Chapter 2 – Plans
After Elizabeth finished her grocery shopping, she decided to head home and drop off her groceries and then run over to visit her mother. Due to her mother living nearby, she visited her mother almost every day.
Her mother and her had become very close since Elizabeth's father had passed away years ago due to a heart attack. Her other two sisters, Violet and Julie, had become distant from Elizabeth and her mother. Both Violet and Julie had married and moved away, so Elizabeth was the closest person that her mother had.
It's not that Elizabeth didn't care for her sisters, she did very much so. It's just that it seemed to Elizabeth, and to her mother, her sisters cared rather about other things than family now.
As her hands were full carrying her groceries, she unlocked the front door to her townhome. As she placed the numerous bags on the island in her kitchen, she heard her cell phone chime in her back pocket.
She pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket as she looked at the screen that had lit up. Her smile quickly widened as she took in the text message that was sent to her phone.
"Good evening. I just wanted to send you a quick text message so that you have my cell phone number. I'm looking forward to seeing you again this week for dinner. Oh, and Matthew wanted me to tell "Beth" that he is looking forward to seeing you again and can't wait to show you all his toys. Thanks again for all your help. – Jack"
Elizabeth leaned back against the edge of her kitchen island and took a deep breath, pressing the corner of her lip with her teeth as she took in the text message and began to imagine possibly having a relationship with Jack and Matthew.
She quickly answered Jack's text message.
"Hi Jack! Thanks for texting me and sending me your phone number. I can't wait to see you guys again later in the week. Feel free to let me know if you need me to bring anything. And tell Matthew I look forward to seeing all his toys. Again, I'm glad Matthew was safe and I'm glad I was able to help. – Elizabeth"
Elizabeth began unloading her groceries and getting ready to head over to her mother's house. Before long though, her phone quickly chimed again as another text message came through on her cell phone.
"Again, I really appreciate all your help. I keep repeating over and over again in my mind of seeing you talking to Matthew, and I can't get that scene out of my head. I mean, I was worried to death about my son, but noticing you turn around and look at me was enough to knock me over with a feather. Has anyone told you how stunning you are? Because I plan to very much so."
Elizabeth read the text message over and over, especially that last part. She had to compose herself and began to fan herself with one of her magazines that she had lying on the kitchen island. When that failed, she decided to open the freezer and stick her head inside, quickly cooling down the flames that intensified deep inside her.
"Compose yourself, Elizabeth. I mean, is this really happening? Did I really meet a hunk at the grocery store this evening? Or am I just dreaming?"
As Elizabeth giggled outwardly and picked her cell phone up, she quickly thought of a reply to send back to Jack.
"Are you flirting with me, Mr. Thornton? Because I'm not used to a handsome man flirting with me. To say you have me flustered is an understatement. Again, I'm looking forward to seeing you two later this week. I'm getting ready to head to my mother's house. I may have mentioned something to her about meeting you in the grocery store this evening, so she's wanting all the details. I can't keep her waiting, haha :)"
Elizabeth finished putting all her groceries up and proceeded to change her clothes. As she made her way into her bedroom, she tossed on some old cozy clothes before her cell phone chimed again signifying a text message.
"Well, be prepared for many compliments. Is it crazy to think about how it may have been fate driving us together at the grocery store? I mean, what if an old lady had found my son and not you? Do you believe in fate, Elizabeth? Because I do. I won't keep you long, but I hope you enjoy being with your mother. I think family is very valuable. I'm glad you still have her to visit."
Elizabeth re-read the last part of the text message and wondered if something had happened to Jack's parents. She made a mental note to discuss that with him when she saw him later in the week.
She swiftly typed out a reply to Jack as she snatched her purse and keys and made her way outside to her car.
"Trust me, I've thought about that since meeting you this evening. I, too, believe in fate. We'll have much to talk about when we get together this week. I'm glad I have my mother as well. She's a very significant person in my life and I can't imagine not having her in my life. I'm heading to her house now, so I may not reply as quickly as before."
As Elizabeth placed her purse on the passenger side seat, she placed her key in the ignition and started her car. Her cell phone chimed once again signifying a text message.
"Yes, we will have a lot to talk about when we see each other this week. When I figure out my work schedule for this week, I'll text you and let you know about the day and time for dinner. Enjoy your visit with your mother. You can text me if you want, but don't think you have to. I don't want to interfere with your visit. I can't wait to see you again this week. Have a good night, Elizabeth :)"
Elizabeth smiled bigger and brighter than she had in a long time. There was something about Jack that she couldn't put her finger on quite yet. Growing up, she always struggled with men as they mostly were after her father's wealth or business. Her father had a large shipping business and that seemed to impress men.
To Elizabeth, the most important thing in her life was her family and her schooling. She excelled in high school and college, graduating at the top of her class with her bachelor's degree in law. Her plans to pursue her master's degree in law was placed on hold years ago due to her father's death and she never had the drive to continue her degree. Sure, her mother was happy about her pursuit in college, but her father was her biggest cheerleader. She never felt the same after losing her father.
Now though, meeting Jack seemed to be a glimmer of hope for her and her future life. Yes, she wanted to be cautious with Jack but what she knew so far, she really liked. And who could blame her? How was a man that attractive single? And Matthew? Oh, she could get lost in his big blue eyes forever. Her heart hurt for Jack and the loss of his wife. To be young and lose someone close to you that you cherished – She knew how that was. Maybe that was another reason that "fate" brought them together… Maybe, just maybe… They were brought together to heal one another of their loss and pursue this relationship together, stronger than they had before.
Being lost in thought, Elizabeth's cell phone chimed again signaling a text message. As she looked at the bright screen of her cell phone, she chuckled and placed her hand over her mouth as she read the text message.
"PS – Matthew wanted me to send you a picture of him and his favorite stuffed animal, his panda named Oreo."
Jack had sent a picture of Matthew standing beside a massive stuffed panda that was twice his size. Matthew had his arms wrapped around Oreo and was grinning from ear to ear.
Elizabeth quickly hearted the photo Jack had sent her of Matthew and replied quickly.
"Oh my goodness, Jack… How is he so cute? My heart can't take his big blue eyes. I'd buy him a million stuffed pandas just because of those blue eyes."
Elizabeth began to back out of her driveway when her phone chimed again. She stopped and looked down at her cell phone and smiled at Jack's response.
"Trust me, it's not easy. I give in a lot with those big blue eyes. But honestly, he's a great kid and I love him so much."
Elizabeth quickly responded back to Jack's text.
"Oh, I believe you. He seems like a great kid, plus he has a super awesome dad. I'm heading to my mother's house now, so no texting while driving, mister policeman, haha! :)"
Elizabeth waited a few moments before leaving her driveway in case Jack texted her back. She didn't wait long as he texted her back within a few seconds.
"Be safe and, again, thank you for everything Elizabeth. I'll see you later this week. Have a great night!"
Elizabeth grinned and returned a response back to Jack's text.
"Will do. I'll let you know what my mother thinks of you. Again, I'm glad I could assist with finding Matthew. Please let him know that "Beth" looks forward to seeing him, his stuffed animals, and Oreo. Goodnight Jack :)"
Elizabeth finished backing out of her driveway and made her way down the road to her mother's house. Fortunately for Elizabeth, her mother only lived about fifteen minutes away.
Fifteen minutes later, she had made it to her mother's and was putting her vehicle in park as she grabbed her cell phone and swiftly typed out a new text message to Jack.
"Jack, I just wanted to let you know that I made it safe and sound to my mother's house. I didn't want you to worry about me or send a police pose out after me, so I thought I'd let you know. Again, have a great night. If you feel like texting me, go ahead, but I may be late in replying due to filling my mother in on all the details about our meeting at the grocery store today. I'll be home later this evening if you'd want to text then too unless you have an early shift in the morning. Thanks again! :)"
Elizabeth walked up to the front door of her mother's house before she heard her cell phone chime again signifying a text message from Jack. As she made her way inside, she was welcomed instantly by her mother.
"Elizabeth! I'm so glad you could make it. I've fixed us some dinner if you are hungry. I cooked chicken and dumplings, green beans, corn, and rolls. For dessert, I whipped together some banana pudding."
Elizabeth embraced her mother and placed her purse on the small table in the foyer. As she made her way to the kitchen, Elizabeth pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket and read Jack's text message.
"Thank you for letting me know you made it safe and sound. I really do appreciate it. This may sound crazy, but I feel like I've known you my whole life… Like I can say or talk to you about anything. Does that sound weird? Haha :) Feel free to text me anytime day or night that you want. I may not respond immediately, or I may be away from my phone while at work, but I'll respond back. I work an early shift tomorrow from 7:00am to 3:30pm, but we can text after you get back home from your mother's, if you want. Tell your mother hello from me. I can't wait to meet her sometime."
Elizabeth was lost in the middle of reading Jack's text and responding back that she hadn't noticed her mother standing nearby observing Elizabeth's happiness that swept over her face. Her mother was happy that she was happy. Elizabeth needed this, especially since her father passed away years ago.
Elizabeth typed out a response to Jack's text message.
"No, that doesn't sound weird. I, too, feel like that as well. Maybe this is fate? Can't hurt to try it out. I'll tell my mother you said hello. I'm sure she can't wait to meet the man who I ran into at the grocery store. I'll text you later when I get home and we can continue our conversation."
As Elizabeth placed her cell phone in her back pocket, she looked up and saw her mother staring at her with a smile plastered across her face.
"What? What are you smiling at?" Elizabeth tried to plead her innocence to her mother but quickly broke out into a deep laugh. Her mother quickly joined in.
"Oh, Elizabeth, I can see a huge difference since you met Jack earlier today. There's something about him that I like, even though I haven't met him yet. Now, let's eat and you can tell me all the details about this handsome young man."
Elizabeth's mother linked her arm in Elizabeth's arm, and they made their way to the table to eat dinner together and chat about the attractive policeman, Mr. Jack Thornton.
As Elizabeth's mother served dinner and both her and Elizabeth began to eat, her mother was quick to begin the conversation about Jack.
"So, spill! I want all the details and don't hold nothing back."
Elizabeth was in the middle of eating dinner but was quick to dish out all the details about Jack. She told her mother about how she practically ran right into Matthew standing in the middle of the aisle in the grocery store and how she saw no one around.
"I was terrified for him, mother. I mean, no one around. He looked scared to death standing there."
"Oh, Elizabeth, I can't imagine. I'd be frantic if I lost you or your two sisters."
Elizabeth continued to tell her about how she introduced herself to Matthew and he seemed to be at ease. Then, Jack appeared, and you knew he meant business. She told her mother how Jack had told her that Matthew thought it was a game to run and hide from Jack. Matthew wasn't at the age to realize that it's not safe to hide from people, especially in a public place.
"Oh, how terrible. He really shouldn't be doing that. What if something happens? Or what if someone finds him that's not trustworthy or honest?"
"Jack told me Matthew has been doing this since his mother died about a year ago. I'm not sure what happened to her, but apparently, he's been taking it hard and acting out. But you know what, mother?"
"What, dear?"
"What if Jack and I were brought together due to fate? What if I'm meant to be something to Matthew and help him and Jack through this complicated situation? I mean, think about it… I've gone through a difficult loss, just like Jack and Matthew. Maybe, just maybe, we were meant to find each other to proceed on through this new relationship together, stronger than before. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. What do you think?"
"Elizabeth, I've never been one to tell you what to do. Your father and I always made a point to allow you to do what you wanted to do. I think you know deep in your heart what you want to do and I'm not going to stop you. Since learning of Jack, I feel like he's a wonderful young man with a bright future that involves Matthew and yourself. I say, give him and Matthew a chance. If it doesn't work out, you won't be wondering if you should've taken that chance. I love you, Elizabeth, and I want to see you happy. I know your father would agree with me if he was here too."
"Oh, mother. Thank you. I love you too."
Elizabeth stood up and made her way across the room to her mother and they hugged. Tears threatened to spill out of both of their eyes and her mother began to wipe Elizabeth's tears away.
"I'm glad you are happy, Elizabeth. Now, let's dig into that banana pudding, huh?"
Elizabeth and her mother laughed and began to dig into the large casserole dish of banana pudding. They continued discussing Jack and Matthew and talked throughout the evening about getting back together and hearing all about Elizabeth's dinner date with Jack.
Before Elizabeth realized it, her mother and her got lost in conversation and it began getting late. She decided to head home and said goodnight to her mother, promising to come over later in the week for dinner to tell her about her date with Jack and Matthew.
"Goodnight, Elizabeth. Drive safe sweetie. Love you."
"Goodnight, Mother. I love you too. Thanks for dinner. It was delicious."
They hugged goodnight and Elizabeth opened her car door, placed her key in the ignition and turned the key to start the vehicle. She looked up and waved goodbye to her mother as she backed out of the driveway and headed down the road to her townhome.
When Elizabeth pulled in her driveway, she put her car in park, shut off the ignition, grabbed her purse and her phone and made her way to her front door. She unlocked the front door and made her way inside, placing her purse and key on the kitchen island.
She grabbed her phone and texted her mother, informing her she had made it home safe and said goodnight again. She then texted Jack, informing him that she had made it home from her mother's house to see if he was still awake and wanted to text. It wasn't long at all before Jack texted her back, telling her he would love to talk to her before going to bed.
"How did it go at your mother's house? Did you talk about me a lot?"
Elizabeth laughed and texted Jack back.
"We talked about you a little bit. She's dying to meet you and Matthew soon."
Elizabeth made her way into her bathroom, changing into her pajamas, washing her face, and brushing her teeth, before getting under the comforter and getting ready for bed.
As she laid down and got comfy, she reached over to her end table and turned out the light. She flipped the television on and began watching a video on Roku. Even though the video was playing, she wasn't interested in it. She was more interested in texting Jack.
"A little bit? I'm sure it was more than that. I'm glad you had a good evening with your mother."
"Well, maybe it was a little bit more, haha :) She wants me to come over after our dinner date this week and give her the details on how it goes. She's very happy for me."
"It's nice to have your mother in your life to support you. Like I said earlier, family means a lot to me. Regarding our dinner date, I will text you tomorrow morning when I receive my new schedule for work. I normally have one day off during the week, but it's random and changes each week. Is there anything specific you'd want to eat for dinner? Matthew and I aren't picky. I normally fix him something separate from what I eat though."
Elizabeth thought for a moment about what to choose for dinner and responded back to Jack.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter to me. I'm not a picky eater either, so I'll eat whatever you fix. I'm sure it'll be delicious."
"Tell you what, I'll surprise you for dinner :) How does that sound?"
Elizabeth's smile grew as she responded to Jack's text.
"That sounds wonderful. Again, I'm sure it will be delightful."
Looking over at her clock sitting on her end table, the numbers shown brightly in the dark room. The time red 10:14 PM. Since Jack had to be at work at 7:00am the next morning, Elizabeth quickly realized their conversation would have to come to an end very soon for him to get sleep.
"As much as I'm enjoying this conversation, I'm sure you are tired and need your sleep since you must be at work at 7:00 in the morning. I don't want you to be exhausted on my account."
"It's worth it. I'll be fine. I'll just stop off at the local coffee shop for some donuts and coffee :)"
"You gotta live up to the stereotype of police officers with the donuts :)"
"Hey, don't be mocking us police officers… But we do love our donuts, haha."
As the night went on, Jack and Elizabeth became lost in text messages back and forth. Before Elizabeth realized it, she looked over at her clock on her end table and the time read 1:04 AM.
Elizabeth gasped quietly and quickly informed Jack about the time.
"Do you realize we've been texting for hours? It's 1:00 in the morning! You'll be wore out tomorrow for work. I feel awful that I've kept you up this late. You need your sleep."
"Don't feel bad. I guess I lost track of time talking to a lovely woman. As much as I hate to, I guess I should get some sleep for work. 7:00 does come early. Listen, I'll text you sometime tomorrow morning when I find out my schedule for the week. We can plan our dinner date. Again, thank you for helping Matthew. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for finding him and keeping him safe. I hope you sleep well, and I'll talk to you in the morning. Goodnight Elizabeth :)"
"Sounds good. Trust me, I was glad I was able to help Matthew. I'm just glad you showed up when you did. I wasn't sure what to do when I saw him standing there helplessly. Plus, fate intervened too. I look forward to hearing from you regarding our dinner date. I hope you sleep well too. Good rest, Jack. Sleep tight :)"
Both Jack and Elizabeth quickly fell into a deep sleep and dreamed wonderful dreams about each other and their potential relationship.
Make sure to leave a review and let me know what you think of this new story. The next chapter will be Jack and Elizabeth's dinner date & meeting Matthew's panda, Oreo :)