CHAPTER FIVE

Reba took a sip of her iced tea and tried not to let her nerves get the best of her as she sat in the booth at the back of the small diner in downtown Houston waiting for Jack to arrive. The diner was one of her favorite places to lunch when she was working in the downtown office and not out showing houses, it was quiet and not on the beaten path and she hadn't shared it with anyone else until now. It was silly really, why she was nervous about seeing Jack. It had been two days since they had shared their "first" date, and she was nervous about how she would greet him when she saw him. Would it be a quick kiss on the cheek? It was a lunch date after all. Would they kiss chastely on the lips or would they allow something to linger?

Her attention was drawn to the door at the front of the diner where Jack was stepping inside. She stood to greet him as he made his way to their table. She returned his smile as he came near and she stepped into his embrace when he held out his arms, feeling herself melting into him. After a moment she pulled back slightly, and their lips met briefly but passionately. When they pulled away again, Jack waited for her slide back into her seat in the booth and then slid across from her taking her hand across the table.

"Hi."

"Hi." Reba felt herself blush and looked down at the table. "I can't believe I was nervous about seeing you again."

Jack chuckled. "Nervous? Why?"

"Oh, it's silly."

Jack squeezed her hand. "Nothing about you is silly. You can tell me."

"This is just basically our second date this time around and something about this time around feels different. I know we are both really wanting to make a go of this, and I just wasn't sure how you would feel after I called Saturday to cancel."

"Well, I won't lie, I was disappointed, but I understand. You have a family that needed you. Besides, it made the anticipation of getting to see you today that much better."

Reba leaned across the table and kissed him again before settling back into her seat. "Thank you. I was disappointed too, but I did enjoy our phone conversations. And Brock was a mess, I think he just needed his family around."

"What happened between him and Barbara Jean?"

"I'm not really sure. He doesn't seem ready to talk about it yet. He just said they had a big fight and she kicked him out. He's been staying in Kyra's old room."

"I don't have any reason to worry do I?"

One of Reba's eyebrows cocked in interest. "Worried? About what?"

Jack shrugged. "Brock. Maybe his and Barbara Jean's issues are because he is hung up on his smoking hot ex-wife and has decided he wants her back."

"Well, first of all, thanks for thinking I'm smoking hot but no, you don't have anything to worry about. I may not know exactly what is going on between Brock and Barbara Jean, but I can promise you, it's not because of me. Brock and I are ancient history."

Three Weeks Later, Late June

Reba weaved her way across the local brew pub and restaurant that was less than ten minutes from her house towards the table where she saw Jack already sitting waiting for her her. She felt her heart skip a beat when he noticed her approach and a broad smile spread across his features.

"Hey there handsome. Don't get up." She leaned over quickly, planting a kiss on his lips, effectively keeping him in his seat. She pulled away and smiled down at him. "Mmm, I missed you."

"I've missed you too." Jack gestured to the seat in the booth next to him and she took the offer to settle in close to him as opposed to across the table. Over the past 3 weeks, this would be their tenth evening out and they had had lunch together almost every day with the exception of the last two days, both their schedules hadn't allowed them to connect. It was strange that to think she had found herself missing him after only two days.

"This place sure is popular tonight. Took me forever to find a parking spot."

Jack reached over and placed his hand on her leg, squeezing her thigh and then leaving it there. "You know, if you would let me pick you up like a proper date, you wouldn't have to find your own parking spot. I'm still not sure why you are so insistent on meeting me everywhere."

"Jack, I just don't think the time is right for that yet."

"Reba, I am going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly. And it's ok if you are, I would completely understand, I just need to know so we can work through it. Are you embarrassed to tell people about us because of how our previous two attempts at dating wound up?"

Reba grabbed the hand resting on her thigh and laced her fingers through his. "Jack, no. I am absolutely not embarrassed by anyone knowing I'm with you. Honestly, I don't think the kids will even care. Van will be all protective and give you the third degree, but it will all be fake bravado and will last about a week. Brock will have some false sense that he has a right to be disapproving that he doesn't have. And then there's Barbara Jean. I know she gave us her blessing despite her feelings for you all those years ago but somehow her lips still wind up finding yours every time she is around you. And there is only one person whose lips I want that close to yours."

Jack smiled and leaned in seductively prepared to kiss her, but Reba pulled away and left him hanging. "In all honesty, I'm just selfishly enjoying having you all to myself right now and once you start coming to the house, that all ends. I have to start sharing you and I am just not ready for that yet. But I promise, it's not because I am embarrassed or ashamed. When the time is right, I promise, you will be tired of all the time you are spending at my place. If it makes you feel better though, Cheyenne does know."

"That does help. But just so you know, I am ready to handle anything your family can dish out whenever you are ready, so you just let me know. And my reasons are selfish too. Because, when we go out, I want to spend every moment we can together, and we are missing prime hand holding time on those car rides."

One month later, Late July

It was a Friday evening and Reba was in the kitchen just finishing loading the dishwasher before she had to head out to meet Jack for their date. She looked up when Brock strolled into the room looking quite at home in his tank top, sweatpants and bare feet and she felt an odd annoyance tingle at her senses.

Brock looked over at the table and back at Reba. "What's for dinner?"

Reba felt her jaw set and she looked at him with a pointed gaze. "Well, I'm having dinner out with a friend. Jake is spending the night at his buddy Bryce's house for his birthday video game playing extravaganza, so he is eating there. So, your dinner is on you. Maybe you should go have dinner with your wife."

"Listen Reba, stay out of it," Brock replied angrily.

Reba couldn't help but let her annoyance overflow into her response. "No Brock, I won't stay out of it. Your wife kicked you out and as your friend, I let you move into my house while you worked things out, but you've been living here over a month now. And from what I can tell, the two of you haven't actually done anything to work on your relationship."

"How would you even know? It's not like you are around that much anyway. You are always gone working or with your 'friend'." Brock's voice was laced with an extra dose of sarcasm when he used the air quotes for the word friend.

"Yes Brock, I have to work for a living, just like a whole bunch of other women out there. And not that I owe you or anyone else any explanations about anything in my life, I am a single woman with grown children who for the first time in her life is enjoying a social life. I haven't missed any of Jake's school functions and I'm here every evening to help with anything he needs before I go out, if I go out. And trust me, I've been around enough to know that you and Barbara Jean haven't worked on your marriage at all. So, go spend time with your wife. I'm going out with my 'friend'." Reba mockingly used finger quotes for the word friend, grabbed her pocketbook, and walked out the back door, letting it slam behind her.

"What did you think of the movie?" Jack asked as they walked hand in hand through the park. It was a warm July night in Houston, and they had both dressed casually in shorts and t-shirts with sandals for their movie date.

"I love Will Ferrell. He cracks me up. I needed a good laugh tonight, that's for sure."

"Yeah, you seemed a little distracted when you got to the theater. Everything ok at home?"

"Oh, Brock tried to pick a fight with me right before I left to come meet with you. Nothing worth talking about and nothing that spending time with you and Will Ferrell couldn't cure."

Jack's brow furrowed a bit. "Reba, do you worry that Brock is getting too comfortable with his living situation at your house?"

Reba removed her hand from his grasp and slipped her arm around his waist, allowing his arm to rest on her shoulders, her head leaning on his chest. "Funny you mention that, I said almost those exact words to him before I left the house earlier. I told him that I had been ok with him staying there on the premise that he and Barbara Jean would be working on their marriage but from what I could tell they weren't working on anything."

"And how did he respond to that?"

"Oh, he just deflected. Tried to turn it around on me and about how I've been going out a lot lately and digging for information on who I've been with and what I've been doing. I just left him with a strong suggestion that it's time for him to go talk to Barbara Jean because he has just about worn out his welcome in my home. Because you never know when I might want to bring my secret boyfriend over and I really can't have my pesky ex-husband poking around for that."

Reba felt a moan rumble in Jack's chest. "And what exactly would you and this secret boyfriend do at your house…alone?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Reba replied with a coy grin before stepping in front of him and grabbing both of his hands and pulling him towards a secluded bench she had spotted that was tucked under a tree that was slightly off the path. "You know what my favorite part of the movie was? How you strategically picked seats in the top far corner of the theater so we could make-out like teenagers without being seen or judged by everyone in the theater."

"Oh, you liked that, huh?" Jack asked as they sat on the bench and pulled her close, leaning in and placing a kiss just below her ear and then trailing them down her neck, feeling her breath release against his own neck. "I just figured I better get all the kisses in I could tonight. Since they have to last me the next three weeks."

"Don't remind me." Even though Jack had moved back to Texas, he still had a contractual commitment to the hospital he had been working at in Boston that he had to fulfill. Over the next six months he had to do four three-week rotations at the hospital to fulfill the obligation and he left for Boston the next day to start his first rotation.

"I know it sucks. On the one hand, I get to see my mom and sister but boy am I going to miss you."

Reba looked down at where their hands were intertwined. "Well now I feel selfish. I hadn't even thought about the fact that you would get to spend time with your mom and sister. All I had thought about was how much I am going to miss you for the next three weeks."

"It's not selfish. In fact, it makes me feel pretty good. Makes me feel a little less worried about some other man coming in and swooping up my girl while I am away."

"Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that. In fact, I will be waiting patiently for your FaceTime calls every night. Assuming some beautiful young intern at the hospital doesn't turn your head."

"Impossible. See, my head only turns for one particular woman. She has fiery red hair, brilliant blue eyes, a smile as bright as the sun and she doesn't know it, but way sexier than any young intern I might encounter. But if she's worried, I will always take some more kisses just to remind me of what I would be missing if I even thought about being distracted by someone else."

Reba smiled up at Jack, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt at his shoulder and pulling him into a fiery kiss. Jack's hand slipped to her waist and pulled her closer until their bodies were pressed together. Their kiss intensified until Jack felt Reba's stomach rumble in hunger against him and he pulled away before things could intensify beyond what was appropriate for a public park.

Jack stood and pulled her up next to him. "C'mon, let's go find you something to eat and enjoy the rest of our evening."

Brock knocked on the back door of the home he had until recently shared with Barbara Jean and thought how strange it was that he was now knocking to seek permission for entrance to his own home. Inside Barbara Jean looked up from where she was fixing dinner in the kitchen and waived him inside. "Hey there BJ."

"Hi Brock. Long time, no see."

Brock winced. "Sorry, I know it's been a while since I've been over, but you told me to not come back until I had figured some things out."

"So, does that mean you've figured things out?"

Brock sat in one of the kitchen stools at the bar. "Honestly? No. I haven't."

Barbara Jean slammed the lid on the pan of food she was making on the stove. "Then what are you doing here?"

Brock shrugged. "I don't know. I think Reba is tired of having me at her house. She keeps encouraging me to work things out with you and tonight we argued about the fact that I haven't really been trying to do that. She left to go out with a friend, and she told me I ought to come over here and try talking to you. So here I am."

"You know, the whole reason I kicked you out of the house was because you couldn't figure out whether you wanted to be committed to this marriage or if you were starting to have feelings for Reba again. You've been living in her house for almost two months now and you are telling me you still haven't figured out whether you have feelings for her or not?"

Brock ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "It's not like we are over there having long talks by the fire or romantic, candlelit dinners. In fact, we barely see each other between Reba's work schedule and then all the time she is spending with these friends she's been going out with all the time."

Barbara Jean smirked. "You mean her boyfriend?"

"No BJ, I don't mean her boyfriend. I don't know why you are so insistent that Reba has a boyfriend. She says it's just an old friend that she is spending time with."

Barbara Jean laughed. "Brock, you are in such denial. Why in the world would Reba be so secretive about who she is spending time with if it was truly just an old friend? She obviously has a boyfriend that she is either not sure she is going to be serious about yet and doesn't want to introduce the family to them until she is sure, or she already is serious about them, and she is really enjoying their time together and is waiting until she's good and ready to bring them home."

Brock scoffed but didn't respond. "I think maybe you don't want to admit that I'm right because then you might have to admit that even if you do have feelings for Reba, you might have already blown your chance. She may have already…finally moved on from you and I won't be your back-up plan so where does that leave you?"

Brock's response was barely a whisper. "I don't know."

"Well, you better figure it out. I love you but I won't be your second choice. So, if you come back here, wanting to work this out, it better be because you want me, you want us. But if you decide you want something…someone different, you should know I won't standby and watch you hurt her again. And that includes trying to interfere in something good that she may already be involved in just to pursue your own selfish desires."

Brock quietly let himself in the back door of Reba's house and let out a sigh of relief when he found the downstairs dark and quiet. After his less than pleasant conversation with Barbara Jean, he had gone to the golf club and had a few drinks before heading back to Reba's. It hadn't been particularly late when he got there and considering the late evenings Reba had been keeping, he had been surprised to find her car in the driveway. After their argument earlier, he wasn't looking forward to seeing her just yet, so he was glad to find the downstairs empty and that he was going to be able to easily slip upstairs to bed without yet another confrontation to end his day.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed quickly upstairs. He was just about to step into Kyra's old room when he heard Reba's laugh coming from their old bedroom. His head turned sharply toward the door and noticed it wasn't fully closed, a sliver of light peaking out into the hallway, her shadow moving around the room. He knew he really shouldn't but something about the way she had laughed, caused him to move closer to the door.

"It's barely been thirty minutes. How can you already miss me?" Her muffled voice spilled out into the hallway.

Brock stepped closer to the bedroom door, careful not to actually bump it or the wall, not wanting to give away his presence. He could see flashes of Reba's red hair as she passed across the crack in the door, obviously busying herself with something while she held her phone to her ear. He tried not to look too closely but he felt his mouth go dry at the sight of her wearing a simple black silk night gown that landed just above her knee and hugged her curves in just the right places.

The sound of her voice drew his focus away from her body and back to her conversation. "I miss you too. Three weeks is going to be absolute torture. You promise to call me every night?"

Who was Reba talking to that she was going to miss so much for the next three weeks? Who was she making promise to call her every night? Was this her friend she had been spending so much time with for almost two months? It sounded like much more than a friend. Was Barbara Jean right? Was Reba dating someone?

"Promise me you will call me when your plane lands tomorrow? I am counting down the days until I am back in your arms. Sweet dreams."

Brock felt his heart simultaneously drop to his stomach at her words and jump to his throat when he saw her walk towards the door. He quickly stepped back into the shadows, his pulse pounding in his ears as she walked to the door and pushed the door fully closed. He released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding and then leaned back against the wall. Was he too late? Was Reba with someone else?

To be continued…