"As you all know, after my heart attack, Lisa and I," Jack paused.

"Broke up, she left, fell apart?" Lou answered before Jack could finish.

"Lou!" Tim exclaimed, sighing as he met Jack's gaze and looked at his daughter. "Honey, I love you, but you have to stop interrupting him and let him speak."

"Fine, fine, sorry," she waved her hand. "It's not like we don't all know what happened."

"You don't," Jack huffed loudly, looking to the couch where Lou, Amy, and Georgie were sitting. He was met with their eyes all widening and staring back at him.

"Lisa didn't leave; I sent her away. I pushed her away, ended things," he sighed, pursing his lips. "She would have done anything for me, but that was part of my problem."

"I don't understand," Lou stated.

"Lou!" Amy now exclaimed, the family clearly getting irritated with her.

"Sorry," Lou said in an almost whisper now as she started to realize she continued to talk even when asked to stop. Jack gave Lou a look, a look he hoped conveyed he needed her to stop talking. He continued.

"I didn't want to be a burden to Lisa. I knew she would do anything for me, and I felt like I was holding her back. It's no secret I'm a lot older than she is, and I didn't want her stuck here taking care of me, especially since I didn't know how things would turn out. You know she was going to go to Arizona with me, and I just couldn't do that to her, so yes, I told her she should go. I know I hurt her a lot, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. I was certain that in time, she'd be happy again and well," he paused, trying to decide how much detail he wanted to give the girls regarding his personal life.

Jack hated sharing his personal business with them because it was his business. He didn't want to know about their love lives, and he certainly didn't want to share information about his.

"So, that's why she left so quickly and went back to France," Amy said with a nod, not in the questioning way Lou had been interrupting, but almost as if Amy was trying to verbalize what she was understanding.

"It is," Jack nodded, shaking his head. "So, I left soon after for Arizona, cancelling the place Lisa had picked out for us to stay and making my own reservations. I was intent on following the doctor's orders to rest and recover while also set on putting Lisa in my past."

Tim couldn't help but bust out laughing as he pointed toward Jack with a nod, "Really? Oh, good luck with that." Jack glared at Tim, and he held up his hand as almost an apology and sat back, a new cookie in hand. Jack tilted his head, wondering if he had a pack of cookies there in the chair with him.

"Grandpa, you look well-rested," Lou offered, a small smile. "It looks like Arizona was a good place for you to rest and recover, even without Lisa."

"Wait," Amy sat forward pointing at Jack, frowning, "I said something earlier when you wanted coffee, something about Arizona, and it sounded like you mumbled it was terrible. Did you? Was it?"

"It was terrible, most of it," Jack sighed. "I am well-rested, but it's not because of where I went in Arizona. I was in the desert, hot, miserable, in this dump of a thing I rented. Cancelling the property Lisa had booked was one of many mistakes I made. No, the trip wasn't going well for the first two weeks. I wasn't sleeping, eating, or really doing well at all. The place I was staying was miserably hot with the air conditioning not working well. I was about to just give up and come home."

"Grandpa, I don't understand," Lou shook her head.

"Yeah, Jack, why didn't you call us? We would have just told you to come back home. That sounds more like a stress on you than a way to recuperate."

Jack glanced to the group and sighed, shaking his head. "Well, like most things, too stubborn, which is where I get to the next part." He looked down at his feet, not wanting to really have to look at anyone talking about this part. He nodded and continued, "Lisa arrived."

"Wait, what?" Lou asked.

"Lisa flew to Arizona? How did she know where you were? Were you two talking the whole time?"

"This is great," Tim said as he chewed and smiled.

"Hold on," Jack glanced to them and put up his hand. "I've asked you to let me talk. No, when I told her to leave, I didn't speak to her, had not spoken to her, but," he sighed, dropping his head and nodding as he continued, "she's all I thought about. On top of everything about Arizona being awful, I really missed her, more than I suppose I thought I could handle. Lisa's good at digging into things. Turns out the rental car I had, well, she'd originally booked that truck. The receipt for the rental went to her email with my local address. That's how she knew where I was."

"Wow, Lisa is persistent," Ty chuckled, grinning at Amy.

Jack eyed him with a shake of his head, "You have no idea. When she has her mind set on something, watch out; there's no stopping her, even if it's a drive all the way through the United States."

"So, she flew to Arizona, from what, her place in France and found you? Talk about a break-up nightmare story. Grandpa, I'm so sorry. How do you get over someone when they show up like that?"

Jack let a low chuckle escape as he looked away again, shaking his head. He looked back to the group, "She didn't fly from France, at least not to Phoenix. She flew home, back here to Alberta, and well, as crazy as it sounds, she drove. She said she was tired of the airline travel, had a nightmare of a time with missed flights, and she wanted to clear her head." He looked up and saw all eyes on him. Jack nodded and gestured, "I hurt Lisa badly when I broke things off. I knew it would be rough on her, but I also thought, that in time," he shifted his head from side to side, "she would move on. Well," he paused, collected his thoughts and nodded to himself, "she's as stubborn as they come, partly why she's always fit in so well with all of us. I can't look around this room and not meet the eyes of someone who isn't just as stubborn as I am. We are all quite the lot."

"Wait, that's like at least a two-day drive," Ty interjected, and Jack gave him the same look he'd given Lou.

"24 hours of straight driving, so it's more like at least a three-day trip, yes," he said. "As you said, Lisa is persistent."

"Wow, Jack, you hate surprises," Georgie grinned. "That's a big one."

"It is, Georgie," he nodded. "I hate most surprises, yes, but-"

"So, I don't get it," Amy shook her head. "You two didn't talk on the phone or text? She didn't call to let you know she was coming? What if you weren't there? I mean, you were there when she showed up?"

He shook his head, "We hadn't spoken, not since she walked out that front door," Jack pointed. "I suppose it's pretty complex, and I'm sure she wasn't sure if I'd respond or answer. To be honest, when she did show up, I wasn't sure how to react. Part of me wanted to tell her to go, but part of me," he sighed, looking down and shaking his head.

"You missed her," Amy said quietly, Jack glancing to her, Amy the one who was most like him and maybe understood him the best in this group. He gave a slight nod.

"Yeah, I did, a lot."

"Well, I guess that's understandable," Lou offered with a shrug as she looked around at everyone. "I mean, Grandpa, you and Lisa have been seeing each other for what, a few years now? I'm sure you did miss her. You guys would talk a lot. I'm sure you missed having a friend like her around."

"Lou, a friend, really?" Amy rolled her eyes, turning toward Lou.

"It's been eight years with Lisa," Jack nodded, a small, almost nostalgic smile on his face.

"No way it's been that long," Lou shook her head. "Has it?" She looked around.

"Umm, yeah, Lou, Jack started seeing Lisa right after Marion died, about the same time I came back, and even Ty showed up," Tim added the info, glancing around and nodding at Jack. "I'm right, correct?"

"Eight years," Jack repeated. He looked to Georgie.

"And, Georgie, yes, you're right, mostly. I mostly hate surprises, but Lisa doing what I was too stubborn or hard-headed to do, coming after me, that was a surprise that I was very glad to see."

"Really?" Amy asked with a small smile. "You didn't get into another fight with her, did you? Did you work things out?"

Jack didn't exactly answer Amy, but he continued, "I'd been sitting down there, feeling sorry for myself, convinced my life was over. I was too stubborn to do anything about it. I was mad at myself, mad about most everything. I felt like I'd become a burden on all of you, and Tim," Jack looked up and gestured to him with a shake of his head, "no comment about that from you."

"Fine," he grinned and popped another cookie into his mouth.

"When I say Lisa is persistent," Jack nodded, glancing up with a small smile, "you really don't know. We talked a lot. I finally told her why I'd ended things, why I'd sent her away, and she gave me a piece of her mind about that, about making that decision for the both of us. Turns out when two people are in a relationship," he said, dropping his head with a small smile on his face, "both have their thoughts and opinions, things to say. I'd not been fair to her, not listened to what she wanted, but really, as much as I thought sending her away was what I wanted, it wasn't."

"Wait, really?" Amy asked, sitting forward. "You hadn't told her? What did you tell her?"

"Oh Grandpa, really? You sent her away but didn't give her a reason? I can't believe she went to Arizona after that. Anyone else would have said they were done." Lou shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Anyone else might have, yes, Lou," but Lisa isn't just anyone, and I'm very grateful for that. "No, Amy, I hadn't told her my concerns, at least not until she showed up in Arizona. I'd only told her that taking that trip together wasn't a good idea, and she left, as I wanted her to do so."

"Wait, so did finally understand it then?" Amy asked. "This is like a soap opera, Lisa coming to find you and talk."

Jack groaned, nodding, "Which is why I just need to cut to the chase. I hate getting into this kind of personal business. I've thought about this long and hard, and I do need you to know this," Jack paused, looking around and locking eyes with each of them before he continued to talk. "Bottom line," he nodded to them and then paused, trying to decide how he wanted to say this.

"Bottom line is you've been just a peach, Jack," Tim said, giving him a smirk.

"You're right, Tim, never thought I'd say that," Jack nodded. "Maybe that is where I start." He looked at the girls, "I've been miserable for a long time, and yes, I know I've been difficult. I've been alone, and no," he shook his head and continued, "I am talking about someone in my life, not just living here with all of you. As much as I want my private life to stay that way, you do need to know this. I've been miserable, and I have really missed Lisa. It was wrong of me to send her away, especially without talking to her about my concerns. I've been in love with Lisa for a very, very long time, and you girls need to understand that."

"Wait, you're in love with her? I just thought," Lou made a face and shook her head. "I didn't know you felt like that."

"Oh, come on, Lou!" Amy threw up her hands. "Eight years! Didn't you just hear Grandpa say that? What did you think? I mean, you were gushing about falling in love with Peter after, what, three dates?"

"Lou, come on," Tim shook his head, frowning at her. "Jack here is awful around here, moping around, when Lisa isn't here. Why do you think that is? He loves here, and he misses her. I mean, you should understand that a little with Peter gone all the time. You honestly didn't see this as what it is, that Jack is so in love with Lisa that when she's not around, life for all of us is miserable?"

"I just mean," Lou shrugged, looking at Jack, "you're your age, and she's well, like Dad's age," she gestured to Tim. "I know you two enjoy each other's company and going to events together and all, and she's been great around here, but, I don't know."

"Lisa has been in my life, all of our lives," he glanced around at all of them, "because, yes, she loves this family. She's helped each of you in different ways, but she's here because she loves me, and part of loving me is loving this family. My sending her away didn't just end that, not for either of us, not as I had just assumed it would. I'm not asking for your permission to love Lisa-"

"So you do still love her?" Amy gave him a gentle nod and a soft smile. "Grandpa-"

Jack cut her off and took a deep breath, nodding at them, "I love Lisa with everything I have and as much as I expected to live out the rest of my life with her just as a memory, no, I can't do that, and neither can she. The bottom line is that you need to know this as much as it pains me to share my personal feelings, I did realize and acknowledge that I love Lisa more than anything in this world, and I was a stupid idiot to let someone and something so wonderful just walk out of my life. Thankfully, she feels the same way and refused to just let me go. Lisa and I worked through things in Arizona, and she's not going to be going anywhere."

"Finally, Jack," Tim threw up his hands. "Took you long enough, you stubborn old man."

"You love her more than anything-" Amy eyed him, with what Jack wasn't sure approval or question.

Knocking at the door had Jack in a slight panic. He really hoped Lisa hadn't come over this early, not that he wouldn't do anything to have his bride here with him, but he really felt awkward telling the family about things and wanted to get this over before she got there. He knew it would put her in an awkward position, the girls not knowing what all had happened, and he'd just finally been able to start getting the words out. Ty jumped up, waving his hands at the group.

"I'll see who is at the door," he offered, and the group seemed to all watch him as he walked to the door. They could all hear him talking in a soft tone, but no one could make out the other person. As Jack thought about it, he started to relax. Lisa wouldn't knock, not that he would ever expect her to do so. It was her home now too. Jack's head snapped up when he heard Ty calling to him.

"Uhh, Jack," he said, and Jack glanced up to see Ty making a face and gesturing behind him. Jack groaned slightly at the sight.

"Well, thank goodness you are alive. Remind me to kill you later for not telling me sooner. Imagine my shock, to arrive in town after a long flight from the U.S., I stop in at Maggie's to get a cup of coffee and get caught up on the latest town gossip, to be shocked to learn my very dear friend, Jack, had a heart attack, and I wasn't told. Jack," Val sighed, shaking her head as she pulled off her gloves and walked toward him there in the chair. "It's so good to see you," she said, opening her arms for him to stand and give her a hug. "I came right over to see about your health and to hopefully offer anything you might need."

Jack, clearly shocked, stood and stuttered, "Oh, ahh, Val," he said with a small smile. "What a surprise."

"Just when things were getting good," Tim muttered and stood. He looked to the group, "Girls, I think story time is over for now."

"Why, hello, everyone," Val smiled, tilting her head at Lou and gesturing to Georgie. "Lou, this must be Georgie. I heard all about you too, Sweetheart. Nice to meet you. I'm Jack's oldest and dearest friend, and," she turned back to Jack, her arm on his, "I just had to rush over and see for myself how you are doing after that major health scare. Jack," she said shaking her head and patting his arm as she continued, "It's so good to see you, up and around. Everyone in town is worried about you, and I wasn't sure what to expect. So, do you have time for a chat and a cup of coffee? We have so much to catch up on right now. Oh, Amy," she turned and smiled at her, "It's good to see you too. I'm sure this will surprise you, but I could really use your help with a problem horse. I've been constantly updated on Powder for the last couple of weeks, and now that I'm home, I would really like you to look at her. Can you?" She turned back to Jack, "Oh, my heart just dropped there in town when I heard you had a heart attack."

Jack, not sure what to say, but feeling his face redden, looked to the rest of the family and gestured to all of them, "Later, we'll finish."