just can't win for losing," she said with a shake of her head. She started laughing, and moments later Jack joined in.
Amy and Julie chose that moment to walk through the open door. Both of them gasped at the sight of the damage caused by the fire. "I forgot about the stew!" Amy shrieked.
"It's not really a stew; it's more like charred stuff," Julie declared.
"Amy, you're lucky we found that when we did. You could have burned the house down!" Lisa tried to scold her, but she started laughing again.
"Lisa is right: you are old enough to know not to leave a stove unattended," Jack added, chuckling slightly.
"How old am I, ten?" Amy asked in exasperation.
"What is so funny?" Julie asked Lisa, clearly confused at what could be so humorous about an oven fire.
"Nothing," Lisa and Jack said simultaneously.
"Now I feel like I am ten as well," Julie whispered to Amy.
/\\/\\/\\
Lisa looked at her charred kitchen. "Ugh. Amy, why did you have to go and try to make dinner?" she asked out loud.
Jack wrapped his arm around her. "We will fix it," he said.
"At least this means I get to redo the kitchen," Lisa said, perking up.
"You get a new car then immediately start wanting something else," Jack grumbled before he kissed the top of Lisa's head.
"Please," Lisa begged, turning around to face him. She kissed him once then looked at him imploringly.
"Fine," he finally ground out, "just don't go too crazy." Jack looked at her knowing she would go overboard anyway. He kissed her back just as Julie walked through the door.
"Oh. Sorry." Julie said, and started to back out.
"No, it's fine," Lisa said. "We were discussing what to do about the kitchen."
"Yeah, is that what you called that?" Julie teased.
"Yes, that is what I am calling it," Lisa replied with a hint of a smile.
/\\/\\/\\/\\
Lisa couldn't take it anymore. She had to tell Jack about Julie, and pray that he would have not a heart attack when she broke the news. As soon as Jack closed the bedroom door that evening to prepare for bed, Lisa blurted it out. She explained as quickly as possible, and then waited in trepidation for his reaction.
/\\/\\
Tell me whaat you think...