4 – The Fess Up

Saul pulled up the airline website and checked in for his flight to Colorado Springs. He hadn't been sure he'd be able to get leave, but his superior seemed pleased he was actually taking some time off. His buddy Andrew was going to pick him up in just a few moments to take him to the airport.

The Major checked his email one more time, but found no additional emails of importance. He scrolled a little lower and read the email he'd gotten from Jamie almost a week before.

From: Jamie Lorne

Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2007

To: Major Saul Stewart, Nellis AFB

Subject: Come on up

I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about my departure a few days ago. Your pestering me isn't helping me sort things out in my head either. I do know that in time everything will be fine, so chill out and stop nagging.

Evan emailed and wants to bump Thanksgiving up by two days. Do you think you can be here by Tuesday? Evan and Jenn will get here late Monday night, dinner on Tuesday around 4pm like usual. They're leaving late Tuesday night. Very short visit, but at least they're able to manage that.

If you can't bump it up no worries, we'll have plenty of leftovers and can do it all again on Thursday. I'll even let you corner me sometime while you're here and make me have this uncomfortable conversation you're so hell-bent on having.

See you sometime next week.

Jamie

It would be good to see his buddy Lorne again, and Jennifer just tickled him. Turkey dinner was also a huge plus on this trip. Jamie and her mom both were great cooks, but he knew the reason he was anxious about this trip was Jamie. He wasn't ready to let go of the thought that she might one day think of him differently, but that day wasn't going to come if he screwed up their friendship in the meantime.

Major Stewart took the last few steps to Jamie Lorne's front door and pressed the doorbell. Within moments of hearing the chimes inside the house, he heard the rattling of the door knob being turned. The door opened inward and Saul's best bud Lorne was standing in front of him with a big grin on his face.

"Stew," Lorne greeted boisterously, extending his hand for Saul to shake and then pulling him into the house and a hug simultaneously. "Man, it is good to see you."

"Missed you too, Bro." Saul slapped his buddy's back roughly a few times before pulling back.

"Who said anything about missing you?" Lorne scoffed with a laugh.

"You know you do," Saul challenged. He looked around the entry way pointedly. "So where's your better half?"

"In the kitchen with the rest of the women folk," Lorne answered with a smirk, nodding his head toward the door before leading the way.

Saul entered the kitchen, his eyes immediately drawn to Jamie who had her back to the door tending to something at the stove.

"Stew's finally made it," Lorne announced to the room.

"Saul," Jennifer Lorne exclaimed, moving toward him.

"Hey beautiful," he greeted with a smile, pulling her into a hug once she made it to him. "I see you haven't given up on ol 'reliable over there," Saul teased as he released her.

"Hey," Evan protested. "I think I've proven I can be spontaneous," he said nodding his head pointedly at his wife.

"Yeah, yeah. The best thing you've ever done too," Saul acknowledged with a laugh. He turned back to Jenn. "If you ever get tired of him, Darling, you know where to find me." Saul gave her a wink before moving toward Evan's mom.

"I see you still like to stir up trouble, young man," Ruth Lorne greeted her son's best friend.

"Yes ma'am," Saul agreed with a wink. "Lorne's life would still be pretty boring if he hadn't met me." He held his arms open, inviting Ruth in for a hug.

"Nothing could be mundane with you around," she acknowledged while she embraced him. "You're good for Evan, that's for sure."

"I'm the lucky one," he chuckled as he stepped away and rubbed his hands together. "So, how long 'til turkey time?" He watched Jamie finally look his way and he realized it just might be as awkward around her as he'd feared. Forcing a smile, Saul felt more determined than ever to make things right. He couldn't imagine losing the only semblance of family he had.

Jamie could hear the cheers and protests coming from her living room. She'd done her best to stay busy in the kitchen, but quite frankly, she'd run out of excuses. The turkey had about 30 more minutes and everything else was ready to go or was waiting on the turkey being done.

She wandered into the living room and stood off to the side, checking the score and finding her team ahead, but only by one point. It wouldn't have felt like Thanksgiving without football being watched while the turkey cooked and recording one of the Sunday night games had seemed like the best solution. She'd picked this Minnesota versus Oakland game remembering that Jennifer had been working in Minnesota when she met her brother in Vegas during a conference she was attending there.

Saul stood up when she came into the room and gestured with his arm for her to take his seat. She shook her head no and gestured over her shoulder toward the kitchen. She really didn't want to sit down and the cooking was a great excuse to keep her distance.

Her mom and Evan's groans brought her attention back to the television and she watched as the Vikings made a run for the touchdown. Jennifer and Saul both cheered and Saul even leaned over the back the couch and slapped Jenn's hand in a high five. It was a pretty close game so far and since she and her family were from California originally, they were pulling for the Raiders.

Saul moved over and stood near Jamie, gesturing toward the game. "A bit of a nail biter."

"Has it been close the whole time?"

"Pretty much," he agreed, grinning when he noticed Jenn rubbing in the extra point that the Vikings kicked.

Jamie saw his smile and noted his gaze resting on Jennifer. She knew she shouldn't be jealous of her sister-in-law, but a tiny part of her seemed to be. She turned to walk back to the kitchen, wanting some space, but stopped short when she noticed Saul turning to follow her.

"You'll miss the game," she whispered, hoping to sidetrack him.

"Actually, I've already seen it." He shrugged at her startled look. "It was Sunday night football and I'm a guy," he defended himself with a laugh.

"Shhhh," came a chorus of reprimands from the couch.

"Sorry," he called back in a stage whisper. "Cheer our team on to victory, Jenn," he added before turning and gesturing for Jamie to lead the way to the kitchen just beyond the doorway they were standing in.

Jamie was annoyed that he was going to follow her, especially when she actually didn't have anything to check in the kitchen at the moment. She couldn't help but lean in toward Saul and ask the question that had been bugging her for a bit now. "So, are you hung up on my sister-in-law?"

"What?!" Saul incredulously asked, a little bit too loudly. He took a calming breath to adjust his own volume and asked again, "What?"

"You heard me," Jamie whispered back. "Do you have a thing…"

Saul hushed her before she could finish her question, not only appalled at the question but also annoyed that she'd been enunciating each word as if he was hard of hearing. He took her by the elbow and pulled her through the kitchen and out the back door into the attached garage.

It wasn't exactly warm in Colorado Springs in November, but this wasn't a conversation he wanted to have in the house. Being an attached garage meant that it was warmer than outside and it would have to do for the next few minutes.

"You think I'm attracted to Jennifer? The woman married to my best friend?" Saul tried not to let his voice rise, but he found this turn of events exasperating.

"It's just a question, Saul." Jamie was kicking herself for even asking the question. She hadn't meant to cause this raucous. She really needed to curb her impulsiveness a bit. It seemed to lead to nothing but embarrassment for her. Even she knew that Saul wasn't the kind of guy to pine after his best friend's girl.

"No, considering our situation at the moment," he started, emphasizing his point by waving his hand between the two of them, "it's much more than just a question."

"It doesn't have to be," Jamie grumbled, "if you weren't so stubborn about things. You sure do have a lot of trouble letting things go." He was pacing so vigorously that she had to keep turning her body to talk to him. "I thought men weren't supposed to want to talk things through. Why can't you just be a guy about things like this. Just a simple 'yes' or 'no' would've been a good answer to my question… which I regret asking, by the way."

Saul came to a stop in front of Jamie and ran his hands through his hair, trying to gather his thoughts.

Jamie watched him open his mouth to speak several times before words finally started tumbling out.

"I actually don't like to talk about things that are so obviously awkward," Saul spoke quietly, "but I don't want what happened in Vegas to screw up our friendship."

Jamie winced at the words 'awkward' and 'screw up', but kept quiet, letting him speak. She'd known he'd want to hash this out while he was here and they might as well get this over with.

"What happened in the airport," Saul continued, "can we just chalk that up to being caught up in the moment?"

Jamie nodded her head. That worked for her. She'd definitely been caught up in the moment… caught up in his arms, his warmth and scent. That was the only explanation for why she'd slipped up and kissed him. She hung her head for a moment, not wanting to meet his gaze, her embarrassment still acute.

"Are we good, James?"

She could hear the worry in his soft voice and felt the tug of it. "Yeah, we're good." She ventured a look in his eyes and could see the relief she was feeling mirrored there.

"As for the question you asked," Saul grinned at her in a bit sheepishly, "no, I'm not interested in Jennifer. I do love her, the way she is with Lorne… they're perfect for each other. Never thought I'd see my buddy so goofy over a girl. Gives me a whole new way to mess with him," Saul shared with a smirk.

Jamie laughed in agreement. "It is rather fun to watch, I have to agree. I'm sure I'll be able to use this to my advantage somehow too." She turned and took a step toward the door that led into the house.

"Just one more thing, James, then I promise to be a guy and let it go."

She reluctantly turned and stilled just a few feet from the door.

"I am sorry that I kissed you at the airport. I really didn't want to put what we do have in jeopardy. You have my permission to punch me if I ever mess up like that again. Sometimes I just act rather than think. See, I am a guy after all."

Jamie barely heard anything after '… I kissed you in the airport', her mind scrambling to understand the phrasing. "You kissed me?" she absently contemplated for a moment, not realizing she'd said it aloud.

"What?" Saul asked, wondering at her question.

"Nothing, nothing," she reassured him, turning back toward the door just as it opened.

"You two okay out here?" Evan asked, his curious gaze darting between the two of them quickly as he stepped into the garage.

"Yep," Jamie piped up. "Just on our way in." She took another step toward the door, but before she could manage to follow it up with a second one, she was startled to see Saul standing next to Evan and her means of escape.

"We're going to need one more minute," Saul informed her brother, his voice casual, but Jamie feared it was anything but casual.

"Okay…," Evan looked between her and his friend, trying to decipher what was going on and whether he should be intervening.

Jamie sighed in resignation, "Its fine, Ev. We'll just be a couple more minutes. Can you have Mom check on the bird? I'll be in to finish up the rest of the fixings while you and Jenn set the table."

"Sure," Evan said, looking at his friend before nodding reluctantly and retreating back through the door.

Jamie heard the warning in her brother's voice, but it didn't seem to deter Saul, he just gave Evan a small nod which seemed to appease her brother.

After the door was closed Saul stepped toward Jamie. "Can you repeat that last part for me?"

"I asked Evan and Jenn to set the table."

"No, smart ass, that last part before Evan came to check on us." Saul watched Jamie look everywhere but at him, clearly uncomfortable with his question.

"It was nothing. I need to go finish up dinner. Don't want to ruin our early Thanksgiving celebration with dried out turkey."

"That's why they invented gravy." He was rewarded with an eye roll, but at least she was looking at him again. He replayed the quiet words she'd uttered right before Lorne interrupted and could only come to one conclusion. "Jamie, did you kiss me at the airport?"

"What do you mean, did I kiss you? You just told me that…"

Saul cut her off, needing to know the answer, "James."

"Fine. Yes, I kissed you at the airport and then thought I'd die of mortification… kind of like now. Does that make you happy? Can I go now? I have a meal to put on the table."

She finished her rant in a bit of a huff, but Saul was too pleased to care. "Of course that makes me happy. I've been worried for a week now that I'd ruined our friendship by that one impulsive moment."

"Well, you didn't." Jamie asserted, wanting to end this embarrassing conversation.

"That's what I'm gathering, sweetheart." Saul took several steps toward her, unable to handle the relief and happiness while standing so far away from her.

Jamie took a step back, "What are you doing?" She tried to keep her voice strong and steady, but even she could hear the slight tremor in it.

"Well, I want there to be no doubt this time about who kissed who. So," Saul explained as he reached for her, "I am going to kiss you." He pulled her close, until her chest was flush with his.

"Right now," she sputtered, "in my garage while the turkey is drying out in my oven?"

Saul grinned at her and gave a nod before settling his lips over hers, effectively shutting her up.

Lorne turned from the door to the garage, and almost smacked into his wife who'd been standing right behind him.

"Well, what did you find out?"

"Nothing," Lorne replied, rolling his eyes at Jenn. "They're just talking; in fact they seemed a little upset at each other. Oh, and we're supposed to set the table and have Mom check on the turkey."

Jennifer turned on her heel and headed out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Lorne called after her. "The dishes are in here."

"I want to see for myself," Jenn called back over her shoulder, passing Ruth as she entered the kitchen.

"See what?" Ruth asked her son.

"I'm not exactly sure," he replied absently, following after his wife. "Jamie wanted you to check on the turkey," he mentioned as he passed his mom.

"Where's Jamie?" Ruth asked Evan's retreating back.

"In the garage with Saul," Lorne managed to get out before disappearing from view.

Ruth looked around the empty kitchen and at the closed door to the garage, wondering what she was missing. Ignoring the turkey, Ruth turned around and headed back out of the kitchen and just caught sight of the closing front door. She quickly donned her coat before she headed outside to see what the kids were up to.

"Jamie's going to see you," Lorne cautioned Jenn in a harsh whisper.

Jennifer turned back toward Evan and held her finger up to her lips before sneaking closer to the only window in the garage. She had to carefully pick her way through the shrubs between the sidewalk and the garage. Between the sneaking around and Evan's worry she found herself struggling to hold in a fit of giggles.

When she was in position to peak in the window, she looked back at her husband to grin, almost laughing when he rolled his eyes once more. Her grin got even bigger when she spotted her mother-in-law approaching from behind Evan with a grin upon her face as well.

"Wait for me," Ruth called out, trying to keep her voice low.

"Seriously?" Lorne bit out, unable to believe his mother and wife were both about to spy on his sister and best friend. "I'm going to tell her that I tried to stop the two of you."

Jennifer gave Ruth a quick conspiratorial look before answering her husband, "Chicken."

"Maybe," Lorne agreed, this time with a bit of a chuckle. It was doing funny things to his heart to see his wife and mother being sneaky together. This was one of those moments when he realized how lucky he truly was.

Lorne was pulled from his thoughts by his wife's exclamation.

"Oh my!" Jennifer tried to steady herself as she stood on her very tip toes to look through the high window. "I don't think I need to fear being spotted," she giggled.

"I want to see," Ruth laughed. She'd tried to stand on tip toes, but even then she was still just a few inches too short.

"Ev," Jenn quietly called back to her husband who was still standing in protest on the sidewalk. "Get over here and give your mom a leg up."

Lorne looked at Jenn, ready to protest, but once he caught the expectant look on his mom's face he knew there was no sense arguing with the two. He waded between the short bushes and knelt down, one knee on the ground and the other for his mom to use as a step stool.

"Well, it's about time," Ruth declared upon seeing the couple in the garage completely absorbed in a kiss. She looked down at Evan, "Do you want to take a look?"

"At my sister sucking face with my best friend? I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself," she retorted. Ruth turned back to the window and gave it a loud rap as she announced, "Turkey's ready."

Startled, Evan almost let his mother fall while trying to hold his own balance.

His mom turned to Jennifer, who held out her hand to help her down, both women grinning wildly at each other. "You know," Ruth began while making her way back to the sidewalk and then back toward the front door. "If someone had asked me to guess which of my children would elope and which one would take ages to see what was right in front of them… I would definitely have guessed incorrectly."