"Yoo-hoo, I'm home," Jack turned at the sound of his favorite person's voice and smiled at her as she put down her purse and took off her coat. "Oh hi," she grinned at him. "I have some exciting news."

"Glad you made it before dark," he said to her almost at the same time as she finished talking. The two met by the table for a quick kiss.

"Well," she rubbed her hands together and nodded her head toward the outside, "that's not saying much in the winter." As she shook her head, she added, "That was always one of the things I liked about going to France in the winter, not having the majority of the day in the dark."

Jack gave her a nod and turned back to the stove where he'd been working and picked up the spatula. Lisa walked around the table and joined him, putting her arm around his back and gesturing, "What's this? I thought I was making dinner?"

He nodded and gave her a side glance as she continued to rub her hands together, "It's my romantic gesture," he winked, and Lisa chuckled, tilting her head at him.

"Ahh, did you do something, or is there something I'm not going to like?" She continued to chuckle, and he rolled his eyes, noticing she was still cold coming in from outside, and before he answered, he opened the cabinet next to the stove, pulled out a coffee mug, and filled it, handing the hot cup of coffee to her.

"Oh, thank you," she sighed, with a contented smile. "So?" Lisa let a laugh slip again, raising her eyes at him.

"No, I didn't do anything wrong or have some reason to grovel with you," he smirked as he answered. I just decided to take on dinner. I know work has been busy for you. No reason to stress you out with dinner. Even though it's cold, I'm going to throw on some steaks for us. I'm working on the mushrooms here now and some vegetables," he gestured to the stove as he spoke.

"Wow, what a nice surprise," she leaned up, kissing his cheek. "Thank you. I guess I can go back to work for a couple of hours if you have dinner under control," she winked, and Jack broke out into a laugh himself.

"Well," he leaned down, speaking softly, "you can, but that would leave me here all alone. See, the thing is Lyndy has a sleepover, Amy said she'd be out," he eyed Lisa, "whatever that means, and if you remember, Lou is taking Katie to Calgary for a mother-daughter overnight."

"Oh, that's right," Lisa nodded making a face. "I really resist telling Lou if she would just relax with Katie, things would go much smoother. Katie isn't into all of those planned outings like that. We saw that when she came to the fishing cabin with us, how much Katie just enjoyed being there and doing nothing. She'd much just rather have a quiet getaway, even with Lou, but she doesn't like a big fuss."

"Very true, and you're right," he said with a nod, "Lou still can't see that. Can't tell her that."

"No, you can't," she nodded and patted Jack's back. "So, you're telling me that in this normally very full house, it's just the two of us for dinner?"

"As far as I know," he said with a single nod.

"No Tim?"

Jack shook his head as he worked at the stove, "Jess was dragging him to some art society function." Lisa burst out laughing and she nodded.

"Oh boy, Tim really has embraced this art side of Jess." Lisa continued to laugh, which had Jack now laughing too.

"I'd almost pay to see Tim Fleming at an art show," Jack rolled his eyes and then winked at Lisa. "Oh," he frowned at her, "you said you had some news when you came in. What is it?"

"I can't believe I got sidetracked and didn't tell you!" Lisa exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Oh, I'm so excited about this."

"So," Jack gestured with the spatula, "what is it?"

She gripped his arm and looked up at him, Jack noting the excitement evident on her face, "Now that we are free and clear of Platinum Bo's investors, well, one of them-one I liked and didn't pressure me all the time about him, she called today just to talk business, nothing about him, but anyway," she grinned patting Jack's arm, "somehow we got to talking, and the weather came up. I told her it was just absolutely freezing here, and she said she was enjoying her beach house in Florida. Through the course of our conversation, she told me that she would be traveling for a few weeks and asked if my husband and I would like to use her house for a week. Jack, she's offering us a free week stay at her beach house in Florida while she's gone, just the two of us-no cold winter weather, no half days of darkness, just a warm getaway."

Jack noted Lisa was giddy and almost jumping with excitement. He was surprised she'd kept this to herself this long, even though she'd only been home now a few minutes. He listened to her, but as soon as she finished telling him her news, he found himself making a face and groaning.

"Oh, Jack," she smacked at his arm before he said a word. "Come on, live a little. You look like I just told you that you had to have a root canal."

"Florida, Lise?" Jack made a face and looked down at the stove, sautéing the vegetables. "Beaches are not my thing."

"You're right," she nodded, pursing her lips as she looked to him. "Why didn't I think about that? I should have suggested a vacation to a cattle ranch. That's about all that's your thing."

"Lise," he sighed, turning slightly to face her. "I just don't know what I would do at the beach."

"Right," she nodded, and with a sarcastic tone added, "what a terrible thought, a vacation at the beach. I don't know why I didn't see that it was just a tortuous idea, dragging my husband on a beach vacation."

"Ohh, what this about a beach vacation?" Amy said as she walked into the kitchen, Jack and Lisa still at the stove.

"Lisa!" Lyndy yelled, spotting her for the first time since Lisa had arrived home. Lyndy ran to her, and Lisa scooped her up, Lyndy almost too big to be picked up, but Lisa putting her on her hip there by Jack at the stove. Lyndy threw her arms around Lisa, and Lisa hugged her tightly.

"I hear you are going on a sleepover," Lisa put her head against Lyndy's and grinned at her.

"Yes, but we aren't going to sleep."

"Oh, right, of course," Lisa laughed, putting Lyndy back down. She turned to speak to Amy and gestured at her, "You look nice." Jack turned, and he started to say something.

"Where did you say-" and he paused when he met Lisa's gaze, and she gave him a quick shake of her head, one he knew from years and years of knowing Lisa, and with that, he stopped talking and looked back at the stove, reaching to turn down the temperature.

Lisa turned to Amy, who was now sitting at the table. Jack watched as Lisa folded her hands over the top of the chair and leaned on it to speak to Amy. She gestured, "I was telling Jack that we were offered the use of a free beach house in Florida for a week, an investor I know told me we could use it."

"Oh wow," Amy grinned and nodded, almost in awe.

Jack looked at her and gestured with the spatula, "I was telling Lisa that I'm not a beach kind of guy."

"Come on, Grandpa," Amy frowned at him and nodded to Lisa. "It sounds like a great trip. How do you know you aren't a beach kind of guy? It's not like you go to the beach."

"Exactly," Lisa waved at Amy. She nodded at her and added, "I told Jack that I'm not booking a vacation to a cattle ranch, which is what he would claim is his kind of thing."

Amy dropped her head in a low chuckle, and Jack now, arms crossed, looked at the two women.

"What am I supposed to do in Florida for a week?" Jack asked.

"Oh, I don't know, Jack," Lisa frowned and threw up her hands. "Walk in the sand, sleep in, relax, enjoy the warm weather and sun, eat seafood, spend time with your wife," just a few ideas off the top of my head.

They both looked at Amy as she broke into an all-out laugh, shaking her head at them. She waved her hand and stood, looking specifically at Jack, "Grandpa, it doesn't sound like Lisa is torturing you. That sounds like a pretty great week to me."

"Oh," Lisa put her hand in the air to add more, glancing first at Jack and then at Amy as she said it, "They speak English, it's the United States-basically just like Canada and you have gone to the U.S. plenty, and it's not me dragging you to France. This seems like a big win, Jack. The alternative, of course, is to sit here in the cold for a week," she shrugged.

"Well, I have to get going," Amy continued to laugh at the two. She pointed at Lisa, "If Grandpa refuses to go, you check with me. I'm not sure I could leave Lyndy for much of anything, but a relaxing beach vacation," she grinned and nodded, "yeah, I might just trust Grandpa here with Lyndy."

Lisa burst out laughing, and Jack turned back from the stove to smirk at both of them. Amy put on her coat, got Lyndy ready, and once the two had left, Lisa gestured toward Jack.

"Look, I'm not going to force you to go to Florida with me on vacation."

"Lise," he groaned, turning to face her, "you make it sound so awful."

"I make it sound awful?" Lisa exclaimed, now rolling her eyes. "I told you we could go on this lovely trip, and you act like I said, that it's something painful for you to do. Just forget it, Jack. I'd thought that since our 10-year anniversary is this year, we might enjoy this trip. We rarely go anywhere, and I've not been traveling to France as I once was. We also didn't book any time in Arizona this year as we have in the past."

"We went to Arizona years ago, you saying that was our 10-year anniversary."

"Yes!" Lisa exclaimed and gestured as she added, "We'd been together 10 years then, married three of them. This now," she gestured between them, "married 10 years. Please tell me you haven't forgotten that?"

"No," he scoffed. "I know we've been married 10 years. I was one of the few at our wedding. I'm just trying to figure out what we are celebrating all the time. So, are we celebrating our 17 year anniversary together too?"

"Oh, Jack," she dropped her head and waved her hand. "Listen, just forget it. I'm going to get a hot shower before dinner if you don't mind. I can't warm up."

"Lise-" he called to her, but she waved and turned back briefly.

"It's fine, Jack. I'll tell her we aren't interested in the house. Silly me for thinking I could get my husband to want to spend time with me, relaxing on a beach. Why would we try a new adventure? You know what, maybe Amy did have a good idea. Maybe I'll take her up on that and just leave you here." She turned and headed toward the bedroom, but as she reached it, Jack scurried toward her from the kitchen.

"Now hold on, Lise," he put his hand up, hoping to stop her. She stood in the doorway to their bedroom with her arms crossed almost glaring at him.

"Jack, I don't want to argue tonight when we have the house to ourselves, and I certainly don't want to force you to take a trip. We both remember how that went last time. It's fine."

"It's not fine," he frowned, meeting her gaze. "Listen, I want to spend time with you."

"As long as it's here at home?" Lisa asked, shaking her head.

"You're right," he sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry. We haven't taken any trips in some time, and I know you love to travel. I also know you've cut back considerably on that travel because of me-"

"Because unless it's work," she gestured with her hand, "I've reached the point I don't want to travel as much. I miss you, and it's not the same as it was before. The thrill of it is gone. This was something that excited me about this trip, taking a rather laid-back trip together."

Jack looked at the floor and then started nodding, looking back up and meeting Lisa's gaze, "You're right again, and I need to do this."

"I'm not going to force you into a trip. We both know you are set in your ways. We'd probably not have to worry about an eleven-year anniversary if I did force you, hmm?"

He let out a low chuckle at that, giving a shake to his head, "I'm sorry, Lise. Maybe I am too set in my ways, and I know you are really trying to find things for us to do together."

"You make it sound like I'm force-feeding you," she grumbled.

"No," he reached out and gripped her arm, stepping closer to her with a loud sigh. "He met her gaze, a sympathetic smile on his face, "Call your investor friend and tell her we'll take her up on her offer, you and me," he gestured between them, "not you and Amy."

She tilted her head with a shocked expression and gestured at him, "Jack, I really don't want to get down there and hate every minute of this trip."

He shook his head, "Promise, best behavior, right mindset, and I am going to enjoy this vacation with my wife, the 10-year-anniversary," he said with a proud nod.

She narrowed her gaze, "Are you sure?"

"Tell you what-you get your shower, warm up, and by the time you are finished, I'll have the steaks ready too. We can look up where we are going and make some plans or no plans if you just want to relax."

"Really?" Lisa asked, still unsure.

"I'd like to get to that eleven year anniversary," he winked at her. Lisa let a laugh escape as Jack pulled her into an embrace. He kissed her head and nodded to the kitchen, "I'm going to burn dinner if I don't get back to it." Lisa nodded, and as he stepped away, she smiled with a nod.

"I promise we will have a good time. Now, I've just trying to picture you wearing shorts and sandals."

With that, Jack groaned from the kitchen.