Chapter 51

On the way to the office, Jack and Elizabeth were replaying the morning.

Elizabeth laid in bed still sleeping. She was enjoying the warmth of her husband. He was her personal heater and loved every warm moment his body heat gave her. She was also exhausted from the previous night. Their time together was perfect in her mind. Jack made every thought of her dream come true. For Jack, he was just exhausted from their intimate time together. Their time together was part of her taking complete control. Then the last part of their time was Jack slowing things down and taking control. Their eyes only opened when a loud knock banged on the door. Immediately, JJ walked through the door. He jumped on the bed and landed in front of his mommy. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him. Unfortunately for the newly married couple, the almost six year old had no plans to lay in bed. He wanted to get up and go downstairs.

"Come on…" JJ pleaded with a whiny voice. "It's time to get up."

"JJ…" Jack whispered.

"Let's go." JJ stated again. He wiggled his way out of Elizabeth's embrace. "You two have ten minutes to be downstairs.

Elizabeth smiled when her son used her line to get him out of bed in the morning. She opened her eyes when JJ left the bedroom.

"What's got into him?"

"I think he's looking to spend some time with mother. She promised to take him out today to tour Hamilton."

"I'm grateful he's happy, but does he have to be so happy?" Jack groaned as he rubbed his face.

Elizabeth rolled and placed her head on Jack's chest. She inhaled a deep breath of his scent. She wanted to stay in bed with her husband.

"You know if we don't get up, he'll be in here in a few minutes." Jack whispered as he kissed her on the top of her head.

"I know, but that doesn't encourage me to get up."

As she finished her statement, there was another loud knock on the bedroom door. "Get up!"

"That does though." Elizabeth shook her head.

…

The car slowly pulled into the parking lot of Thatcher Shipping. The driver pulled into a parking spot with a metal sign on a pole in front of it that read 'CEO AND OWNER MR. JACK & MRS. ELIZABETH THORNTON'.

Jack let out a long, slow, deep breath as the car came to a stop. Elizabeth reached for his hand, doing the same with her breath. They were both nervous this morning. They smiled when they looked at the front door and saw Mr. Teddy Lewis standing there waiting for them. They were grateful he would be walking them through the day. They have grown close to him since they worked with him in Hope Valley.

…

As the Thornton car pulled to a slow stop, Charles looked out the window from a small cafe across the street. He and William used to visit it often during work hours when they wanted to get out of the office for a moment. He gritted his teeth when he noticed the sign as the car pulled to a stop.

Charles huffed and then seethed when Jack stepped out of the car and extended his hand to help Elizabeth out of the car. She softly placed a kiss on his cheek before they turned to walk hand in hand toward the front door and Mr. Lewis.

Slowly, Charles brought his cup of coffee to his lips as he watched Mr. Lewis greet the couple. It didn't take too much for him to imagine himself getting out of the car walking into the offices. Of course, Elizabeth would have no reason to be with him when coming to work. She would be home with her parents planning a society wedding. Then she would remain home after their wedding. They may have been planning the birth of their baby not long after their wedding. He shook his head trying to get his mind off that. The more he watched the spectacle in front of him, the angrier he would become.

…

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Thornton."

"Good morning, Mr. Lewis." Elizabeth stated. Then followed by Jack.

"We have a busy morning, but first, may we spend a few minutes in my office?"

"Certainly." Jack stated as Elizabeth nodded his agreement.

The young couple sat down in chairs in front of Teddy's desk. They quickly glanced at each other before turning their attention to Teddy.

"First, I wanted to share a few things with you before your day begins."

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, Elizabeth. Everything is fine. First, the adoption is finalized as of yesterday. I received the paperwork back from the province. It's official." Teddy stated as he handed over the proper paperwork. Elizabeth and Jack both reached up to tap their eyes before a tear fell. They have been a family for a while now, but now it is official. Teddy gave them a few seconds to process the information. Jack and Elizabeth could only look at each other. The joy was written all over their faces. When they turned their attention back to Teddy, he continued.

"The name change for JJ and you are also complete." He handed over a copy of that paperwork. "Plus, Jack…you are officially Co-CEO and Co-Owner of Thatcher Shipping. That has been official for a week now."

Jack nodded his head. He was still trying to wrap his mind around that piece of information. In his wildest dreams, he never thought he would be a CEO and Owner of a large business. It just wasn't something he wanted to do. He glanced over to his wife and saw the same emotion across her face that was across his. He reached for her hand. She was quickly comforted by his gentle touch.

"Together, we can do anything." They both whispered to each other.

Teddy smiled at their words. He knew this was an adjustment for both of them. When they glanced toward him, he continued.

"Now…what I am about to tell you will be a very big surprise to the both of you." He couldn't hide the chuckle when he noticed they tightened their hold on their hands. "It's concerning your finances."

…

"So, this is the park where your mother would play when she was little. She would come here with her sisters and governance."

"What's a governance?" JJ innocently asked while reaching for her hand.

Grace smiled at the little boy. He is everything her middle daughter has told her about. "A governance is an older woman who helps teach young girls how to grow into young ladies." Grace sighed at the thought of her relinquishing the opportunity to raise her daughters. At that time, she knew she was correct in doing so. Now, with everything that had happened, she began to regret that decision.

"Ok…" JJ elongated the word. He wasn't sure that that all meant. "I don't think I would like someone other than mommy and daddy teaching me how to grow up and be a man."

"I think I agree with you." Grace smiled. "Now, let's go right at the big tree. Her school is just a couple of blocks down this street."

"Awesome!"

Grace was greatly enjoying the time with her grandson. He was a very special young man. Just a few months ago, she would have never accepted this. Now, she couldn't imagine her life any other way.

"Good morning, Mrs. Thatcher."

"Good morning, Mrs. Stewart. I hope you are having a great day."

"I am. If I may ask, who is this little one?"

"Oh, this is my grandson, Jack Johnson Thornton. My Elizabeth and Jack are adopting him. He goes by JJ. JJ, this is Mrs. Stewart."

"Good morning, Mrs. Stewart. It's my pleasure to meet you."

Grace and Mrs. Stewart were a little taken back at the young man's manners. He was so polite and well spoken.

"Good morning, young man. Why, aren't you just precious?"

"We all have quickly fell in love with this young man. He has become family." She placed her hand on JJ's shoulder.

"But I though your Elizabeth was marrying Mr. Kensington?"

"Mommy's nightmare." Stated JJ.

Grace discreetly shook her head no. Only JJ saw her.

"No, that was all a grave misunderstanding. She was never engaged to Mr. Kensington."

"Oh…I guess I heard wrong."

"No, you probably heard correctly, but we were all wrong. Elizabeth never was engaged to him. She married Sergeant Jack Thornton of the Mounties."

"Oh…"

"Good morning, Mrs. Steward. I hope you have a great day. I was taking my grandson to Elizabeth's old school."

"You two have a great time today."

"Do you know her well, Grandma Grace?"

"I thought we were friends, but we weren't as close as I thought we were."

…

Jack and Elizabeth sat stunned. The number Teddy had written on the piece of paper and slid to them was astronomical. There was no way it was correct.

"Teddy…that can't be right."

"It is Jack. That's your combined salary for a year. Along with that number, you will receive stocks in the company. That will help offset your tax bill. Here is a breakdown of your salary and stock that you will receive. Along with that, all your travel for the company will be paid for by the company. The second page is options for you to help offset the tax burden. If you would like, you may set an appointment with the company's tax lawyer before you head back home. I would recommend it. He is very good. He will help set everything up legally and save you two the most money possible."

"I believe we will need that help with this much money."

"If you two will excuse me for a few moments."

"Sure."

Teddy knew he needed to give them some time to process the numbers. So, he politely excused himself to give Jack and Elizabeth a few moments together.

"Jack…how is that possible?"

"I don't know. Have you ever seen a number that large before?"

"No, I haven't. That can't be right."

"I agree with you. That's crazy." Jack stated. "What are we going to do with that much money?"

"Jack, Teddy said that was just for one year's salary."

"I know…" Jack's voice trailed off thinking about the amount of money. "I do think we should meet with the financial lawyer. I don't know where to begin with that much money."

"Yeah…"

The couple sat in silence for a few moments. They were just having trouble wrapping their minds around the money. Elizabeth knew she grew up with more than most people, but they never mentioned any numbers. As a son of a mountie and a school teacher, Jack never envisioned that much money. They both realized they needed help with the new windfall in their lives.

"Jack…" Elizabeth tightened her hold on his hand.

"Together Elizabeth…we do this together. It's the only way I know how to do this."

"Me too. Are we good?"

"I never imagined anything like this."

"Me too."

Elizabeth paused for a few moments before saying anything. "With this much coming in from the Thatcher Shipping, I think I'll forgo my teacher's salary. We won't need it."

"You may want to privately speak to Abagail about that."

"Why?"

"Well, you know the people of Hope Valley. They work hard and they pay your salary. They may feel bad for you doing it for free. They are a proud people who took it upon themselves to sacrifice for your salary. They believe you work for things. They don't like handouts."

"That's true." She thought about it for a few moments. "I think I will speak with her."

Jack nodded his head. "I may do the same with my new salary."

"If she feels that wouldn't be appropriate, maybe I can discreetly take my salary and purchase items for the school."

"I love that idea. The women of the town will still have the knowledge of paying for your salary and the children will have the things they need to have to learn."

"Yes, and no one will know we were the ones doing it."

"I love the sound of that."

"Let's speak with the lawyer and get his advice. We need help in this, so we don't do it wrong."

"I completely agree."

…

Frank and Abagail sat on the small front porch with a glass of lemonade of their log cabin. They have greatly enjoyed their time together. They have spent time together, fishing, and hiking. Abagail was never a touchy person. With Frank, however, that aspect of who she is has changed. Whenever they were together, they were touching. Like at this moment, they were holding hands. At first it was a little too much. Now, she has grown to love it. Frank would normally gently run his thumb across her hand. The loving touch was very calming.

"What would you like to do today?"

Frank leaned back in his chair pondering the question. While he loved fishing, he just didn't want to hear his wife's gloating on winning. Plus, he was getting tired of cleaning the fish. A hike was a good possibility, but to be honest, he was loving a relaxing day sitting on the chairs watching the day go by. They wanted to go riding, but the porch sitting was winning at the moment.

Frank tightened his hold on her hand. "If it's ok with you, I think I prefer this." He lifted her hand.

"I agree."

"I do believe I married a smart woman."

She gave him a soft smile as she brought the glass of lemonade to her mouth for a drink.

"Frank, what do you think about the café and Mary?"

"I think you made the correct decision with her. You two have a good history working together."

"I told her that we would work out a schedule that we both can live with. She'll work some evenings and I will too. I would like to spend some evenings with you."

"I really did marry a smart woman. Abagail, I would really love that. I also think I will help around the café when you are there."

"Only after your job is finished. I don't want you to spend so much time at the café that you neglect your duties as our pastor."

Frank nodded his head. "Are you feeling any better about being a pastor's wife?"

"I still feel very inadequate." She honestly stated. "I don't think I know how to be one."

"I believe you know more about it then you think you do. Plus, it's a lot like me helping out at the café."

"How so?"

"Well, I do what I know and what I don't know, you help me. I'll do the same. You do what you feel is right and I'll help you when you don't."

"So…like a team?"

"Exactly like a team. I help when you are unsure, and you help when I am unsure."

"I like that."

"Great…now, I'm getting more lemonade. Would you like some?"

"That sounds nice."

"Are there any more cookies left?"

"I'll take two."

…

"Mr. Watts, you will remember Ms. Thatcher. She's Mrs. Thornton now. This is her husband, Sergeant Jack Thornton."

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Thornton. I hope you two are doing well this morning. I know you must be overwhelmed with information Mr. Lewis is giving you."

"It's a little taunting, but he has been a great teacher." Elizabeth stated as she extended her hand to shake Jerry's hand. Jack followed his wife's action.

"Mr. Watts, it's great to meet you."

"You too, Sergeant Thornton."

"Mr. Watts, please call me Jack."

Jerry looked toward Teddy to get his unspoken opinion. Teddy nodded his head before speaking.

"Jack would like to keep things on a personal level, if that is alright with you Jerry?"

Jerry turned his attention from Teddy to Jack. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Alright Jack. I'm Jerry."

"Jerry, it's great to finally meet you. Teddy has shared a little about you with us in Hope Valley."

"He has shared a little about you with me."

"Jerry, may we sit?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm sorry Elizabeth. Please, let's go back to my office and we can all have a seat."

"I'm sorry…I was under the impression this is your office."

"No Elizabeth, this is your father's office. Well, I guess your office now."

"No Jerry. It's your office, or at least I hope it will be. I guess we need to have a long discussion."

The four individuals sat down around the desk. Jerry didn't feel comfortable sitting behind the desk in the CEO's office with the two CEOs in the room. He pulled a chair from the side wall to create a small circle in front of the desk. Jack and Elizabeth were grateful for the closer seating arrangement, but they also wanted to make sure that Jerry was comfortable in the role they wanted him to take.

"Jerry…" Jack began. "…we are asking that you jump off the cliff for us."

…

Grace and JJ walked into the school's office to a smiling, old friend of Grace's. Grace had known Mrs. Farley since her girls attended school.

"Mrs. Thatcher. This is a great surprise."

"Good morning, Mrs. Farley."

Mrs. Farley stood and walked around her front desk. She gave her friend a hug. "How are you?" She whispered in Grace's ear.

"I'm good." She stated with a nod.

"Well, who is this young man?"

"Jack Johnson Thornton, this is my friend Mrs. Farley. Mrs. Farley, this is my new grandson, JJ."

"Grandson?"

Grace smiled at her friend's confusion. She took a couple of minutes to share the important aspects of the story.

"Well, that's just marvelous. I'm happy for you, Grace."

"Thank you, Mary. He has been a blessing."

"Oh, I have something for you. We are cycling out our older schoolbooks and I came across something that your daughter may like to have. If not, just throw it out." Mary handed Grace a math textbook that was sitting on a filing cabinet behind her desk.

Grace accepted the book and looked somewhat puzzled.

"Open the cover."

Grace did what she was told and saw several names written on a piece of paper that was glued to the inside cover of the book. Midway down the list, she came across a handwritten name. She knew the name and handwriting instantly.

"You have Elizabeth's old math book?"

JJ's ears perked up at the statement.

"Yes. We were going through the older books to see which ones we needed to pull out and replace. By happen chance, I noticed it was Elizabeth's old eight grade math book. I thought you or her would like to have it."

"May I see it?" JJ asked with some boyish excitement that was tampered with a little hesitation.

He gingerly accepted the book and opened it to the inside cover. He quickly found his mother's handwriting. "Wow, her handwriting is so neat and pretty." He stated as he ran his finger over it.

"She always did have nice penmanship."

JJ walked to the nearest seat and looked through the book. He thought it was very cool holding his mommy's schoolbook. Grace and Mary spent a few minutes catching up on each other's life.

"Now Grace…if you would like, you may go to her homeroom. The eighth grade's homeroom is room 14. It always has been."

"Thank you, Mary. I think we would." She had to pry JJ from the book to make the short walk to Elizabeth's old classroom. He carried the book in both of his arms.

…

"I'm sorry…"

"Jerry, we are asking you to jump off a cliff for us." Elizabeth stated with a smile. "When father was arrested, the company came to me in his line of succession. I'm not a CEO and I have no desire to leave my calling as a teacher in Hope Valley. Plus, I'm not leaving my home. I can't imagine selling the company my father built. Plus, what would happen to all the people who work for Thatcher Shipping? They need to be taken care of."

"I'm grateful you said that. I do believe they are the most important aspect of the company." Jerry stated with relief.

"Jerry, I am excited to hear you say that. Elizabeth and I feel the same way."

"We want you to stay on for at least a year, maybe a year and a half so you can teach Jack and I to be CEOs. I don't know what your title would be. You have been father's right hand man for years. You know this business."

"To be honest, we haven't always saw eye to eye on things."

"We don't want you to be a yes man, Jerry. You will need to lead us as we learn this business. Elizabeth and I will be co-CEOs and co-owners. However, I am in law enforcement and Elizabeth is a teacher. We love those professions. We just couldn't let this company fall aside or fall into the hands of someone who may completely change it."

"I agree."

"However, we don't know what to do. This is where you come in. You will work closely with the both of us. Show us the ropes and teach us what we need to learn. You will be in charge of everyday operations under our guidance." Jack nodded his head in agreement. "You will walk this path with us leading us and teaching us."

"Both of you?" Jerry asked. This was a concern of his. How can two people do this? If two people are in charge, how can communication flow freely and effectively?

"Yes, Jerry. Both of us." Jack stated. "We will share the responsibility together."

"You two realize how easy this could go wrong? What if I speak to Elizabeth, and then you come by later and tell me something completely different. What am I supposed to do? This business runs smoothly and effectively. A good portion of that is that there is one voice. The possibility of a misunderstanding and miscommunication is extremely high in this case with two of you."

"There is a possibility but that doesn't mean it will happen." Elizabeth stated and then Jack jumped in. "Then Elizabeth and I need to do a better job of being on the same page. Jerry, I know this is unorthodox, but we honestly believe we can do this well."

"There may be a little bit of a hiccup in the beginning as we find our footing here, but I'm with Jack. We work well together. I believe we can make it work."

"What do you expect from me?"

Elizabeth spoke first. "Teach us the ropes. Guide us through the things we need to know. At some point, I think we can get this down to one phone call a week. In the beginning, we may speak every day by phone."

"The phone line is set to be set up today in Hope Valley. It should be finished in a day or two." Teddy interjected.

"We will call you whenever we have a question."

"Both of you?"

"Yes, Jerry. One day it may be me and the next it could be Elizabeth. Or it may be me for a few days. Elizabeth and I will work that out on our end. When you are speaking to one of us, you are speaking to both of us. Any failure on our end, will be repaired by us. This is where we have to be diligent so there aren't any mistakes."

Jerry sat back in his chair. All of his business education is screaming at him that this could never work. There are too many possibilities for things to go wrong.

"May I suggest something?"

"Jerry…" Jack stated. "…we want an open line of communication. I know there is a proper order and all, but we need to work together. When it's just us, you never have to ask permission to say something."

"That's a little different from the past."

"Maybe so, but this is how we want to work. Open lines of communication. We want your opinion or we would not have you in this position."

Jerry nodded his head. "I like that. What about the option of dividing responsibilities. If one of you excels in one particular area, that would be your area. Divide this workload up to your gifts. That would make communication with me easier. I would know who to call in a certain situation. Plus, you would be working in the area that you are comfortable with or just like doing."

"That may work." Elizabeth thought out loud.

"Plus, that would streamline the lines of communication between us and with you two as well."

"That makes a lot of sense." Jack stated.

"We'll work on it and see what way works best. There will be a lot of adjustments as we progress in this over the next few weeks." Elizabeth stated.

"Yes." Jack and Jerry stated at the same time.

"Teddy told me while in Hope Valley that you plan on retiring in a year or two."

"Yes Elizabeth. I'm hoping to retire in about a year and a half."

"If you would stay for that length of time, you would have trained us. Plus, your legacy at Thatcher Shipping would be a smooth transition and a renewed focus on the employees."

"A renewed focus on the employees?"

"Yes Jerry." Jack stated. "We want to make sure the employees from all levels of this company are respected and taken care of. Customers are important. The employees are important too."

Jerry smiled. He always thought Mr. Thatcher considered the employees expendable. Jerry disagreed with that line of thinking. A happy employee creates a productive employee.

"Jack…Elizabeth…I am grateful to hear you say that."

"So, Jerry, will you work with us over the next year and a half to help us make this company a continued success? And a stronger company?"

"I'm in." Jerry stated as he reached for Jack's and then Elizabeth's hand.

"Perfect." Elizabeth and Jack exclaimed.

"We look forward to working with you."

"Me too."

Teddy sat back excited that things worked out so well. He thought if they would sit down and have an honest discussion that things would work out well. While the set up was a little odd, what he knew of Jack and Elizabeth, they would pull this off.

…

Jack sat down after helping Elizabeth into the car. For their first day, they thought it went well. They were tired mentally. They covered a lot of information throughout the day. It did seem overwhelming. However, Jerry was instrumental in helping them keep their heads above the water.

"You good?"

Elizabeth laid her head on Jack's shoulder. "I am."

"It was a lot." Jack stated as he kissed the top of her head.

"This may take a lot longer than a few days we planned."

"You are a smart woman, my bride. I may never catch on, but I think you will have it figured out before we head home."

"I doubt that."

"You were making valid points and asking great questions." Jack stated with a knowing smile. "You'll have this running smoothly very soon."

"Don't cut yourself short, hubby. You were making great points as well." She looked up at her husband without taking her head off his shoulder. "Together."

"Together."

…

"Ok…this is the last time I'm making fish." Frank stated as he pulled some fish fillets out of the icebox.

Abagail laughed. She has caught more fish than he has, by a large amount. Not only did the loser have to cook the fish, but they also had to clean the fish and then clean up the kitchen.

"You don't want to challenge me tomorrow?"

"Nope. I'm convinced you have the fish bought off or something."

"Are you saying that I'm cheating?"

"I'm not sure how you can cheat at fishing…but yes I am." Frank sassed.

"Do you have any proof of your charge against me?" She challenged him with a flirty smile.

Frank slowly walked toward his wife. He had the look on his face that she adored. No matter how much she tried to fight against it, she just couldn't. They always ended up being together. She was always fine with the outcome.

…

"So…?" Asked Lee.

"The men are making good progress. The orders have caught up and everything is running back to normal. The logs are all set for Jack's and Elizabeth's house."

"How is the house coming along?"

"Very well. Mr. Johnston is very pleased with everything."

"That man works very hard. Can you imagine keeping up with him in his prime?"

"I don't even what to think about it. I'm not convinced this isn't his prime."

"What are you and Mr. Hickam talking about?" Rosemary asked walking into Lee's office.

"The mill and Jack's and Elizabeth's house."

"I walked by the house site today. It's progressing very well. Now, Nurse Faith has instructed you to be home by this hour. Why are you still here?" Rosemay challenged him, but before he answered her question, she continued. "I knew you wouldn't listen to her. Lee, you really need to do what she is telling you to do. This is for your own good."

"I know."

"I don't think you do!" Rosemary challenged him. "You hear her words, but you don't follow them."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I don't think you are." She huffed. "Lee, you nearly lost your foot. You were given instructions to heal, and you aren't following them. I could have…" Her voice trailed off.

"You could have…?"

"Lee, if you're not going to take care of yourself, I'm not going to stand by and watch you self destruct. I'm not watching the man I love do that to himself."

With that statement, Rosemary turned on her heels and immediately left the office. Lee and Hickam stared at the door. Lee was at a loss for words. His major concern was the sawmill. It was his livelihood. Plus, he had all those men depending on it too. He couldn't let it fail. However, Rosemary's words were beginning to sink in a little. Faith did tell him to work half days, but he worked full days anyways. At first, he was telling himself it was because of the sawmill. Now with him being told he could work a normal day. He was working much longer than an average day.

"Hickam, would you please help me to my car?"

"Sure. Are you going home now?"

"We need to stop by the café first…then home. Then please pick up Rosemary and bring her to my home."

"I'm not sure if she'll come."

"She'll come."

…

The car ride back to Elizabeth's childhood home was uneventful. A few minutes after leaving the office, Jack saw a beautiful park. He thought a nice walk would be nice. They have sat in a car and then offices all day. They were both used to walking more. He asked the driver if he would pull over on the next street.

"What for?"

"I thought a walk would be nice." He nodded toward the park. There was a walking path through the woods.

Elizabeth quickly noticed the park. "A walk would be nice, but could we walk at home?"

Jack studied her face for a moment. "Sure. I thought it would just be nice for you and me to take a walk. When we are at your home, JJ will be with us."

Elizabeth nodded her head. She struggled to find what she wanted to say. "Jack, I don't know how to say it…so, I'm just going to say it. That is the park where Charles and I would often walk. I love that park. It's beautiful with the flowers and trees. I love the park because of the park, not because Charles and I walked there. He would often take me there because he knew I enjoyed it so much."

"Well, maybe you and I can make new memories there. If you enjoy it so much, I would like to share it with you."

"That would be lovely, Jack. That park has always been beautiful. I would love to share it with you."

She knew it was all a little hard for Jack to be back in Hamilton. All those memories were threatening to steal his happiness. She knew Hamilton wasn't his favorite place to be, but she also knew that he trusted her. That was everything to her. She fought so hard to recover his trust and his love, she wasn't willing to allow anything or anyone to come in between them again. She upheld her promise to herself and to him. She was honest and up front with him. There would be no more misunderstandings between them ever again.

"Why don't we walk here for a little bit and then when we are at your home, we can take a walk with JJ."

"That sounds great, Jack. However, there is just one problem."

"What's that?"

"It's not my home."