Chapter 38

Charlette was flustered for the rest of the shopping trip and the ride back to Frank and Abagail's house. She couldn't believe she asked a man out on a date. She began talking to herself. "Is this a real date? It's just coffee. That's not a real date. Just two friends meeting for coffee to get to know each other. Well, we are not friends. Just two people meeting for coffee to get to know each other. Wait…that sounds exactly like a date. Oh my…"

Her mind was rushing faster than she could keep up. Frank walked out of his office and notice the panicked look on her face when he walked into the kitchen.

"Charlette, are you ok?"

It took her a couple of minutes to respond. "I'm not sure."

"What happened?"

She told Frank about the chance meeting in the grocery store and the conversation with Susan and her friend. Then she dropped the bombshell on Frank about asking Adam out for coffee. "I said it before I thought about it." She exclaimed.

"Are you unhappy with asking him?"

"No. Just really anxious about it."

"Do you want to back out?"

She shook her head no.

"Would you like for me to go with you, or would you like for me to come by after you have already been seated? I could make it seem like it was all by chance."

"Are we back in high school and are you my best friend or something there to rescue me if the date goes bad?" She playfully smirked.

"Well…you're acting as nervous as a teen girl meeting her crush for ice cream or something." He sassed.

She was grateful for his teasing. It made her laugh and break the anxiety that was building in her mind. She had to admit that Frank was very good at this.

"No. I will act like a big girl and go have coffee with him. It's not like I am going to marry him."

Without voicing it, Frank was thinking she may be getting in deeper than she realized. He could see the look of intrigue in her eyes, and he certainly saw it in Adam's eyes.

"You have my number. I will be out running some errands. If you want me to come and rescue you, just text me and I'll be there in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you, Frank." After thinking for a moment. "Frank…thank you for taking time to talk with me. It really helped me. You are very good at this."

Frank smiled a thank you smile. "Anytime you need to unload your thoughts, I'm here."

…

Jack sat at his desk in the station running a back ground check on Jake's old employee, Steven Johnson. He had some petty crimes on his record but nothing serious or too bad. He went from job to job very quickly. After calling some of his past jobs and talking to his former bosses, he found a pattern in that the old places of employment was usually burglarized within a week or two of his firing. Not huge break-ins but a pattern nonetheless. Jack had the feeling that this was done out of spite.

Bill poked his head in Jack's office and asked if he was available for a late lunch. Jack realized he hadn't eaten lunch and agreed to go.

After setting down at a local Subway, they chatted about Jack's newest case. Jack informed his boss about the back ground check and all the information he found out.

"That sounds promising Jack. Do you think you can wrap it up by tomorrow evening?"

"Maybe…I'm not sure but I should be able to finish it out by Thursday. Everything is pointing in his direction. Why do you want it done by Wednesday?"

"Well, you are getting married on Friday then you will be gone just over two weeks."

"Yes, sir. Thank you for the time off especially since I am new here. If I don't have it finished by then, I will share with you everything I have. It should, at least, be advanced enough that it wouldn't be an issue."

"Jack, you have earned it. If you can wrap everything up by tomorrow evening with an arrest, you can have Thursday off too."

"That's very kind of you, sir."

"Jack, call me Bill. When you get back from your honeymoon, I want you to spend half of your time with me going over my job and researching the resources available to you. I want this to be a smooth and easy transition."

"That sounds great, boss." He sent Bill a smirk knowing he didn't use Bill's name. "An easy, smooth transition sounds great to me. Thank you for the extra day. It will help to be not so rushed. "

"How is everything going with you since you moved here? I know it hasn't been long, but are you handling everything well?"

Jack started to explain the moving process and how excited he was to begin this new journey in his life. He also shared the goal of looking for a new home when they arrived back from their honeymoon and the misunderstanding from this morning with Elizabeth and Darren.

"Wow. That's a lot to start with. First, my cousin is a realtor here in town. I'll give you her number and you can contact her on what you are looking for when you are ready. I understand about the misunderstanding. That had to be a little difficult on both sides."

"Thank you for her number. It was for both of us. I only caught part of it, but it was very confusing to me. She did a great job of communicating with me what actually happened."

"That's great. Communication is the key to a great marriage. I also understand why you were confused. Was Elizabeth upset with you?"

"No. She was very understanding."

Bill looked up and saw Charlette walking down the sidewalk. He motioned for Jack to look but she didn't see them. She was too focused on something she didn't see them. Jack took out his phone and texted her, but she didn't know her phone was on silent, and she didn't feel it buzz in her purse.

"I'll talk to her later."

Bill and Jack sat for another forty five minutes discussing Bill's job and its duties. Jack was beginning to get an understanding of what was ahead of him. He also knew there was a lot to grasp with the new job.

"Jack, I'll tell you the same thing my predecessor told me, and it was the greatest advice I've ever received. Your job is to enforce the law and protect and serve in the process of doing that. Just don't forget about the person in front of you. He or she is your first priority."

…

Elizabeth's day was interesting since her students noticed Jack kissing her. Half of the class time was spent answering questions about her and Jack.

"So, Ms. Thatcher, you are marring Detective Thorton this Friday?"

"Yes, Maggie."

"That's in three days. Are you excited?"

"Yes, I am very excited."

The questions were coming so fast she couldn't keep up with them all.

"Class! Class! Let's settle down. Let me share some things with you that may answer all of your questions regarding Jack and I…I mean Detective Thorton and I."

She shared with them a quick version of them meeting and about the sketch. This seemed to interest a couple of her students who fell in love with the sketching assignment. She discussed they were getting married on Friday and tomorrow would be her last day for a little over two weeks. Her class moaned at that statement. They loved their teacher. She shared about Jack's kiss on her check. All the girls looked dreamy at her. She could tell they had a crush on him. She laughed at the thought.

"Ms. Thatcher, will you still be our teacher after you are married. My brother said that teachers quit after getting married."

"No, Emily. I am not quitting after I am married. I am taking two weeks off to go for a honeymoon and then I will be back here. I love you too much to stop teaching."

"What is a honeymoon? And why is it so long?"

She didn't know how to answer that question to a bunch of fifth graders. "When people get married, they spend to some time together alone. It is their way of getting to know each other better and to rest from all of the excitement of planning a wedding." She hoped that would be enough to satisfy her class.

"Will you be Ms. Thatcher or Mrs. Thorton?"

She smiled at the name. She has never been called Mrs. Thorton before. It excited her. "You will call me Mrs. Thorton when I come back to class. It may take a little bit of time to get used to it since you have only known me as Ms. Thatcher. Ok class, we really need to get back to our work. Let's tun to page ninety seven of our history books and let's begin reading."

…

Charlette held the door in her hand for a moment before opening it. She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. She noticed Adam standing along the front wall waiting for her. She realized she took in a quick breath. Then she tried to calm herself down and was failing miserably. Adam looked a little nervous too and for some odd reason this comforted her.

Adam smiled at her and began walking toward her. She knew then that she loved his smile, and this was more than two people meeting just for coffee.

For Adam, he was as nervous as Charlette. He never dated since his wife died. He busied himself in church activities with the teens after retiring from school and he was happy with his life, but there was something about this lady. Her smile captivated him. He didn't know why, but he wanted to see it again.

When he walked up to her, he reached out his hand to shake and offered her a smile. She returned the smile and handshake. When they turned to the counter to place their order, he placed his hand on her back to guide her toward the cashier. She gasped at his touch. She didn't realize how much she missed the gentle touch of a gentleman.

After placing their order for a coffee for Charlette and a hot tea for him, they also ordered two small pieces of pie, apple for her and blackberry for him.

"You don't drink coffee?" She asked hoping to break the ice.

"No. I never have. People at the school couldn't understand why I didn't. The taste was just something I could never accept." He laughed.

"Then why did you agree to meet for coffee?"

He blushed for a moment and shifted uncomfortably, and she thought it was cute. "Well…I…um…I wanted an opportunity to get to know you. Ever since we meet when I was with the group to help your son unload the moving truck, you have been on my mind. I don't know why, but you have. I thought this would help me not think about you all the time." He said without ever looking at her. He was embarrassed but she thought he was cute because of it.

She let out a loud laugh and he looked up surprised.

"I'm sorry. I have had the same problem. I was shocked when I asked you for coffee."

They both grinned and settled into a nice conversation. Their drinks and snacks were delivered when she began to tell him a little about her background. "My husband died fifteen years ago when my oldest Jack was thirteen."

"The one that is moving here to take Chief Avery's position?"

"Yes. Thomas died answering a domestic violence call. It was hard on all of us, especially Jack. My youngest, Tom, was a little young to fully grasp everything but it was difficult for him too."

"And Jack's a police officer?"

"Technically, yes. He was an investigator for the state and now he is a detective until Bill retires."

"That must be hard on you?" He asked with sympathy. He reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze before releasing it and placing his hands back on his lap.

"It is. He always loved his father and wanted to be just like him."

"So he's moving here to take over for Bill. Wait, is he marrying Elizabeth Thatcher?"

"Yes. Do you know her?"

"A little. I heard this from the teen girls. They were all saddened to hear he was not single."

"Aren't they a little young for him?"

Adam laughed. "Ay, yes, but that doesn't stop a crush. The boys were upset too that she was dating. I think they have a little bit of a following." He laughed.

She told him about Tom and Jack. How they handled their father's death and about Jack taking this position and his very quick relationship with Elizabeth. She shared a little more about her Tom and that she retired a year ago or so from teaching.

"I loved teaching, but I was ready for a change." He stated. I moved here and quickly became involved with the teen group at church. I'm a little to blunt for the younger kids, so the teens worked well for me. They also gave me a purpose, a reason to get out of the house."

"I'm blunt too, but I worked better with the younger ones."

"That's great. Those little minds need guidance too. My wife died fifteen years ago as well. She had cancer and it took her pretty quick. That's why I'm not a fan of surprises anymore. I used to love them but that was enough of a surprise to last me a lifetime."

"I understand."

"I have three children. My oldest, John is thirty, and my twin girls, Jennifer and Joyce, are twenty four. Like you, it was hard to raise them, but I barely managed."

Their conversation flowed smoothly for the next two hours. They discussed in depth their families and their lives before and after the death of their spouse. The joys and difficulties in raising children alone. Without realizing it, they made a deep connection. Maybe it was life's similarities or just the attraction they both felt.

"Adam, I really hate to go. I am supposed to help Abagail plan and work on the wedding reception food this evening."

"Wow, I didn't realize we have been here for this long. I'm sorry to have kept you for so long, but I am grateful we spent this time together and talked."

"Me too, Adam."

Adam hesitated before he asked the question that was on his mind for the last hour or so. "Charlette, when things settle down for you, would you like to join me for dinner one evening?"

…

Elizabeth's day finally ended. Her kids were just too hyper to get much done. They were excited about her wedding in a few days but hated the thought of her being gone so long. They would interrupt class every so often with a new question about her and Jack. She was grateful that the misunderstanding was solved but it still weighed on her mind, and she wanted to make sure it was truly resolved. She missed Jack. The closer to the wedding date, the more she wanted to be with him. She didn't understand why, but she knew it to be true.

She grabbed her phone and texted Jack, "831". Jack texted back in about thirty seconds. She laughed at the speed of his text. It was as if he was waiting for it.

She was gathering her things before walking out of the school for the second last time as Ms. Thatcher for a couple of weeks. She wanted to make sure she had everything ready for the sub that would take her place while she was gone. She heard a knock on the door and turned around to see Darren standing there with a small grin. She let out a long, slow breath. She sensed her frustration building.

"Elizabeth, why are you packing everything? Are you leaving us?" He smiled at his joke.

"I won't be back until after my honeymoon, tomorrow is my last day for a couple of weeks."

Darren made his way into her room and was standing beside her. He brushed her shoulder with his and offered her a huge smile. She stepped to the other side of her desk wanting to create a little separation between them.

"I saw you and Jack walking after we talked. Is everything ok?" He stated with a smirk.

He knew Jack was standing at the door when he kissed Elizabeth on the cheek. He was hoping to create some friction between them and then he could swoop in and win Elizabeth's heart.

"Everything is perfect. Thanks for asking." She was wondering why he would ask something like that.

"It didn't look perfect."

"It is, Darren. I assure you."

"Jack wasn't upset about us hugging and kissing?" He asked with a little bit of cockiness. The grin he had on his face made her stomach turn.

She noticed his attitude. She took a deep breath trying to control her emotions. "First, it was a friend hug, and I was shocked that you kissed my cheek. I did not kiss you. And Darren, there will not be a repeat performance of the hug and especially the kiss on the cheek. Do you understand me?" She said with determination.

"E-liz-a-beth" He elongated her name just like Jack does, but this time she didn't swoon. The way Jack does it makes her mind go blank. He pulls her in to him just by his words. When Darren did it, it made her mind see red with disgust and anger. "You must see that we were made for each other if you would only give us a chance. Just one date and you will realize how perfect we are for each other."

"Enough Darren. I am over this. You have ended any chance of us being friends. I feel you purposefully tried to cause problems with Jack and me. It didn't work. We love each other and we are getting married in three days."

"Come on Elizabeth." He stated as he began to walk around her desk.

"Darren stop!" She exclaimed with a raised voice, and he stopped beside her desk. "We are finished. If you speak to me other than anything school related, I will file a complaint with the school and school board. They will turn it over to the police department for investigation."

"You don't have any proof. It is my word against yours, and we all know how those always turns out." He stated defiantly. "Come on Elizabeth, just one date. What would that hurt?"

She smiled at him and that confused him for a moment. "That's not true anymore. Remember when the school year started when we had that mandatory teacher meeting, all the classrooms have two cameras in them that records the student area and the teacher's desk? They keep the recordings for a year unless they are requested to be kept longer. I will ask that they keep my classroom's recording from today. If you speak to me other than any school issues, I will push the harassment charges against you with the recording from this morning and this evening. I will also ask that they keep the recordings from the other times when you asked me out and I refused. All of those recordings will be enough for my case."

She could see Darren was fuming. His face was turning bright red. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off.

"Excuse me Ms. Thatcher. Is there a problem?" Mr. Henry, the SRO – School Resource Officer – asked.

"Yes, Mr. Henry. I will need to speak with you for a moment." She looked at Darren and asked, "Is there anything else you want to discuss?"

He didn't say anything. He turned around and stomped his feet like a pouting five year old as he exited her classroom.

"Ms. Thatcher are you ok. I heard loud voices when I walked by, and I wanted to make sure you were ok."

"Thank you, Mr. Henry. You came at the right time." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to collect herself. "What must I do to ask for the recordings of my classroom to be stored and not erased at the end of the school year?"

"You need to talk to me. I am the one in charge of all the cameras and recordings. Do you have an issue you need me to take care of?"

"Yes. I do."

"Ms. Thatcher, if you will follow me to my office, we can fill out the necessary forms and I will gather the recordings you want to be saved. Do you have time now? I have heard you are getting married in a few days."

"Let me gather my things and I will walk with you to your office."

"Let me help you with your things, Ms. Thatcher."

On the way to Mr. Henry's office, Elizabeth shared with him about Jack and their wedding on Friday. In his office, she filled out the form and gave Mr. Henry the information and possible dates for the recordings she was wanting to be saved.

"Ms. Thatcher are you sure you don't want to go ahead and file the harassment charge against him?"

"Not yet, Mr. Henry. If he leaves me alone, I will let it go. If he talks to me again about anything that isn't school related, I will. I just wanted to have the recordings as proof if it comes to that."

"I wish you would go ahead and file the paperwork, but I understand. I will get this together tonight and save it on the proper cloud so it will not be recycled at the end of the school year. We can keep it on the cloud forever. I will also keep a close eye on him from now on. I'll set the camera system to track him that way he is always recorded whenever he is in the school building."

"You can do that?"

"Yes man. The system can track a person wherever they go. Except for the bathroom, of course. I can also set it to look for him in the past. I will have no trouble finding the videos you requested."

"Thank you, Mr. Henry. You do a great job as our SRO. Thank you for taking your time to help me with this and thank you for stepping into my classroom. You were a big help."

"You're welcome, Ms. Thatcher. All the kids love you. They talk about you all the time. Congratulations on getting married soon. I wish you two the best."

Elizabeth left the SRO's office and her phone buzzed.

J – 831

E – 831

E – I'm done with school. Any plans?

J – I hope I can spend time with my fiancé later

E – I look forward to it

J – You know, we're getting married soon

E – I know. I can't wait

J – I want to be the best I can be for you

E – You are the best for me

J – Maybe but we can practice so I can be better

E – I guess that depends on you

J – ?

E – If you are coming over or not

J – I will text you when I'm on my way. I'll bring dinner with me

E – Don't worry. I'll make something. Give me an hour notice so I can cook

J – I am a bless man

E – see you soon

She giggled at her silly man. She can't wait to begin her life with him in three days.

…

"Charlette, are you ok? You have been lost in thought since you got here."

"I'm sorry, Abagail. I might be a little distracted."

Abagail shot her a look waiting for her to continue.

"I may have meet someone." She hesitantly said.

Abagail stopped dead in her tracts. She dropped her notes and pen. She turned around and faced Charlette. "I believe you have some explaining to do young lady."

Charlette laughed. She was becoming to love Frank and Abagail. "Your husband did this to me!"

"What did he do exactly?" Asked a laughing Abagail.

"It all started when he got a few people to help unload Jack's moving truck."

She told the whole story beginning with that day. How they coincidently meet in the grocery store to her asking him for coffee. She told Abagail about their two hour conversation and everything they talked about. Even the gentleman asked her out for a date after the wedding.

"Well, you told me all you know about his except for his name."

"Oh…his name is Adam Richardson."

"Adam!" Exclaimed Abagail. She knew who the guy was when she pressured Frank to tell her, but she didn't know all the other things. "He is a very good guy. He has volunteered with the teen group at church. Those teens love him."

"We meet one today while in the grocery store. Her name was Susan."

"Oh, yes. Susan is a great young woman. She doesn't have the best home life. Her mom does her best, but Susan has a few challenges."

"Yes. She is dyslexic."

"That answers a lot of my questions. She is a very nice young lady. I didn't know of that challenge."

"Yes, Adam helped her study for her driver's test and gave her hints in how to read better and to calm herself down when she is frustrated. He also helped her with the actually driving part too." She laughed remembering what stories he told her. "Abagail, I really enjoyed my afternoon with him."

"Ok…so what's the problem?"

"You mean problems."

"Problems?"

"First, how do I date? I'm too old for that aren't I? Is it ok with me to move on from Tom? I don't know if I want to do that. Then there is Jack and Tom. I don't know how they will handle this."

"Charlette, first of all, you are not too old. It isn't too late for you. Second, I think you are ready. You asked him for coffee and then he asked you for a date and you agreed. You may need to talk to Jack and Tom. They may struggle with it at first, but they love you. They would want you to be happy. You will need to talk to them."

Charlette sighed. "This is just too difficult. I should just do what I have done for so many years. This is crazy!" She let out a deep breath of frustration.

"Charlette, when you are with Adam, what are you feeling?"

"I greatly enjoy my time with him. It's crazy, but I'm comfortable and at peace with him."

"If you don't want to date, I understand that. But if you don't want to date because you are afraid or it's too difficult before you even try it, then you are not the person I thought you were." Abagail stated it with a slight smile.

Charlette huffed her frustration. "You're right." She rubbed her face with both hands. "I like him and I have thought about him since I meet him at the storage rental."

Abagail placed her hand on Charlette's shoulder, "I think you have your answer."

"You're almost as good at this as your husband, and it's a little infuriating." She laughed.

"Oh, I hope you didn't tell him that."

"I did. Do you realize how smart that man is? And he is a great listener."

"Great! He will be difficult to live with for a few days." Both ladies laughed.