Chapter 59
A couple of days later, Jack sat at his desk looking over a couple of files and a long list of names, phone numbers, and a synopsis of each name and department. He growled in frustration at the papers staring at him.
"So, is that what I look like when I sit behind my desk?" Chuckled Bill.
"I hope I don't look that bad." Sassed Jack. "Bill," Started a frustrated Jack. "How do you handle all of this?"
Bill looked at the table and offered his friend a small smile. "Let's go for a walk."
Bill had every confidence in Jack and knew he would do a great job as Chief, Jack just had to find a way to make the job his and do it his way. Bill stepped to the side of the door waiting for Jack to stand up and follow him. "Let's go, Jack." The statement had a sense of authority to it. Jack huffed and stood.
"Bill, I don't have time for a walk."
Bill didn't say anything. He turned and began walking down the hall. When he opened the front door, he glanced back and noticed Jack was just stepping out of his office.
As they made their way down the sidewalk toward the park, Bill began. "Jack, you need to take a deep breath and slow your mind. You are trying to do everything and learn everything in the first couple of weeks. That's impossible."
"Bill…I just want to do a good job."
"Jack, you are doing a good job. You brought great ideas to the office, and you haven't even taken over yet."
"I feel like I'm drowning here." Jack stated honestly.
"You're not. You are doing good work."
"But…" Jack stated as he stopped walking and turned toward Bill.
"First, you need to be patient. You are expecting yourself to learn everything all at once, and then you get frustrated when you don't. Jack, that is not realistic. It takes time to learn the things you need to know."
"How long to learn everything?"
"Jack, it's impossible to know everything. You know the broad brush strokes of everything, but Jack you are trying to know every little detail of everything. Jack, that is not possible."
Jack stared at his boss. He knew he was right, but Jack's determination to do a great job for Bill, Elizabeth, and the town people of Hope Valley was driving him.
"You know what is going on, but you need to let other people do their job. They report to you and you guide them, but they are the ones who carry the everyday load." Bill paused a moment to let Jack's mind catch up with what he said. "Jack, you need to hire an assistant, a good one. It can be a friend, but do not use that as the reason to hire someone. You need someone you can truly depend on and trust with everything. They will be your right hand man or woman. Your assistant can make your life easier or more difficult. My assistant has been a godsent for me. She has helped in more ways than I can count."
"I have someone in mind. Her name is Emma. She is the receptionist of everyone on the floor back at my old job. She always had my back when I was gone. She was always helpful and good at her job."
"Have you talked to her about the job?"
"A little when I went back to pack up my apartment, but nothing in depth."
"I suggest you call when we get back to the office. Get with my assistant so she gave give you the particulars of the job. Your assistant needs to be trained and she will be a great resource for you. She will make your life much easier."
Jack decided he needed the help. As an investigator, a good majority of his work was alone. He did work with the local police department, but many of those people didn't like the fact that he was called in. So, they weren't always open with him. He needed to learn to work and depend on others.
…
Since their talk on Adam's front porch, Charlette and Adam was inseparable. They ended up falling asleep in the couch after their talk. Both felt they talked through everything that needed to be discussed.
"Adam, are we going to the Thompson's to work on their house today?" Charlette asked as she walked into Adam's house without knocking.
"Good morning, Charlie. Yes, do you still want to go?" He asked before looking up to see she was already dressed in her work clothes.
"Yes. Let's go. Once we are finished, maybe we can grab something to eat."
"Charlie, don't I always feed you after we work."
"Well, since you don't pay me cash, you need to do something to reward me for my hard work." She flirted. Since the talk, she was more open in flirting with him.
"Honestly, I couldn't afford your labor. You are a very good worker."
She blushed at his words. She walked into his space and gave him a gentle kiss. Both sighed when the kiss ended.
"Charlie, may I ask you something?"
"Sure." She noticed he was a little nervous.
"I would like for us to move forward in our relationship."
She gave him a smile. "Me too, Adam. I think we are ready."
With her smile and without her knowing it, she gave him the go ahead with his plan. He was hoping things would work out with them soon.
…
With Julie and Tom's wedding just a few days away, Grace and Viola were beginning to stress out a little. Vi texts Elizabeth to get her opinion on flowers.
V – Lizbe what do you think about flowers?
Elizabeth shook her head when she read the text. She hated that nickname ever since Vi began using it when Elizabeth was three years old.
E – How old do I have to be before you stop calling me that?
V – Well long after I die. Now…flowers
E – Julie doesn't care. She likes wild flowers
V – This is her wedding, it needs to be very nice
Elizabeth felt Viola was making up for her wedding when she eloped and didn't tell her family.
E – It's her wedding. Let her decide
V – You're no help
E – Vi, I'm at work
Viola huffed. "Mother, Lizbe was of no help. Maybe we need to talk with Julie about the flowers."
"Shouldn't you have asked her instead of Elizabeth?"
"That's what Lizbe says."
"Vi, why are you stressing over this so much?"
"It's her wedding and it needs to be perfect for everyone." She sighed.
"Perfect for everyone or perfect for her?"
Vi didn't say anything.
"Viola, you need to quit punishing yourself and pushing so much with Julie's wedding. We forgave you, now it's time for you to forgive yourself."
She wanted to huff and walk off but knew her mother was right. Her mother had a way of cutting through all the fluff with her and get right to the issue. She knew she was projecting on Julie's wedding, but she couldn't stop it.
"You're right mother. I am sorry. I am also sorry for what I did."
Grace stopped what she was going and walked to face Vi. "That is the last time you apologize. Do you understand?" Grace used her mother's voice and Vi knew she meant business.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Now, let's move forward and get this done. We only have a few short days left."
In that moment, Vi felt like she turned the corner with her mother's help. She wasn't sure what her future looked like, but she knew she had the support of her family.
"Viola, did you hear back from the bank?"
"Not yet, they said it would take a couple of days. I thought the interview went really well. I guess I will learn something any day now."
…
As much as Elizabeth tried, she couldn't tear her mind away from the house. Since their dinner with Beth where they worked out the details of purchasing the house, paint colors and furniture ideas bounced around her head. She has spoken with Beth about twice a day bouncing ideas off of her. Jack and Elizabeth haven't told their parents yet about the house. They were so consumed with Julie's wedding. Every conversation they had were about some aspects of the wedding. Elizabeth was grateful Jack and her kept their wedding simple. Looking back, she wouldn't have changed a single thing. Her wedding was perfect just like it was.
When her phone buzzed, she looked up at her students to make sure they are working and not goofing around.
She smiled when she saw Jack's picture on the screen. It was a picture of him sitting at their kitchen table with a huge, dimpled smile on his face. She couldn't remember why he was smiling so big. She was always lost in those dimples.
J – Can I join you for lunch?
E – You don't have to ask
J – So…it's ok?
E – Absolutely
J – I'll be there
E – Don't forget to bring your gift for Ms. Florence
Ms. Florence was always grateful when Jack showed up at school. She enjoyed talking with him…and she also enjoyed seeing him.
Jack was wanting to spend time with Elizabeth. He also wanted to talk to her about offering the assistant job to Emma. Plus, he wanted to touch base with SRO Henry.
Jack felt much better after his talk with Bill. During their talk, Bill shared with Jack the troubles he had when he took over for his predecessor. He also explained to Jack all the things his predecessor did for him. They were helpful, but Bill made the job his own with the guidance of his former boss. This was what Bill was wanting to do for Jack. Bill wanted the transition to be as smooth as possible.
On the way to Elizabeth's school, he stopped by Abagail's to pick up a couple of things. He walked into the school's office with a smile knowing he would see Ms. Florence.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Florence." Jack said with a smile.
"Good afternoon, Jack. I trust you are having a great day."
"I am now. And you?"
"Not too bad. Still learning the job." He smiled. "I have something for you."
"Oh, Jack. You are spoiling me. Thank you!" She exclaimed.
"I'm heading to Elizabeth's classroom to have lunch with her and the kids."
"I know they all love you. I hear the cafeteria is a blast when you are there."
Jack smiled at her words. "Have a nice day, Ms. Florence."
Jack was walking toward Elizabeth's classroom and saw SRO Henry. "John, it's great to see you. I hope you are well?"
"Jack, I am good. How is everything going?"
"Good… a lot to learn still but Bill is a good teacher."
"Great. I hope we can meet soon to begin to look into things for the next school year.
"After lunch?"
"Great Jack. I will be in my office."
"See you soon."
Jack peeked through the window of Elizabeth's classroom door. When one student noticed him, she pointed to the door and said, "Detective Jack!" When the other students heard her, all of the students looked and began pointing and saying hi. Elizabeth didn't even have to look up to know what was happening. Every time Jack visited her class, she would lose control due to the kids concentrating on him instead of the class work. She just shook her head.
Jack opened the door to the cheers of the kids. He looked at Elizabeth hoping she wouldn't be upset. He started to come around at lunch time instead of earlier. Elizabeth noticed his apologetic look and gave him a warm smile.
"Well, detective. I see you are disrupting my class, again."
Jack made a silly look towards the class before turning to his bride. "I'm sorry Mrs. Thorton. I didn't mean to cause a disruption. So, why don't we head out to lunch a little early."
Elizabeth's students cheered loud at his words. Once they calmed down, Jack said, "And I have chocolate chip cookies from Abagail's." Again, the students roared with excitement. He walked up to Elizabeth, "I'm sorry to be such a distraction." Then he smiled his dimpled smile.
"No you are not!" She exclaimed shaking her head. "It's fine Jack. They love having you around."
"Well, it is only two minutes before lunch starts."
"Well…let's go then."
When he turned to leave, she playfully and discreetly patted him on his bottom. He jumped with surprise and turned to see her smirking.
"Mrs. Thorton! I thought you had kindergarten rules. You know, keep your hands to yourself."
"Jack" She elongated his name. "It's not wrong if I am the teacher." She teased him.
"I love you!" He exclaimed. "You are the best!" He melted with her teasing, and she melted at his dimple grin.
"Let's go Dimples, we have kids who are hungry."
As they followed the students to the cafeteria, she reached for his hand. "I have something I want to talk to you about. Bill has been pushing me to hire an assistant. We talked about this before. He is really pushing now. He gave me the salary and other parts of the job today. I mentioned Emma to you before. She was the floors receptionist back in Oklahoma City."
"I remember. Do you still want to ask her?"
"I do. I think she would be perfect for the job, and she has always been very helpful with me. Would you be ok with me offering the job to her?"
"Jack, this really isn't my decision. You will be the person working with her so closely."
"That's just it, Bella. I will be working with her closely and I wanted to make sure you are ok with it."
"Jack, I completely trust you. You hire whoever you feel will benefit you the most. I will be fine. I trust you."
"Thank you. Emma and her husband Steve have been talking about moving. I hope this will help."
Elizabeth was grateful that Jack always thought of her. She knew she had no reason to be jealous of anyone. For Jack, Elizabeth was the only one.
…
Charlette was busy nailing paneling over a hole in the wall where Adam spent the previous two hours working on a water leak. While this was not the work she thought she would ever do, she fell in love with it rather quickly. The work was rewarding on a couple of levels. First, she was able to see an issue and then she was learning how to fix that issue. However, most importantly, she was helping someone who could use a little assistance. This made her feel good. She also enjoyed spending time with Adam.
Charlette was reminiscing about Adam and their time together. She had loved every moment of it. Her mind started to wonder to tomorrow, not necessarily what she would be doing, but whom she would be with. Her love for Adam was growing by the moment and she was beginning to think of a future together with this man. She was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to what she was doing. She also didn't notice Adam standing behind her watching.
Charlette was standing holding the panel against the wall but wasn't nailing it. She wasn't even holding her hammer. Adam thought she was just staring into space.
"Charlie, are you ok?"
His voice frightened her. She jumped and dropped the piece of paneling. As she turned to see who was behind her, she clasped her hands over her chest.
"Charlie, you must have been lost in thought."
A little embarrassed, she took a deep breath. "I guess I was."
"What were you thinking about?"
After hesitating for a moment, "I was thinking about you."
A flirty smile creeped across Adam's face. "That's great to hear. How about when finish up and go home to get cleaned up? Then we can go and have a nice dinner together. There's something I would like to discuss with you." He winked at her.
"Let's go!" She exclaimed with a smile.
…
After Jack's loud lunch with Elizabeth's kids, he made his way to John's office to begin discussing some of the things for next year. He laughed at the scene during lunch. Like every other time with the kids, they all moved tables together and everyone enjoyed their time together. It was loud with laughter and telling of stories. Even the other grades scooted their tables closer. Before the lunch time was over, every student in the cafeteria was in their corner laughing at the silly things Elizabeth and Jack were doing and saying.
"Good afternoon, Jack. I hope you had a great lunch?"
"I did. It was a lot of fun."
"Yeah, I heard all the noise coming from the cafeteria."
Jack smiled. "I'm sorry we were loud."
"Don't be. It's great they enjoyed themselves with you. I think it will help beginning the programs we will start next year."
"You may be right. So, what are some things you are thinking?"
"I was going to ask you that question." John stated.
"Well, I have a few ideas, but honestly, you are on the front lines here. You know these children much more than I do. You see them every day and you know their stories. John, you will be the face of all this and the leader. The police department and I will support you in every way we can."
"I appreciate that, Jack."
"It will be a great partnership that will benefit the kids."
They spend an hour discussing some of the programs. Many of the programs where the same thing Jack was thinking about starting. Some where easily doable and others may take a little longer to install. John was concerned with the effects of dads not being in the picture at home. He believed the lack of a father figure was a concern. Jack agreed.
"John, what do you think about starting a program with the male teachers and any fathers who are willing to volunteer after passing a back ground check? The program will help the kids in different ways. They could work with the young boys and teach them how to become young men."
"Like what?"
"Well, how to tie a tie. How to dress, shake hands, be polite, how to handle yourself in a crowd. The type of things a father teaches his son. They can also work with the young women and be there for them in a father figure roll, attend sporting games and other activities."
"Jack, that sounds great. Let me do some research and see what we can do."
"Do you think Ms. Blakely will have a problem with this?"
"Let me worry about that. I know how to work around her if needed, but I think we can sell this to her. We will have to make sure we place the right men in certain positions."
"Yes, the safety of the kids is our first priority. Everyone must pass a state and national background check. They must also follow the rules we set."
Following the meeting, both Jack and John felt comfortable with the items discussed. They were encouraged with the possibilities these programs could benefit the kids.
…
Elizabeth's afternoon with the kids was challenging. They were so hyper after Jack's visit. They feed off his energy and his care for them. They were loud and were having trouble settling down. Every once in a while, she would see one of the kids make the ASL sign for beautiful. She giggled to herself thinking of the memory of that day while correcting the child publicly. With the smile of the child's face, she knew she wasn't winning. Surely Jack isn't teaching them how to deal with my scary teacher face?
After trying to calm down her students for the fourth time, she gave up. "Children, put away your books. We are going to the gym for a few minutes."
The children erupted with loud cheers. Elizabeth shook her head and then tried to get them calm enough to walk through the hallways to the gym without disrupting the other classes. As she walked into the gym, she noticed several other children already in there playing. She wondered if the other teachers were having trouble keeping their students under control. She took a quick picture and sent it to Jack.
E – The kids were so energetic after your visit, I had to take them to the gym to let them run off some energy
J – I'm sorry about that
E – It's fine. They love having you around
J – I enjoy being around them too
Elizabeth instructed her kids to be careful of the younger children and to have fun. When she dismissed them to play, she noticed a friend, Samantha, who teaches the sixth grade. With a wave, she made her way over to her on the bleachers to talk while she watched her kids.
Elizabeth sat down and sighed. Samantha laughed at her friend's body posture. "Has it been that bad of a day?" Samantha laughed.
"Looks like yours." Elizabeth laughed. "My husband came to eat lunch with the kids. They all love him and are so full of energy after he leaves. I couldn't get them to calm down, so I'm hoping running around the gym a little while will calm them down."
"Great plan. There're two other classes in here too. Maybe it's something in the food." Samantha shook her head. "I think mine just know summer is closing in and they have summer fever."
"Yeah, that's a real thing."
They talked for a few minutes and Elizabeth looked up and saw Darren and his class walk into the gym too. She sighed. She has almost forgotten about him. The help from the SRO Henry helped calm him down and he has avoided her at all costs. She has seen him around occasionally, but he hasn't approached her since that day. Samantha noticed the look she gave him and was concerned.
"Elizabeth, are you ok?"
"I'm fine, Samantha."
She didn't want to get into a conversation concerning Darren.
"I heard he is behaving himself since SRO Henry threatened to have him arrested."
"Arrested?" Asked Elizabeth.
"Yeah…"
"Oh, I didn't know others knew."
"Well…it's a small school. We knew after it happened, and we knew he wanted to date you, but you chose not to."
"Yes. He was a friend I would talk to occasionally at school, but we were never close. He asked me out a few times, but I never thought of him that way."
"Yes, we all know. Now, tell me about that hunky husband of yours. I haven't seen him yet."
Elizabeth smiled. She pulled out her phone and showed Samantha a picture of Jack. He was holding Elizabeth in a hug with his arm outstretched talking the selfie. His dimples were beaming right through the photo.
"Oh my…he is one handsome man. And those dimples…how in the world…"
"Yeah, I can't tell those dimples no and he knows it." Elizabeth laughed.
"Does he have a brother?"
"He does. We didn't know this at the time we got together, but his brother is dating my sister, Julie."
"Seriously?" A shocked Samantha asked.
"Yeah, they showed up here one day together and we had no idea who Julie was dating. When I meet him, Tom, I was shocked when Jack walked up and introduced me to his brother."
"Wow! That must have been hilarious."
Elizabeth told Samantha the whole story from the beginning. Samantha thought it was funny how he was afraid of her. Elizabeth loved telling that portion of the story.
…
Elizabeth pulled into her driveway exhausted from the day. The kids would not calm down from Jack's visit. Even spending forty five minutes in the gym didn't work. She felt that just made them even more energetic. She was tired. It's very hard teaching fifth graders math when they couldn't sit still. When she turned off car engine, she sighed. She was a little surprised Jack's truck was already in the driveway. He rarely beats her home.
What Elizabeth didn't know was that Ms. Florence called Jack and told him of the afternoon Elizabeth had with her students. Jack made sure to finish up what he had to have done and left early. He stopped by the grocery store and bought ingredients to make dinner.
Elizabeth walked into the apartment and noticed it was quiet. She was wondering where Jack was and then she saw him in the kitchen. He had earphones on and was dancing as he worked on dinner.
Elizabeth was a little earlier than Jack expected. He was figuring another fifteen minutes. He was too busy working on the herb crusted, parmesan cheese baked chicken to notice Elizabeth standing at the front door. He was also listening to the song currently playing in his earphones. The song was one of his favorites from Metallica, Enter Sandman.
Elizabeth laughed at his antics. Then she noticed the flowers in the center of the small kitchen table with two candles on each side of the flowers. There was nice China already set out. The apartment was beginning to smell good with the mixture of flowers and the food beginning to cook.
Jack glanced up and noticed someone was standing at the front door. He jumped a little not knowing it was Elizabeth. He pushed the button on his earphones so the music would stop. "You're home a little early."
"I could say the same about you." She chuckled. He gave his sweet wife a smile knowing what she was about to say. "You're still not scared of a little old school teacher are you?" She sassed with a smile that kept growing.
"Who says I was afraid?" He defended himself.
"Well…you jumping for one and then you made a whimpering sound." She said proudly.
Jack knew he was caught. He slowly shook his head. He wasn't going to win this. "Hey, I have plans for you tonight." He stated as he cleaned his hands. "Give me about five minutes…you're a few minutes early."
She smiled as he hurried off to the bedroom. She took that time to place her travel mug in the sink and stole a piece of carrot that was sitting in a bowl on the counter. When she placed her bag and purse down, Jack walked out of the bedroom. He motioned for her to follow him. She smiled thinking what he was wanting to do.
When she walked into the bedroom, she noticed Jack enter the bathroom. She thought she heard the water running in the tub. She walked in the mostly dark bathroom to candle lights and the sound of running water. She realized he was running her a bubble bath and had several tea cup candles lite around the bathroom. It was giving off a soothing vibe.
Jack entered her space and placed his hand on her hips. "Elizabeth, we have about forty minutes before dinner is ready. Take that time and relax in the tub while I finish dinner. I'll let you know when it's almost ready so you can dry off and change."
Jack didn't give her time to respond. He kissed the tip of her nose and closed the door on his way out. She sighed as she looked around the bathroom one more time. This was what she was needing to relax from her day. "I love that man!" She exclaimed under her breath.
As she slipped into the hot bubble bath, she relaxed immediately. Jack was working on the chicken and just placed it in the oven to cook. He turned his attention to the two sides he was wanting to have with the herb crusted parmesan baked chicken. He wanted to have carrots and mashed potatoes. He began peeling the potatoes and was washing them before placing them in the pot.
With five minutes left before the chicken was to come out of the oven, he knocked on the bathroom door to get Elizabeth's attention. She didn't answer. He slowly opened the door and noticed she was asleep with her head resting on a towel he left for her. She was peaceful and relaxed. He laughed when he heard her snoring. He leaned over her and kissed her on the top of her head. She roused at his touch.
"Hey." He said softly.
"Hey." She smiled at him.
"Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. Here is your towel and your bath robe is on the vanity." He kissed her again on the forehead and left the room.
It took her a moment to wake up. If his goal was for her to relax, he did a perfect job of it. She dried off and walked into the bedroom. On the bed was her favorite sleeping clothes. He laid them out for her. Her favorite black sweatpants that were two sizes too large was beside her favorite t-shirt she sneaked from his cloths weeks ago. Her pink, fuzzy socks were beside the shirt. She laughed. She knew he didn't like the socks, but they were her favorite pair. She quickly changed clothes and walked into the living room and notice everything was set up for dinner.
The food was on plates on the table. He had the candles lit and their drinks were in glasses beside the plates. He had everything set and it looked picture perfect.
"Jack, this looks and smell amazing."
"Thank you, Elizabeth." He stated as he pulled the chair out for her to sit.
She gave him a smile as she walked beside him to her seat. She allowed her hand to roam down his back and to his belt loop before sitting down. She noticed the gasp he involuntary gave when her hand strayed down too far. She proudly smiled at herself. She loved that she had that type of effect on him.
They spend the next little while enjoying the delicious dinner. They talked about their day. He apologized again about the children. She shared with him about their progress and how she was looking forward to summer. He shared with her about his discussion with SRO Henry and the programs they were considering. He asked if she had any thoughts on the programs or if she had another one in mind instead. She loved that he wanted to hear her opinion. They looked through the available programs. She thought the men stepping in was a great one to begin with. She also wanted to do the same with the women. Jack thought that was a great idea. Jack stood to retrieve dessert. He stopped by Abagail's to pick up the chocolate cake they both loved so much.
Their conversation flowed easily, and both kept up their part of the conversation. When they finished eating, Jack stood and took Elizabeth's hand to escort her to the living room. He turned off the music and turned on the TV. Elizabeth was a little disappointed when she sat down, and Jack sat on the other end of the couch. She smiled and laid down on the couch when he patted his lap asking her to prop her feet on his lap.
He started the movie, How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days when she was comfortable. She laughed knowing it wasn't his type of movie.
"I reserve the right to change the channel when you fall asleep."
"I won't fall asleep." She said confidently.
He knew she would. She always did during this movie. After about thirty minutes of rubbing her feet and gently messaging her feet and lower legs, she was gently snoring. He smiled as he turned the movie off and found a baseball game to watch.
When the game was over, it was time for bed. Elizabeth hasn't moved an inch in the two hours she was asleep. Jack turned the TV off and watched his bride for a couple of minutes. He knew he would never get tired of this precious woman.
He gently lifted her feet off of him and slid his arms under her to pick her up to carry her to bed. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck without waking up. He gently laid her on her side of the bed and kissed her cheek when he pushed her hair back off her face. "I love you Elizabeth." He stated as he stood to get ready for bed himself.